Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-02-11

ter, stalwart and strong, a man or
knowledge and refinement.
Only 1 knew the taruth; 1 held the
secret in my shallow soul. 1 knew
1 had won on bluff, nothing else.
AS Governor I awed into silence
those who were onto my bluff, and
those who believed in me were equally
awed by my assumed greatness. This
pleased and fiattered me. There We're,
however, nights of hard labor, when
the oil burned until daylight in my
apartment. No one knew what efforts
were required to keep pace with my
advancement. Was any one ever so
fortunate as 1? l only SKINNED over
the surface, acquired a few Of the
main facts and in a clever manner
wove them into any conversation that
was needed. AS 1 was considered an
astute politician few attempted to
differ with me.
The strange fact is that through all
this life of pretence and humbug no
true realization of my own depravity
dawned upon me until late in life, and
then it came with such suddeness and
overwhelming power, almost too much
for a human mind.
AS all my ambitions of a selfish ma
ture had been satisfied by gentle fate,
had grown to feel that there was lit
tie danger for the rest of my days.
She had lifted me from many foolish
pitfalls, and 1t seemed to me that
should slip out of life with my secret,
which l had come to dread.
But this same gentle fate material
lied in the shape of an accomplished
woman of social position. She came
into my life so suddenly that l fell a
victim to the shafts of that youthful
one with the tiny wings.
Here again used my monstrous
bluff and we were married. The honey.
moon was happy one. 1 had bluffed
the public, pulled wool over the eyes of
hundreds Of my fellow politicians, had
played the charity and philanthropic
bluff.
But woman was quantity I had
not reckoned with. AS our married
life heightened out 1 was daily con-
scious that there was a coldness grow
ing between us. This worried me.
Could 1t be possible that she had seen
through my shallow nature? Day by
day l grew more wretched, more sus-
picious of the real truth; day by day
we drifted apart, until her coldness
froze my very soul.
Never a word of reproach, never a
complaint-just calm, stately dignity;
living in her own pure, honest atmos-
phere.
No criminal condemned to die in the
chair could have suffered more an.
guish and torture of mind than l did
at that time. My experience in life
had taught me something. I realized
that here had found my master. Her
radiant, honest soul shone only for her
children. AS for me l paid the bills,
was kind and even gentle in my family
life, but all to no purpose; bluff would
now, she patiently waited the turn Of
the tide. 1t came one day sooner than
even 1 had suspected.
An acquaintance Of mine, during my
stay at the State House, called to
learn something about a matter Of
which he was sure 1 had some knowl-
edge. l knew nothing whatsoever of
the matter, and on ordinary occasions
would have bluffed it out.
My wife was sitting in the room,
calm, dignified, silent as the sphinx.
A chill ran through me followed by a
flush like a fever. l grew cold, then
pale, then red. 1t seemed as though
my head would burst with the intense
internal raging. There were those two
human beings sitting before me, one
buffer, the other an honest woman.
They were waiting for a reply. 1t
seemed as though lived whole life
time in those few seconds. Finally
blurted out:
81 do not know anything about this
matter-or any other"
This was the turning point My
friend looked at me in disgust, seized
his hat and left the room.
l was stunned; my life secret was
out: 1 was a ruined man; my vanity
had destroyed me; l was alone.
Suddenly felt two soft arms about
my neck. l saw two lovely deep eyes
looking into mine. felt the world and
its foolish. childlike folly melt away.
l was in the confidence of my wife!
I have never bluffed since.-New
York News.