The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-01-29

z " WW ~. had been the
daughter of New York clergyman,
and some of her recent associates here
in D. said of her that she was quite
too prim and puritanic to suit their taste
at all.
But here they were indeed wrong.
Adela was merely shy and reserved.
Il sometimes think" her husband
would say to her, ''that you are never
just your real self except when you're
with me-
Then Adela's blue eyes would kindle,
and perhaps she would remain mean
ingly silent, perhaps she would gently
answer: $50 long as that is true,
Frank, I've no reason for complaint"
Still it nettled Frank little to think
that people should imagine his wife
dull and uncompanionable. He was
himself the soul of vivacity and liveli-
ness; a young, athletic fellow, with
short, dark curling beard, eyes that
were black stars and a smile that could
somehow warm your heart before you
heard his voice. He used to say of him
self that he was by instinct a loafer but
by profession a Wall street stock
that his proceedings among the purlieus
'of hazard implied anything rather than
laziness. During the first few months
after their marriage they had lived in
New York, for though Franks means
were variable, they were still in no
sense meager But at the end of a
summer sojourn in D. Adela had
begged her husband to stay on in their
pretty cottage throughout the winter.
She had had her secret reasons for
putting forward this plea, and Frank
more than vaguely realized them. Ger
tain things had happened during that
town life of theirs which had bitten in
delibly into poor Adela's memory.
There had been evenings-there had
=also been few midnights -when
Frank had come home as he would not
have cared to see himself could he have
done so with a sober gaze. To Adela
these episodes had been fraught with
an almost delirious horror. In vain
Frank had told her that what had hap
pened to him happened to hundreds of
other men. He might as well have
tried to convince her that if thunder
bolt had plunged through the roof of
their coy little Lexington avenue
house the catastrophe would have been
only trife.
He dearly loved her, and at length
made her solemn VOW that he would
never touch wine again; for, although
days of perfect self-control would enter
by protracted periods into his life, he
would be sure sooner or later to cross
that boundary which divides contln-
ence from excess. But even this prom
Use, after awhile, lost its poten-
cy. One day, feeling rather jaded and
i'll, he took stimulant, lust as a medi-
cine" and that which had now become
the unusualness of the draught pro-
voked sudden and strong craving for
more Adela suffered anguish once
again, and Frank made no concealment
of his bitter repentance.
At the same time he told his wife that
complete abstinence would not, in his
case, by any means prove possible. He
had hosts of business and club friends
who were forever tempting him; there
were certain times in fact, when for him
to drink nothing would amount to an
uncivil act; he had thought the whole
matter carefully over, and there was
only one thing for him to do.
TREMENDOUSLY Adela asked him what
that one thing was. She had thrill
ing dread lest he might be about to
mention an asylum for inebriates; she
remembered having heard that there
are such melancholy and mysterious
places in existence.
But Frank had meant nothing of this
rr1O An1o he
now declared, that shall have to go
on, with my glass or two of claret at din
ner and my one or two 'nightcaps' aft
eerward, just as l did few weeks ago.
I've often heard, darling, that swear
ing-off is the worst thing a man can do,
and now clearly understand why. So
tomorrow or next day-as soon as
can get over this hateful, 'seedy' feeling
Pill recommence the old life
He did, and at first with signal sue.
cess. But one night, at a Delmonico
dinner, he wholly lost his head, and
thus it happened that Adela saw him
still again in a state which it dealt he1
acutest torture to look upon.
She conceived the idea that if they
should pass the winter at D. Frank
nestle sense on the one hand, and less
visited, on the other, by those allure
ments which were constantly calling tc
him while in town. His friends would
recollect that he Lived in the country
and so leave him out of their banquets
and other merry-malings.
All through those long and rather
lonely months Adela had no cause t.
regret her new plan. A certain trair
brought Frank up from New Yorl
every evening, and except for an occa
sional whist party at the house of ont
or two of the neighbors, he would
keep indoors from then until bedtime
Last summer he had not behaved hal
so we'll The spaci hotel rose only
about quarter of mile distant, anC
while that was open and in full flare o