The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1923-03-22

Observation-Disclosures

%. 1879, western Newspaper UniOa-l

. kGs A5<ls western newspaper OhAoa-f
"As your late husbands executor, it
} is my duty 10 entrust you with the
| contents of his safety deposit box"
Edna Wilcox. widow those three
weeks past, was quite surprised when
the bank manager handed her the
3 bundle of letters which he had taken
from her late husbands box at the
local bank.
Fancy Tom having had safety de-
post boxl What had he wanted it for
4 the fool?
| Yes, the fool Her three weeks of
mourning had not mitigated a certain
acerbity toward the late Tom Wilcox.
Tom had been such a fool
One of those men whom no wife can
help despising A little man A weak
man! A mar. who took all his troubles
TO his wifel A man who never de-
ceiyed her, never gave her the thrill of
fancying that she might have rival
| Even though Tom Wilcox had only
been in his grave three weeks it was
impossible to stop despising Tom.
Loved him? Oh, yes, in a way But
Edna Wilcox had never ceased to re-
greet that she had married the little
man.. There had been no excitement
IN their placid union. Besides, she
had taken the upper hand almost from
the beginning. Poor Toni Poor, weak |
Toni
What were those letters that the
bank manager had given her? She
took the bundle apart as soon as she
reached home. And what she read at
first angered then frightened her.
They were love letters-impassion
love letters. Love letters from May
Merriam, the spinster, the old maid Of
forty, Toms agel 1mpassioned? Well
yes. And they had been going on
for years-fiye years. Tom and she
mad only been married seven.
Edna let her mind stray back. It
must have been about two years after {
their marriage when Tom and she had
that very bitter quarrel. What was it {
about? About the gas range? No, E
about what color they should uphol. .
ster the furniture. Tom had wanted :,
red, and she had wanted yellow, just
10 oppose Tom 1t had been yellow.
There 1t was now In the parlor And .
what had Tom said on that occasion?
VERY well, have your own way"
How she had laughed inwardly at his
But May Merriam. the cold, unim.
FASHIONED spinsterl Why, these let
-ers burned with an emotion that she
lad not thought May capable of! May
Nerriami She broke into bitter laugh
er. May Merriam and that poor fool 4
Tom! =
She read the last letter, put the R
'undle away, and went around to the d
louse where May lived alone. May y
derriam, a faded spinster, looking Pc .
uliarly unattractive, met her with :,
hat faint hostility that had precedence
t trouble.
I've got all the letters you wrote DE
~ husband" said Edna Wilcox.
pale color mantled under Nav
ierriam's skin. "Well, what are Won An
ding to do about it?" asked May Mer.
lam.
I'm wondering what he saw in Won
-or what you saw in him?"
IN tell you," said May Merriam -
aheinently. tom Wilcox was my
lend for year before we found we
we'd each other Then we knew that Of
e could never help loving, as long as -~
lived. tried to be everything to E
m that you ought TO have been. and -
.ver were"
What ought / to have been?"
His wife--his friend, his sweet.
art. DIDN'T you--no, Of course you
uldn't, but less coarse-fbered won.
would have seen what there was in
longing for something al
)st maternal"
Bah" said Edna Wilcox. "Tom Aly
uicox was poor fool. There was Wa
thing In him that called for love" -
There is something in every man Am
q Calls Tor a womans love--if he O
ets the right woman" answered -
" Merriam. =
AND you mean to say / couldn't :.
e 1t to him?" demanded the widow.
lou couldn't give Tom love. You
'plsed him. You drove him TO me a.
! II you knew how hard we fought ~,
INST our love! If you could under MI
ndr +
'dna Wilcox looked at the little "
nan. "A pretty pair" she thought III
pretty pair"
ut then suddenly she seemed to see rv--
as she had known him when she EUt
'ried MIN. There had been some NJ
y 10 the little man, after all. Tt
ne seized May Merriam by the
as impulslyely. "NIy DEAR, she said
uear' She choked. I'm so
that poor Tom was happy with
love. I'm glad for-bis saka