The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-09-16
CHAPTER /.

tails with hatred and malice if ever
their felicity remained unbroken and
was extreme. Jealousy was n of
the many bad attributes of those ma
lign impostors, and the way they
made misery for men, whose only Of
tense was the possession Of the pow
or to enjoy, would have been thought
mean in these days, and was certainly
low.
But now that their reign was over,
one would like to know how it is that
their bad old tricks continue. Did
they knowingly and willingly perpet-
late that idea Of theirs hat it was
possible for men to be too happy, and
the thing must be prevented? And
did they, with their usual ~diabolical
ingenuity, find e to endow the
fallacy with everlasting motive power
to keep it going through all eternity
with dire effect?
One might almost think sc. For
certain it is that no life goes on
smoothly to the end, and when things
are at the best, as we'll as at the
worst, there is sure to be a change.
Mrs. Leslie Somers was a case in
point. Her parents were rich and in
a good position. She had several
brothers and sisters, to whom she was
~devotedly attached.
All her intimate friends were re-
fined and cultivated people. and her
girlhood had beeD one unbroken
chain of happy events, such as form
part of the everyday life of a young
English gentlewoman with ample
means at her command, and health
and strength to enjoy them; the
browning event in her case being her
marriage at eighteen with a man ten
years older than herself, but in every
respect apparently a suitable husband
for her.
At the time of which I am now
speaking she had been married four
years. She had a lovely little boy,
just able to toddle and talk, and she
was staying with her husband at a
quiet seaside place, where he had
taken a house for the summer for the
benefit of his own health, which had
latterly not been so good as at his
age he had every right to expect it to
be.
What the nature of his disease
was, however, nobody seemed to
know exactly. The symptoms were
neither peculiar nor decided, being
such, in fact, as might have denoted
the beginning Of half a dozen differ
ent disorders. At times he was few
erish and %headachy; at times he was
chilly and felt weak; and sometimes
he had an abnormally large appetite,
which nothing seemed to satisfy,
while at others he went for days
together without touching food un-
less it was forced upon him. But the
most trying part of his disorder to
his wife were the long periods Of de-
preston from which nothing would
rouse him, and the succeeding fits of
i%rritability, when it was not only i'm
possible to please him, but to move
without making him angry.
He was a clever man, a barrister
with a large practice, and his own
doctor though the nervous irritable
ity, which made his life a burden to
himself and his friends, was due to
overwork and consequent loss of
nerve power, and had therefore or
dered him absolute rest and recon-
mended him to go away from his wor-
ries for a time to some quiet place to
recruit.
1t was a charming spot to which
they had come, a little place remote
from the world, and inhabited by un-
sophisticated and friendly people,
who made their admiration and kind
ly interest in the young couple and
their beautiful baby boy sufficiently
apparent in an unobtrusive way to
add the attraction of good fellow
ship to the advantages of lovely seem
cry which surrounded them and did
so much to make their existence de-
lightful.
1t was the sort of life, in harmony
with nature and charity with all men,
which makes it a pleasure just to be
alive. They had enchanting summer
weather the whole time. Sky and
sea and shore %throbbing with the
light and warmth of the sun, with
the song of the birds, with the scent
Of flowers, with the lap of waves,
with the rustic and murmur of leaves,
made the days delicious.
And then there were the nights!
when, after the sunset f1ush-a feast
Of color, all crimson and FURNISHED
said, trembling to daffodil, %softening
to green, deepening to purple, silver
ing to gray and clearing again-the
moon would rise triumphant and
alone in a clear, cool, indigo sky, and
the nightingales would sing from the
woods, would gurgle and trill and
call, till the air seemed faint with
the pleasure of their song. II the
mornings we're delicious, 1 say, what
must the evenings have been? Ecs-
tatic, 1 think, and so these two young
people found them.
After the boy had been put to bed
and husband and wife had dined
among the flowers in their garden
overlooking the sea they would stroll
along the cliffs arm in arm, or down
on the hard sand by the waters edge,
without any such restraints Of COM
monplace civilization as hats and
gloves, and at these times the two
were wont to be happy with that full
and perfect happiness which can rem