The record-union., 1895-06-26
SHOWING MERCY TO OTHERS.
Touching Story of One Mans Self
Sacrifice.
How Dishonored Husband Took
Upon Himself the Punishment
His Wife Merfted.

| been called forth by ii story some one had
told. A story which illustrates that
whatever may be said by carping pestl-
mists to the contrary that all honor is moi
dead yet among men, and which goes &c
| show what sacrifice OF name, even ol
! honor itself, a man may make Tor the
woman he loves. no matter how she may
have wounded and wronged him.
Some years ago certain young couple
were married. The bride was beautiful
and accomplished, the daughter of a man
! prominent at home and abroad for his
| honor and integrity. The groom was
| handsome and wealthy, and very much
! in love With his chanIng bride. Moth
| ing more could be asked or expected and
ali their friends said they were surely the
| happiest couple the sun ever shone upon.
! SO time wont on and several years
passed in apparently unalloyed bliss and
! domestic peace then the serpent entered
! their earthly paradise. lie was a bosom
! friend OF the husband. Had been
| brought by him to his house and told to
| make himself at home. The husband
| would have as soon cut oil his right hand
as to even question his Wife's ndeIlty Tor
a single moment. All unsuspectlngly he
! let things drift on as they would. lie
/
frequently; he knew that his wife W as al
ways at home TO receive HIM, yet he
never doubted. 1t is true the nelgnDorS
gosslped, as neighDors sometime Will.
| but their idle talk passed by him un-
| needed.
| The wife, secure in her husbands ig-
norance OF the state of affairs, threw eau
! ton 10 the winds. She made open APP
| pOintments TO meet the alleged friend.
she lett her notes and billet douX IN con-
| spicuous places; none but a tool or a
| blind man could now shut his eyes to the
state OF affairs. One day the WrOnged
! hus band had u stormy scene with his
| wife, and after 1t was over The broken
hearted man took the letters. and, going
to a certain prominent lawyer, sent
in his card. AS it happened. the lawyer
in question was d family friend. lie had
known the vile when she was girl and
had been an Intimate personal friend OF
| her father. When The husband poured
his tale OF woe into his listening ears he
was indignant, almost lnsulted. lie had
seen the young couple married and had
| been frequent caller at the house ever
| since. He demanded proof positive of
the wite's inhdelity. The letters were
| produced as evidence. The lawyer, who
is a large, portly man, settled his glasses
| firmly upon his nose and read the poor,
| weak little letters through from begin
ming 10 end. Then he turned to the
| young man and gave him some good,
| Iatherly advice. lie told him how dread
IuI a divorce would be, advised him to go
home and patch up the difference to ex-
ercise more patience and cOnsidera BILE
more caution. He told the young man
plainly that he would not under any cir
cumstanCe take the divorce case as 1t was.
! The husband took his wise advice and
went home, ana to all outward appear
ance the family trouble had been amIca-
bly, settled.
Just one year later pale, wan, hag-
gard man entered The lawyers office. lie
was the same man who had applied there
a year before for divorce. This time he
had no silly, sentimental love letters to
show. He had proof positive of his wife 5
guilt. The lawyer was dunn founded.
He would have as soon suspected the
honor of his own wife as that OF the honor
OF his old friends daughter. For time
there was silence In the lawyers private
office whore the two men were cl0seted
together.
AT last the lawyer spoke and requested
to see the wife and talk the matter over
with her. Even then, with the proof of
the woman's guilt before him, the lawyer
could scarcely believe; it WAS q shock
| from which he could not soon recover
He sent the husband away and sitting at
his desk wrote the woman a note to meet
him at his office the next morning at q
certain hour, and ringing the bell, gave it
to his Oi1lce boy to post. The next morn
lug he waited in vain for the woman to
| appear, and was just about 10 give her
coming up IN despair when there was
heard rustic OF SILK skirts on the stairs
and the clatter Of high-heel boots. Then
the door was flung violently open and his
friends wife appeared. She was dressed
in The latest fashion, but there was look
in her eyes the lawyer did not like. She
stared boldly at the gentlemen in the
Office, and without even waiting to ex-
| change a courteous greeting with anyone
she fastened her bold eyes upon the law
yer and demanded OF him what he
wanted, at the same time taking from her
glrdIe a below led watch and glanCing at
It's lace announced that she had Just tif-
Teen minutes to devote 10 him. \ sharp
reply to the woman's etfrontery trem bled
from the lawyers lips, but remeIn bering
she was the wife Of his friend, he con-
trOlled himself with all effort and invit-
ing her to enter his private Office, closed
the door alter her.
Here the whole story was gone over
and the lawyer asked what she had TO say.
At first she put on a bold front and tried
10 bluH 1t oil, but the lawyer was Obdur-
ate; ne wanted confession of her guilt,
ened her with arrest if she did not con-
tess. Finding herself cornered and
prison wall staring her i'll the face the
woman broke down and confessed all,
confessed how she had been deceiVing
Aer husband and her friends for years,
and then the miserable, wretched woman
pleaded and begged for mercy, but the
lawyer put her OFT and when her husband
came again to tue office he asked upon
what ground the divorce was to be OBJ
tanned. With sigh that was almost a
groan the unhappy man laid his head
upon the table aud great, heavy sobs
shook him from head to loot. He had
loved bis wife dearly in those halycon
days OF long ago and the thought that she
was untrue to him nearly broke his heart
1t is a dreadtulIy solemn thing to see a
man cry. Their tears do not lie near the
surface and flow as easily as q woman's do
The sob OF strong man Is like the cry OF
a soul in distress. 1t comes straight from
the heart and during it's first paroxysms
it seems almost uncomfortable, because
so unaccustomed; so mat broken hearted
man lay there and sobbed. His tears
were not unmanly. They were noble:
with them he washing away all his
anger and his bitterness.
Gradually these sobs ceased, and when
he raised his head. even the lawyer, ac-
customed as he was to all sorts OF sorrow
which had come over his friends counte-
nance. His eyes were swollen and red
and sunk far back into his head. while
his face WAS thin and pinched and the
skin around his mouth was tightly
drawn. He was shaking in every limb,
and in a voice which was scarcely audi