The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-03


| Of marrying him orany one else, thank,
cd him, with tears In her gray eyes, ffoi
his goodness to her mother and promis,
/ cd that Il he would mot expect too much
Of her she would do her best to be d
good and faithful wife to him.
Captain Conveys answer was. char,
acteristic Of the man. He told her with
all the assurance and confidence of an
Adonis 40 years his junior that he
was perfectly satisfied with her prom,
Uses; that he would teach her to love
him when once she was really his own.
Mary shuddered, but allowed the re-
mark to pass in silence, and, il the
whole truth be told, let an inward
prayer escape her heart that some thun-
| derbolt might fall and strike her before
that terrible day dawned.
I Such prayers, however, are mostly
futile. Mary's wedding day dawned all
. too soon, and the warning, 'Be not
! afraid with any amazement," rang out
over the heads of an ashen pale bride,
who had steadfastly and resolutely re-
fused to allow herself to be decked in
bridal attire; a rather nervous and rubi-
cund bridegroom, who dropped the ring
and mumbled his vows defantly after
the officiating minister; mahogany
faced groomsman and frail, elderly
lady in mauve silk who leaned upon
the arm Of a tall young woman in
nurses uniform.
So the sacrifice was completely To
Mary Hamilton, Mary Conway by then,
it passed like. a hideous dream, only
there was no awakening.
"My darling childl' cried her moth
er enthusiastically. II am so happy!
Ny dear childl'
ri am glad, mother" Mary whisper
ed back and wondered the while if God
would ever forgive her for the false
VOWS she had plighted, the outrage she
had done to herself, for being the living
lie that she was.
And then began life which was an
hourly, daily torture and martyrdom.
The husband was quick to see that he
had made the gravest of all mistakes.
that he had bought the casket, but
could not possess Himself of the jewel
within, to realize that his wife was
his. but that her heart was miles and
miles away and would never be his,
even though he were to live for thou
sand years. He was quick to learn that
be would never be the master to teach
this particular pupil to copiugate the
verb tolove. andt the knowledge, coming
upon his passionate love and. admiration
for her, was. as oil poured upon fierce
fame.
How can describe those few weeks
which passed between the marriage and
Captain Conway's first departure on
voyage to the other side of the world?
They were hideous! Mary, who had
been awakened. also, was possessed Of
only one desire-to hide the truth from
the mother for whose sake she had sold
herself, to hide from her the knowledge
which had come to her all too surely
that the genial, bluff, jovial sailor, with
his frank, hearty ways and his open
handed generosity, was in reality of
coarse and calculating nature, which
had taken count Of every farthing that
he had expended and who looked -toa
have payment and interest for every
single coin, to hide from her that his
geniality too often meant drink and
that his frank bluffness was merely the
cover for indicative and passionate
temper; to hide from her, in short, all
that he really and trnly was.
It was not until within few days
of the time fixed for the sailing of Cap
tain Conway's ship that there was ac-
tually any open disagreement between
them, and even then the full measure
of her humiliation and misery came
upon her like thunderclap. 1t happen
ed that Captain Conway had been ex-
planning to her how she must manage
about money during his absence. "The
rent is paid" he said. "And you can
draw $40 a week, which ought to cover
the bare expenses. If you fall short at
the end of the month when the wages
are due Are you listening, Mary?"
he broke off in a voice of thunder.
eyes, Edward of course am listen
ing" said Mary with violent start.
"Then what do you want to look like
that for? Do you want to make me
think you're pining. because l am 60
ing? Bah! You're enough to sicken
man, You white faced cat.'
The girls first instinct was to start
to her feet. Her fingers almost without
her own will clinched themselves to-
"a IA