Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-06-17
;Nobody's Papa.

A sombre-looking mau wandered
gloomily from picture to picture. He
had no catalogue, some people prefer
to go without and gaze untrammelled
by prejudice. He was not perhaps the
only man in the room without cata.
logue, but there was that about him
which distinguished him effectually
from every other human being in that
crowd. No one else looked so utterly
unamused and indifferent as he, though
many we're less critical. He knew a
good picture at once. and gave it
quick, appreciative scrutiny, while
the worthless specimens he passed by
with a glance OF contempt. Presently
he turned listlessly away and sat down
on the ottoman in the centre Of the
room. Folding his arms. he sank
into brown study. What was he
thinking Of? A woman Of coursel
Yes; but not woman that he loved.
He thor ght of her as the beautiful
heiress who he had wOoed and won.
She was courted as only such women
are courted, and from all the host OF
admirers he had borne Of the prize.
He, penniIess aud obscure, with only
his personal qualities to recommend
him -ah! she must have loved him
then. How beautiful she was, aud
how sweet--she seemed! A bitter
smile curled the mans lips. Sweet!
she was made of lnuriatic acid. He
himself, to be sure, was not oil honey
and sugar. Men are not-but
woman! His ideal Of womanhood had
always been softness, gentleness IS
should be hero worshiper--and her
hero naturally should be her husband.
Gertrude had been accustomed to
homage. She had not been willing to
own a master, had expected apparently
to find in him slaye-a slave! She
should have married another man than
he. They had scarcely week of love
and happiness, and in six months he
had left her.
''You married mo for my money!"
was the last fatal insult she hurled at
him in her passion.
Every well, madam. 1 will leave
you your money and relieve You Of the
presence OF despised husband for.
ever"
Those were the last words he had
ever spoken to her--the last words he
ever should speak He had left her
then and there, to her grand house,
with her grand servants and her grand
friends, and he had gone to Australia
TO begin life anew with only his brains
for capital. The capital, however, was
. good one. He had made his fortune,
and he had come home, yielding to
strange longing to see--not her oh,
mol nor any man or woman alive, but
70 tread his native soil, to revisit the
scenes where he had spent a happy
boyhood--and then--he should return
to Australia. There he had friends;
there he had land. 1t was his home
now. No one knew of his arrival in
England; no one should know. From
his wife his separation had been com
plete. There had been no letters--no
inquiries. To each other they were as
dead
II was seven years since they had
met and married and parted, and he
did not know if she were living or
dead. OF course he did not want to
know. She perhaps was anxious to
hear of his death in order that she
might marry somebody else. Perhaps
in timc she would assume his death.
He started up. The heat was in.
tolerable, the pictures odious, the
people detestable, their cackle unen-
durable. He would 60 straight out.
He would not look at another daub.
That one was not so bad, thought In
spite OF himself he stopped to look at
it. It was the portrait OF little girl
"a dear, little girl in hat and fur tip
pet and muff, standing in the porch OF
o country house. 1t was evidently
stormy winters day. Her feet stood
in the snow, but she was standing quite
still in an attitude OF eager expectancy.
1t fascinated him; he looked long and
earnestly. 1t was good picture, but
it was not altogether Its artistic merits
that captivated him. The ohild's face
seemed to awake some far-off memory
"a memory that kept on eluding him
in perpiexing manner. Then at last
it came to him. The likeness was
little sistefof his own who had died
in early childhood; she had been his
boyhood's companion. He had loved
her deeply: he had mourned her long.
Poor Nellie' Her name had excited
the first disagreement between his
wife and himself. He had said that il