Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-02
MAN AND WIFE.

find out that the law holds good for
| them
With George Raymond failure did
not come to drag him down into the
depths until he had been married five
years and his baby GRILL. as they
called Lois Agneta-has began to talk
and show her individuality.
Raymond had always been a man of
uneven temperament, and in the cri-
sis his spirits and his self respect
seemed to take to themselves wings
and fly away.
Mrs Raymond waited and kept
cheerful. When her husbands latest
check was nearly used up, and there
was no prospect of another, she was
offered the chance of doing a fashion
column for a smart weekly paper.
Her husband wished her to refuse.
She listened to his excellent reasons
and sympathized with him in his own
troubles. He seemed only to drop an
octave lower in self distrust; so she
accepted the offer.
That should have made him whole
again. Ultimately it did: but not at
the moment.
Then Ilewellyn GriffithS disturbed
the uneven tenor of their lives. and
when he disturbed it, it was no laugh
ina matter. He was one of those
brilliant, irresponsible men who fasci-
nate a woman and divert her from
her allegiance.
He was tall and thin. with a high
| forehead, keen dark eyes, and rather
scOrnful manners to those people whom
he did not like; but the scorn served
j to emphasize the contrast. and con-
trast tastes sweet on occasions, as
! everybody knows.
/ He had few men friends, although
from time to time he did some alb
normally kind action. If one of these
! got wind it was apt to be explained
/ away as unnecessary or QuiXOtic,
though the man had next to nothing
In common with the hero OF Ceryan-
tes' tales
Mrs. Raymond did her fashions and
fripperies passing we'll, and rose in her
editors esteem, though she fell in her
husbands.
L1ewellyn Grifiths appropriated her
notice and good Will He did it open
ly. He sent her theatre tickets and
private view cards, and met her at
afternoon parties and little dinners.
At first she only thought of him as a
plea SAINT man, who had made himself
extremely useful to her in her new
calling.
! Her husbands friends saw and
their pity was reused. George soon
found this out. He only heard the tail
end of a sentence, but that was quite
! enough. About this time he stayed
at home more than usual, turning over
his manuscripts and pennlng futile
, essays. AT last he became desperate.
He did not talk it over with his own
particular friends, as the men do in
women's novels. He was wise in his
own day and generation. He neither
met Llewellyn Griffiths oftener than
before.
When she was alone with her hus-
band in the drawing room Of their
;, COSY little fiat she tried to be very
kind to him
He understood that she knew her
own weakness, and would fam lift
herself above it. He knew that he,
and he only, must lift her above it
then and for the rest of their time
together. It was hard to see how,
though, when her money was helping
To
A day of royal pageant drew near.
Mrs. Raymond was invited to view the
procession from one Of dhe best posi-
tons, and TO little lunch given after
ward by Llewellyn Grifiths
II don't want to go, but I am afraid
| must" she said.
: ''Of course you must; Rogerson will
find you out if you serve up stale news
to the Mayfair,' answered George.
SO she went.
! When Lii saw her come down dressed
to 60 she asked to be taken.
: No, Lii; stay at home with Daddy"
; The little girl glanced ruefully across
at her father, where he sat at his
writing table, and begged once more,
but in vain.
Raymond went down with his wife
and saw her into a hanson. Then he
came back. sat down and wrote.
He stopped to think, and went on
thinking for an indefinite time. He
would have liked to do some intensely
human action, which should lack all
literary quality, and yet win back his
wife's faith in himself
He remembered his first book, and
the criticisms in the press which she
had cut out and treasured. Then The
second book and the third, the falling
, off in the respect shown to his talents
: and in the sales, which had brought
: him TO his present pass.
His brows We're creased, and a sigh
: ESCAPED him. Lii had seen his misery
and now that she heard she came
stood looking up into his face, and
said, "Dad feels ugly"
Eyes, Lii, do feel ugly. very ugly
Come aud play wiz me-"
He accepted, and they spent a bliss
full hour together.
| Then he went back to his work. A
/ chance word Of the chilEs had re-
minded him of an old srsry, still in