The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-11
1910. by Associated
Literary Press.

Copyright, 1910. by Associated
/ Literary Press.
! !. Isabel Stevens had been out Of
boarding school somewhat less than
| a year when she married Fred Car.
| rtngton, man some years older than
| herself. but whose youth had been
crowded so full Of care and anxiety
| that his courtship of Isabel had been,
| al she was never tired of having him
tell her, the very first romance Of
his life. Fred, with all his appre-
citation Of Isabers intensity of nature,
would have been greatly surprised
| had he fully known how much this
meant to the girl. She felt perfectly
| sure OF the future; such was her
| trust in her husbands loyalty ana
devotion. but that even the past held
| for her no rival, or no tender
memory for Fred to look back upon.
had for her d meaning that words
could not adequately express.
| And now what was 1t that had
| happened to make 1sabefs pretty,
| fair face look years and years older.
and had marked 1t with the lines
etched only by a breaking heart.
1t was summer. and they had been
| having a lovely month in the new
| house-Freds poverty was now a
thing of the past. They had built
| this house on the New England coast.
Suddenly affairs OF urgent import
ance, connected with an estate OF
(which he was executor. caffed Fret
| to Philadelphia for few days. The
| city was just then in the grip of a
hot wave. so in spite of her plead
| ing. Fred simply would not hear OF
| his young wife's accompanying him,
and, as 1t was the first separation
| they had ever known In their mar
ried life of two years. IL was regarded
| by Isabel as something only q little
short of o tragedy.
After Fred had gone she locked
herself In her room, and, Silly, child
| ish thing that she was, cried for a
| whole hour. Afterward, but only be-
cause she had promised Fred, she
went to the next house and spent the
| rest OF the day with the charming
| friends who were her neighbors. also.
The next morning Isabel, more
lonely than ever, realized the best
thing she could do would be to fno
some active employment. There was
an old desk which had come down
to Fred by inheritance from the
| colonial days and which had been
shipped with all Its contents straight
from his bachelor quarters to this
new house, since it was teo big for
their apartment In the city. Nothing
would be more absorbing Isabel con-
cluded, since II was 30 intimately
associated with Fred. than to give
| this desk a. thorough cleaning out.
| Freddie was different from most
men in this respect. as in every
other--would be 20 pleased when he
should return to find everything in
Apple- pie order. She knew whers
| the KEYS were, and the morning had
passed very happily. The old desk
| had assumed rejuvenated appear
ance-all but one drawer--wheh
something happened that took the
sunshine out OF everything for Isabel.
In this last drawer, stuffed away
back, she had come across photo
| graph of a ballet dancer. And. more
axitating stin. there was written
across II. Fred's name and a silly
| sentimental message. Also there was
| date, which Isabel realized with
| horror conceded to within q few
months of their wedding
And so this was the truth, and 1t
had been but focrs paradise. in
which she had been living these two
years. She picked up the hateful pic
t Iure and forced herself ta@fonk- Att.
] There was no denying that the face
with its wealth OF fluffy blonde hair
was pretty. But she took positive
comfort in the fact that the feet were
ueCiuedly biB, ih SPte@ W eAp eAS'A"
| pointed slippers. And then the cos
/ tume-Awhat there was of 1t! How
could any woman appear in such a
| dress, much less be photographed in
! IL? And how dared she send II to
| Fred?
| But the bitterest thought OF all was
| that Fred had not only received 1t.
but had cherished it all this time. And
had kept it in a place where she
| would be most unlikely ever TO see it.
OF course. everything was perfectly
clear now--the visit to Philadelphia
was only an excuse TO see that wo-
man, and the heat but a fiinsy pre-
| text to keep her from going. too. She
thought OF suicide; she pictured Fred
| coming home ana finding her lying
cold and still across the threshold of
their room. and the fatal picture