The Opelousas courier., 1899-01-28
AN ONLY QUARREL:

AN ONLY QUARREL
Many thanks for your letter and al!
the good advice it contains, my dear
Harry. l know that when q man has
got into a thoroughly morbid state, a
ruthlessly candid lecture is as good
for him as is a slap in the face for
an historical girl. Your motive is
truly kind. and l should be migrate
full If l failed to recognize it as such.
You point out that it is now three
years since my dear wife's fatal ac-
cident, and that, closely as We Wee
united and terrible though the shock
must have been, others have had to
bear blows as severe and have borne
them 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 un-
| derstand my feelings Alright. | will
relieve my mind by telling you things
which have burdencd by thoughts dur,
ing three years and have made it i'm
| possible for me to throw off my sad
ness.
Alice was killed upon the second an
niversary of our wedding day. For
two years u married life had been,
as you are aware, n Of unclouded
happiness.
What plans we made for that Sec
ond anniversary! I took three-quar-
ters of an hour to choose a present for
Alice, and a great mystery overshad-
owed the something that she was max
ing for me. Then there were the in
vitations to our little party in the
evening, the great question as to
whether we should ask the rector or
the doctor-they We're not on speaking
terms-and the debate on the happiest
way of spending the earlier part of
the day.
It should be passed in the depths of
the country, we both agreed. and after
much bordering owe the local time
tables, we settled that the eleven
o'clock train should take us to Beech
wood, a walk and picnic tete-a-tete
amid the sumner giories Of the forest.
tea at the clean little Barleycorn inn,
and 60 home.
So we settled on the eve Of u wed
ding day, and then we had our first
and only quarrel. :
The circumstances were trifing
enough. A letter had come to Alice,
asking her to pay q short visit, if l
could spare her, to some friends whom
she had known intimately before her
marriage, "the day after tomorrow"
I suppose I was not in the best of
tempers-worried with business, per-
haps, and a trife out of sorts-a bit
Jealous, too, it may be, for one Of the
sons of the house had been one 4
rival.
At any rate, when she produced this
letter and told me she would like to
accept the invitation, some evil spirit
tempted. me to raise objections. I
her face, and that increased my silly
petulance and jealousy till 1 recklessly
launched out in diatribes against her
friends who had sent the invitation.
She defended them hotly-for Alice
was always loyal-and so the day end
ed IN a cold good night, leaving her
panied and unhappy, and me-thor-
oughly ashamed Of suspicious I knew
to be groundless and of an Ill temper
[ was too proud to confess.
I had a wakeful and restless time
that last night. Our disagreement
preyed strangely on my mind, and in
the dark hours assumed quite an ex-
aggerated Importance. You see for us
1t was a new experience. A little
rift" had divided us for the first time,
and I could boast no more that my
wife had eve heard a harsh or bit
ter word from me.
In the morning there wa still 4
cloud between us. I knew that I was
In the wrong, and yet 1 would not
OWL it even to myself. Alice gave
me. n little wistful look, expressive
of a timid hope that my mood had
changed. I saw that look. and for Il
moment I felt impelled to fling my
arms around her and ask forgiveness.
If only l had yielded to that impulse.
l gave her one cold kiss. To think
that it was the last I ever gave her.
living or. dead!
While I was dressing. my eye fell on
the small case containing the bracelet
/ had bought as a present for my wife.
l picked it up, hid it in my pocket,
and, fool that 1 was, never gave it to
her.
l opened the letters, which were
mostly on the business that was wor-
rying me. The rest l pushed irritab,y
away. I opened them afterward, and
do you know, Harry, that in one of
those parcels was the gift that my,
wife had been working for weeks to
make for me.
We breakfasted almost in silence,
but after the meal was over, she rose
and came softly round the table to-
ward me. Then she put her dear hand
on my shoulder so lightly as if she
feared to offend, ard. bending down.
she said pleadingly. Wont you let
me go, CharlieF' And /. or the imp
that possessed me, coldly answered.,
"You may please yourself"
l don't know what you will think Of