The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-02-27
A TEMPTATION.

being a rich man, but as his affairs ap-
pear at the present time he is on the
broad highway to future wealth. 1t all
arose from the fact that he took time by
the forelock, the only way poor mortals
have of ever getting even with him of
the scythe and hourglass.
Now, Mabel Thorpe did not expect
her hero to swim the Hellespont of life
with all his armor on, but she did de-
mand from him, as she had right to
do, high moral standard, for she had
not married him until she had seen, as
she believed, his whole past life laid
open before her as a book. There is no
time when a man is as weakly senti-
mental and as religious as when he is
trying to live up to the standard of a
pure young girls ideal, and Leander be-
came almost an angel.
There are very few of us capable Of
making human angels of ourselves.
Good and evil are as persistently pres
ent in our moral nature as light and
darkness are in our atmosphere, and one
serves as the complement of the other.
To Danish night we use the light Of
science, to counteract wrong we invoke
divine help, but SO largely is our world
ly nature in excess of our spiritual pow
ers that we are constantly in danger of
erring to he forgiven-in other words,
SHINING and repenting.
Mabel Thorpe believed in an infiexi-
BILE uprightness. The command to do
evil that good may come was to her
perverted text. She was not aware that
there are sins of omission as we'll as of
commission, and that her unrighteous
condemnation of sinners and her severe
judgments were in themselves of a sim
full nature The self righteous are often
harder to live with than the sinner.
Leander Clarke had been a good son,
and be intended to be good husband.
He was both proud and fond of his
wife, but certainly regretted that he
could not give her all the Injuries that
she could appreciate, not e"en the grand
piano that her musical talent deserved.
But he went to work with will to
make her happy and hoped in few
years to be able to add all other needful
things.
Among the wedding presents of the
young couple was one that far outshone
all the rest-a superb set of diamonds
sent by an uncle of Leander' s who was
near to death and gave the residue of
large estate in this eXtravagant present
Leander himself was genuinely sorry
that such an undesirable gift had been
made, but he argued that his wife was
u sensible woman and would turn them
into something more suitable to their
condition in life-a piano, for instance,
which was a necessity rather than
luxury. What was his surprise when his
bride said:
II never was so pleased in my life.
Diamonds represent to me the crystalli
cation of everything beautiful in art and
nature. l never dreamed that should
possess such magniicence. -
'But these have no associations, said
her husband. "1'hey are not heirlooms. "
"They will be. All diamonds were
new at some time. And are they not as
ISOLATED with the dear old man who
gave them?"
The dear old man had been terror in
the family and had only given the dia-
monds to Leander's wife because he
hated that nephew little less than the
others, whom be hoped to make hOrri
bly, jealous and angry and had succeeded.
When Leander asked his wife to keep
her diamonds in the bank, she promptly
declined.
"But yon surely will not wear them,
dear?" he suggested.
"Why not?" she asked.
cit would injure our prospects and
not be consistent with our position"
"They were gift to me. Surely
have the right to do as please with my
own.
1.-The right, yes. But I thought my
wife had more discretion. l did not
know you cared for gewgaws, Mabel"
So the first cloud came on the horizon
Of their love, but Leander was good
tempered and Mabel satisfied, and it
disappeared. The truth was that Lean
der had expected handsome sum of
money from this very uncle, who was a
bachelor and very old. But age had not
mellowed an ugly disposition to thwart
his relatives, and after raising the young
man hopes he took malicious pleasure
in disappointing them.
The young couple began life in a
pretty furnished cottage on the modern
plan of chatting dish aud hand painted
china, and it worked like charm. Ma
bel presided over the dainty cuisine, the
buffers pantry, the parlor, and really
did wonders. Leander fell in love with
her over and over again. But for the
diamonds they would have been as hap
Ply as larks
Did they hear sound at night-it
was burglar after those precious gems.
They were afraid to leave the house
alone lest thieves break in and steal,
and one or the other of the two was
compelled to be the hiding place of the
jewels when they went out together.
Mabel did not care to adorn herself with
diamonds when she went to market or
to church, but she could not listen to a
sermon in peace if the gems were not
about her. And somehow it I'D annoy
her to carry concealed wealth like a
brigand or smuggler.
But when Leander had a chance to
buy shares in the Little Catawba Lum-
Der company and to make as much in
three months as he would III year by
his clerkship Mabel would not listen to
the suggestion that the bank would ad-
vance enough OH the diamonds to enable
him to make the investment.
Then Leander discovered that his wife
could be very obstinate woman. It
was in vain that he laid before her the
benefit that won Id ror,,l4 fuo,.. % 49,.