The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-02-01
SIT is usual, believe" he said, be
fore dssolvlng partnership to take

L Drought ldlI dDllllgi NldSABJi anu
tlon, decent position, means Of com
Portable life and an unbleniished name
Everyone said | wasn't a bad sort, and
more than all, brought deep, true, pas
sionate love-"
Said the woman: IL brought beau
ty"-her statement was splendidly true
youth, physical purlty-to which you
do not lay claim" He bowed. per
haps little else, for it was generous OF
you to marry the daughter Of an undls-
charged bankrupt"
What have we got out of our mar
riageY continued the husband. Let
me speak. or course the honeymoon
was failure. Poets and novelists"-
he spoke bitterly-"tell wicked false
hoods about honeymoons. They are
never wholly happy, unless, perhaps
when It's the wlfe's second honeymoon
After that, three months Of exquisite
almost mad JOY, then four months OF
happiness, followed by three Of con
tentment. ending in year of gradually
Increasing misery"
"Of course the honeymoon was fail
ure," she answered. THE next three
months were happy, the following four
not bad, the subsequent three indiffer-
ent, and the year was intolerable. You
got more out of the business than |, for
you put more in. Alas, | had not the
mad loves capital, and yet"
And yet" interrupted the man, mis-
understanding, you have wasted that
capital, and the beautiful mad love has
gone, and |, who once would have died
for you-mOre than that would have
lived disgracefully for you-am content
to dissolve partnership, willing that we
should part as friends"
Content? WilliamT she asked
"Tell me, what do you regret mostY
81 regret my bankruptcy" he said. Il
began our partnership with what l
thought a splendid, inexhaustible fund
of love. look back to moments of hap
pness beyond description, and now |
am insolyent in love. After all, be-
leve," he continued, with a pleasant,
manly smile, 81 believe that 1t is bet
ter to have loved and lost even If 1t be
the love and not the sweetheart that
one has lost Do you regret nothingf
What cllngs to your mindP
She shook her head.
Come, you should tell me. There, on
the table near you is the deed of disso-
luton, the separation deed-it hasn't
even been engrossed on parchment, but
is printed 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
lips. In quarter of an hour, Mr.. Haw-
kins, the lawyer, will be here to witness
the execution. Tell me-"
She shook her head again-her splen-
did head, regular in feature, delightful
In complexion, crowned with gorgeous
auburn hair, illumined by deep, large,
violet eyes.
You regret nothingT
With a sigh she answered: Il regret
that you have cast your pearls before
me. regret that have misprized and
lost your love; that | gave you little
in return. | regret that my very in
ability to return your love truly has ir-
ritated me by making me feel your
debtor; that feeling of irritation has
made you miserable and me miserable,
too"
Il did not use the word regret quite
in that sense" he answered. II meant
is there nothing you look back to of
happiness that yet lives in your men,
ory?'
She put down the fan that had flut-
tered in her tender hands, and, with
half a smile, half a blush, she an
swered, "There was one thing, one
moment, that | regret"
lie rose and walked up and down the
daintily furnished room, everything in
which was a note in a dead love song.
"A year ago to-day we were at Eta
pies, you reeollect"
1T was for economy l went because
It was ridculously cheap and very
pretty and | hated Boulogne."
II remember how we wandered
about, how, alas, we quarreled In the
pine woods, or, to be exact, | quarreled
and you suffered, and the splendid sea-
shore, where said bitter things be-
cause my friends were at Trouville and
at the little quiet Paris PLACE, and you
were sad and silent"
MY dear" he Interrupted, 81 was
greatly to blame"
Hush! You must not interrupt
Then Que day we took boat-a clumsy
boat-and sailed out despite the warn
ings of the fishermen. | didn't care
you didn't care-what happened. We
had quarreled, or, rather, |, at lunch,
said harsh things"
MY dear" he interrupted, there
were faults on both sides. They rem
dered life intolerable and love lmpossi-
bic, but"
Hush We rowed out. You had the
souls and | steered-at least l lay in
&e stern and spashed the waves with
my hands-the hands you used to kiss
so often"
She paused to look at the hands
firm, plump and white and decked with
rings Of curious workmanship. He, too
looked at them and sighed. She sighed
But out we went. Then the skies
became darker, the water darkened
too, and grew rough and you tried to
turn. We were far out from shore
You must have been looking at me in
stead of the land, or you would have
seen that we were floating fast In a
current. Oh, you looked splendid
Your thin jersey showed the lines of
your strong, supple body, the muscles
of your arms and chest rose superbly,
and your manly face, flushed and firm,
fascinated me-"
The man smiled, half scornfully.