Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-06-24
X y II II II II i

LOU uullllt IL, tucl! leT uuSDunu
broke in furiously. The loss of self
control in this man seemed SO impossi-
Bile and so unexpected that his wife
started back in alarm. His voice had
in it all the despairing rage of n crea
ture which feels again the familiar
grip of the trap from which it had
thought itself forever free. Woman
us you are, wonder that you own so
much. Before we We're married Or
dered you never to give one cent of my
money TO your worthless scoundrel of
a brother. Have you forgotten it? An
swer mel"
Pauline's twentieth century spirit rose.
ut was my money, not yours" she
said defantly, and why should you
order me to do anything? / am not a
child"
you are my wife"
81 suppose you mean your slave"
81 married you, Pauline" said Mr..
Scwall, with contemptuous bitterness,
because l thought you would make
rue an efficient and obedient housekeep-
er. trusted that your fathers daugh-
ter would have some good sense and
discretion, but l sec," he continued,
that you are like the rest-without
reason or honor 1t is not your fault,
1 suppose, since you are a woman"
Josiah Sewalrs miserable experience
had made it impossible for him to
realize the effect of such words as
these on sensitive woman who loved
him. Pauline dashed out wildly. You
married me, then, to be servant with
out wages who cannot give up her
place. Very well. / have my revenge,
for l married you, an old man who
might have been my father, simply
and solely for your money!" Then she
had turned and fled from the room
without another glance at the frozen
figure at the desk.
Pauline shut the eyes of her imagi-
nation when she thought of the future.
Remorse, together with many extenua-
tions of her husbands words, was al
ready hard at work within her. She
did not go downstairs again that night.
In the morning when she went to
gone. All day long she wandered from
one tritling employment to another,
restless and disconsolnte, feeling for
the first time the disadvantage of being
rich woman with servants hands to
fulfill all the necessary duties OF life.
Over and over again she reviewed
despairingly the scene of the night be-
for t.1,xa In,
to fling that cruel, haunting lie, but her
own calmer reflections had brought
such quick forgiveness for her hus-
band that she grew hopeful for herself,
so that she was woefully disappointed
when he did not appear ut dinner time.
1t was only at 0 o'clock that she
heard y
ry. Presently he sent for her, and she
went to him with most contrite spir-
1t. determined to do her utmost by apol-
ogy and Cancellation, no matter what
he might do or say. But she was scarce
ly prepared for the ominous Wilderness
of his set face or the judgelike stern
ness of his demeanor as he sat at his
desk with a couple of official looking
documents under his hand
Pauline stood before him, hesitating
appealingly. Her hssbnnd's eyes met
hers without a change from their stony
calm. All ut once it came over the girl
what u task she had undertaken - to
make this hard old man of the world
love and trust an undisciplined and in
experienced creature like herself-and
how miserably and soon she had come
10 utter failure.
Josiah Sewall looked at his wife's
face paling and flushing, and at her
quivering lips. He believed she had
spoken the truth in her anger the night
before He saw nothing in her express
sion now but fear Of the consequences.
And Pauline, on her side, saw only the
sneer in his searching eyes, and her
own hardened, and she Strengthened
and felt no more dread, but only pa
tient sense Of inevitable misery.
Mr.. Sewall spoke first. "You inform
ed mo last night" he began coldly,
that your reason for becoming my
wife was through no regard for myself,
as you had pretended, but simply to
reap the advantage of my money. Such
u condition of affairs naturally ex-
cludes you from any claim henceforth
to my regard. 1t does not constitute,
believe, reason for divorcing wife,
but can at least prevent you from re-
nlizing your expectations Since money
is your only object l shall make it my
business to deprive you of that in the
future as completely us lies in my pow
er. have today altered my will, leay-
Ing you ut my death exactly what the
law allows and not a penny more. I
have also made out list"-Mr. Sewall
raised paper from the desk without
moving his eyes from his wife's white
face-"of certain shops at which you
can order, l think, whatever you need
for your clothing and other necessities.
If there is anything have omitted, |
will add to the list when advisable.
The bills Will be sent TO me every
month. Your broughum will of course
be ready nj any time to take you wher-
ever you may wish to go. But" added
Mr.. Sewall, raising his voice slightly,
you shall never again, If 1t is in my
power, touch one cent of my money
while live"
He stopped and held out the list to-
ward his wife. Whatever outburst of
rage or hysterla his experience or the
bitterness of his spirit may have led
him to expect, nothing followed Pau
line took the paper mechanically from
his hand and went quietly and without
word out of the room.
In the days that followed there came
to her curious sense of relief, almost
of rest. Her doom had fallen, and
there was sort of poetic justice about
this curious punishment = or revenge.
But there came to her, oddly enough. Il
ilrst faint feeling of hope from the fact
that she had succeeded in moving the
man so deeply. She regretted keenly
what had happened, and, though 1t had
been put out of her power to confess
her remorse, she had been shown n
way to suffer for 1t.
Tho practical discomforts of the new
order of things showed themselves
nIpn1n{Ju Sha hnI