Year: 1876

lie suspected IHat sne nnSereu lonSe
than she need on purpose; and be feigneC
to be asleep when she returned, and fell
angry, though her kiss was more tende,
than ever as she bent over him.
A change of some sort had come t,
her. Did she care no longer for him.
was she weary of nursing him? He
never would have changed toward her
That thought once in Charlie mind
it weighed upon it until it seemed {
truth.


Matte came to him one evening
and said, in half-abashed whisper, M y
dear, you are so much better now, thai
perhaps you would not mind my leaving
you for little sometimes | have one
or Two invitations for evenings aud would
like TO accept them"


He answered, not so much surprised
as hurt, Go, Matte: never mind me.
A sick man is poor company y"-and he
turned on his head with sigh that had
as much bitterness in it as sorrow.


Matte heard it; but perhaps she did
not read its meaning. She went to her
wardrobe, and took down her treasured
black silk, and put it on. She coazed
her hair into bewitchiug curls upon the
forehead, and knotted pink ribbon at
her throat. She unfolde1 from their
wrapper her long hidden wedding gloves.
With what pang Charlie saw that, for
they had made a compact to keep
them forever. She looked at herself
as one looks who wishes to appear
we'll Then she said, Good night,
Charlie" "


He did not answer She thought him
asleep, and only touched his hair softly
with her lips. His medicine and cooling
links were at his hand, aud the room
was fresh and orderly. Matte looked at
it, with little SIGH, as she went. He
did not hear the SIGH; and being very
weak and i'll, absolutely she'd a dozen
such tears as amount to bucket full Of
those women let fall. But he was really
asleep when Matte came back, and took
of her fnery, and donned the plain
wrapper, and sat beside him until the
dawn broke, taking only few moments
doze in her chair.


He awoke from dreams in which Mat
tie had been doing thousand cruel and
improper things, angry and hurt, and
bitter as ever. Truth and reality seemed
mixed inextricably, He had dreamt
that she had kissed that abominabie
puppy, Tom Trueft; and, after tying
him to tombstone, danced over it with
Capt. Corbet. with whom she had fIrted
IN her girlhoCd That seemed as true
as her leaving him all alone in the even
ing. He huffed her, and scowled at her.
He refused attentions that he needed
He would not take the cool drink from
her hands. He would not let her read
to HIM. Not until two days had passed
did he relent little, en- seeing Matte
wipe her eyes by stealth, when he had
been unusually cruel to her.


s.She is sorry" he thought; "and it
was only once, after all. There may
have been some reason for it," and he
said Matte, come here, dear. and sit
down by me-.


Then she came and held his hand in
her own, fondling it and patting it, and
he called himself, mentally, fool, and
was growing very happy, when she said
Il must 90 out again tonight, dear
[ have made an engagement to do
So"


1t was all to do over again, then. He
took hiS bond ont of hnre -.....


Why apologize? he said coldly. ''If
you wish to 90, do so. y


And she replied, as sweetly as though
she had not been making his heart ache
" ct, darling, it will be as we'll for me
not to talk about going so much, but just
90, if | have to.


And then came the dressing, and the
goodbye" just as before.


Only a sick man could suffer as Char
lie did that night The mind seems to
have capacity for agony when the body
is worn out.


''She does not love me-" he said tc
himself, and he believed it from hi:
soul. 1t seemed. impossible that wife
truly attached to her husband, could de
light in gayety at such time.


He vas suffering He was even il
some danger-it might be, very easily
That 1t was a night not to be forgotten
in ali the time to come he never did for
get it. And Matte, did she guess wha
she was doing? 1t seemed strange tha
she could not; but perhaps she reall
was as she thought. This was but th
commencement Of the lonely evening
poor helpless Charlie passed upon tn
sick couch, Two or three times wee
she left him, and did not even tell hin
where she went. He would not ask


Indeed, de did not care. The fact tha


she could be happy in such conduct wa
enough for him.