Show prayed FATE by PHILIP KEAN copyright 1909 by associated literary press Is this games of ached the lady in silver gray I 1 am darnes of bloomington to the sliver vision in the chair it Is a rather singular errand upon which I 1 have come said the lady with hesitation kindly state it madam I 1 said for I 1 am no waster ot words I 1 drew a chair to the other side of my desk and sat down As I 1 did it something soft flopped down on my foot I 1 looked and found that it was the tail of a dog he was a thorough bred from his head to his feet and he looked up at me from under the desk with bright eager eyes Is that your doga asked yes said the lady in silver gray and it Is with him that my errand Is connected you see she went on I 1 am mrs carter mrs dabney carter 1 am separated from my husband her voice trembled I 1 do not think I 1 need to tell you the reasons of that alon mr barnes it Is sufficient to to tell you that his offense was antor livable and my decision to soe no more of him irrevocable her tone had grown high and ex cited and I 1 soothed her by complete acquiescence certainly mrs carter he no doubt deserves your anger sen looked at me doubtfully well he acted dreadfully she said but be Is a gentleman and the dog x suggested to get her back to teh subject yes the dog he Is wellington II 11 son of wellington I 1 the champion dick mr carter gave him to me the first year we were married we are cioth devoted to dogs devoted and wellington was the dearest puppy I 1 can imagine it well of course we both pelted wellington awfully he walked and drove with Us everywhere and we bad such lovely times yesa then cam the trouble and after that I 1 took wellington with me in the mornings when I 1 walked and mr car ter took him for drives in the after noon in his trap then came our sep and the question was who should take wellington dick want ed him and I 1 wanted him and wel lington wanted both of us I 1 must say that dick was very nice about it you take him jean he said I 1 gave him to you and he Is really yours by right of prior possession that was very generous I 1 ad bitted yes but you see the trouble Is that wellington doean doesn t see it that way every evening he goes down to the club for dick then be comes to me and puts his paws on my knee and looks so wistful that I 1 can t bear it her lips trembled and then it Is most embarrassing now and then we meet mr carter and we could pass with a mere bow of civility but wellington rushes back and forth and barks and we have to stop for the sake of appearances I 1 interrupted her I 1 could not see lust what I 1 had to do with these anti inti mate details and ou wanted mea I 1 asked mrs carter stood up and leaned over the desk her silver gray furs swept across my papers and her big muff lay like a light cloud on my blotter the fragrance of violets at her belt pervaded the atmosphere her voice was supplicating her face pleaded please dear mr darnes every body knows that you like dogs hats the reason I 1 want to trust ellington you and so I 1 became possessed of a blooded bull pup at first I 1 endured him for mrs carter s sake but grad bally he wormed himself into my at factions and in six months we were inseparable but he was still true to his first loves when dick carters red ca rounded a corner wellington would be after it like a flash and if we even entered the shopping district I 1 would miss my dog to find him comfortably curled up on the seat of the electric of his former mistress they a not a happy looking pair these young people and it seemie a pity that they should not be setting out of life all there Is in it t said i as much to mrs carter as I 1 rescued her one day from wellington ca hut I 1 I 1 coulden couldn t forgive 1 in the said why nota he said I 1 d have to ask his aaroon and 1 never begged any ones par flon in my life hum was it your fault get in and tell you it was a sad little tale of a proud woman s rebellion against a man s why he concede things was her demand I 1 it was on a crisp october evening that the little drama was finally played out mrs carter called be up by telephone I 1 want to borrow wellington she said it s my second girl s evening out and the cooks mother Is be alone and I 1 thought welling ton might keep me from feeling afraid I 1 took the dog over and left them together by the roaring alre in the library mrs carter was looking es pec lally attractive in a clinging white gown with a bunch of violets in her belt when I 1 reached home again I 1 was lonely I 1 missed wellington and 1 missed more than that I 1 seemed to feel for the first time my great need of a home of a wife of a woman like mrs carter a but in spite of their separation she w still belonged to dick I 1 had gradually 1 conceived a great affection for the young fellow who held his head so proudly and hid the pain in his heart I 1 decided to go to him for the even ing I 1 found him in a mood tor talk ing and when I 1 told where I 1 had left wellington he confided to me the story of his disagreement with hi wife she was wrong he said A man can t give in always but if he loves her I 1 said isn t it worth while I 1 I 1 did make a concession he confessed I 1 wrote to her a day or two ago and and I 1 told her that it she would send me any token bunch of violets a ribbon anything I would accept it in lieu 0 a personal apology she Is proud she will never send you even a violet in apology but even as I 1 said it there was a patter of steps in the hall and a fa mallar whine at the door its wellington dick said hello he began and stopped short and I 1 turning in my chair to know the reason of his sudden silence saw the big dog his head held high a bunch of violets held tightly in his jaw and even as I 1 looked he dropped the flowers at his master s feet dick snatched them up quickly barnes he cried triumphantly she has sent them jean has sent them wellington barked as it he knew he was the carrier of good tidings I 1 must go to her carter said and away he went and I 1 sat there with only wellington for company and thought of their happiness and of my lonely life well they made it up and lived happy ever after I 1 dian didn t send him the violet jean told me long after they dropped from my belt and wellington played with them and all at once he took aam in his mouth and bolted through he open window and I 1 laughed a ittle and forgot it entirely until bicic came back with the violets in his hand and his face ballant and ot course I 1 had to give in then dear barnes of bloomington wellington divides his time new be tween the garter residence and my bachelor apartment and he divides his heart among four persons instead of three for there Is a little jean with eyes like her mothers whose gentle for old barnes of blooming on fills with joy my quiet days |