Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-07-18

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old now though so recent-and sighed
to think they were ended. glanced
at Nina, my wife. 1t was enough!
Her beauty dazzled and overcame me-
The melting languor of he large llmpid
eyes stole into my veins-1 forgot oil
but her. was in that high delirium
of passion in which love. and love
only, seems the keynote of creation.
l touched the topmost peak of the
height of joy-the days We're feasts Of
fairylard, the nights dreams of rap
ture! No, l never tired. My wife's
beauty never palled upon me: She
grew fairer with each day of posses
sion. l never saw her otherwise than
attractive. and within few months
she had probed all the depths of my
nature. She discovered how certain
sweet looks of hers could draw me to
her side, u willing and devoted slave;
she measured my weakness with her
own power; she knew-what did she
not know? l torture myself with
these foolish memories. All men past
the age of twenty have learned some
what of the tricks of womenAthe
pretty, playful nothings that weaken
the will and sap the force of the
strongest hero. She loved me? Oh,
yes, l suppose so! Looking back on
those days can frankly say believe
she loved meas nine hundred wives
out of a thousand love their husbands,
namely-for what they can get. And
l grudged her nothing. If chose to
idealiZe her and raise her to the stat
ure of an angel when she was on the
low level of mere womanhood, that
was my folly, not her fault.
We kept open house. Our villa was
a place of rendezvous for the leading
members of the best society in and
around Naples. My wife was univer-
sally admired: her lovely face and
graceful manners We're themes of con-
versation throughout the whole neigh
borhood. Guido Ferrari, my friend,
was one of those who were loudest in
her praise, and the chivalrous homage
he displayed towards her doubly en-
deared him to me. trusted him as
brother; he came and went as pleased
him; he brought Nina gifts of flowers
and fanciful trifes adapted to her
taste, and treated her with fraternal
and delicate kindness. 1 deemed my
happiness perfect-with love, wealth
and friendship, what more could
man desire?
Yet another drop of honey was add
ed to my cup of sweetness. On the
first morning of May, 1882, our child
was born-a girl babe, fair as one of
tho vxhif0
season grew thickly in the woods sur
rounding our home. They brought the
little one to me in the shaded veran-
dab where I sat at breakfast with
Guido-a tiny, almost shapeless bun
die, wrapped in soft cashmere and old
lace. took the fragile thing in my
arms with a tender reverence; it
opened its eyes; they were large and
dark like Nina's, and the light of re-
cent heaven seemed still to linger in
their pure depths. kissed the little
face; Guido did the same; and those
clear, quiet eyes regarded us both
with a strange, half-inquiring solem-
nifty. A bird perched Oh Dough of
jessamine broke into a low. sweet
song, the soft wind blew and scat
tered the petals of white rose at our
feet. gave the infant back to the
nurse, who waited to receive it, and
said with a smile: Tell my wife we
have welcomed her May blossom" " :
Guido laid his hand on my shoulder
as the servant retired; his face was
unusually pale.
Chou art a, good fellow, Fabio.' he
said abruptly.
Indeed! How SOP" 1 asked. half
laughingly 81 am no better than other
men,"
"You are less suspicious than the
majority, he returned, turning away
from me and playing idly with spray
OF clematls that trailed on one of the
pillars of the verandah.
glanced at him in surprise. "What
do you mean, AMIGO? Have 1 reason
to suspect any one?"
He laughed, and resumed his seat at
the breakfast table.
"Why, nor he answered with
frank look. "But in Naples the air is
pregnant with Observation-Disclosures
dagger Is ever ready to strike. Justly
or unjustly; the very children are
learned In the ways of vice. Peni-
| tents confess to priests who are worse
than the penitents. and by Heaven!
In such a state of society, where con-
jugal fidelity is farce''-he paused a
moment, and then went on-'is it not
wonderful to know a man like you.
Fabio? A man happy in home affec-
tons, without a cloud on the sky of
his contidence?"
II have no cause for distrust." I
said. nina is as innocent as the little
mother"
"True" exclaimed Ferrari. "Per-
fectly true" and he looked me full in
the eyes with smile. white as the
virgin snow on the summit of Mont
Blanc-purer than the fawless dia-
mond-and unapproachablc as the fur.
thest star! Is it not so!"
l assented with q certain gravity:
something in his manner puzzled me.
Our conversation soon turned on DIFF
ferent topics, and l thought no more
OF the matter. But time came. and
that speedily-when / had stern rea.