Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-01-26

49,
But Walter got no further than a
beginning. He began with the words
Il have been married." ~whereupon
the lady poured upon him such a tor
rent of abuse that he stood like II
transfixed.
And so that old heather has kept
you under his thumb, after all she
said in a rasping voice that he had
never heard come from her before. 81
always considered you a milksop, and
now l am sure of 1t. Tell the woman
you've married that she hasn't got
much of a man with the fortune. I'm
lucky in escaping that part of it any
way"
This is but a sample of what the
woman poured out upon the man who,
looking o. love purely as a matter of
sentiment, had come to tell her that
the place she held In his heart would
never be occupied by any one else.
What she would have said to him had
he begun at the other end of his IN
fession-that all of his would be hers
did not appear; he had spoiled it by
beginning with an announcement that
she had lost q large fortune. Her
flaming eyes, her rasping voice, her
red face, her contempt for him, drove
him Out before she had finished.
"Heavens!' he exclaimed when he
got out into the cool air. what a hol
rible fate l have escaped"
He walked the streets for an hour,
then went to his house. His wife was
just going to her room, but, noticing
his agitation, delayed her going and
asked him if anything serious had hap
pened. He was in a mood to desire an
ear into which to pour the shock he
had received. She already knew of his
in~fatuation; it only remained for him
to tell how he had been ~oisenchanted.
IF there was eve a contemplate,
asinine, natural born fool" he began,
II am that person. Then he told her
where he had been, of his confession
and the effect it had had on the object
of his previous alteration. why Just
think" he went on, what a horrible
mess l would have got into if l had
married that woman! Hell would have
been heaven to it."
You are indeed fortunate in escap-
ing such a fate. l have believed that
your father knew of this ~infatuation
and n of his principal reasons in
forcing you into the condition Of legal
matrimony with me was to get you
out of the tolls of an adventures"
Legal matrimony," repeated Wal
ter, for the first time quieting down
and pronouncing the words as If they
hurt him.
"And now" continued Helen, st will
say this: Since your fathers object in
withdra wing you from this woman
has been accomplished, whenever you
and he concur in a request that this
marriage between you and me be an
nulled 1 will consent"
The expression on Walters face is
not describable. He had received one
blow during the evening; here was an
other. The realization suddenly came
to him that for a bad woman he had
exchanged a good me-. Had he not
been a fool he might possibly have won
the girl whom his father had wished
him to marry and now, instead of be
ing in misery, he might be happy.
Helen, started to leave him to go to
her room. He gave her an imploring
look.
Don't go at once" he said. I'm all
broken up"
She hesitated, turned and said: ANY
thing | can do to comfort you | will
do. But l realized before l consented
to this match that 1 was giving up
much in depriving myself of one to love
me and whom l might love. With you
it was different. You expected to find
that comfort which is to be derived
from a pure affection elsewhere
Still that wistful look on his face re-
NAMED.
Come" she added, changing her tone
to a more cheerful one; 'let us not be-
gin our life together repining. There
are refreshments in the larder. We
may play, as the children say, that this
is a real wedding for US and be merry"
She summoned a maid and told her
of several dishes to bring that would
be appreciated for a night supper.
When the viands were served the pair
sat down at the table. The bride placed
dainty bits on her husbands plate,
and after eating the toothsome food
and looking into a pair of honest, sym
pathetic eyes Walter began to recover
from the shock he had received, and
it occurred to him that possibly, after
all, he might win this girl for his real
as well as his legal wife.
An hour passed, and they had be-
come sufficiently chummy for Walter
to express this hope. He was met by
the assurance that, while the early ro-
mantle love period would rot be theirs,
they might grow with that more ma
ture, stronger affection that comes
through long companionship and a IN
ion Of interest. This made the young
husbands heart leap within him. He