s©
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O regon M onthly
“Yes., I heard about your m others beirig lost. Hadn’t she been
found yet ? I t’s -awful £©' think of her alone and helpless in the woodè.
I ’ll gladly help look for her/’
But Montgomerys search was confined ta the road between the
Smith residence and his own house. Others, were looking in earnest
for the poor woman. At last they.’found her, but she was lying in
the creek
*
*'• '
*
*
gæP?
Some months later Ronald Montgomery and.,Clementine Smith
Were united in marriage. As every lover does, Montgomery had
looked forward to marriage as the culmination of earthly happiness.
But he was not happy... Sometimes a young husband finds that she
whom he has regarded an angel is a mortal yvith many a human
frailty ; but this husband could not but help admire his wife.
“You’re so good, Clementine/’ he would say to her, “that I don’t
feel at eg.se with you. " You don’t know what a mean person I am.”
” ' “You a mean person. You will have to tell that to someone
else if you want to be believed. You are of too kindly a disposition
to \be mean.”
“Hypocrites sometimes appear to be very kind/’'
“I can tell a hypocrite whehÏÏ see one. You’re no hypocrite. I
don’t like to hear you talk about yourself that way.”.
Montgomery appreciated his; wife’s confidence. Many a bitter
moment did he spend in wishing that he deserved her trust in him.
At times' he wished to make a confession, but he could not. bear to
shatter her confidence in him. He would welcome any misfortune,
even death itself, in preference to her discovery of his conduct.
• ‘ Yet deep in the wife’s heart there was a feeling of perplexity.
Some things in regard to her husband’s behavior were very difficult
to explain. One day in particular when the two were out for a
drive, the horse shied at a log in the road near Willard’s Creek.
“Ronald, dear,” shé said, “what is the matter? You never be
fore acted in so confused a manner when Molly shied.”
“O, nothing. She took me by surprise this time.”
Montgomery deemed it wise to sell the horse which had been
with him on the day that he had last seen Clementine’s mother, and
with another animal, repeatedly drove by that log without a tremor.
Then, too, Mrs. Montgomery wondered at the attitude of the