| Show aw 77 copi right dally story pub co what s the matter with baton was he ever asked perkins lighting a fresh cigar and gazing curiously at the receding figure of the confirmed old bachelor of the club as he wall ed into the dining room ed brown has he been showing you a bunch of sour well I 1 should think so replied perkins came in and said he had heard I 1 was about to be married and was sorry he coulden couldn t congratulate me was compelled to offer me his deepest commiseration instead when I 1 began to bridle said he dian didn t know the lady so there was nothing person al about it but wanted to record his barning that no fellow ever knew anything about a woman anyway and when he married just put his toot in a trap might be reasonably happy he said but it so it was purely a happenstance as no man could fathom a woman s mind or her ways did ome fair damsel do things to hima dian didn t you ever hear his asked brown reflectively no fire ahead old man responded perkins it must a been aplenty it is a strange story said brown you see eaton and ed pixley were old college chums and about as close as any two fellows ever were and went into business together pixley eaton it was and a very successful firm well about the time they got their business started in fine shape and were ready to clein n up and real ize big money pixley fell in love with edith moi on and married her well it seems eaton who was editha sec ond cousin or something of that sort had been heels over head in love with her himself for years but had not pressed his suit when the announce ment of her engagement with pixley a as made it nearly brol e his heart but the marriage did not estrange him from pixley he dian didn t lay it up against him but came out beautifully did the bless you my children bless act and all that he settled down to business harder than ever and the firm simply leaped to the front after the first blush of the honeymoon was oer pixley took a new hold too and they just tore along well money began to come easy and pixley got tangled up with a lot of pretty swift fellows in a business way and being a sociable convivial fellow liked the pace As a conge quence he bean to spend more of his spare time at the clubs and card tables and one place and another then he did at home and more than the exigencies of business strictly required he was a kind and indulgent husband all right but his interest was divided with the preponderance constantly growing away from home now mis tress pixley was deeply in love with her handsome and dashing husband and by that same token she was more or less jealous of his interest and his time gradually she came to believe with considerable truth that she and the children were an incident in his life rather than the whole thing this idea once planted grew rapidly and she became haughty and resentful as a proud nature will of course pix ley felt the strained atmosphere and it served to drive him more and more away from home and from her there was even some talk of other women or another woman all this time baton had been a consistent and faithful friend of the pixley s both of them and being a man of discernment he saw how at fairs were trending also being a man of sense and delicacy he felt estop it was a f erce sess on ped from making any sign which might tend to straighten matters out little by little mrs pixley came to lean on his friendship and to con nde her troubles to him and with his great admiration and his knowl edege that pixley was drifting the wrong way not only in his marital affairs but in business also he was losing vast sums in gambling and neglecting busi ness sadly he was in full sympathy in the meantime pixley resenting his wife s expostulations and her growing coldness threw his anchors overboard and got into almost open relations with another woman maintained an other establishment and all that finally batons sympathy with mrs pixley got the better of his dis letlon and h called pixley to tile carpet jt was a fierce session rumor is to be believed for pixley was a high headed fellow and eaton was no baby when aroused he told pix ley the plainest truths one man can tell another and did not mince his lin guage pixley invited him to mind his own business and the matter got ver close to pistols there would have been a duel they say it eaton had not borne in mind the awful scandal which would have resulted and refused to fight even under the provocation of being called a coward he knew that mrs pixley s name would surely have been dragged into 1 loathe you and I 1 despise you the matter and endured the last huell a brave man can accept in order to prevent that pixley plunged still deeper into his dissipations practically deserted his and lived almost openly with the other woman things got into a beautiful muddle with domestic busl ness and friendship involved when pixley had the grace to get shot in a quarrel over cards he lingered tor a few days and died eaton taking care of him and doing everything a man could do for him before he died he sent a letter to his wife expressing deep contrition for his sins and beg ging her forgiveness when it was all over eaton went to the widow and offered his assis tance in straightening out the estate and in any other way she might to use him like everything alse he felt it was a great blessing to ier to have the unfaithful husband out f the way do you think she felt hat way about lt bless you no she just fl mg her head back and alamed all her troubles onto eaton it is all your fault sir she said I 1 Is you who came between my bus and and myself for what selfish purpose ou best know yourself but it Is easy to guess edward was a proud man and you drove him to all his excesses drove him away from his family and finally to his death by our interference and your busy body way I 1 never want to see you again I 1 loathe you ind I 1 despise you the only thing you can do for me Is never to let me see your false face again eaton staggered out of her pres ence dazed and stupefied when the affairs of the firm were checked up it was found that pixley had overdrawn his account so seriously as nearly to wipe out his interest his fast life and his losses at the gaming tables had eaten into money much more than anybody suspected eaton simply wiped out the overdraft and sent mrs pixley a check for an even half of what was left then he received an other blow she wrote him a cold note acknowledging the receipt of the check and stating that mr pixley had informed her that his interest in the business was worth a certain sum many thousands of dollars in excess of the amount of the check that of course the business was wholly in his hands and that she had no appeal from his decision that robbery of widows and orphans would be wholly it accord with his course of action in other directions that she consider ed the entire matter now closed and was thankful that she need have no further communication with the nemesis who had pursued her dear 1 ausband to the grave it nearly drove eaton to suicide because he still loved her with all the ardor of his unselfish soul and cared more for her good opinion than for that of all the rest of the world put together I 1 reel on he would have committed suicide but the utter injustice of the letter aroused his anger he sold the entire business and sent her a check foi the exact difference between the amount he had sent before and the amount she named in his letter it took his entire fortune and since then he has done a modest little business making just abo it enough to support haselt in comfort and has lived with out ambition a lonely bitter future less 1 fe peri ins whistled softly by jove he said I 1 remember hear ing edith pixley say one time tha mr eaton was such a strange cold man that he had scarcely spoken to her since her husband died although they used to be great friends before that women are strange creatures concluded brown as he rose and sought his favorite corner in the din ing room |
