The record-union., 1898-09-25


his prosperity and his happiness-he' S
always been an Internal egotist = and
his wife looked SO altogether good and
beautiful and and trustworthy, you
know-that he felt like daring fate. He
| would have banked on that woman's 5
| fidelity, he said, against all the odds of
eternity-and then at last he read the
| letter. 1t was a piece of bravado III a
way-to put to flight the little, lying
| teazing suggestion in the air.
| The jewel on his wifes bosom palpi-
tated into a small sunburst of light and
| color. Still she did not move, nor did
the Successful Man take his eyes from
| the crystal glass in his hand.
The letter certainly took the self
| satisfaction out of that man. he went
on, with a laugh for she said pretty
plainly that his half-hearted method of
| loving her didn't show up very we'll
| alongside of the Other Mans devotion,
though she admitted that that sor.
was not lasting. She said in it as plain
| ly as you please that she would have
run away with him-the Other Man
as he had wanted her to do-she loved
| him quite we'll neOugh for tiff it were
not that she also loved and honored
her husband! 1t was a different sort
Of love, she said, but it was sufficient
| to alter the situation and make it.her
| duty to stay where she was and send
the Other Man to Coventry-which she
forthwith did. There wasn't much more
Of it, but it was all expressed with a
| sort Of fearless truth and self -abnega-
ton, which made my friend seem very
small potatoes in his own eyes as he
read it-and then just broke his heart -
And what did he dol mean, what
other horrid thing besides showing it
to you?" cried the lady at his side, while
some one else chimed in with a simple
conclusion. Told her, of course, and
| left her!"
why should he leave her?" the host
resumed. She had done no wrong and
besides he felt that the earth without
her was no place for him. You see, his
little world had been created for her
alone. They had no children And how
could he tell her? He felt himself such
a sneak! No; he hasn't done anything
yet, and I find it difficult to advise him; !;
in fact, 1 half agree with him that the
best thing he can do is to fall off a
bridge somewhere and omit to SWIM
There was a chorus of remonstrance
and suggestion, and then the Successful
Man looked up in his wife's face as she
rose from her chair. Her eyes shone
in her pale face like twin stars as she
gazed in his, and he thought the jewel
at her bosom but pale splendor be-
side them.
Tell your friend" she said" that a
woman advises him to go back to his
wife and begin all over again. 1t will
make all the difference in the world
to her that he cares so much after all.
1 should think from what you say they
both have much to forgive" Then, with
| resolute self control, she turned to
leave the room.
The frail little glass snapped in the
fingers of the Successful Man as he
sprang to open the door. He kissed his
wife's hand gallantly as she passed out
in the siken procession, and they
smiled into each others eyes their re-
newed vows.
"I never saw two people more in love
with each other" commented the SYM
pathetic listener, who had sat on her
hosts left, as she rolled away home
amid her carriage cushions and her
furs.
"Pshaw," said her husband, the opti-
mist, in sleepy, dissenting agreement,
we're all like that This talk about un-
happy marriages is largely rot. Now, /
dare say, our host invented that little
episode of his out of whole cloth. It
was entirely strained and unnatural,
to my thinking. Annie E. P. Soaring,
In Short Stories.