The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-01-19

would have done honor to a Partisan
detective.
"Well, them" I said, n insist. Go
on with your story, and if any pledge
Of secrecy is in order just say so and
I'll hold up my hands,"
II don't enjoin secrecy" he answer
ed slowly. THE story is not one you
would care to repeat"
"Oh, very we'll, very WE'LL" I banter
ed, with a mighty affectation of flip
pancy I did not feel. ~ can close my
mouth as tight as any one you know.
But to the story. Your wife, you
said, died a year ago2n
III said nothing of the kind" he re-
piled alphabetically. "Itold you I lost
her a year ago." Then he rose and
crossing the room emptied the ashes
from his pipe into the fireplace and
helped himself to another round of
tobacco. As he stood for a moment
silhouetted against the faring Goals
in the CRATE, silent, calm, serene, it
burst upon me suddenly that the 81
lence and serenity which in him I had
long regarded as most offensive and
objectionable were nothing other than
the dignity of sorrow, and I felt
ashamed Of myself; not the first time,
perhaps, that I have had the same
feeling, but never mind that now. At
last, having lighted the new d pipeful,
he turned and said simply:
"You insist?" '
BY this time I realized that l was
in for it whatever it might be, and I
answered promptly, yes"
chimneypiece, he began in a hesitating
way:
"As you already know, Gladys and
I were married a trife over thirteen
months ago. / loved her madly, and
she, poor girl, was all a wife should be
or could be. We were very happy to.
gether; no clouds aver darktned the
clear heaven of our mutual love, nor
troubles for a moment disturbed our
peace and happiness. Previous to
departing or our wedding trip 1 had
leased a suite OF rooms in a large up
town flat-you know the place-and
when We returned after a short tour
those rooms became our home and
paradise. So things ran on for nearly
two months, and then-then came the
end-the end.n
Here he paused, and turning away
from me looked into the kissing, splut-
tering little fire a moment. Somehow
I did not feel life breaking the silence
I realized that he was not thinking OF
me then, and to speak would have
been obtrusion if not sacrilege. At
length, raising his head, he turned to
me with apparent effort and as he did
SO l could see there were tears in his
eyes. . :
zone evening" he went or, after I
had beggedhim to be seated and he
had taken the big cushioned chair by
the hearth, tone evening last Febru-
airy my wife and / spent with her
mother and returned at a late hour
to our apartments. The night was q
bad one, and Gladys, poor little girl,
was weary and exhausted when we
reached home. Her bright eyes had q
dull, leaden look, she was pale, COM
planned of q headache and said
strange things as if her mind was wan
dering for the moment, and / recon-
mended that she retire at once and
sleep off the i'll effects of Her overexer-
ton. She was very loath to take my
advice for some reason or other, and
when lhad lighted my pipe anddrawn
my srnachair unto the table she came
and knelt beside me and took my
hand in hers.
".John, said she-ah, how we'll /
remember her words, spoken in her
piquant, half-reproachful way
John, you don't mean to send me
away from You, do your
Yes, my DEAR / replied, rather
petulantly. For your own sake I do.
You need sleep and rest. lam perfect
~ safe here with my paper
"She rose and turned away, but had
taken only a few steps when she re-
turned and took my hand again.
You want me to leaveyou, John7'
Yes, yes, my dear; 60 to sleep and
get q nights rest; it will do you more
good than anything else under the
sun. Her caresses somehow made