Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-10-25
aEMINGTONs ACHIEVEMENT
BY o. |. GLOVER.

Remington tossed his cigar stub
into the CRATE and lighted a cigarette.
II don't know why ! am telling you
all this" he observed-"T was always
one to contend against condolences"
"And / am at a loss to understand
why you haven't told me before, con-
sidering what good friends we've al
ways been"
regarded him almost hopelessly.
had never seen a fellow change so.
Up to the time OF his marriage, five
or six years before, he was the jol-
lest, most open-hearted, ingenious
boy I had ever known. The wedding
took place in Ireland, to an Irish girl.
She was reputed to be beautiful, and
as good as she was beautiful They
lived together just three months.
After the separation Remington was
never the same.
No one ever knew the real cause
of the rupture. Neither vouchsafed
any explanation, and the public was
too wise, for once, to invent one.
When he came back home every
thing he said to me was:
Don't ask me any questions, Tom.
loved her-and I'm a broken-hearted
man"
Today, for the first time, he had
given me his confidence.
81 think can sympathize with you
better than any one else," told him.
Il appreciate your temperament thor
oughly, and them am married my
self. / know what it means to love a
woman as you did that one"
And it is your opinion that 1 was
entirely blameless in the matter?"
absolutely"
'Mightn't there have been extenu.
ating-"
81 don't admit anything of the
sort"
ut was the one transgression."
Il don't take much notice of argu.
/ ments of that kind. In all probabil.
ity the action was merely a text to
her whole character"
Remington whitened at this, but
said nothing. Then, after a pause
"She was young-very young.
didn't give her a chance-not even
half a chance. l don't believe she
was guilty after ALL"
'Yet you divorced herr"
"My entire course was marked out
by impulse-fierce, passionate. Had
loved her less, things might have
been different"
Have you a picture Of your-oi
herr" l asked presently.
mot one; l burned them all-tnen. II
As he spoke, he pulled out his
watch, and started to his feet with a
little gesture of surprise.
you mustn't think of leaving with
! out seeing my wife," / objected, lay
ing a protesting hand on his arm. 81
want you to meet her; want you tC
see what admirable taste l have IL
selecting a companion. We've beer
married just one year."
Remington smiled and passed a re
Elective hand across his forehead.
ITS easy enough to see how the
wind is blowing in your household,
he laughed.
We smoked away in silence for sew
eral minutes, and presently the dool
opened and my wife softly entered
the room.
She wore a dinner gown of pretty
pale yellow stuff that fell about heI
in graceful scallops and made a faint
musical swish as she moved. In the
semi-darkness her bare shoulders
cleaned like snow, and the pendant
of her necklace rose and fell almost
imperceptibly on her white bosom
with each gently taken breath.
AS she came further into the light
toward us, Remington stood up and
acknowledged my introduction with a
low bow. When he lifted his face it
was the color Of ashes, and the man
seemed to have aged ten years, in
the ghostly glare of the fire.
My wife had left the room to give
some order about the dinner, and
Remington turned to me with an alb
rupt excuse for leaving.
"You will make my apologies to
your wife, old man? l am positively
ill-too i'll to keep up much longer.
Fact is, I've been feeling knocked out
all day, and wouldn't give in. When
/ feel better, | shall be glad to drop
in on you both some time again"
But we did not see him again. Two
days later he wrote me, stating that
his regiment had been ordered away.
Several months after leaving London,
Remington wrote the following let
ter:
Dear Old Tom-I've been intend
ing to drop you a line ever since my
departure, but first one thing and
then another coming up, I've kept
putting 1t on.
Il do not need to remind you of the
conversation we had on that last
night at your house. Do you remem-
Der all told you about her? You
will recall that I was more than half
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