The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-30
A Deed Of Separation.


into the firm"
you begin she answered.
Il brought fair ability, energy, ambi-
ton. q decent position, means OF COM
Portable life and an unblemished nams.
Everyone said ] wasn't a bad sort, and
more than all, I brought deep, true, pas
sionate love
Said the woman: ! brought beauty =
her statement was splendidly true
youth. physical purity-to which you
do not .ay claim" He bowed. Per
haps little else, for It was generous OF
you TO marry the daughter OF an IN
discharged bankrupt.
What have we got out Of our mar
riage?" continued the husband. Let me
speak Of course, the honeymoon was
a failure. Poets and novelists spoke
bitterly-ttell wicked falsehoods about
honeymoons They are never wholly hap
by, unless, perhaps, when it's the wife 5
second honeymoon. After that, three
months Of exquisite, almost mad joy,
then four months of happiness. followed
by three OF contentment, ending in a
year of gradually increasing misery.
"Of course. the honeymoon was fall
ure," she answered. The next three
months were happy, the following four
not bad, the subsequent three indifferent,
and the year was intolerable You got
more ont of the business than I, for
you put more in. Alas, l had not the
mad loves capital, and yet
And yet" interrupted the man, mis-
understanding. you have wasted that
capital, and the beautiful mad love has
gone. and I, who once would have died
for you-more than that would have
lived disgracefully for you-am content
to dissolve partnership, willing that we
should part as friends"
Content? WnIiam?" she asked. Tell
me. what do you regret most?"
Z regret my bankruptcy" he said. u
began our partnership with what
thought a splendid, inexhaustible fund
of love. I look back to moments OF hap
piness beyond description, and now
an insolvent in love. After all. be.
Iieve. he continued. with a pleasant,
manly smile, i believe that ii is bet
ter to have loved and lost even if it &c
the love and not the sweetheart that
one has lost Do you regret moth ng ?
What clings in your mind?"
She shook her head
Come. you should tell me. There, on
the table near you, is the deed of dfsso-
luton. the separation deed-1t hash
even been engrossed on parchment, but
is printed on paper AT the end are two
seals. We execute the dissolution deed
bv putting our fingers on the seals. The
partnership was executed with our lips.
In a quarter Of an hour, Mr Hawk rs,
the lawyer, will be here to witness the
execution. Tell me"
She shook her head again-her splend d
head. regular in feature, deIghted--in
complexion, crowned with gorgeous au-
burn hair, ilIumined by deep, large, VIC
let eyes,
''YOu regret nothing?
With a sigh she answered: Il regret
YOU have cast your pearls before me"
81 did not use the word regret quite
in that sense" he answered. i meant
is there nothing you look back to Of
happiness that yet-lives in your mem
ory?'
She put down the fan that had aut-
tered in her tender hands, and, with half
a smile. half a blush, she answered
There was one thing, one moment, that
I regret
He rose and walked up and down the
daintily furnished room, everything IN
which was a note in a dead love song.
"A year ago today we were at Eta
pies, YOU recollect?'
..Tt was for economy went, because
it was ridiculousiy cheap and very pref
tv and ] hated Boulogne."
IT remember how we wandered about,
alas. we uuarreled in the pine woods or,
to be exact, quarreled and you SUI
fered. and the splendid seashore, where
said bitter things because my friends
we're at Trouvile and I at the little.
quiet Paris PLACE, and you were sad
and silent"
MY dear" he interrupted, Il was
greatly to blame"
Hush! You must not interrupt. Then,
one day we took boat-a clumsy boat
and sailed out. despite the warnings OF
the fishermen I didn't care-you didn' t
care-what happened. We had quarrel
ed. or rather ], at lunch, said harsh
things.
INV dear" he interrupted, there
were faults on both sides They rem
dered life intolerable and love impos-
sible, but
"Hush. We rowed out You had the
souls and / steered-at least I lay in
the stern and splashed the waves with
my hands-the hands you used to kiss
so often"
she paused to look at the hands-frm,
pliInp and white and decked with rings
of curious workmanship. He, too. look
ed at them and sighed. She sighed
.'But out we went Then the skies be-
came DARK, the water AdI htticAf ltCf eiAA-A
crew rough and you tried TO turn. We
were far out from shore. You mus
have been looking at me instead of the
land. or you would have seen that we
were floating fast in current. Oh, you
looked splendid! Your thin jersey show
ed the lines Of your strong, supple body
the muscles Of your arms and chest rose
suDerbly. and your manly face flushed
and firm. fascinated ne"
The man smiled. half scornfully.
You pulled hard, and I don't think
was frightened I didn't care what hap
pened. Then the rotten oar cracked and
YOU bound IL round with our handker-
chiefs but 1t stlll was weak 50 you tore
off long strip Of my petticoat to bind
81 with and we drifted drifted out
when at last you tried again f. snap
ned. and the blade fell into the sea
Then YOU came TO me. TO the stern, and
took the tiller from my hands. You put
your arm around my waist and said.
Don't De afraid. dear WIFE ] knew we
were drifting out TO open sea. 20 storm
and death. and was aware that you
knew t. Don't be afraid, little wife.
You said. and suddenly you pat your
arm around my neck"
IT remember"
YES. I know. Let me 60 or. You
brought my face 10 yours and laid your
lins on mine on. that .kis-that kiss
II stiI stings on my lips IN It felt
the depth Of your love. 7 felt thar
loved you. felt that W. were man ard
wife. and the only Beings alive On land
or sea That kiss is what ] regret-thst
kiss. the one moment CT rapture In ms
llss
she paused.
II remember