Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-16

I I
WI than l. but one forgot her age
when with her, she was so young
in spirit. Her interest in all that per-
tanned to you was so obvious. her de-
| light in living so frank and undisguised.
l counted her as one of my dearest
friends, and cherished her visits accord
ingly.
During the day she surprised me by
telling me something of her life Wheth-
err she mistrusted my unhappiness, or
| had heard some whispers concerning
Robert and Phyllis Lawson had no way
of knowing But l think it was her
own woman's intuition told her I needed
help, and she, in her sweet way, tried
to give it.
You will perhaps be surprised, dear,
when l tell you that I have been mar
ried twice. The first time to a young
man whose good looks and suave man.
ners captured my girlish fancy. He
was, had been, very wild, but l thought
he would settle down when we were
married.
ooh, Margaret, how | wish l could tell
every young girl never to marry man
thinking she can reform him. 1t is
| such a pitiful mistake. /, of course,
failed. He did not settle down; just the
opposite His father died soon after
and my husband soon began to squander
both it and himself My dear, l have
never before spoken of the gradual dis
| gust, the horror / soon felt for him.
The only saving grace was that he was
seldom with me. l was young. L loved
life. but before I had been married a
year / would gladly have died to escape
| him."
But why didn't you divorce him?' 1
asked 1 had listened with attention,
mixed with establishment. 1t did not
seem possible that the sweet, middle
aged woman sewing so industriously
could be talking of herself.
THAT never once entered my mind,
she answered. at was old-fashioned, l
guess, even then, young as 1 was. l am
| oId-fashioned still. Those whom God
hath joined together. is to me sacred
| A sacred obligation that only God can
break / never thought of leaving Har-
~. although l have no doubt be often
consideredSridding himself OF me. ThanK
| God on your knees, Margaret, for the
husband God has given you, good man.
and a gentleman. Without these
Attributes in her husband no woman
| of refinement can be happy. Pray
God. dear, that you may never know
he subjected to the treatment, the in
dignities that fell to my lot. My hus-
band of a year took no measures TO con-
ceal his amours from me, nor, In fact,
from any one, rather gloried in them
He was killed returning on the tram
from a Sunday spent at the seashore
with one Of the common women with
whom he associated
ooh. how could you endure it, L ex-
claimed. when she paused. Did you
care for him?" 1 asked, then blushed al
NV temPritV
III, "yon have no need to blush, dear. 1
am nerfectly willing to tell you. NO, !
| did not love him. I thought l dld Wnen
! 7 married him. but / was only seventeen
and It was a sort of glamour he threw
| over himself-and me, not love. II
| might have learned to love him IN time
had he been different, but he wasted the
wears of nv youth, my girlhood, when |
| should have been happiest. OF one thing
I have been glad, always. Young as |
was. inexperienced. and unhappy, /
kent his name untarnished. 1 never gave
cause for gossip when it would nave
been so easy for me to have done So
Now. YOU see, am glad 1t never pays,
my dear"
| I Thought of my own experience with
Harper Carleton. and blushed again, this
| time for shame.
81 want you to remember one thing.
| Margaret" for the first time she laid
aside her work and looked earnestly at
me, that 10 matter what we endure
what happens. life has compensations'
dear, always if you will look for them.
Mine has been my love for Tim. NO
| matter where he is, how long he is away
| from me, or how frequently, my love
| welcomes him back unquestionlngly.
! And in this perfect trust is any Wom-
ans safety and happiness. There can be
| no half measures in that respect. Then
no mana real, worthwhile man,
mean, will willingly degrade woman
whom he knows trusts him without
question. But, dear. this trust must De
true, even in the face of circumstantial
| evidence. that to her seems proof. Give
man, one you love especially the bene-
| fit of the doubt"
"Oh but that is almost impossible
when you love" I exclaimed. thinking
of Robert.
NO, dear, not if you love enough
"Oh. you dear woman L felt sort
Of worship for her stealing over ms.
Then / asked, Did you never have any
children"
wanted to keep her talking.
''One. a boy The day they brought
his father in dead he was born. He
only lived an hour. That was hard to
bear. To lose him before ] had known
him. But even for that I have learned
to say Thy will be done
."Oh, how brave and good you are
said again.