Year: 1878

THE BEST BELOVED.
By Ettie Rogers.


The law has given you your freedom
You accused me of sins of which yor
knew me to be innocent, and | submit
ted to the charge without word of de-
fense or denial. And why? Because
Stephen, l am too proud to care to be
your wife in name, but not in love; anc
because my affection is and always has
been subject to your slightest caprices
and desires. You are free, and you vii
marry Clelia Adah, whose fatal charms
have blinded and beguiled you. But
Stephen, remember my parting words
all that is yet noble of your manhood is
true to me still, and the day will come
when in bitter sorrow you will acknowl-
edge me as the first and last and best
beloved. The allowance you offer me
will not accept. | have our child and
wish nothing more"


Il am glad you are satisfied, Helen,
answered the man, impatient to end the
interview. rs there anything more
you wish to say?"


Nothing" she replied, turning hel
beautiful, proud eyes for the last time
upon the face that was still so dear tC
her; "and yet-yes-Stephen, | forgive
you.


And thus these two, who had been
man and wife, but who now were tc
each other legally less than strangers
parted, and Stephen Darrell hoped and
believed, forever.


Several months after his marriage to
Clelia Adair, he heard incidentally that
Helen had gone to Europe with a retir-
ed prima donna, and that she was study
ing preparatory to becoming a public
singer He was not surprised She
was still young, and of noble type of
beauty, and possessed rare and highly
cultured voice that would have made
her name and fame long ago, had she
not sacrificed her ambition and her pas
sion for song to love and marriage.


Already his mad infatuation for his
new wife had begun to weaken. She
was the sort of woman whose charms
soon satiate those about whom the siren
wiles are woven too closely. He deemed
her the incarnation of all that is sweet
and sympathetic and satisfying, and his
slow disenchantment sickened him.
Clela was brilliant, but she was super
fetal; she was as beautiful as flower,
and quite as soulless; Clelia could purr,
and caress, and stroke him coquetishly
with her velvety fingers but the tones
and pretty gestures and Circe embraces
that once had been so delicious and mes
meric, now only amused him as would
have done the fawning Of some pretty,
petted animal, forever expecting re-
pletion of selfish delights.


A lustrum of wedlock with Clelia had
brought out five epochs of disenchant-
ment. There was one year of intoxica-
ton of wild and headlong passion,
then reckless time of vague dissatis-
faction, then Indifference, then tolera-
ton, and at the last loathing. At the
end of this time he began to remember
sorrowfully the cosy, domestic home
where he had been so happy with Helen
before the conquering temptress had
smiled away his fealty with her dark,
bewitching eyes.


In the stately house where he had so
proudly enthroned his new love, he
missed the wifely solicitude, the deli
cate, womanly attentions, the ineffable
calm and the pervading spirit of trust
and confidence and affection that had
made his home like vision of Eden.
He was weary of the cold splendor of
the rooms through which the dazzling
Clelia flashed in her.satins and gems; he
was weary of the endless pageant, of
+bo u;dd,, ruactc. bo voc ,lor,nod % 4,
wife's mOnstrous extravaganza, and her
pomp of fashionable dissipation But
she laughed at his remonstrances and
frowned at his anxiety A STACEY tear,
an affected frown, pretty pout, alone
answered his anger, his sorrow, or his
arguments. Her Skye terrier was no
more insensible to reason than Clelia


But there came day when the bank
OF which he was treasurer became in
solvent. His honor was impugned, his
creditors clamorous, and his princely
fortune gone, and in all the great city
he had not one true heart to counsel or
comfort him. Months of sleepless anx-
iety had bowed his handsome head and
whitened his hair, yet the needless and
heartless Clelia was utterly ignorant of
his trouble.


He had not been brave enough to tell
her, for he felt that this woman who
had ruined his life would madden him
by her insipid and selfish wonder and
regret, for of any stronger emotion
she was incapable.


But at last his grand house was sold
to satisfy mortgage, given as security
for money that had been wasted in the
laces and silks and jewels that Clelia
wore with such imperial pride-money
that he dared not take from the bank,
already shaking for the final fall.


Then he resolved to tell her of the
trouble that was to end her life of splen-
dor 1t was unavoidable, but he shrank
from the ordeal with weak and heavy
heart.


1t was at the close of peaceful, gold
en- day when he drew up his spanking
piebald roans before the uptown palace
that was his no longer. The silver of
moonrise and the rose of sunset yet
fingered on the purple dusk of the eve
ming as he YEARLY descended from his
glittering coach, and with tagging feet
went up the granite steps. The hand
some parlors were blaze of light The
heavy odor of costly cut flowers filled
the air. In the center of the room
stood Clelia. her supple, rounded figure
clothed in amber silk and cloudy lace,
her naughty lips red as the priceless
rubies on her arms and bosom, or the
red rose fastened in the snaky coils of
her black hair. A heavy sigh parted
his pale lips as he looked at her


Il am sorry that you are to give a
soiree tonight, Clelia," he said, gently
drawing her to tete-a-tete upholstered
in paie blue satin.


''Why?" she inquired, for once i'm
pressed by the dumb misery of the pale