The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-02-12

Mrs. Mawgan looked = little alarm.
ed. She had never heard her friend
launch out so strongly before. Blu:
there shoulu be love, Of ours be.
tween husband and WIFE" she insisted.
Call it by any lame you like Mrs.
Parkyn said, a little more mildly. "a
Girl can like any man she makes up
her mind to quite we'll enough to mar.
ry him. AS for all the silly stuff
that people talk about love-well, as
every married woman knows, it wear
of in a fortnight, and after that it's
toleration."
II don't agree with you altogether"
Mrs. Mawgan said, a little stiffly. and
soon after she rose and took he de-
parture.
Mrs. Parkyn played the part of
town crier with great success, and
by the evening OF the following day
everybody in the neighborhood knew
the whole story.
In st. Chloe it was the chief topic
Of conversation for several days, and.
speaking generally, Esther received
very little sympathy. The young
men admired her immensely. but they
were not given to talking. The
women, however-young and old
alike-were almost unanimous that
she had done a very foolish thing.
To fling away such a chance when
they were so poor seemed madness.
! The commercial side was the only
thing that made any appeal. Love.
romance. idealism-these things went
for nothing.
For a fortnight Esther had a very
sad time of it, and sometimes she
wondered if she had not made a mis-
take. What was the use of cherish
ing an ideal? What good came of it?
She got no sympathy or encourage
ment. Even her mother loyal as
she vas to the memory Of her dead
husband-failed to see the matter
from her point of view. The love of
money, the passion for position and
display, not only blinded the eyes, but
scared the conscience and hardened
the heart. The highest, hottest in
stincts of the soul were accounted as
nothing in comparison with wealth.
She grew depressed as the days
passed away. The man she loved
made no further sign. Her mothers
face was a picture of misery. Her
brothers letters were less hopeful in
tone than they had been Instead of
having done a brave and v%irtuous
thing, she might have done a wicked
thing. She wondered if she were not
a selfish coward, if it were not her
duty to other people to put Puritan
%scruples into her pocket and sell her
self to the highest bidder. Her ideal
of womanly chastity seemed to be re-
garded as a fad-at least by ONE
Whether men had nobler ideals for
women than they had for themselves
she did not know.
She spent a good deal of time each
evening in prayer. There vas no ont
to whom she could open her heart.
She was in her most depressed
mood one afternoon when her old
friend Ada Bollard (nee Pendower)
called. Ada had just returned from
a long honeymoon on the continent.
She was gowned exquisitely. Her
white hands blazed with diamonds.
Even her card-case was gold set with
jewels.
She threw herself into an easy
chair with an air of utter WEAKNESS
and asked in an Indifferent way how
everybody was.
Esther noticed in a moment the
change that had come over her. The
old charm had gone, the old bright
ness and vivacity no longer existed
Had marriage done this, or had the
canker of wealth already begun its
worEg
She looked as handsome as ever
h%andsomer If possible in her lates'
Partisan gown, and yet something hat
gone from her face, some look from
her Y some expression from he
rich, full lips.
Il am glad to see you back again,
Esther said. in her quiet sincere way
Are you? Oh, we'll, l am glad t.
be back for some things. And yet
don't know. One place is Just I
stupid as another"
Ito Be Continued.)