Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-05-21
Judge Not.

sessed of a household nature and go
abroad for awhile. Having no ties,
children or other relatives. there was
nothing to hold me to any particular
place. One day l was clearing out my
late wife's desk when | came upon
fat envelope. Opening it. l found
something that astonished me.
But to tell my story properly 1 must
begin back about five years.
Marjorie and | made a love match.
We were both members, Of a smart set
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
confine ourself to the exclusive at
tention of each other. After awhile,
however, l dropped all the women 1
had previously loved, retaining only
one, with whom l had a platonic
friendship. 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.
L was not so satisfied with the con-
tinued devotion of one of my wifes
admirers, Courtney Stewart. Marjorie
seemed to like him for the very rea-
sons that l 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 woman
is most liable to give her heart. My
wife was always telling me of these
traits, referring to them as something
especially attractive. l declined to be
interested.
l remember on one occasion at the
breakfast table when my wife was
telling me Of one Of Stewards esca-
pades l coldly informed her that the
man was weak. foolish, dishonora ble
l saw a suppressed fash in her eye
and slight color rise to her cheek.
II don't expect you to take an inter-
est in people who are natural, frank
generous. Your kind looks out 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-
son?' l asked, with some hauteur.
"Certamly-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
1t gradually wore away, and neither
again mentioned his or her particular
friend to the other
One morning it suddenly occurred to
me that my wife was as apt to be !
meeting her especial friend as l was
to meet mine. The thought was not
pleasant. But why shouldn't she have
the same privilege as I? The case was
different. Miss Burke was a woman
Of high principle. Stewart was a
scapegrace and not to be trusted. The
bee of suspicion having got into my
bonnet, it buzzed and tickled and
stung till l 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. l used 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 a month he reported
that there was nothing bad about
Stewart. On the contrary, he was
popular and respected. Mention was
made of several kindly, impulsive acts
to needy people. A list Of women he
had met was furnished me, and my
wife'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 I devoted myself to treating her
with every consideration and all my
affection. From that day until her
death not cloud came between us.
And now come back to that fat en-
velope / have mentioned. There were
In it in a woman's hand, all in the
same writing, number Of documents.
At first I resolved to destroy them
without an examination, but just as I
was about to do so my eye caught the
name Burke. Then read every one Of
them.
That my wife had employed a shad-
over for my especial friend, astonish-
Ing as 1t was, was nothing to the re-
port she received on Mildred Burke.
Not shadow Of suspicion attached to
her relations with me; but, horrible to
relate, she was keeping up relations
with another married man that were
as criminal as her intimacy with me