Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-04-25

IN ACNuAhNd W IuCII lCd1
!. home to prepare for the occasion, auc
found Albert Orion back from col
1ege, settled in the practice of law
and winning laurels as an orator.
Before h right occasion SCENE.
to present itself in which to inform
the young man of Nanette's approach.
ing nuptials a rumor reached thei1
ears of Mr.. Orton's engagement to g
young woman who he had met while
in college, a daughter of one of the
professors.
This bit of news seemed to produce
an extraordinary effect upon Nanette
h neither ate % slept. and she
passed hours in violent weeping. j,
was only in the prese:lce of Albert.
who called daily, that she showed the
least interest or pleasure in life.
Finally she broke into tears one day
when he was calling, and a climax
was reached. She vowed that she had
always loved Albert and no one else,
and that the thought of his marrying
another woman was bitterer than
death. Her own ENHANCEMENT she
spoke of as a foolish mistake. and
surprised her mother by the an
nouncement that she had already
broken from it and had returned Mr..
Cameron's ring. As the weeks
passed by. Nanette's condition be-
came alarming. and she seemed on
the verge of nervous collapse. Al
bert's ~sympathies were constantly
worked upon, his vanity f1attered and
his old romantic affection for his
/ early nlaUmofo rayiya1 with tho nd
ditional elements of passionate admi-
ration of the young girls beauty of
person. He argued to himself that
Nanette's claim came first, and that
the tie between them was too sacred
to sever. Since she had not hesitated
to break a later engagement he ought
not to show less moral courage. He
could not see her suffer as she was
evidently suffering. when a single
word from him would restore her to
happiness. So he wrote to his
iancee and asked for a release from
his promise of marriage. and three
ont later he made Nanette his
wife. Mr.. Sylvester Cameron was re-
ported as taking a rapid-transit voy-
age to the dogs about that time and
the professors daughter died of spinal
meningitis the next year, but Nam
cite was happy and that was, as it
always had been, the chief aim of AL
bert's heart.
During the first two years she
seemed absolutely happy in his love
n companionship, and life was a
paradise to Albert. He was growing
in his profession, he was making and
saving money, and he had the sweet
est and most domestic little wife in
the world, whose whole happiness lay
in his society. What more could a
man ask?
Then came a change. Nanette
wanted a larger house, more servants
and a carriage. Of course, Albert
gratitied these desires, since he only
valued his increasing fortune as a
means of contributing to Nanette's
happiness. Even the rather elaborate
and to him tiresome entertainments
which she grew fond of giving in her
new house afforded Albert a melan-
choly sort of pleasure, he watching
her enjoyment of the role of hostess.
Perhaps one of the hardest trials
of the young husand's life was when
Nanette developed a passion for elo-
%cution, and announced her desire to
take Lessons in the art in order to be
able to "recite'' for her friends.
"You see, I do not sing Or play well
enough" she said, "to give my friends
any entertainment. I never had any
musical talent. This makes me a sort
of nobody in society. Nearly every
woman / know does something. Now,
it is easy to learn to recite bits of
verse, and it will render me a better
hostess and a more popular guest"
"But it is not easy to learn to re-
cite verses WELL" Albert suggested.
"It requires a talent and a vast deal
of practice. Badly done it is torture
to the audience"
"Oh, very well, if you think I am
incapable of doing it well L will not
disgrace you by any attempts" cried
Nanette with a flood of angry tears,
which Albert mistook for tears of
wounded feeling, and fastened to dry
with tender words of praise, and love,
and Nanette began her lessons in elo-
cution the next day.
Then came the period of torture for
proud, sensitive and loving man,
is obliged to witness some I'M
worthy and crude performance of the
woman he adores, and to watch her
flattered acceptance of the insincere
"bravos" which change into ridicule
soon as her back is turned. Nan
cite was young, beautiful, vivacious,
an agreeable c~onverser, Inc univer-
sally admired. Yet she was not con-
tent with these charms which a gen.
erous nature had bestowed, and needs
must attempt to shine in a role to
she was wholly untitled.
Albert felt obliged to close
lips and restrain the honest criti-
cisms of her attempt at "elocution"
because he knew such criticisms
would make her angry and unhappy,
and he had resolved TO render Nan
cite happy at all costs.
They had been married four years
when Nanette decided to take a trip
in company with her mother
and a party of ladies who were going ]
southern Italy. The journey
came at a time when it was not posi-
for Albert to GO; his heart was
wrenched at the thought of the
of months which must en-
sue, but other wives went abroad and i
eft their husbands at home, and he j