Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-12-05
THE OTHER MAN

Darents made MISS Uaurey marry Colonel
Schreidcr.ing. He could not have been
muoh more than 35 years her senior, and
AZ he lived on 200 rupees month aud had
money of his own he was we'll off.
Understand, do not blame Schneider
,,no He was good husband according
tn his lights, and his temper only failed
rim when he was being nursed, which
was some II days in each month. He was
almost generous to his wife about money
matters, and that, for him, was q conces-
sion. Still Mrs. Schrciderling was not
happy They married her when she was
this side of 90 and had given all her poor
little heart to another man. l have for
gotten his name, but we will call him the
Other Man. He had no money and no
prospects. He was not even good looking,
and think he was in the commissariat or
transport But in spite of all these things
she loved him very badly, and there WAS
some sort Of an engagement between the
two when Schreidcrling appeared and told
Mrs. Gaurey that he wished TO marry her
daughter Then the other engagement
was broken off-wIShcd away by Mrs
Gaurcy s tears, for that lady governed her
house by weeping over disobedicnCo to her
authority and the lack of reverence she re-
ccivcd in her old age. The daughter did
not take after her mother. She never cried
not even at he wedding.
The Other Man bore his loss quietly
and was transferred to as bad a station rs
he could find. Perhaps tho climate con-
soled him. He suffered from intermittent
fever and that may have distracted him
from his other trouble. He was weak
about the heart also-both ways. One of
the valves was affected and tho fever
made it worse This showed itself later
on.
Then many months passed, and Mrs.
Schreidcrling took to being Ill. She did
not pine away like people in story books,
but she seemed to pick up every form OF
Illness that went about o station, from
simple fever upward. She was never more
than ordinarily pretty at the best OF times,
and the illness made her ugly. Schneider
ling said So He prided himself on speak
Ing his mind.
When she ceased being pretty, he left
her to her own devices and went back to
the lairs Of his bauhelordom. She used to
trot up and down Simla mall in forlorn
sort of way, with u gray Terai hat well on
the back of her head, and shocking bad
saddle under her. Schreiderling'a Rener-
osity stopped at the horse. He said that
any saddle would do for woman as nery-
Gus as Mrs. Sohreiderling. She never was
asked to dance, because she did not dance
we'll and she was so dull and uninterest-
Ing that her box very seldom had any
cards in It. Schreiderling said that If he
had known that she was going to be such
scarccrow after her marriage he would
never have married her. He always prlded
himself on speaking his mind, did Schrei-
derling
=. 4
went down to his regiment. Then she re-
vived little, but she never recovered her
looks. | found out at the club that the
Other Man WAS coming up sick-yery sick
ON an off chance of recovery. The fever
and the heart valves had nearly killed
him. She knew that too, and she knew
what had no interest in knowing-when
he WA, c.mtn. up. | suppose he wrote to
tell her TIer lad not seen each other
since n month before the wedding And
here conn, HE l.u1,leas;,nt bart of the
story
A l.,,c c,li 1,t,r ma down ut the Dove
,,,1I LntJ tilI- dusk one evening. Mrs.
CcLrrjd, lin had hrcn flirting ND and
down ,b. NH all the afternoon in the
nai,, rn,ri,,, mn along thc cart road n
,ono, ,,,...d mo and INV uonv. tired with
stI7'iii,,..,,i ,,,,, .nt ntr ot a rantnr Inst
h,. tI'o rnaJ d,,[,, tn IN. ton,,a office Mrs.
S,,'n,id,rIi,,,, 1.;,,,,in,, fr,n, head to foot
,t,i,,' 80 ~, ,nrg, turnod nm
In $40 ,o,,-., ,.as ma affair of mine.
49,, ;,,., ,,, ~, b,,,.,, tn sbri,l 7 went
Lncl, -, omen md s,,v ,nder he tonga office
L., ~. l,,tr.idcrling knooliug in tho
1885, n..,,l ~. ,i,,. ,,,l. soat of +be newly ar
r;,.l,i ,,,,,[.s, .,.r,..,r,ino, hideouslv Then
~ an t''-,' ,f,,,,,, j., ,ho dirt ,s came mn.
SIN, =, 1.cl. s.at very so,Iare and