The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-03-29
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HAPPINESS-THEN DEPTHS
OE DESPAIR

III DESI AIN
"Wait a minute, do not seek
Margaret; she must not be told
of this grewsome thing" said
Mr.. Trent, as Richard made as II
to 60 Immediately for Margie.
Margaret could not bear it in
her condition. I think she likes
me, Richard, and it has always
been a great disappointment to
me that l have not seen more OF
you two children. l do not mind
telling you, dear boy. that one OF
the joys l expected to find in
welded life was the companion
ship of you and Mollie. thought
it would seem almost like having
children of my very own
l detected a break in Dicks
voice as he got up and went over
to Mr.. Trent and | suppose he
grasped his band as he said. I'm
very sorry, sir, that We have not
seen more of you and we will try
to make it up now"
Then Dick sighed as he said,
"My mother has always been more
or less of a selfish woman, but
there must be something that is
fine in her to attract two such
splendid men as my father and
you"
Eyes, Richard, your mother
does have some delightful ways.
When we were first married l
had a few months of quiet joy
such as l had anticipated all my
whole life.
You know, my dear boy, that
| had been a bachelor go long
that just having the dainty dis
order of a woman's powder box
and other toilet articles among
my Unitarian brushes and combs
made me very happy. And | will
say this for your mother, Dick,
that she is able to make you feel
that taking care of her is the
most joyous thing in the world
Then, little book, perfectly
wonderful thing happened.
This poor Mr.. Trent, standing
at the gate of the Great Here
after, told to his wife's son the
great failure Of his married life.
II am old, Richard, and about
to de-" he said, land | must tell
to someone what I have always
wanted and what l have never
got"
Was it not pathetic, little book,
that this man must come at last
to tell the son of the woman who
had made his life disappoint-
ment, the tragedy?
Back in my mind, Richard,
was always the feeling that when
| married it would be for spirit
ual comfort and affectional COM
partnership. But, Richard, l need
not tell you who knew your moth
era very dear woman in many
ways-that there were some
things your mother could not give
me.
"She, as you know, is ultra
conventional, and she would look
at me in wonder when | confided
to her in strange dreams. Finally
l drew back little by little-and
she will never realize what a ire
mendous sacrifice it was to me to
crush my soul out. And soon l
will be dead-and never know
what looked forward to in my
union with your mother.
Richard, l had an idea which
| had nurtured for years, until
it had become almost an obsession,
tbaf auary uonop waS m nct nm
tentful-that she was the CON-
plement OF man."
Poor, poor Mr.. Trent, little
book; think what it must have
meant to him to have cherished
this ideal of woman and wanted
her and thought he possessed her
when he married Mother Waver-
ly.
wonder, little book, IL Dicks
mother will ever come to reali-
zation of what a mess she has
made of two mems lives?
"You will forgive me, Richard,
l know, If l tell you I almost have
been bored with her face across
the breakfast table at time. II
mean that there seemed to me to
be something in the world far
greater than the description of the
latest fashion, or the baibble of the
women at the card game She had
attended the afternoon before.
And sometimes / feel ashamed
that such little thing, Richard,
which should not have affected
me, made such an impression on
me-"
ITO Ra Continued