The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-03
Passing the Love of Women.


yes. child; I sent for you to say good
bye. I am going away for some time
The woman spoke deliberately In the mot
onous voice Of one giving a piece OF infor-
nation tedious to give.
Angus did not express any surprise or
regret. The nine years he had spent with
his mother had not helped him to know
her. Without In the least understanding
wherein lay her strange aloofness, he was
conscious that he was supremacy unin-
teresting to her. He wondered why it
should be so, and his honest, boyish soul
was sometimes troubled. But children
submit readily to the inevitable, and An
gus had his compensations.
Vera Warden looked at her son with
more interest than was usual with her. He
was certainly a handsome lad, tall and
well built. with blue eyes that were both
kind and honest. She had been long in
making her decision. Now that it was
made she did not regret; she only wonder
ed if, somehow, she had missed something
that more commonplace women find cas-
lily.
Angus, dear, you must take care of
father. You and your father are so much
alike-understand eacn other so we'll
that it will be easy for you. You must be
especially good to him, now
There was a curious little catch In
Vera's voice as she said the now"
why are you going. Mother7" ques-
toned Angus, feeling that there was some
thing even more puzzling than usual in
his mothers manner. when are you
coming back? Father will miss you"
viii hep asked Vera wistfuny And
you. Angus. will you miss me at ALP
Angus was profoundly astonished. He
would like TO have kissed his mother
just as he kissed dad, but he did not dare.
He only grew red and fidgited awkwardly
as he answered: 'Of course I shall miss
you, mother-at meals
II was not greed that prompted the
child's definition, but the fact that he
seldom saw his mother, except at break
fast and at lunch.
Vera warden did not care for children.
and said so-frequently.
The carriage came TO the door, good-by
being said without much emotion on
either side. AS she was driven out of the
big stone gates Vera gave herself a little
shake, saying, And now for lifel'
An hour later Thomas Warden returned
from fishing expedition on the other
side of the Dale. The oak trees in the
avenue had burst into golden greenleaf.
chestnut on the estate-was covered with
cones Of pinky blossom. The May sunset
touched the grim gray house with rosy
light, and Thomas Warden felt welcome
in 1t all.
Laying down his rods and fishing bask-
cts in the hail. he went straight to his
study There on his plotting boak lay the
letter he had both dreaded and expected.
His sunburned face looked gray as he
took it up. He sat down heavily; then,
with shaking hands, opened the letter and
read:
"I have burned my boats; there is no
going back. l warned you that 1t would
come to this; that would bear the mon
otony no longer. I have given you ten
years Of my life-the ten best years. Now,
/ owe it to myself to live-it may be ten
years more, but anyway. to live. Marri-
age and maternity have for me proved
but 1 have endured them
for your sake and for the sake Of the boy
while he was quite young. Had he been
N any way an unusual boy I might have
found life more tolerable. To develop his
mind would have been an interest for me;
he might have shared, in some degree,
my aspirations for fuller intellectual life.
But he is a healthy, handsome, quite com
liAOuDIdCC OOyB WIN Will SIOH lILO WIldA
you would call an honest. God-fearing
man without my help. He has an excel
lent governess, and your good mother will
doubtless come frequently to worship you
both. l wish that 1 could free you of me
and that you could marry again
and be happy. But you are not the sort
of man to bear with equanimity any sort
of scandal or publicity, and you have my
promise that the life lead shall be such
as can give you no cause for offense other
than the fact that l lead it away from
you. For your never failing courtesy and
thank you Believe me, l shall
always have the sincerest affection and
for you. The fact remains, how
ever, that 1 cannot lead your life and
you can lead no other. Let us then sep
arate and go our different ways in peace.
In every conventional and actual sense
I am and will be your faithful wife.
VERA WARDEN"
There was nothing in the letter that she
had not said to him many times during
the last six months.
Now she had actually carried out her
so often announced intention and was
gone; and the realization stunned him. He
felt cold and numb, The roar Of the beck,
In which he had stood all morning, was in
MS ears, anu 10 SdZcA Jul AIllO AAAo SdAA-
ering twilight, seeing nothing-only con-
scious that it was dark and chilly every
where
There was a knock at the door and
servant came In, saying: please, sir,
Master Angus is ready, and would like you
to come TO him, If you are not too tired
Good night dadp' said Angus, turning
himself TO see his fathers face.
The silence was unbearable: it was so
lonely. Thomas Warden could not sleep,
He got up and walked about his room.
Only O'Clock! The night had hardly be-
gun.
The moon shone brilliantly. but the
wind blew shrewdly through the open
easement. May nights are cold In the
North country.
He went into the dressing room and
looked at Angus IF she had only loved
the boy-if she had only loved the boy"
He could have forgiven her all the rest,
A just and tolerant man. he knew his own
limitations. He granted TO the fun his
wife's intellectual supeTiorityi but she
might have loved the boy.
Why did those lines ring In his head1
The sentence in his wtte's ie<ter, I can
not live your Efe and you can live no
other."
Il was true; he could 1--we no other. But
the boy-why did she not love the boy?
He drew up the blind and the mellow
fell or the sleeping child. Sure
" he was e goodly child, so comely and
kindly and honest. AS he looked az the
boy his heart went out TO him He did
not stoop and kiss him as a woman would
have done; he reverenced too much this
iair sleep which wrapped him round He
went back 20 his own room and got Pill
ow. Then, laying his long length on the
floor beside the little bed. and with the
,hGd's psalm still sounding IL his ears, he
too slept
The room was flooded with moonlight
when Angus woke There was sound
- rar4,lar aud HeR~v breathing HA rose