Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-03

1 not against the rule for her to ask where | he was going, 1t would have been such d l satisfaction to his soul to tell her he was going in search of some one who | wasn't clam.
 As the weeks wore to months, Jim | failed to understand that he was as angry as hurt schoolboy over his re-
 pulse. He fancied that mysterious
 forces were at work within him-and 1 perhaps they were. That the deeper
 instincts of his nature were awakening and crying for cornpanionship-- cry to
 which his wife could not respond. It
 was as though he had groped in the dark l for the touch of a human hand and | grasped the cold clay of dethf6ned idol. He seemed to be looking forward into. 1 long years of lonelifess-the uhutteTa- | ble Loneliness of fiisinated soul. the 1 conviction of failure, of incompleteness grew upon him. The story of his life | spelled tragedy. He told himself bit- l terly that while he dreamed of affinity he had drifted upon affeetation. And 1 being young and vigorous, he flung out l savagely against his fate. Other men l roamed at will In their wives gardens;
 he might enter only when she chose to l let down the bars. To stand waiting without always. This was not mar | riage-this was not even common com-
 panionship. It was not long before dis | content ran up its evil seed. When
 tie becomes farce, the sooner 1t Is
 broken the better"
 So 1t happened that while onlookers were still commenting admiringly up- on the beautiful success of the experi-.
 ment, one of the experimenters was in | his heart face to face with the thought of divorce and the other was spending | long hours with her head in her hands, 1 thinking, thinking. Why had 1t failed?
 It had been carefully planned and faith l fully executed. It looked reasonable | 1t was reasonable. And yet-ana yet | there was not drudge in the street that did not get more happiness. II sup pose happiness Is not very reasonable sort of something" she murmured, wist- | fully, and rose to stand before the fire.
 While she stood there, twisting the rings on her fingers, Jim came in. He
 had resolved to tell her plainly what he I thought. That this death in life was no longer endurable.
 Helen" he began, abruptly, "do you think we get as much out of matrimony
 as might be gotten?'
 Helen smiled mirthlessly.
 We don't seem to get very much"
 She admitted.
 Jim started He had forgotten-rat CT it had never occurred to him that she
 might also be-well, disappointed. She looked very fair standing there in the f1relight. and-she was his wife. All the
 manhood in him rallied at that thought. Checked, embarrassed, he took up the
 book she had been reading, and asked,
 awkwardly::
 Shall read aloud?'
 eff you think you will enjoy Ruskin. !" She dropped into a chair and sunk her cheek against her knuckles. Jim began to read mechanically. He was playing for time, and he knew it. If only there was some other way. But there was
 none-he knew that, too. Without an idea of what he was reading, he fell to
 marking time by pages, one more page and yet one more, then at last-to the
 bottom of this one and no more. His
 hands were cold, his voice husky, but he was conscious of 1t. Conscious only of that haunting question: Why had 1t 1 failed?" Suddenly the words he was
 reading rang like an answer to it in his ears: "We are all sunk In the sin of Ananias; we want to keep back part of the price" He paused and read them again with swift comprehension; We want to keep back part of the price"
 Helen he said, in a low, eager I voice; "FIelen?'
 l The hand that propped her cheek had | slipped to her temple, and he could not
 see her face. He leaned forward, the
 hand that held the book dropped be- l tween his knees, while his other hand l clenched hard on the arm of the chair.
 Helen" he repeated. Look at me-" She obeyed, and started up hurriedly l to lean against the mantle.
 "Oh, I know" she said, incoherently.
 Jim crossed the rug and took her into
 his arms with swift tenderness.
 Tried to keep back part of the price, 1 dear he whispered. kissing her with
 the slow, caressing kisses men Keep for women who are highly prized. Think
 of is, dear We dared to grudge love his
 sweet monopoly" l Her surrender was the surrender of al
 strong woman instant and complete.
 ''I know" she said, again. "Oh, weI
 deserve death more than Ananias ever
 did"
 My wife. he told her, gravely. death
 itself is not more ghastly than life as we
 have been trying to live 1t. My wife!" |
 LEIIo MoA rIE MoAAvuK