The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-09-05
A WOMAN'S DESIRES.
A Complete Story,
by FRANK III. IRONS.

If a lake and throwing briliancy, through
many colored globes, far out into the water.
From a pavilion built out into the lake a
little ways, sounds of music were floating.
band was playing there. A hundred boats
were floating around. Crowds of people
we're strolling around on the margin. The
electric cars were bringing more people
md taking some away. There were de-
5ices to catch stray nckels. A popcorn
nan, a lemonade fakir, "merry-go-
-ound," and other schemes known to those
caterers to the small wants of people who
are enjoying themselves. Photographs in
the pavilion. each with a slot to receive the
price of its services.
Outside benches close down upon the
water where many were sitting. There
were lovers there. Girls, just beginning to
see what they called Life" Young men
spending large proportion of their weekly
salary to please themselves and the girls
Maids and serving people, mechanics and
laborers, business men, bankers. and a
millionaire or two. All sorts and condi-
tons of men and women. Good women,
who see the bad in everybody, and who
suspicion everybody; bad women, who are
IS ignorant the good ones; but whose
ignorance has taken a different form. The
same things applied differently; the same
songs set to different music.
man and woman were sitting, engaged
close conversation. They had not the
lir of man and wife; they were not lovers.
They were young, about 80, each one, and
Well dressed; not gaudily nor loud, but in
most excellent taste. "A lady and gentle
man. anybody would have sad looking at
hem. Let them be introduced:
The lady first: Laura Estele Chapman
she wrote her name. Laura Morris she
had been called by her friends before she
1od Tod
been bright girl" meaning that she had
earned her lessons in school; had written
somewhat original essays; had talked WELL
md graduated from the High School with
honor; had been vivacious, fond of COM
2any, and healthful, cheerful person
generally. Her parents were poor and COM
monplace. There was not much to them
you would say. They worked. ate, slept
and worked again. Father sat and read
4 newspaper, mother mended and con-
rived. The problem constantly before them
was how to provide for and do their duty
by their children. They were not religious
people-that is, they were not members of
any church. The children went to Sunday
school or church, or not, as they pleased.
They did not approve of many things that
church people did not approve Of They
had definite ideas of responsibility and they
wanted to be respectable. They sacrificed
some comfort to these ideas. On Sunday
Mr. Norris changed his comfortable work.
comfortable. There was parlor in the
house used only for company and oc-
casions. 1t smeled Of varnish and newness
and was mostly closed up and inaccessible
to the family. These were some of the sac
rlficeS laid upon the altar of responsibility.
Mrs. Norris thought that she ought to go
to church; that she ought to make Dan co.
but Dan was SO hard to get started, and
there were 50 many family cares that the
attempt at church-going was finally given
UP.
When Laura was of an age, she went to
work in a downtown store. She pref
ty and attractive. Ladies liked to shop
with her. She did hot f1irt with the gen.
tlemen; but they always looked at her.
and decided that she ladylilSe,
modest girl. At a "sociable'' of some sort
she became acquainted with Mr.. Chapman,
a travelling man, ana. after a short ac-
quaintance, they were married. Mr.. Chap
man was away from home great deal of
the time. His wife read books of various
kinds during her absence. Improved her
mind. Her hands We're mostly idle, but
her brain was being trained The train
ing was without any particular system
Her reading was whateve chance threw in
her way.
Chance? Well. what is it? Life is many
times a purposeless voyage. Adrift on a
sea, bound to no port. Bored with the
silence, amused with the chatter of
chance companions in other boats. Some
times lashing fast to other crafts for day,
or an hour meaning always to continue
in their company; but torn asunder by a
storm or dividing because of other skiffs
that come along. One day there is a sail
of unusual whiteness, a boat gaily decked
and painted; there is hilarity aboard, and
music and dancing. A multitude of craft
are in the wake of this gorgeous one; they
are crowding around it and following it
wherever it goes Then some drop astern;
or, with sudden impulse, forge ahead; they
separate and re-unite and drift apart
again. And there boats floating bot
tom upwards, with a tragic story under
them. These we do not care about. Let
us pass them quickly. And there are boats
being rowed furiously in a circle; lashing
and splashing the water and making it
foam about their oars. At these we smile.
And there are dismal boats, painted black
with men and women chained to the oars
and rowing mechanically. Sometimes a
man and woman, alone in boat fast
ened to each other each hating his mate,
row along resolutely; one is pulling a
stronger oar than the other and they
make little progress. There are we'll
trimmed sailboats that seem bound to a
port, and these go by, sailing out of sight,
and the objectless, portless, pilotless boats
rock a little in the ripple left behind; the
occupants strain their eyes little in dumb
wistfulness. and their boats go floating.
idly as ever, on the sea of chance.
more or less ambitious. She boarded in
hotel with other women who were not sure
of themselves. They compared notes, en-
We'd each other, became intimate, formed
circles and cliques which were constantly
undergoing disintegration and rehabilita
ton; and being thrown much upon their
own resources, became, as they would have
said, "self reliant the truth was, "sel-
fish,"
One day, as the young wife had just laid
down a book, which her husband had
brought home from one of his trips book
which told of various sorts of escapades,
a clever book, depicting Real Life" vile
book, with painted cover she was sud
denly introduced to Mr.. Hyde. Let Mr..
Hyde, sitting on the margin of the lake, be
introduced to polite society.
Mr. Hyde was in good employment. He
was a single man. Had never intended to
be anything but a single man. Love, or
love episodes, as the good and pure under
stand them, were entirely unknown to, and
despised by Mr.. Hyde. He was good look
ing insidious, clever, and where women
were concerned unprincipled. This is
combination as common daylight; and
yet it looks curious in cold type. Without
reflection, you will condemn the picture as
distorted and untrue; but thinking it over,
comparing experiences, investigating a lit
tie. you will come to a realization Of it's
truth. This is the combination. In business
matters, Mr.. Hyde could be trusted with
out limit. Mr.. Wheeling. his employer.
with whom he stood in the most confidential
relations, considered him as his right hand
and treated him always with the utmost
consideration and respect. He paid him
a large salary. with a yearly vacation and
took Mr. Hyde's opinion into account in
making every move. And yet, he knew his
confidential clerks escapades, and while he
them