The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-10-16

Alice-life went almost as badly with
them. Alice with her superintendent
intelligence and vitality, grew to feel
as the months went by that her sturdy
and commonplace husband did not I'M
sterling worth and his unyielding re-
liability, but she could always touch
bottom-there was no depth to explore.
Her unconquerable vitality rebelled at
the hard-and-fast bounds she found in
MS character. She adored his manly
physiognomy and his sturdy character.
| and she told herself again and again
that he was the sort of man to tie to
one of the salt of the earth; but her
unquenchable spirit rebelled at bounds
and rules. and it got so she fairly hated
| figures, facts and reason. She longed
for flights into the mystic realm of
| ideality, into those realms where vital
| forces could override rules and meth
| DDS.
Well, you can see for yourself that
John could not understand anything
OF that sort. Honest, conscientious,
sterling John could move only along
the lines OF his own understanding.
And he resented. in manly and hon.
est way, the breach Alice had placed
between them. He had disregarded
no obligation, no duty. no sacrifice. He
had been altogether unselfish and
faithful, and somehow he had not sue
ceeded in welding his life with that of
his wife His hopes, his ideals had
been shattered.
Now, mind you, all this time, while
these thoughts and ideas had been
percolating through the minds of these
four simpletons, they had, all of them,
been constant companions and friends.
| So 1t was that the artistic mind of
Clarence began to appreciate the
depths and wealth of the nature Of
Allce-contrasting it to the narrow
ness and poverty of that of Gracia.
And by that same token Alice awoke
one day all of a culver with an appre-
citation OF the tremendous sweep of the
nature of Clarence along the lines Of
her own aspirations.
1t was a dangerous discovery, and as
it came to these two people it nearly
t1oored them
The harder they fought the more
tense the new situation grew. To
the soul of each the commonplace
qualities of wife and husband grew
more oppressive Is they realized in
each other the joys of perfect apprecia-
ton and perfect fellowship. The
end was certain as the multiple
cation table, and finally they gave up
the struggle for conventionality and
honor and resolved to shatter their
vows and their regulations, to give up
kindred, associates and home and
wreck the structure they had been
building since childhood and fee to
an unknown country, there to begin a
new life in which their mutual love
would be ample compensation for all
they left.
Brave in their resolution, but guilty
In the consciousness of the great
wrong they were doing their loyal con-
sorts, the two slipped into a close
carriage on the evening of the 10th
Of June, 1899, and were driven rapidly
to the depot. where they boarded a
train bound for New York, there to
sail for European shores, where they
had planned to begin their new life.
In the meantime both John Bedwell
and Gracia Cole had felt the widen
ing breach in their respective homes,
although neither had the slightest sus-
picion of the state of affairs between
Clarence Cole and Alice Bedwell Be-
ing thrown together much, Gracia be-
gan to take new delight in the So
ciety of the sturdy John Bedwell She
could understand his mental attitude
his plain, everyday talk, his natural
human methods, whereas Clarence's
high-strung, artistic impulses and
localities oppressed and bewildered
her. And John, disappointed and puz-
Zled at his failure to understand Alice
and weld his life with hers, and resent
ing the attitude Of inferiority she
placed him in, looked with new eyes
upon Gracia and realized her surpass-
ing beauty. And as he talked more
and more to her and found that she
understood so thoroughly his thoughts
and aspirations, his heart warmed
toward her. Finally he awakened with
a start to the realization that he loved
her and that his love for Alice was
dead. And presently she found her
own heart had gone out to John Sc
when the fires of the new love had at
tanned fever heat both were more ready
to obey their impulses than the others
for they had not the condescendins
pity-rather sting of injured pride.
John methodically wound up his bust.
ness affairs and looked up a new loca-
self safely, and it came to pass that on
the evening of June 16, 1899, he en-.
tered a close carriage with Gracia and
they were driven rapidly to the depot
whore they boarded train bound fol
! San Francisco, there to take steamer
for Australia.
The two trains stood on the same
track, the engines heading in opposite
directions. Both left at exactly II
o'clock. Shortly before that hour the
: two couples, who had left the same de.
pot on their wedding journeys only
1.-two short years before, and who were
, now fleeing from each other, passed
/ through the gate but moment or two
: apart, boarded the separate trains anG
, were whirled away in opposite direc.
tons as fast as the steam monsters
, could carry them.