The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-08-25

I
not do this till he had looked into the
court records and found that his wife
had the day before applied for a sep
aration.
When Aver went home that evening
he found his wife gone. His little boy
asked him what was the matter with
mamma. She had cried and kissed
him all the morning then had gone out
and hadn't come back Wouldn't papa
90 and bring her back?
But day after day, week after week,
month after month, passed and mamma
did not return. She was residing in a
city where divorce is made easy. The
child was obliged TO content himself
with his nurse during the day, but
whenever his father was not at his
office he supplied so far as possible the
place of the mother Quigley still
lived In the city, but there was not as
much swagger In him as formerly,
Somehow no one seemed to think he
had come out of his affair with Aver
with credit, and bis friends were drop
ping off.
While 1t was known to the Ayers
intimate friends that Helen was suing
for divorce, 1t was not known that
she was doing so In order to marry
Quigley. Divorces usually make it ap-
pear that great wrongs are committed
by one or both parties. We are horri-
fed at tales of cruelty, dcsertion, all
kinds of inhumanities. While reading
Of them we would suppose that after
such suffering neither party will ever
again consent to wear the chains Of
wedlock. But once the bond is broken
up pops man or a woman hitherto
unknown in the proceedings, and the
decree is scarcely granted before the
wedding bells are ringing.
Helen Aver had secured her divorce,
had returned. and 1t was supposed by
her friends. except an intimate few,
that she would remain-after the
charges against Aver her lawyer had
drawn up for her--an unmarried wom-
an. While this wasth supposltlon, a
marriage license was being taken out
permitting Helen Aver and Schuyler
Quigley to wed. They We're to be pri-
vately married at O'clock in the even
ing and take o'clock train for their
wedding trip.
During the afternoon the bride to be
was seized with an Irresistible desire
to see her boy once more before taking
the irretrievable step. She knew that
her husband was usually at his office
at the time and she would not meet
him. Throwing caution to the winds
she called carriage, alighted near
her former home, entered and ran up
stairs to find her son.
She came upon melancholy sight
Her boy was lying on bed, pale and
wan, while his father was bending
over him.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me? Why
didn't you send for meT' she walled
And without waiting for a reply she
bent down. passionately encircled the
child with her arms and hugged him
to her breast. Then, flinging her hat
and coat aside, she knelt beside the
bed.
"Oh, mammal cried the child.
"How glad am that you have come
back" Then. raising his arms, he
placed them about her shoulders
"And you're never, never going away
again, are your"
And the woman for whom a groom
was waiting said
"Never, so help me heavenw
Russell Aver was walking away
when his wife seized his hand and
held him. She attempted to speak to
him, but not finding words turned
again to the boy. Then Russell knelt
beside her and. resting his hand on
her waist, the two turned the ebbing
life back into their child by their unit
ed presence.
An hour later Schuyler Quigley, as
he was about to enter carriage to
take him to a church where he was to
meet his bride. was startled by a mes
sage. Tearing off the cover with mis-
givings and impatience, he read:
cannot 60 will never see you again.
One of those singular and unac-
countable infatuations under which a
woman will leave home, husband and
children, wrecking them, and most Of
all, herself, had come to sudden end,
as 1t were, on the brink of the preci-
pice over which she was about TO
plunge Her husband could manage
the man who was enticing her. but he
could not manage her. What neither
of theser men could do was accom-
plished by sick child.
After the boy came out of danger
Russell Aver told his wife Of his at
tempts to save her He gave the rea.
son for his accusing Quigley Of cheat.
ing at cards. the blow, the subsequent
insults. the forcing his enemy into an
challenge Then when he
had finished by telling her that he had
dropped the matter on learning of her
intended separation she shuddered.
"My God! How could I have done
iii?