Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-05-16

| differs greatly from NY practice.
| 81 thought" she said, slowly, that,
] just as there are always sharpest
thorns beneath sweetest roses, so the
longest thorns are hidden under the
orange-blossoms.'
F.. THAT may be; but it is in the
power of every sensible wife to blunt
them; they need never wound. Re
member that when you wear orange
! blossoms Of your own"
! Yes, shall think of you as wife
who had not one thorn in her wreath
of orange-bIossoms, said Violet.
"Say, rather, wife, my dear, who
bent and broke the point of every
thorn she found" rejoined Mrs. In
gram.
Violet had plenty of food for medi-
tation as they drove home.
Chapter XIV.
Up to this time Violet had believed
herself to be perfectly in the right,
that the conduct of her husband and
his mother had been utterly unjustifi-
able, that she had been injured and
wronged, and that in throwing Off
her allegiance to her husband and
trying herself to break her bonds. she
had acted bravely and nobly. But
the hour spent in the churchyard
rather changed her ideas. Love was
not a matter of caprice, nor marriage
a matter of whim; it was the most
solemn of obligations Certainly no
woman could do as she had tried to
; do-break her own bonds.
| She began to doubt herself-she
who had been so confident in her
might and right. What if she had
done wrong, after all?
She could not forget Randolph
The handsome face, the kindly voice,
the love-light in his eyes, his constant
| care for her. his devotion to her, and
his mad passionate love for her,
haunted her as they had never done
before. She had hardened her heart
against him; she had exaggerated her
own wrongs; but she could not
deaden her memory.
In those days Violet was a study.
She was sure of no one feeling or
emotion; her brain. mind. and soul
were in confusion. Love, revenge,
tender memories of bygone days,
hatred of all that her husband loved.
took possession of her by turns; she
could not tell whether she loved Ran
dolph or hated him. whether she
wished most to keep away from him,
or longed most to see him again
She tried to understand herself, and
could not. Was it love of him that
kept her awake at night, thinking of
him and going over in fancy every
hour they had spent together? Was
it love that kept the sound of his
or hate? She could not tell; she
did not know.
Il cannot understand my own
heart" she said to herself; "mucl.
less could any one understand it,
One morning-she had dreamed of
Randolph all night-Mrs Ingram
asked her why she looked SO thought
full
81 have been trying" answered
Violet, Ito solve problem for myself,
and l cannot do it. I was wondering
in any circumstances whatever a wife
ought to leave her husband
Certainly not" was the stern
reply. mo matter whether she be in
the right or in the wrong, the world
ignoring Them
But suppose that a man is cruel to
his wife, ill-uses her, abuses her
what them"
Il should say that woman in fear
of her life might be justified in 1eav-
ing her husband; but even in tn 1T
case l do not quite approve of 1T. I
think this, that. let man be bad as
he may, his wife should have patience
with him, and try to make him
better
you would think very badly, then,
of any wife who left her husband for
a smaller matter than i1l-usage?"
II should despise any women who
Thought lightly or acted careIessly
with regard to the greatest obfiga-
1tion and the most sacred tie life
holds. Women have SO much in their
power; they have two great weapons.
Ipatience and forbearance."
''You have seen only the bright side
CT marriage, Mrs. Ingram" said
Violet sadly.
Il have lived many years, and l
have seen great deal of life" re-
piled the elder woman.
Suppose that two people did not
really agree" Violet went .on-"that
the husband liked one kind of life, the
wife another, and that they had no
one thought in common. that the wife
hated what the husband loved, and
vice versa-would YOU think that a
reason for leaving each other?''
To be continued.