The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-10
A WOMAN'S DEFIANCE.
BY c. s. VALENTINE.


 fconvr,eht 1904 by Daily Story Pub
 Col
 Pauline carteret looked at the iac' her mirror reflected with keen ahe searching scrunity. It was a race at' tract,ve not on account of its beauty onIv hut also for the intensity of feel ing and the capacity of loving deeply which was revealed to an observan' person in the depths of her glorious dark eyes and the tender curves or heI small, mutinous mouth. Pauline was not patient by nature, but she has schooled herself in that virtue for the last year as carefully as she had schooled the children under her care in their lessons in grammar, geography and so on. Most women can be pa- tient as long as the positive necessity exists, but when that is removed for bearance ceases to be a virtueS
 Pauline was like the average woman in this respect, and 1t was because her patience was at last exhausted that she was examining her features Sd carefully. No, they had not deteriora' ted in the least in the last year; time had but served to make her beauty more glowing, more aliuring. She had other proof besides that given her by neI LWO IucH, Ooth in town and able to grant her every desire, had begged for her hand in mar riage. Others, too. paid her homage But though she managed to retain their friendship she refused their offers of love. So it came to pass that the peo- pie of the town called Pauline Carteret the school mistress, cold. But Pauline knew that they were wrong. she and one other.
 Jack Hobart knew that Pauline was not cold, knew that she could love with a passion which seems to vfbrate in the air of the languorous southland from which she came. And he had req son for this knowledge. A year ago Pauline had yielded to his entreaties and married him secretly. He had not dared to marry her openly because his grandfather, upon who he was depend ent, had set his heart upon taking unto himself q wealthy wife. But Pauline's beauty had fascinated him. just as his care-free. happy disposition, handsome looks, and charming manners had won her heart: and so. against her better Judgment against her strong tendency to avoid all forms of deceit, she had al last given in to his pleading.
 They were married at an obscure lit tie sea port and remained there for one month-a month crowded to the last hour with perfect bliss for both. Then old MT. Hobart fell i'll and Jack was called to his bedside. A month later he died and there was no obstacle in the way of an announcement of their un- Ion, but Jack unaccountably delayed making 1t public and Pauline. who was an orphan and had no one with whom she could advise, was too proud to de- mand what he seemed unwilling to of fer. When she came back at the be- ginning of the school term he came al once to see her and in the joy of beipg with him again she forgot, for the time that he had not insisted upon her resigning from the school and taking her rightful position in his home Jack was of such a loving dis position that he disliked giving up his bachelor freedom and the flattering at- tentions bestowed upon him by moth CTS with, marriagable daughters and those of the girls of the town. with whom he was a great favorite; besides he argued. Pauline was safe, for she was bound to him by the law of God and man.
 He had no fear but that she would be true to him and he told himself that he would settle down after he had had his fling, which his fortune now permitted. In the mean time poor Pauline toiled away at her teaching, resolutely refusing the gifts of money