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Show M CUPOLA TT SKETCHEy f j -By BYRON WLLIAriS A country nowspapcr acquaintance of ours Is In a bad wayl Ho Ib In disfavor with his wlfo! TImo was when ho longed for h'cr coming, and; "Ho know whoso gentle hand wus at tha latch, Deforo the door had given her to his eyes!" "flut now! How different! It all came about In this wise: Happy ns two young kids chowlng tho log off a pair of rod-flannel under-breeches, under-breeches, they went to the theater together. to-gether. It wns a good play. Tho dovll was devilish, tho hero was bravo, the heroine sweot unto mndness! Tho music, too, was entrancing, and thoy burled beneath a sweet concord of sounds their passing sorrows! And then Mephlsto butted In! It wns nftor tho theater. Tho editor rcmembcrod something at the offlco undone. Sho sweetly offered to accompany ac-company him, although the hour was late. Thoy walked along tho quiet streets of ,tho small city, accosting, horo and there, friends who, llko themselves, them-selves, were homeward bound after an evening of pleasure. It wns a pretty night, and ns they left tho ofllce, their spirits roso to meet tho twinkling stnrs, and they wero happy! Passing a placo of business, an unexpected un-expected friend called tho newspaper scribe. "Go In a moment," graciously suggested sug-gested tho wife. "I will walk on to tho Hotel II and wait a moment for you!" The friend was pleased to see a friend. They chatted until tho publisher pub-lisher feared his wlfo might grow Impatient! Im-patient! Stopping to tho telephone ho called tho hotel and asked tho clerk to apprise tho madatne ho would bo with hor Immediately. "Ting'a-llng," rang tho telcphono bell In a moment. "Sho Isn't here." carao back over tho wire! "Well, sho Is a trump to walk homo alono at midnight, but I might as well eay a while. Sho won't bo any nngrler a half hour from now," and thus Joking, tho married man talked on! After a time ho sauntered homo lelsuroly, quickening his stops as an unexpected cloud shed rain. Once at homo ho turned on tho light and read tho evonlng paper a half hour, then mounted tho stairway to his couch. "Click," wont tho electric button, nnd then Heavens, no wife! Where hnd she gone? Rushing madly about tho house, ho found hor not! Outsldo tho rain foil faster, faster! GraBplng an umbrella, he hurried hur-ried through tho flood to find tho sweet companion of his bobom! Ho found her throo blocks away-coming, away-coming, coming through tho rain, wet, angry, hurt, frightened! When he spoko sho listened not, but scorned him with outrageous mien. Words failed to reach her ears, her oyes woro filled with tears and sadly tho man followed In her wako, wondering, won-dering, sorrowing, muto nnd helpless! Sho did not speak to htm that night except, for ono brief word, and that was: "WHUTCH!" Sho Is a good wlfo and ho loves her dearly, but how under this bluo canopy will ho over Induco her to believe be-lieve that tho clerk made a mlstako and ho did not really and truly forgot her? Thoso who Havo beon married a long time, pleaso wrlto. No sooner has President Kilt succeeded In Increasing tho snlo of Mother Hubbard dresses In our domestic domes-tic circles, than Dr. IIIllls arises In his whlto crnvnt nnd tolls us "wo nil go to tho dovll on $50,000 a year." This Is nn error on tho faco of It, as tho bull dog said when he looked at tho Jackass' photograph. "Wo all," as thoy say In tho land whoro moonshine moon-shine whisky grows, may havo tho Inclination In-clination to go to Mophlsto, but mighty few of "we-uns" havo tho $50,000. Chnuncoy Dcpow, bravo man thnt he Is, comes to the rescuo with n resounding re-sounding denial. Ho says a man who haB tho disposition will go to tho dovll Anyhow, whothor ho has an Incomo of 110.000 or $50,000. This Is more llko It, but what about us common peoplo who only hnvo nn Incomo of $8,000? Is thoro no posslblo chance for us to distinguish ourselves? Tlmo was when a man could go to tho dovll nt nny price, but ono by ono tho perquisites of llfo, liberty nnd tho pursuit of happiness seem to bo obliterated oblit-erated by tho truly rich. Wo onco know it young follow who combed his hair low ovor his forehead, woro a red necktie, nnd wont to tho dovll without a cent In his pocket. If ho hnd waltod until possesced of Dr. IIIllls' $50,000, or Scnntor Depow'a $10 000, ho would never havo stolon six pnlr of loft-hnnd-cd cowhides nnd boon sent to a dun-colorcd dun-colorcd Jail to rocuporato! Wo have known for somo tlmo that tho young man of to-day must havo at lenst $50,-'000 $50,-'000 to mnrry n society bud, but this Is tho first Intimation thnt It takes $50,000 to go to Dr. IIIllls' devil's hotiRO or $10,000 to tho nbodo of tha dovll ovor whom Mr Depow has Jurisdiction. Juris-diction. Tho possibilities for younn unmarried men seem to no narrowing. |