Western Kansas world., 1893-12-30
WON BACK.


shall always feel; but henceforth my
love for you has lost all respect and
trust"
Bitter words! Spoken in haste
and anger. The fruit OF the artfully-
nurtured suspicion and jealousy Of a
year! When FauI Britain married
the pennileSs Eda Morpeth, there
had been secret anger and c0ldly-ut-
tered congratulations in the stately
house of his father, where he took
his bride to spend the first year OF
her marriage His mother and his
sister Laura had nothing in common
with his wife. They were naughty,
keen-sighted, cool women Of the
world; she, a little, gentle, loving,
clinging child, utterly simple, with but
little tact, and an absolute incapacity
90 believe that every one didn't mean
precisely what they said. A more un-
fortunate combination Of qualities
could hardly have entered the cold
shadow OF Brittan Hall. She never
saw her little violations Of etiquette,
and her soft, childish speeches were
seized and held up to the light for
her husbands inspection and medita-
tion by her merciless reIatives-in-
law.
She felt, she could not see, the
cruel sarcasm, the cold condemnation
hidden under the smooth speech and
smile. She shrank away, dismayed
and grieved, when her timid over
lures at reconciliation and Affection
were rejected; she knew that Ia a
hundred ways she annoyed and irri-
tated her proud and arbitrary hus-
band, but never knew how to better
the matter. She burned with secret
Indignation at the daily injustice
done her, yet never knew how to
Vindicate herself in her husbands
eyes or assert her rights
The only one Of the family who
showed her kindness was Dick Lea
forth, her husbands cousin, a gay
young Lieutenant who came there
TO spend some weeks with his Aunt
Brittan. Dick thought her the very
pretUieSt little goloen-haired, blue
eyed woman that he had ever seen in
his life; and presently discovering
hersc0ndition of moral serfdom, with
a secret curse on feminine brutality
and her husbands stupidity, donned
her colorS and fought her battles for
her. He it was who parried the
sharp thruStS of her mother and
sister-in-law-who had always ready
excuse for her little social shortcom-
ings and a pleasure Of some kind to
propose when he saw her dropping
and detected.
Liking the frank, kind-hearted fell
low with all her heart she saw moth
ing of the storm that was darkening
above her; she never saw the signifl-
can't look or heard the tone with
which her husband was informed that
"Eda was somewhere with Dick. as
usual" When he was ordered off in
service he wrote her frequently-the
merriest, kindest letters in the
world. She wished to show them to
Paul, but he declined to look at
them.
Didn't he like her to write to
Dick?
He had nothing to say on the sub
ject; she must be her own Judge in a
case Of the kind.
The little woman was puzzled and
unhappy, but she continued to write
to Dick. When he again came back
her JOY was extreme and she never
dreamed Of trying TO hide it, All
her old animation and gIee came
back; she romped with Dick like a
little child; and Paul seeing her one
day pelting him with flowers felt the
long jealousy Of his heart
leap up into a fiery fame of resent
ment and froze the very soul within
her by the words with which this
story commences
"Henceforth he had lost for her
all trust and respect" The words
rang in her ears day and night Con-
tinually she saw bis cold. stern face
as he turned away from toe kiss she
would have given him and heard his
measured, freezing tones.
What sort OF affection could that
be which was robbed of trust and re-
pectP Childish as she was, Eda's whole
heart rebelled against the very
thought of such q love
She examined her past life over
and over again; she sought in vain
for faults to justify SO harsh sen
tence If she had not loved Paul as
woman seldom love. then and there
his dominion had ended aud his in
Justice had erected barrier between
them that he could have never
crossed; but she had given her hus
band her whole heart and soul; loved
him absolutely; could find nothing
pleasant without him; could imagine
nothing desirable In life berett OF thi
love; so she set herself to wiz
him back She was shut out en-
tireIy and desiRnedly from his con
fldence, even in the most trif1inG
matter. Paul sat continually will
his mother and sister in solemn con
clave, to which she was not ad
mitted; the very servants knew NOR
than she OF family matters and dc
nestic details II Paul was troubles
she was never told the reason; if b