, 1897-03-11
AN ONLY QUARREL.

= MY DEAR EARKY-Many thanks fer
contains. l know that when a man has
got into Il thoroughly morbid state 4
ruthlcssly candid lecture is often as
good for him As. is a slap i'll the face for
a hysterical girl. Your motive is truly
kind, and / should be ungratcful if !
failed to recognize it as such.
You point out that it is now three
years since my dear wifc's fatal acct
dent, and that, closely as We were
united and terrible though the shock
must have been, others have had to bear
blows as severe and have borne chem
with pluck and resignation.
My dear Harry, so far as you know
the facts, your criticism is perfectly
just. But until you know them more
fully it is impossible for you to under
stand my feelings Alright. l will relieve
my mind by telling you things which
have burdened my thoughts during
these years and have made it impossible
for me to throw off my sadness.
Alice was killed upon the second an
niversary of our wedding day. For two
years our married life had been, as you
are aware, Il of %uncloudcd happiness.
What plans we made for that second
anniversary 1 LOOK h''e-iual'cf Oh an
hour W 'nooA' Fr'S''' ZOE t',ico' III"
/" sre', iiSS''rS "'''Si.i'oWeo '''e SOME
tnihs ''ia' Sh' was n'ahliiS me linen
'he'c were 'io ii'i'"''ohs ~ our HUG
parry III ''i' evening ,iie great i"'S'loh
as 10 "h''h'r We sh""iu "sk inc rector
OF 'ho ooc'or-'Hes were ioto Ill speaking
terhis-aha III d'na'" ol inc h"lpics'
way ot spending inc carrier part ol inc
o"y. ,
IL sioui' ne passed. III '!c o'p'hs VI
the country we p''h "Sir'''' anu "l'er
in"ch polurrIiS over ''' i"cai 'iihe Ia
pies we sr''ie" 'l''' tnc 4 CLOCK Tram
shoui" 'aNe US 10 h~cechWood' Il Walk
anu P''hic ,'''''''o ann" inc summer
sioileS VI nv ioieS'' va at 'no o'e'l
il'tie Darby urn mn ana So ioi'c'
90 we sc'','u Oh INT eve oi oar "eu,
olne o's' an 'heh we h"o our Ats' anu
Only quarrel
II CIRCUMSTANCES were 'iinihs
enough n l'''er HI" colh' 10 Alice,
"'",'s N"i !" pay oi ,ii'' ~ l
couio spur 'lot' !" sumo iriehos s'io iao
nno"n i''ii'"'''9 '''oic iei n'''ii'se,
'ho o's "i,'i 'oino'i'"' i
was n'' ~ 'ie oc', VI worried
"ieh puSiicss, Pelilaps' anu 'rliio out
y ''''-" Wv J'"''"s, w. - may "e,
,of o''e VI 'he sohs u 'he house III"
"eh oi'' "'i'''
AT AN lsltt, "ItIl Stu DIpllltu tulS
'e''er VI" Wv h,c ,ii"' s"c "ouiu i'Ae
~ "'''p' ~ 'h'i'"'ioi' soiie eH'' spil.
~ rn'p'eo ''e l" raiS' opj'c'iols' l
Iou'u SEC vi" Keen uis'ppo'n'ii'ht III
he. i"'e' Il 'n'' inoie'SI" my shy
Pe'u'ahce al" jealousy ,lli l recNlessiy
i"uh'heo out i, "ia'lipes "H"insI her
lriehas VINO mao Sent 'he invitation.
@. Dis ooiehu'" 'i'cih ho'ls-lor Aiice
WIS Always l"sni-"h" 50 'heo"y enoea
""u ui'hapP!' AN" ho thoroughly
ashamed oi suSplciois i khe" 10 DC
ero"noiess anu VI I'LL III imp was
'oI plou" 10 eohlcas'
hao " ""ke,ul ana tes'iess ''hie
th"' iase night Our disagreelheht
preyea strahseiy Oh my m'ho. Ill" Ill
.he aalk houls assume" quite eA"e.
sei"'eu Importance lou sue ior US !,
was " new eAperiehre' "A il'''e lii'
n"u oiVlded Ut lor 'he hrs' ''lhe' anu l
couia ooasC no more 'hat my WIG III"
never hearo " haish or o'''er worn lro"
ine. ,.,,
III inc morning there was sui a clou"
petweeh u.s. knew ,na' i was IN 'he
"rohe' nho yr' would no' own ~ even
10 hysei1. Ai'ce gave me one i''tle WISH
1ul look expressive OF a tiInld nope
that my MOOD had chahgeu. 81" tiat
o ana lor " hoheh' l lelt 'hpetiea
70 nihg my arms round ier ana ask Ior.
giVehess. IL only 1 h'o yieiueu u 'nat
impulse! gave her one cola KISS. 10
!h1hk ina IL was t'e ias1 l ever gave
her, iiving or ueao'
"h'le 1 was dressing mycye 1eii on
,he suiail c'se CONTAINING 'he piaccie'
haa bought as presep lor my we. L
II down to breokf,st and fool that 7
was never gnvc il to hcr
I opened the letters. which were
mostly ON the business that was worry.
inc me. The rcst I nnshcd irritably
away 7 onencl them afterwo,d. and
do N, knnw Harry fiat in one of
those n,rcnIs was tho Gift that nv wife
Ind heon working for weeks to make
for me.
We brcakf.sted almost in silence. Init
after tho meal was over she roso and
came softly round the table toward me,
Then she mt her dear hand on nv