The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-05-03
His Pockets.

she had begun to think he didn't Car
for her as in days gone by.
His many endearing pet names ha'
dwindled to "my DEAR" an occasi0na
".darling," and very occasional "t00tse.
love-" He read the morning papers a
breakfast and the evening papers a
dinner. He had gone, several times o
late, to business without kissing her
He had ceased ringing home walnu
candy and he ad even slapped TIT
babyl
"And when good-natured, even-tem
pered man like John Margerum,
thought Mrs. Margerum, slaps his owl
innocent offspring for nothing more thar
throwing the pudding and butter on ths
floor and upsetting the saltcellars in the
teapot, there must be something decid
edly wrong"
Gould he be enthralled by the arts and
wiles of another woman He had SAID
the other day that the highest type
of beauty, was the blonde, and she had
brown skin, brown hair, brown eyes,
no one could have been more brunettey
I He had Joined club lately-so he
avowed-and stayed out until IL O'Clock
every Tuesday and Friday evening. He
had taken to whistling love songs and
reading poetry, and when she asked him
for q simple ostrich feather Zone of those
that go all around the hat and enough
left to hang gracefully over the crown)
he had growled that he had no money
Circumstances looked awfully suspi.
cious, and, as circumstances generally do
the more they were looked at the more
suspicious they grew.
But how to find him out in his iniquity
how gather conclusive evidence with
which to confront him and cover him
with confusion as with garment?
His pockets! In the days when she
trusted him implicitly, and when he used
to remain up long after she retired, read
ing and writing-(he had taken to going
to bed early for several months past,
giving rs an excuse that he wanted to
get little sleep before the baby awoke
him by sitting upon his head at mid
night, whereas the dear child never sat
upon his head before two in the morn
ing)-she had never thought of them.
But now she was determined each night
to investigate them.
These inconstant husbands, in spite of
all their precautions, were always sure
to leave something in their pockets to
betray them at last
She had read of hundred cases, and
heard of a hundred more, where lock
of hair, photograph, woman's glove,
and, worst of all, q note had led to a
divorce, or at least separate mainten-
ance.
So night after night, when John Mar
gerum's musical +snore proclaimed that
he slumbered, his wife stole quietly from
his side, and in fear and trembling, with
many furtive glances at the sleeper, it
must be confessed (for John, like most
good-natured men, was the maddest of the
mad when he was mad), she carefully
and c0nscientiously examined the pock-
cts of his trousers, vest, undercOat, and
overcoat.
A month went by and she had found
nothing but a flask with something
more or less in it, handkerchief SMELL
ing strongly of beer, a pair of gloves
ditto, some cofee-beans, few cloves,
a piece of fag-root, meerschaum, half
a dozen cigars, a paper of cigarettes, two
or three cards pertaining to hotels and
restaurants, a night key, and sundry sill
yer and nickel coins.
A last, just five weeks after she had
commenced her search, she felt that her
patience was about to be rewarded.
In a corner of the vest between the
cloth and the lining it had slipped
through hole in the pocket, made there
on purpose, no doubt-these men are art
ful-she discovered the receipt of a
registered letter, which letter had been
addressed to Miss Mary-Miss Mary
(why do these post Office people write so
illegibly 2)-for the life of her she
couldn't make out the surname, but Miss
Mary somebody, at the very time he had
denied her, his lawful wife, the simple
ostrich feather.
"Deceitful wretch |" she said, between
her teeth, glancing Indignantly at the
bed where the "wretch Numbered un-
consciously, but now have one proof
of his perfdy," and she hid the post
masters receipt in her work basket,
"and I'll have more, If it takes me all the
rest of the winter to get them"
But she didn't have to wait all the rest
of the winter, for the very next night
John Margerum was snoring louder than
ever, after the cloves, and the flask, and
the meerschaum, and the handkerchief
smelling of beer, and the gloves ditto,
and few other articles had tumbled out,
away down at the bottom of the breast
pocket of the husbands overceat Mrs.
Margerum found q sealed envelope di-
rected to nobody. Straight to the
garrett she carried 1t, deliberately tore it
cra,, and raod <ba f,lIowsnU.
MY DEAREST ONE: Meet me at the Aqua
rum on Wednesday afternoon, and there we
will spend some happy, happy hours. To.
gether Wen watch the gambols Of the intel.
ligent seal and look at the broad back Of
the interesting white whale. Together well
gaze upon the Salmonese twins and the fes-
tive hermit crabs. Don't disappoint me.
Be there at two precisely, when the band be-
gins to play. Ever thine, RUMMY.
Rummy," she repeated, with the
calmness of volcano, as she inserted the
billet doux into another envelope, sealed
it, and returned it to the breast-pocket.
You'll have the pleasure Of seeing Mrs.
Rummy, too, my dearest one."
And, shaking her little brown fist at
the dreaming rlumberer, she laid her
head on the pillow beside him and slept
q restless sleep.
Wednesday afternoon came, bright and
beautiful.
Mrs. Margerum arranged her brown
tresses in the most becoming and
coquettish style, perched q pretty,
broad -brimmed black velvet hat upon
them, and, arrayed in her invisible
green silk, with cloth polonaise and kid
gloves to match, prepared I'd meet the
foe.
"The 'dear one shall see that I'm
not to be despised, If / haven't her blue
eyes and brassy hair" she said with
scorn, as she perfumed her best lace
handkerchief with rose-water.
As the clock struck two she set out
with beating heart for the place of meet
ing. It was q quarter of an hours ride
from the house, and quarter offs hour
would jlst give them time to meet and
clasp hands and gaze lovingly at each
other ere they made a pretense of study
ing the wonders of the deep.
The aquarium was reached. Faster
and faster beat her heart, brighter and