The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-04-12


is Finished"
part of our social circle, for Isabel, poor
child, had no friends of her own They
are good fellows, and at first they will
say that it doesn't make any difference
and think it too. But then, you see,
there are the women. They will resent
the thing and show their resentment
too Isabel must be spared this at any
cost. Go away now, my dear fellow,
and leave me to think" p"
''For heavens sake, Paul." said
"do nothing rash. Think of your pro-
fession first.
NO." he replied. "Isabel must be
first thought of. -
I fingered awhile unwilling to leave
him.
''Now you know all, he said. sit is
something like cloud, isn't it?''
SIS it possible that the courtly and
polished -
"Quite possible. Sometimes tried to
think what he would look like in prison
dress, but l never could. There was an
other side to him, though. l saw it on
the day when l asked him for his daugh-
ter. DO you, he said, know the story
of my past?' / assured him that he need
not open q painful chapter, because I
knew everything. And then-then he
broke down, burst into fit of weeping
like any woman and thanked God sol
emnly that l had come to take his
daughter away from him. For myself, ,
he said, 4 suppose am sorry. That mat
ters nothing But for my children S
sake, and especially for my daughters S
sake, | am-sometimes ! am mad
think that when he was left alone after
our marriage he was really mad, and
am nearly sure that he killed himself.
However, that is done with. Isabel must
not know what has happened, And she
must not be made to suspect that our
friends, her new friends, know her Sc
cret. Women are not always considerate
toward each other. l must think-I
must think what is best to do"
Next morning was not surprised to
receive note from Isabel. She said that
her husband was suddenly Frustrated
with some kind of nervous breakdown,
though he looked very well, and that
the doctor ordered him to give up all
work, break off all engagements and go
away for three months at least They
We're going the same day.
The three months became six, and the
six became year. They were travelling
about in unfrequented places. where
Paul's health would not suffer from
noise and talk of travellers They staid
only in towns where there were no Eng
lish residents, and so on Then Paul
wrote to me that he had given up his
chambers and bought a cottage in the
country, where he proposed to stay, his
health, he said, being too wretched to
think of his practicing any more.
made many visits to the cottage 1t
was three OF four miles from any vii
lage or house. 1t was ON the seaside,
and they had boat. They had no chill
dren, and the only people who ever Wis
tied them were the family of the nearest
clergyman, who came often to them.
Isabel was their friend, unpaid govern
ess, adviser, everything.
Remark here very strange thing.
This man, my friend Paul, to whom at
the outset life without success would
have seemed intolerable, who gave up
the most promising prospects solely on
his wife's account, who was endowed
with every quality which success re-
quires. was perfectly happy in this OBJ
scure retreat. He wanted no other kind
of life To sail in his boat, to wander
ON the sands, to mediate in his garden,
always with Isabel beside him, was
enough for him. His love for Isabel was
absorbing and sufficient for both.
They lived in this way for five and
twenty years. Then the greatest possible
misfortune fell upon Paul, for Isabel
caught fever and died. Then Paul be-
gan to break up, Re was only inst past