The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-27
STORMS AND SUNSHINE.
TFrona the 81 Louis RepubIio.l


He was easily irrftated and unreason-
ably jealous of his wife
At first there were only chickering's,
which ended in kisses Then the bick-
erings grew to quarrels. The husband
spoke ugly words and made threats
The wife. woman like. retorted in kind.
But they loved each other. and soon the
clouds on the conjugal horizon passed,
and in the surety of their absorbing
love they laughed over their folly.
OF late the clouds grew denser. For
some reason-business troubles, per
haps-Alois Stefan was more irritable
more Jealous, than ever. Once he ad-
vanced toward his wife with a burning
lamp. and another time he actually
struck her. Mrs. Stefan cried bitter
tears. left the house and applied for a
divorce.
Poor woman, she never dreamed that
it would ever come to that He. too
realized now that he had gone too far
He could not bear to lose the wife, the
mother of his darling child, the sweet
heart of his boyhood.
Did he tell her SO in good, kind Ian
guage, with his arms around her neck
and strokng the pretty. bright hair he
loved2 Not hel He was to- stubborn
too proud, he called it.
IF you leave the house, I'll murder
YOU" he yelled at her and she, now
house to lodge complaint against him
He was arrested for threa tening her
life, and the case was docketed Tor
trial.
Meanwhile the suit for divorce was
called and tried. The wife appeared
timid and uncertain of her actions. The
husband, too, was in a softer mood,
but that awful demon. jealousy, trou-
bled him more than ever. Friends, SO
called friends, had gossiped and car
Al D, 1rn7 f1lafey
worst.
Forgetting the courtroom, the pres
ence of the judge and a curious au-
dience, he approached her.
What about HERMANN" he Kissed
A moment before the woman had sat
with tears in her eyes. Now she felt
offended at his charge and made bitter
retort Following the custom of ages,
the judge tried to pacify their angry
passions and reconcile them with each
other.
The seed Of jealousy. however, was
coo prodding in the man. His abuse
had been too much for the woman.
Suddenly Stefan rushed I'D to his
wife, threw out his arms as il to en-
brace her. caught her face between his
hands and bit her in the right check.
The woman screamed aloud. Bailiffs
ran to her assistance and dragged him
away. The spectators jumped to their
feet and looked threats at the man. or
course there was nothing to do for the
judge but to give Mrs. Stefan the d.
Vorce. A warrant was sworn out
against Alois Stefan for assault
Man and wife lived apart now. The
latter took her little daughter with her,
and the husband had ample time to re-
fleet upon the situation. When Alois
Stefan'S case for assault came to
hearing the wife refused to testify
against him. The prosecuting attorney
postponed it, sending for other wit
nesses. They came to the seiOnd hear
ing of the suit. but their testimony was
In nOWiSe effective
Mrs. Stefan was pleased with the
progress OF the case or, rather, with
the evident prospect that justice would
be defeated. Stefan's attorney saw his
advantage and succeeded in convincing
the jury that, SO far as the threats
made against the wife by her husband,
no testimony had been elected that
should condemn the accused, and the
bite in the cheek was made while the
husband was almost insane with grief
over the turn his affairs had taken.
AS soon as the jury withdrew the
wife left her seat among the spectators
and joined her husband. Only a scar
remained as a silent reminder of the
unhusbandly caress- Stefan claSped
his Wife's hand, and they whispered
with each other like happy lovers.
The prosecuting attorney watched
them scornfully, but the stern and wise
judge smiled significantly.
The jury returned in less than Is
minutes. Stefan was acquitted on the
first count. that Of threatening his
of having bitten her in the cheek, he
was sentenced to a weeks imprison-
ment.
with beaming countenance husband
and wife received the mild sentence.
It was first he and then she who shook
the prosecuting attorneys hand, that
of the foreman of the jury and the
stern judges. Then and there they
declared their intention to remarry-
No pair Of lovers about to take the
first plunge into the matrimonial sea
looked more happy, more eager, more
assured of that perfect felicity that
comes with the union of two hearts.
1T was storm and sunshine" said
the stern and wise judge, gleefully rub
bling his hands over the outcome Of this
peculiar case
Il hope it will never get squally again
with them" he added as they left the
court room, he to begin his weeks i'm
prisonment she to accom- pany him to
the door from which he would emerge
in a week to take her again to the mar
riage altar.