The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-04-20
The Separation Deed.
BY EDWARD r. SPENCE.

II
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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
1T is usual. l believe" he said, "be
fore dissolving partnership, to take &C
counts. Let US see what we eacl
brought into the arm."
"YOu begin," she answered.
II brought fair ability, energy, am
bition, a decent position, means o.
comfortable life, an unblemishet
name; every one said l wasn't 'bat
Sort and more than all, l brought deep
true, passionate love-"
Said the woman
Il brought beauty'-her statement
was splendidly true-"youth. Perhaps
little else, for it was generous Of yor
to marry the daughter of an undis'
charged bankrupt"
What have we got out Of our mar.
riage?" continued the husband. "Let
me speak. OF course the honeymoon
was failure; poets and novelists
he spoke bitterly-"tell wicked, ri
diculous lies about honeymoons; they
are never wholly happy-unless, per.
haps, when 1t Is the wife's second
honeymoon. After that, three months
OF exquisite, almost mad, joy; then
four months of happiness. followed by
three of contentment, ending in year
OF gradually increasing misery"
"Of course the honeymoon was a
failure" she answered. "The next
three months were happy. the follow
ing four not bad. the subsequent three
Indifferent, and the year was intolera-
BILE. You got more out Of the business
than l, for you put more in. Alas!
had not the beautiful mad love as cap
ital, and yet"
"And yet" interrupted the man
misunderstanding, you have wasted
that capital, and the beautiful mad
love is gone: and l, who once would
have died for you, more than that,
would have lived disgracefully for
you'll do not believe in the loved
not honor more'-am content to dis
solve partnership, willing that we
should part as friends"
Content? Willing" she asked.
Tell me, what do you regret most?"
Il regret my bankruptcy" he said.
Il began our partnership with what
thought splendid, inexhaustible
fund of love. l look back, to moments
Of happiness beyond description, and
now am insolvent in love. After all,
believe" he continued, with a pleas
ant. manly smile, Il believe that it is
better to have loved and lost even II
1t be the love and not the sweetheart
that one has lost. Do you regret moth
ing? What clings in your mind?" She
shook her head. Come, you should
tell me. There, on the table near you,
Is the deed Of dissolution, the separa-
ton deed-it hasn't ever been en-
crossed on parchment, but it is print
ed on paper; at the end are two seals.
We execute the dissolution deed by
putting our fingers on the seals; the
partnership was executed with our
ips. In quarter of an hour Mr.. Haw-
kins. the lawyer, will be here to wit
hess the execution. Tell me-"
I She shook her head again-her
)(plendid head, regular in features, de-
ghtful in complexion, crowned with
orgeous auburn hair, illumined by
eep, large, violet eyes.
"You regret nothing?"
With sigh she answered:
:" regret that you have cast your
pearls before me. regret that have
misprized and lost your love, that 1
gave you little in return. regret that
my very inability to return your love
truly has irritated me by making me
feel your debtor; that feeling of irri-
tation has helped TO make you misera-
bic and me miserable, too"
II did not use the word regret quite
in that sense" he answered. II
is there nothing you look back
to of happiness that yet lives in your
She put down the fan that had f1ut-
tered in her tender hands, and, with
half smile, half blush, answered:
There is one thing, one moment,
that regret"
He rose and walked up and down the
room, the daintily furnished room, ev-
erything in which was a note in a
dead love song.
"A year ago, almost to the day, GER
talnly tomorrow, we were at Etables.