Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-06-03
PART L.
CHAPTER I.
coPyRIoHr. 1894. BY BRET HARrs.


ing audience of the Cosmopolitan thea
ter at San Francisco, he elected the
usual smiling mods and recognition due
TO his good looks and good fortune. But
as he hurriedly slipped through the still
lingering winters rain into the smart
coupe that was awaiting him, and gave
the order home" the word struck him
with n peculiarly ironical significance
His home was handsome one. and
lacked nothing in appointments and com
Tort, but he had gone to the theater 70
cvade its hollow loneliness. Nor was il
because his wife was not there. for he
had miserable consciousness that hcl
temporary absence had nothing TO do
with his homelessness.
The distraction of the theater over
that dull, vague, but aching sense OF
Loneliness which was daily growing up
ON him, returned with greater vigor.
lie leaned back in the coupe, and
gloornily reflected.
He had been married scarcely wear.
yet even in the illusions of the honey
moon. the woman, older than himself
and the widow of his old patron. had
half unconsciously reasserted herself.
and slipped back into the domination of
her old position.
IT was mt first pleasant cnough-this
half maternal protectorate, which is
even apt 10 minglc with the affections
OF younger women-aud Clarence in his
easy half-fominine intuition of the sex.
yielded, as the strong are apt to yield.
Through the very consciousness of their
Tl,rt -
the weaker are not apt to recognize, and
the woman who has once tasted equal
power with her husband. not only does
not easily relegate il, but even makes
ats continuance Il test of the affections
The usual triumphant feminine con
clusion: Then you no longer love me, -
had in Clarencc's brief experience gone
even farther and reached its inscruta-
BILE climaX-"then / no longer love you''
although shown only in "a momentary
hardening of the eye and voice. And add
Ell TO this was his sudden but confused
remembrance that he had seen that eve
and heard that voice in marital alterca-
ton during Judge Peyton's life, and
that he himself, her boy partisan, had
sympathized with her.
Act, strange to say, this had given
him more pain than her occasional
other reversions TO the past-to her old
suspicious OF him when he was youth
full protcgc of her husbands. and a
presumed sutton of her adopted daugh-
Ter Susy.
High natures are more apt TO forgive
wrong done TO themselves than any alb
stract injustice. And her capricious
tyranny over her dependents and sery-
ants. or an unreasoninG enmitv to n
neighbor or friend, outraged his finer
sense more than her own miSconception
of himself Nor did he dream that this
was . thing most women seldom under
stand, or understanding. ever forgive.
The coupe ratified over the stones or
swirled through the muddy pools of the
main thoroughfares. Newspapers and
teiegraphic Offices were still brilliantly
lit, and crowds were gathered among
the bulletin boards. He knew that news
had arrived from Washington thateven-
ing o. the first active outbreaks otseces-
sion, ana that the city was GREATNESS
with excitement.
Fad &c not just come from the thea
fer where certain insignificant aliu-
sions in the play had been suddenly
caught up and checred or hiSsed by
hitherto unknown pdrtisans, to the
dumb Gstonishment of majority of the
audience comfortably settled 10 money!
getting and their own affairs alone &?
Had be not aPplauded, albeit half scorn-
fully. the pretty actress-his old play
'Tnatc Snsy-who had audaciously and
All anonymously waved the American
BAG IN their faces?
Yes. lie had known it: had lived for
Che last few weeks in an atmosphere
siecti ,cally surchareed with it-and vet
At had chiefly affected him in his person
oi homclcssness. For his wife was "a
southcrner. born stakeholder. and a
scccssionist, whose noted preiudices TO
the north had even outrun her late hus-
Gaad's politics.
Atiirst the piquancy and recklessnese
Of her opiuionstive speech amused him
as part OF her characteristic flavor. or
as 4 lingering youthfulness. which the
SnatuTcr intellect always pardons.
lie had never taken her politics seri-
ousiy--,yhy should he? With her head
Oh his shoulder he had listened 10 her
cXtravagant diatribcs against thenortb.
nc had forgiven her outrageous indict-
7nentso 81 his caste and his associates for
fbc sake ~ the imperious but handsome
siT@ shat uttered them.
bat when be was compelled 10 listen
10 Der words echoed and repeated b.,
lrr friends and family. when he found
fia' with The clauuishncss Of her rao.
fhe bad dra,.n closer 20 them in this
F"1I't"fcr9y-that she depended upon
firm for her Intelligence and informa-
Hnu rather chan upon him-hc had
awakened 20 fAe reality Of his situation.
lie bed boruc the illusions Of her
s'rofa o". whose old scprn for his de-
5rndcni childhood bad been ornbitfrre,l
80 her sisters marriage. aud was nov.
scarcely concealed.
ici wIiic Dr. bad mover altered his
oiy1 political faith aud social creed I'm
shfs dniagoUis'ic atmosphere. he had
often wondered. With his old conscieu.
fioraa, and Characteristic sclf-abnr.
cation. whether his own political con.
r.c'ioas were not merely a reyuIsior
FROM ISIS domestic tyranny and alier
rrouudiBgs.
1r tho midst Of this gloomy retro
sf~et fhc coupe stopped with a ierl
fs.fo~e bis own house. The door wa.
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