The record-union., 1896-03-04
THE SUPPRESSED HEART.
written for the Reoord-Unionl

CWritten for the Record -Union.)
1t isn't always the women who live
alone who are the most lonely There
are married women with husbands,
perhaps children, whose lives are like
barren deserts, and why? Because
they do not love the men whom they
promised at the altar to love, honor and
obey until death them do part. Sacri-
legious? Well, perhaps so, though the
sin may not be their own, and in nine
cases out of ten these lonely women are
forced into their Ioveless marriages
because they are too weak-minded to
resist, and the penalty they pay is the
sacrifice of their future lives; and the
penalty the other party pays-ah, my
friends. these other parties are not the
sort of women who are given to self
sacrifice; their lives are too superficial
for that.
All this reminds me of a story heard
not long ago which illustrates what I
have just been saying.
We will call the leading lady of this
little romance Consuelo, which. in the
soft, Spanish tongue. means consola-
ton. Consuclo was a typical Spanish
beauty, with the rich, olive complexion.
the dreamy, languorous eyes and the
silky, black hair of her race. She led
gay, butterfly existence, giving but
little heed to the morrow, so long as the
present brought her enjoyment She
had friends, admirers, lovers galore,
but none of them had touched her
heart; she gave to her beloved music
all the passion, the ardor, the intensity
she would one day bestow upon the man
hot
off. She met him one evening at a con-
cert given at the theater She was in
box; he one of the musicians upon
the stage. Their eyes met for one in
stant, soul looked into soul, and their
fate was sealed.
All this may sound very unreal to my
natter of-fact American readers. who
weigh well the dollars and cents, but
remember that Consuelo was young.
passionate, impulsive, with the hot
blood of southern race in her veins.
Of course, the usual consequences fol-
lowed. She went home to dream of
him, and he to hunt up mutual friend
who could give them a proper intro
duction
When this was obtained they were
very happy; foolishly so, perhaps. but
they were both young and botn very
much in love.
After a while the "other party" inter
fered; the "other party in the case
happened to be Consuelo's mother. She
could find nothing against the young
man personally, and his family was of
the best, but it is always so easy to
find fault when one makes up ones
mind and the opportunity in this case
was not lacking.
"a musician" said the lady, should
never enter her family; a strolling
player, a man who was here one day
and hundreds of miles away the next
There were a thousand excuses made.
SO the young people, who were by this
time engaged, wishing to please every
one as much as possible, consulted to-
gether, and the end of the matter was
that he gave up his beloved music and
took a position instead; never mind
what that position was. suffice to say
that it seemed a step from the sublime
to the ridiculous.
Even then the path of the young
people was not strewn with roses; NUT |
terings of discomfort fell frequently
from the lips of the girls mother, but
she would not give him up.
All this happened in the winter; the
spring came and went, and then came
the summer. The girl did not wish to
leave the city where the object of her
affections dwelt, and where they could
see each other constantly, but at last
she was persuaded by her mother,
who, of late. had seemingly given up
the hope of trying to ALLEVIATE her
daughters affections, to visit some
friends who were spending the summer
in the mountains. Suspecting nothing
treacherous. the girl was finally per-
suaded to go.
No sooner was she out of the city than
her mother went to the store where her
daughters affianced was clerking, and
before she left she had so far succeeded
in persuading the unhappy young man
that he was villain Of the deepest dye
in holding her daughter to the engage
ment, and keeping off other and more
eligible young men-it is an old story,
this.
That very night he wrote consuelo a