Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-01-14
SHORT STORY FOR
EVENING HOURS
A MARRIED MANS CONFESSION

Twenty years! | am notchcd and
You are only mellowed, rip.
ened.' My friend smiled and lighted
a fresh cigarette. He puzzled me. Ru.
NOR had led me to expect to find him,
after my long absence, disappointed, !
Il not soured. man. I had sought him
here In the retreat where he and MS
cold, uncongonial wife lived. 1t was
said, like a pair Of hermits. Arriving
at a momont when the lady was alb.
sent. | thought myself fortunate, and
prepared to probe the unhapplnoss Of
one whose affection in early youth had
left a very sunny spot on my memory.
was, in fact, ready to give him all tho
pity and sympathy which bachelor of
experience can feel for the irremdla
BILE mistake of married friend.
Have you been hearing tales about
me?" he asked. shall tell you the
story of my welded life?'
"If II does not pain you"
He smiled again. "He has grown en-
tirely pbilosophic," thought, yet
not heartless, or he would not have
welcomed back an old comrade so
warmly
where shall begin?" he asked.
AT the beginning. You were very
young, careless, and, I think, heart.
whole when went to the other end OF
the world and lost sight of you, half a
lifetime ago"
"Do you know that have been a
millionaire in the meantime?"
81 have heard something of it."
The wealth of an ancient relative
poured in on me after his death. How
the golden wave came and went Is a
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 all this and more. and |
felt sorry. looked steadily at the OPP
poste 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
supremacy beautiful. The world had
already bestowed on her a Queenship
before 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 walk,
ed beside her, woman of different
type. AS | gazed after her in what you
would call romantic enthusiasm, a
friend laughed and babe me veil my
admiration, as those women were
known to be in quest of golden mil
lion. II It be the case that what every,
body says must be true, then true II
was that the cold, exquisite daughter,
and the naughty, hawk-liie mother
Were adventuresses playing a game for
fortune, beauty against a slender purse
and year or two of prime youth. Al,
ready beauty had oveI and over again
dared to reject love, alteration and for.
tune considerable. Their figure has
not been reached, whispered my cyni,
cal friend, your million will do It, BY
this time had proclaimed myself an
open worghipper. am bound 20 admit
that all the encouragement | received
was from the mother. The daughter
remained icy. ! persisted in my suit,
and in short time was the accepted
lover Of the woman, who held ne in
thrall."
she accepted you willingly?'
"Tacitly so. The mother seized on
me with effusion. My affianced wife
, appeared just to endure her new posi-,
ton with patience, nothing more. The
mother assured me that her daughter
had a most affectionate nature ii ldcn
under that chill exterior. She loved
me, and she had never loved any ether
man. tried to believe her Ard so
we wed.
After time, when the excitement
of my first pride and happiness had
subsidized, began to feel reluctantly
conscious that there was something
wanting in our life together My'wife's
behavior was perfect from every point
of view, but there was a wal Of re,
serve between us which nothing was
able to break through. Wherever we
went was aware that people said
had been married without love for the
sake of my million. How was to feel
sure that the verdict was not true
one? Had she given hor heart TO
some worthy fellow who was milliyn'
less and rejected him, ever as she had
accepted me, at her mother bidding?
81 resolved to take things as they
came, and to make the best Of the