Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-10-06


occurred to me that after all in. mar
rying him without love and he loving.
another | had made mistake. Was
he not pining for Belle Goodwin
That something pertaining to the hu-
man heart called love is not to- be
despised. Lovers may marry and hate
each other, but we must remember
that persons Of both sexes have COM
mitted suicide on account OF q d1sapr
pointment in love.
made up my mind to say nothing
to Fred about the matter, put to
watch him. His ailment instead OF
subsiding increased. l tried to get
him to leave his business for awhile
and go on trip. He replied that he
could not leave 1t without losing his
grip upon it. l refrained from press
ing him as to the cause Of his 1ndls-
position, first, because l believe l
knew the cause. and. second, to men
ton it would surely make a breach
between us.
Fred continued to grow worse until
began to consider him nervous
wreck. Fearing that l should lose
him and, the cause of his taking of
would be his separation from the wo-
man he loved, l resolved to bring
them together and If found his life
depended upon her l would consent to
a divorce that he might marry her.
AS luck would have It, l met Miss
Goodwin at a social function and chat
ted with her in friendly manner.
She seemed q trifie offish Mt first, but
won her confidence. Then l told her
that my husband had dropped into
mental condition that troubled me
greatly. II sometimes fancy he is too
confined at home" / said. doesn't see
enough people, I've tried to get him
out. aud he won't 60, and he won't
have any one at the house except ol1
| friends"
! The result of our chat was what |
had intended in the first place. in
| vited Belle to make us a visit. She
| accepted the invitation, though she
looked somewhat taken aback that
should invite her. and promised to do
all she could to cheer Fred.
When l told my husband that l had
invited his old fame to visit us. he
looked at me in establishment, But he
contented himself with this; for never
comment did he make; never a ques-
| ton did he ask. He was about to go
to business when I made the announce
ment. and giving me the marital kiss
turned and went away. 1t seemed to
me he inferred that had some object
to accomplish, and since had not CIV
Ell him my confidence he would not
| ask for it.
Miss Goodwin was several years
Tred's senior, apd by this time began
to show traces of coming middle age
I thought 1 perceived a slight start in
Fred when he first saw her, but he
evidently intended to keep his own Sc
cret as | was keeping mine. Miss
Goodwin came in time for dinner, and
on Fred's return from business we
three sat down at the table together
1t was rather stiff gathering and the
conversation would have Jagged had it
not been for my efforts to keep it up.
| could see at once that Miss Goodwin
was curious to discover whether she
had retained her power over the man,
who had declared that he would al
ways love her.
After dinner we sat down to three
handed game Of cards. Fred's melan-
choly was accompanied with irritation,
and Miss Goodwin was looking for the
old lover like Difference. Instead of
getting the latter she got the former.
After we broke up for the evening and
all went off to bed / was obliged to
soothe my husband before he could get
to sleep.
In order that the lovers might have
free scope in the way Of tete-a -tetes,
kept out Of their way as much as DOS
sible. To what Fred attributed my
motive In throwing him and his old
flame together did not know. One
thing | knew, that he did not propose
that l should learn any more of his
feelings in the matter than he knew
Of my intentions.
In one thing l was doomed to dis
appointment. My husbands melan-
choly, his irritation, his nervousness
increased rather than diminished. This
did not convince me that the cause of
it was not the loss of the woman he
would have married. Indeed. it now
occurred to me for the first time that
being with her and yet knowing that
he could not possess her would be like.
~ to produce this very result. was
chagrined at my stupidity. What
should 1 do?
One morning my husband called me
into his bedroom and told me that he
had passed a sleepless night and must
leave his business for change of
scene or he would succumb to his
physical condition. reminded him
that he could not leave his business
without relinquishing it entirely.
There has been n change in all
that'' he replied. Il can 20 now"
was obliged to tell Miss Goodwin
what he had said. She made n moor
attempt to conceal her chagrin Mt he
ing told by the man whom she had
declined, through his wife, that her
visit was terminated. Nevertheless