Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-05-17
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70 sen 81 sEsythipg ! pos
jzsssed q household nature and 10
abroad for awhile. Having NO Ties
children or other relatives. there was
nothing 70 bold me to any parricnlar
place. One day was clearing out INV
Ats wife's desk when / came upon a
nat envelope. Opening II. found
consulting that astonishsd me.
spt 70 tel my story pr0peEly 4 .mRst
begin back about ave years.
Marjorie and ! made q love match
We were both members, OF amart pet
IN society and. such being, the case.
Were not especially ignorant OF the
ways Of the world. We both had a
number Of old flames, and after mar
rage neither Of us was inclined to
cOnnne ourself to the exclusive at.
ftenton OF each other. After awhile.
however, ] dropped all the women 1
had previously loved, retaining only.
one, with whom / had a platonic
riendship. She was Mildred Burke, a
woman Of excellent sense and fairly
intellectual Margerie did not seem to
object to the attention Of this friend.
though she did not herself make a
boon companion Of Miss Burke.
! was not so satisfied with the con-
tnued devotion Of one Of my wife,s
admirers, Courtney Stewart. Marjorie
seemed to like him for the very rea-
sons that condemned him. He was
reckless, careless, always getting into
trouble and always finding some good
friend to help him out--in short, the
very kind OF man to whom a woman
- most liable to give her heart. My
wtfei vas always telling me of these
traits, referring to them as something
especially attractive. declined to be
interested.
I$remember on one occasion at the
breakfast table when my wife was
telling me Of one Of Stewards esca-
pades j cOldly informed her that the
man was weak, foolish, dishonorable.
! saw p suppressed fash In her eye
and a slight color rise to her cheek.
Il don't expect you to take an inter-
est In people who are natural, frank,
generous. Your kind looks ont for his
own interest, is devoid Of sympathy,
never gives himself away, but takes
especial pains to listen to all he hears"
"DO you refer to any particular per
sOn7" / asked, with some hauteur.
"Certainly-to your particularly pla-
tonic love, Mildred Burke"
We left the breakfast table without
another word, and there was a COOL
ness between us for several days, but
II gradually wore away, and neither
again mentioned his or her particular
friend to the other.
One morning 1t suddenly occurred to
me that my wife was as apt to be
meeting her especial friend as was
to meet mine. The thought was not
pleasant But why shouldn't she have
the same privilege as II The case was
different. Miss Burke was a woman
Of high principle. Stewart was a
lscapegrace and not to be trusted. The
bee Of suspicion having got into my
bonnet, 1t buzZed and tickled and
stung till / was beside myself with
jealousy. Had my wife continued to
tell me about the fellows escapades
should have had confidence in her In
nOcence. AS it was was sure there
were clandestine meetings.
did something Of which have ever
since been ashamed. / used a detec-
tive, not directly. to spy upon my wife
Il could not quite come down to that
-but upon Courtney Stewart, which
was just as bad, for It was through
him that ] expected to trap Marjorie.
/ directed my sleuth to shadow Stew
art. not letting him know that my
wife was In any way concerned
At the end OF month he reported
that there was nothing bad about
Stewart. On the contrary. be was
popular and respected. Mention was
made Of several kindly, impulsiye acts
50 needy people. A list Of women he
bad met was furnished me. and my
Iwife's name was not among them.
The report made me very much
ashamed OF myself. especially as It ap-
peared to me that my dear wife. see
ing that her retention Of her friend an
noyed me, had given him up. As soon
as could recover some Of my self re-
spect devoted myself to treating her
with every consideration and all my
affection. From that day until her
death not a cloud came between us.
And now come back to that fat en-
Eelope ! have mentioned. There were
IN It In a woman's hand, all In the
same writing, a number of documents.
At first resolved to destroy them
without an examination. but just aa
was about to do 80 my eye caught the
name Burke. Then read every one Of
them
That my wife had employed q shad-
oweE for my especial friend. aatonEsh-
ing a. II was, was nothing to the re-
port she received on Mildred Burke.
Not a SHADOW Of suspicion attached to
her relations With NE: hut. horrible to
,reaAte. she was keeping up relations
with another married man that were
As criminal as her intimacy with me
was innocent