The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-07-08

cried. warmly:
migrate! ] spend my strength, my
life, trying TO furnish our home beau
tifully, and yet within our means, and
this Is my reward. Spent as man
the money would gof | kill myself
collecting odd bits, which for any
| number Of good reasons are sacrificed,
and you break them before my face,
and insult my judgment I'm addition"
In the old time he would have taken
her In his arms and told her he did not
mean 10 hurt her feelings, at which she
would have shed few tears. and the
kiss of peace would have been ex-
changed.
| Instead, he burst forth, witheringly:
| Judgment A woman talk OF judg-
ment, and then cram her house with
the rankest OF limitations? | tell you,
nine out OF every ten men would con
slider your mind unbalanced ! have
not been able TO stir for months in this
house without hysterical warning
| from you about fragile trash, through
| which even a cat would hesitate to
pick her way. and ] am tired OF it
mighty tiredw
What had been mere chill set
tied into unmistakable frlgidlty. and
Amelia with the air of a martyr.
studied the advertisements with in
creased zeal. Every single broken
piece she was bound TO replace.
Vincent even ceased TO find fault.
having apparently lost all interest.
Bitter thoughts of him were In her
mind, for she did not doubt that every
spark of the love he had felt for her
had died out. She was schooling her
self not to care. because ii was not her
fault. and thinking how horrible II
would be If her friends discovered the
change. Suppose they sympathlzcd?
Ugh!
In two weeks Amelia had taken
enough from her allowance 10 replace
every broken article. She had no more
available space, having already stored
surplus bargains in cardboard boxes
in the store room.
Tn newspaper now had no especial
interest for her, and she smiled in
satisfied way as the advertisements
met her idle gaze. She locked at the
replenished mantel and sighed, Won
dering why she did not feel perfectly
content.
Her husband continued his icy polite
ness. She told herself that she was
cruelty misunderstood. and, though she
felt strange and dissatisfied she never
thought of attributing it to his attt
tude
In the end she consulted her physi-
clan. He advised n change. Amelia
went home and thought. Then il all
came TO her.
"Yes, ! do need change. I need
Vints love. And 10 think l was ready
TO hate him because he objected TO be-
ing a slave-to my-ycs, yes, trash"
Tears were In her eyes and she stood
helplessly, not knowing what 10 do
first. That was the moment for him to
have returned.
AT last she bcthought her of n favor
Ite dish of his, and hurried down TO the
kitchen.
Then she got out her pretticst gown,
wondering why she had worn il so
seldom of late, and blushing as she re-
membered II was his favorite color.
AS n finishing touch. she was placing
his smoking jacket and slippers before
the library CRATE in anticipation of his
after dinner cigar. when out of the
pocket fluttered n paper.
AS she picked IL up IL unfolded. and
the first words Mt the top OF IL were
"Your wife,
In the right hand corner was figure
two. IL was evidently the second page
of n letter. She hesitatcd for mo-
ment. but curiosity was too strong.
Your wife," IL ran. lis undoubtedly
afflicted with the monomania you men
ton. Not symptom is missing. DO
not make yourself uneasy. however; n
short term nj private sanitarium will
bring her around all right, unless her
case is unusually aggravated. 10 not
excite her by speaking OF L. The re-
moval must be-"
This was the end OF the page. She
| stared into the fire. holding the sheet
i'm her ncrveless fingers. trying TO real
| izc. but before she succeeded she saw
her husband standing in the doorway.
She felt herself sinking. 4 moment
more and she would be crouching be-
fore the fender
Then every fibre Of her being rallied.
She must not sink like guilty thing.
She did not know which way 20 turn.
so fearful was she lest any move
should but he construed into further
evidence OF insanity.
Vincent did not speak. He simply
stood there. frightfully tall, gloomy
and terrible. according to her dazed
distorted vision.
Was the physician behind him. wait.
ing1
Was some frightful conveyance wait
ing outside?
And suppose she never succeeded In
proving her sanity!
A deadened. moaning cry was wrune
frem her verv heart as these thoughts