Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-07
A CONFIDENCE.

1 =
| ripens-i
MY friend smiled and lighted fresh
! cigarette. He puzzled me. Rumor had
| led me TO expect to find him after my
long absence disappointed if not soured
man. l had sought him here in the re-
| treat where he and his cold, uncongenial
wife lived, it was said. like pair OF
| hermits. Arriving 1T a moment when
| the lady was absent | thought myself
| fortunate, and prepared to probe the I'M
happiness of one whose affection in early
youth had left very sunny spot in my
memory.
was, in fact. ready to give him all
| the pity and sympathy which a bach
| clor of experience can feel for the ire
mediable mistake Of married friend.
You are just the same" | went on,
with that romantic un-English look, as
called it, which YOU never would ac-
knowledge. You remember, / dubbed
you The Troubadour.'
He nodded and hummed verse of the
little old obsolete song:
She for the troubadour hopeless wept;
Under the bnttlement softly he crept
Singing From Palestine hither / come.
Lady love, lady love, welcome me home
"Oh. that She" ! exclaimed Does
she still hopelessly weep or did she well
come you hOme?"
lie gave me keen glance, answering
perhaps something betrayed by my voice
rather than my words.
Have you been hearing tales about
mcT" he asked. ''Shall | tell you the
story Of my welded life?"
If it does not pain you.
He smiled again. He has grown en-
trcIy phil0sophic," l thought, yet not
heortlcss. or he would not have wei
coined back, an Old comrade so warmly.
Where shall ! begin!" he asked
AT the beginning. You were very
young, careless. and / think heart whole
when | went to the other end of the
world and lost sight Of you half a life
time ago"
DO you know that have been a
millionaire in the meantime?'
II have heard something of it,"
The wealth Of an ancient relative
poured i'll on me after his death. How
the golden wave came and went is
story by itself For five gilded years |
was TRANSPORTED in the eyes OF the
world, and it was during that period
met and fell in love with my wife"
| had heard of this and more. and |
felt sorry. | looked steadily at the op-
posite wall lest my pity should daunt
him. | knew the story of the worldly
neither and daughter who had forced
him into loveless marriage for greed
OF the fortune which had proved 50 elu-
slNe, He went on:
1T was not / alone who thought her
supremacy beautiful. The world had al
ready bestowed ON her oueenship be-
fore the June day when | first saw her
at an open-air fete, all in white. pale,
cold, severe and sweet. like a goddess
in marble. Her mother walked beside
her, woman of Il different type. AS
gaZed after her in what you would call
romantic enthusiasm n friend laughed
and babe me veil my admiration. as
those women were known to be in quest
OF 4 golden million. | felt quite ready
10 tie mine in a silky bag and deIlosit
1t at the feet of the beauty which had
affected me like benediction. My
friend drew my arm through his and
forced me away with him in another di-
fecuon. | knew him to be cynical
man Of the world, and discounted his in
formation and his judgment accordingly.
III II be the case that what EVERYDAY
avs must he true, then true it was that
the cold, exquisite daughter, and the
naughty. hawk-likC mother were adven-
iuteSseS playing game for fortune
PPanty against slender purse and a
year or two of prime youth Already
hoauty had over and over again dared TO
reject i0Ve, alteration and fortune CON
siderable. Their figure has not vet been
reached, whispered my cynical friend
Ecur million will do it. BY this time
had proclaimed myself on open worship
er, and. mothlike, was reeing round
the flame. | am hound to admit that all
tne encouragement | received was from
the mother. The daughter remained
ICY, For one moment only | saw her.
a. l imagined, warm into sympathy, but
though she troze up again at my nearer
approach that hecting sign of warmth
was enough. | persisted in my suit. and
IN snort time was the accepted lover of
the woman who held me in thrall."
She accepted YOU willingly"
lacltly So. The mother seized on me
with effusioa. My afHanccd wife an
pcared Just To endure her new position
win patience. nothing more. The moth
or assured me that her daughter had n
| most aueetlpnate nature hidden under
Inat chill exterior. Sac loved me and
she had never loved any other man,
| tried to believe her even though nv
heart Craved for more tenderness than /
received or seemed likely to receive. But
az mat tune merely To he near such love
i'neSS was more 10 me than to be adorcd
| hy other women. And SO we wed -
lie paused. The expression Of his face.
nj which took Il furtive glance. was in
Scrutablc To me.
Go on, old fellow, | said, low. How
dld II all work out?
ilc continued. AFTER time when tine
excitement of my first pride and happi-
ness had subsidized | began to feel reluct.
ahtiy conscious that there was something
wanting in our life together My wife's
behavior was perfect from every point
of view, but there was wall of resery 1.
between us which nothing was able To
break through, Wherever we went | was
aware that people said had been mar
red without love for the sake of nv mill
hon. How was l to feel sure that the
verdict was not n true one? Had she
gwen her heart 10 some worthy fellow
who was milionlcSs and rejected him
even as She had accepted me nj her moth
trS bidding? Gradually, as my eyes
opened to much that had ALWAYS boon
gong on in the world unpcrceivcd bv.mc
| admitted that this cruel ease was 6nrS
nefS and mine, ana blamed myself moro
| IN the matter than | blamed her. if hlamr
there might be. Ii was bitter worI1
Whrre n man required million to buv
the woman he loved. and after aU rot
only the shell "a her. destitute Of hear
ana Sheathed in perpetual FROST
tie stopped again. | stole another mol,
at him He was a man to love. | hated
The woman. "