The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-12-27
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
!. A Confidence !;
. o o a
a Story Of One Who Misjudged =
, His Wife. q
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Twenty yearsl | am notched and
grizzled You are only mellowed, rip
ened" My friend smiled and lighted
fresh cigarette. He puzzled me. Ru-
NOR had led me to expect to find him,
after my long absence, a disappointed
If not soured man. ! had sought him
here in the retreat where he and his
cold, uncongenial wife lived, it was
said, like pair of hermits. Arriving
at a moment when the lady was abb
sent, thought myself fortunate and
prepared to probe the unhappiness Of
one whose affection in early youth had
left very sunny spot on my memory.
IL was, in fact, ready TO give him all the
pity and sympathy which bachelor Of
experience can feel for the irremediable
mistake Of a married friend.
"Haye you been hearing tales about
me?'' be asked "Shall / tell you the
story of my welded life?"
III it does not pain you"
s'Do you know that | have been a
millionaire
lAtISC l4NtllA soOliJOLAiAliS Vi lts
ssThe wealth Of an ancient relative
poured in ON me after his death. How
the golden wave came and went is a
story by itself For five gilded years /
was transfigured in the eyes of the
world, and it was during that period 1
met and fell in love with my wife"
/ had heard all this and more, and
fol i I'D Oh OF Ia
posite wall lest my pity should daunt
him. knew the story of the worldly
mother and daughter who had forced
him into a loyeless marriage for greed
of the fortune which had proved so
elusive. He went on:
1t was not l alone who thought her
supremely beautiful. The world had
already bestowed OH her queenship
before the June day when ! first saw
her at an open air fete, all in white,
pale, cold, severe and sweet, like Il
goddess In marble. Her mother walked
beside her, woman of a different
type. AS | gazed after her in what you
would call romantic enthusiasm n
friend laughed and babe me veil my
known to be in quest Of a golden mil
lion. II it be the case that what every
body says must be true, then true it
was that the cold, exquisite daughter
and the naughty, hawklike mother
We're adventuresses playing game for
fortune, beauty against a slender purse
and a year or two of prime youth. AL
ready beauty had over and over again
dared to reject love, alteration and for
tune considerable. Their figure has
not yet been reached whispered my
cynical friend Your million will do it,
BY this time | had proclaimed myself
an open worshiper. / am bound to adj
nit that all the encouragement l re
ceived was from the mother The
daughter remained icy. / persisted in
my suit and in short time was the
accepted lover Of the woman who held
me in thrall"
''She accepted you willingly"
"Tacitly So The mother seized on me
with effusion. My affianced wife ap-
penred just to endure her new position
with patience. nothing more The
mother assured me that her daughter
had a most affectionate nature hidden
under that chill exterior She loved
me. and she had never loved any other
man tried to believe her. And so
we were wed
after time. when the excitement of
MY first pride and happiness had sub
sided. | began to feel reluctantly con-
Eeious that there was something want
ing in our life together My wife's be.
hayior was perfect from every point of
view, but there was wall of reserve
between us which nothing was able to
break through. Wherever we went |
was aware that people said had been
married without love for the sake Of
my million. How was / to feel sure
that the verdict was not true one?
Had she given her heart to some wor.
thy fellow who was millionless and re
Jected him even as she had accepted
me at her mothers bidding2
II resolved to take things as they
came and to make the best of the
goods the gods had provided for me.
We led a life of amusement and plees
TIRE. Our house in town and our coun
try house mot this house: something
much grander) were as perfect as mon
ey could make them. My wife went
everywhere dressed and bejeweled as
the world expected to see her. We en-
tertained the smart crowd known az
society. was proud beyond the pride
of man when | saw the woman had
chosen receiving the admiration whicl
no one could refuse her. l even thought
she seemed glad of my pride in her,
for once or twice as | looked at her
across the shoulders of crowd tina,
divided lis thought saw something
I'm her eyes of warmth which was alb
sent from them when we found our
selves again in our home
''As time went on her reserve, which
was my despair, communicated itself
to me. and the impossible barrier be-
tween us was complete. Do you ap-
prehend the sltlationY' he asked.
Perfectly" said.
''Does all this agree with what my
friends say about me?'
II confess had heard you had UNI
fortunately married cold and heart
less woman" | said
We went on smoking in silence. AT
last he said abruptly. II have more to
tellr
Hurt yourself no further, dear old
friend. | think ! can imagine all the
ra,etf