Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-12-28
Nature Versus Theory.
[Original.l

AuOuS the SUBJECTS on which lie lelQ
original views were love, marriage and
divorce. He believed that no marriage
should take place without a mutual
love, that no couple should live to-
gether without perfect and uninter-
rupted harmony and that if such har-
mOny did not exist both husband and
wife should be free to marry again.
Marjorie Hays fell under Engleman's
influence, and he won her heart as
we'll as passive assent to his theory.
He feared that she would be that
counterpart in his life a wife should
be. He finally decided to take the
risk, and they were married.
When the couple had been married
five years the result Of the experiment
was beautiful boy four years old
and a elimination of friction arising
from the fact that the husband init
mated that in their case marriage had
been failure. He proposed a sep
aration.
Marjorie concealed the pang the an
nOuncement cost her. She was a proud
little woman-tOo proud to hold man
who wished to be released. Besides,
she had given tacit assent to her
husbands views. For herself she was
content to live as one of a united
trio, getting over marital stumbling
blocks as best she could. But her hus-
band did not consider that holy matri-
mony and insisted on carrying out his
theory. The wife consented to the in
evitable.
Then came Eunice Shattuck, an an
gular woman of thirty-tw years-En-
gleman'S senior-with as many theories
as he on love and marriage and far
stronger will. She convinced him that
they were affinities who had been
brought together by an invisible love
current and whom, once met, no power
could keep apart. Under her influence
Engleman proposed to his wife not
only separation, but divorce.
Marjorie stood up bravely under this
demolishing of all hope. Two consid-
erations guided her, pride and desire
to shield the father of her child from
blame. She gave out to her friends
and acquaintance that she and her
husband were of one mind on the i'm
pOrtant subject between them, that
she fully assented to his plan to marry
the fright" woman, and she would
leave him that he might secure the
necessary divorce on the ground of de-
sertion. She even went so far as to
call upon Miss Shattuck and wished
her much happiness with the man
whose soul and hers were in such per-
feet harmony.
The retiring wife fixed upon the Pa
cific coast for a residence. On the
morning of her departure the husband,
wife and son went to the station to-
gether, the child trudging along hold
ing to his fathers forefnger, all I'M
conscious of the break in the home to
which he had been born. Neither the
man nor the woman spoke except of
some matter connected with the jour-
ney.
So great was the wife's self con-
troll that she appeared outwardly far
more content with the change than her
husband Before leaving the car in
which he placed his family Engleman
stopped to kiss his wife. She submit
ted to be kissed passively Then he
took his boy in his arms and held his
lips to the child's cheek till the train
started.
"Goodby," said Marjorie. "Within
year he will have forgotten you"
1t seemed that some unseen being
had touched Arthur Engleman's cheek
with an icy finger, driving every YES
tige of color from it,
$50! You will be too late"
He turned and hurried from the car.
He stood looking after the train,
never moving until it had turned
curve; then he went to his home. He
found no one there, yet there seemed
to be some one-a spirit of loneliness.
1t was in the hall, the living room,
the bedroom, everywhere. When he
found it in his boys crib-the boy who
was to forget him-he gasped and gave
sharp cry.
Then he remembered the woman
who was to fill the void. She was not
there, but her likeness was in the
library. There he hurried for consOla-
ton.
From it's frame on the wall above
his desk, where he had often gaZed at
it with rapture, an ugly face looked out
at him.
Great heavens! Had he been dream
ing? And was this all that was left of
his dream?
While he had been nursing his theo-
ry a bond had been slowly weaving
itself about him-the bond of family
love. The consciousness of its ex-
istence, of it's strength, had come upon
him with the suddenness of a whirl-
wind. There was no deliberation, no
reasoning, no hating. His theory of
marriage he saw vanishing in the dis
tance like kite with a broken string
driven before a storm, hooking him
with it's fantastic motions. With a
blow he broke the glass that covered
the square jaw of his affinity and
rushed from the house.