Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-11-05
CHAPTER II.

Happy as Helen had declared herself
to be, she rose in the morning with a
certain depression and anxiety. For
all changes to the thoughtful heart
must have an air of melancholy. What
we have to leave behind is part of our
selves. We are dying in measure to
the life we are quitting and must do
so ere we can fully enter on the life
we are going to. And, although she
did not tell herself these things, she
felt them. Roy had spoken Of their
own home. Her heart was turning to-
ward it, and the home she was to
leave had already lost something of its
charm. AS she went about her usual
duties she was dreaming of the cottage
Roy was to prepare for her nn6 Of the
life they were to live in it, and her
present life was the poorer for this
projection of her best self into the flu
ture.
Still affairs went on with their nc-
customed peace and regularity, and
Robert Brodick was not ut once sensi.
tive to his loss. He was far more SEN
sitive to the annoyance which the brag
and pride Of his future son-in-law
caused him. Roy had won the hand
soonest and richest girl in the neigh
borhood, and he was not able to bear
his success modestly. A man so enam-
ored, SO transported with love, no one
had ever seen before, and the fisher
wives shook their heads over his noisy
| happiness and said such hot love was
soon cold.
1t certainly soon became subject ia
moods which troubled Helen's nature
to Its very depths, for as the young
man grew accustomed to his good for.
tune he began to find faults in it. The
elder was standing grievance. &c
felt his presence generally to be O
wrong to Helen and himself. 1t was
| true that the father was only sitting OF
his own hearthstone, but Roy wished
him far away. He said he had mae 4
consideration for other folk" and as
the nights grew cold and dark the of
Tense was aggravated. Then he vowet
"there was no pleasing the aud man
that is, he could not make Brodicl
laugh at his funny stories and mimic
rics. In the first place, laughter was
not natural to Brodick; he took lift
too seriously to make sport out of 1t
In the second place, he had that con
tempt for mimicry and punning which
all but the most elemental natures feel
There was not any obvious quarrel, bu
no disagreement is so intolerable a
that divided from union by only semi
tone. 1t is a far more intense dislill
than one which explains itself in a Wig
orous dispute or contradiction.
To be constantly between these tw'
opposite natures and feeling the fret o
both was not a good discipline TO
Helen. She was nervous and fearful
when her father and lover We're to
gether. She longed for her own home
but, though Roy talked continual,
about the JOY they We're to have In II
he made no efforts toward its realiza
ton. He was waiting for Robert Bro
dick to do this. and Robert Brodick ha,
q conviction that it would never be re
quired. Sooner or Inter- he was sure
Helen's clear, honest nature would di
vine the falseness of the man she ha,
chosen, and then he knew 1t would b
impossible for her to marry him.
But for three months Roy kept hi
position intact. Helen believed in hin
with all her soul and loved him wit
all the intense affection Of self re
strained, truthful woman. No one coul
doubt her affection; 1t had tho charm
of absolute sincerity and Of truthful
ness without flaw But such an at
mosphere was naturally too tiresom
an endeavor for n man mingled of eS
actly diverse elements, and gradual
Helen was aware of some change, to
slight for analysis, too elusive to com
plain of; but
All. the little more. and how much IT is.
And the little less. and what worlds away
1t was just "the little less" and 1
made Helen's heart quake as she look
ed into the future. For If n man is no
noble and unseliish when he is in low
he never will be so either In this WORT,
or the next, and Helen could not dis
guise, could not explain away man
little incident which no noble or un
selfish man would have been connect
ed with. These events each made
distinct impression on her, but she toll
herself that no one was perfect ant
that Roy had been motherless all hi
! life and had never been taught to de
fine with imperious clearness the lin
between right and wrong. When sh'
! WAS bis wife and had the Lad alYay