The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-14
A CONFIDENCE.
IFrom the Tattler.l

1
| fresh cigarette. He puzzled me. Ru-
NOR had led me to expect to find him.
| after my long absence, a disappointed,
| if not soured man. 1 had sought him
| here in the retreat where he and his
| cold, uncongenial wife lived, it was
| said, like a pair of hermits. Arriving at
| a moment when the lady was absent, 1
| thought myself fortunate, and prepared
| to probe the unhappiness of one whose
affection in early youth had left a very
sunny spot on my memory. / was. in
fact, ready to give him all the pity and
sympathy which a bachelor of expert
ence can feel for the irremediable mis-
take of a married friend.
Have you been hearing tales about
me?'' he asked. Shall I tell you the
story of my welded life?''
IF it does not pain you
He smiled again. He has grown en-
tirely philosophic," l thought '-yet not
heartless, or he would not have welcom-
ed back an old comrade SO warmly"
Where shall 1 begin?" he asked.
'At the beginning You were very
young, careless, and think heart-whole
when I went to the other end of the
world and lost sight of you, half a
lifetime ago..
DO you know that I have been a
millionaire in the meantime?"
L have heard something of it,
poured in on me after his death. How
the golden wave came and went is a
story by itself. For five gilded- years L
was TRANSPORTED in the eyes of the
world, and it was during that period L
met and fell in love with my wife,
1 had heard all this and more. and I
felt sorry. 1 looked steadily at the OPP
posite wall lest my pity should daunt
him. / knew the story of the worldly
mother and daughter who had forced
him into a loveless marriage for greed
of the fortune which had proved so
elusive. He went on:
1T was not alone who thought her SUI
premely beautiful. The world had al
ready bestowed on her queenshiD be-
fore the June day when first saw her
at an open-afr fete, all in white, pale,
cold, severe and sweet. like a goddess
in marble. Her mother walked beside
her, a woman of a different type. AS l
gazed after her in what you would call
romantic enthusiasm friend laughed
and hade me veil my admiration. as
those women were known to be in quest
of golden million. If it be the case
that what everybody says must be true,
then true it was that the sold, exquisite
daughter and the naughty hawk-like
mother were adVenturesSeS playing a
game for fortune, beauty against a
slender purse and year or two Of
prime youth. Already beauty had over
and over again dared to reject love,
alteration and fortune considerable.
Their figure has not yet been reached
whispered my cynical friend, your mil
lion will do it, By this time 1 pro-
claimed myself an open worshiper. 1
am bound to admit that all the encour-
agement I received was from the moth
er. The daughter remained icy. I per-
sisted in my suit. and in a short time
was the accepted lover of the woman.
who held me in thrall."
.'She accepted you willingly?"
"Tacitly so. The mother seized on me
with effusion. My affianced wife ap-
peared just to endure her new position
with patience, nothing more. The moth
er assured me that her daughter had a
most affectionate nature hidden under
that chill exterior She loved me and
she had never loved any other man. I
tried to believe her. And so we wed
After q time. when the excitement
of my first pride and happiness had
subsidized / began to feel reluctantly con-
scious that there was something wanting
in our life together. My wife's behavior
was perfect from every point of view,
but there was a wall of reserve between
US which nothing was able to break
through. Wherever we went 1 was
aware that people said I had been mar
ried without love for the sake of my
million. How was l to feel sure that
the verdict was not true one? Had
she given her heart to some worthy fell
low who was millionless and rejected
him even as she had accepted me at her
mothers bidding?
Il resolved to take things they
came and to make the best of the goods
the gods had provided for me. We led
a life of amusement and pleasure Our
house in London and our country house
mot this house something much grand
err were as perfect as money could
make them. My wife went everywhere,
dressed and bejeweled as the world ex-
pected to see her. We entertained the
smart crowd known as society. / was
proud beyond the pride of man when
saw the woman l had chosen receiving
the admiration which no one could re-
fuse her. / even thought she seemed
cv1a nj my II
twice as / looked at her across the
shoulders of a crowd that divided US 1
thought / saw something in her eyes of
warmth which was absent from them
when we found ourselves again in our
home.
LAS time went on her reserve, which
was my despair. communicated itself
to ne, and the impossible barrier be-
tween US was complete Do you appre-
bend the situation?'' he asked.
Perfectly I said.
Does all this agree with what my
friends say about me in London?"
II confess I had heard that you had
unfortuna tely married a cold and heart
less woman" 7 said
We went smoking in silence. At
last he said. abruptly: Il have more to
tell"
Hurt yourself no further. dear old
friend. I think I can imagine all the
rest
Can you? 1 am not so sure that you
can"
we smoked IN Slence LOT ABOUT d
and then he continued:
Some other time 1 may tell you of
how my unexpected fortune departed as
suddenly and surprisingly as it ar
rived. The news of what appeared to !
be total ruin reached me first in a tele-
gram which I found waiting for me
one night when I returned home from |
a dinner party alone, my wife having |
pleaded a headache and retired to her |
room early in the evening. 1 gathered |
up the letters which had come by the |
last post and carried them to my dress |
ing room. where I sat down to read |
them. Imagine casting ones eyes on a |
bit of paper as the eyes of the owner |
nf illinn and raising them with the |