Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-06
DEhARK'S WIFE.

OF course every one knows the mer-
camille house of Denmark & Co. Single
mann and were the Co., and Denmark
well, of course, he was Denmark.
Denmark and Singlemann had roomed
together when they were boys and
young men. Then Denmark got mar
ried, and Singlemann took the rooms he
has now.
Singlemann, old fellow" I SAID,
when We sat alone IN the counting-room
after the store was closed on Christmas
eve, 81 have turkey which [ want
help on tomorrow. Come down to din
ner."
"Too late, my boy I just promised
Denmark to go up with him tomorrow
His wife particularly requested it, and
SO [ don't like to refuse, you know"
"Oh, OF course not. Very nice little
woman, Demark's wife is.
"What r' said Singlemann, so fercely
and sharply that was quite startled.
81 said Mrs Denmark was rather fine
lady"
Certainly certainly ' said Single
mann, looking somewhat abashed.
Then, after pause. he said:
&c didn't exactly catch what you said
at first
The fire was slowly smoldering in the
CRATE, and the shutters. were closed. I
poked up the Goals and remarked that it
looked little like snow outside.
81 always feel q little queer and ner-
vous on Christmas eve," said Single
mann, evidently thinking about his alb
rupt ejaculation few minutes before,
and not needing what I said; "you
muslin mind me-.
"What's the matter, Singlemann ?''
said L
Didn't 1 ever tell You about it ?"
said !!R he.
"If 7 hadn't acted like a focl," he
replied harshly, speaking more to HIM
self than to me, sit might have been
different now"
I presumed that it would and 50 didn' t
contradict him.
''I thought you knew how near I
came to getting married once" he said,
with an attempt at q laugh. The laugh
wouldn't come, and so he tDok the
poker from me and yengefully poked
the fire.
"When 1 used to clerk here, you
know, Denmark and I roomed away out
Woodward avenue I thought it to be
nearly out in the interior of Michigan
then, but it's different now. Every
morning as I came down the avenue /
met q young girl. There were no street
cars then. and, besides, if there had
been-well, we practiced economy, you
know-that's why we boarded away out
there IN the country-but that girl
didn't notice her very much at first, and
Denmark, he never noticed her at all.
We both came down together. Denmark
was always thinking Of business he
was-have cigar? Listening Is dry
work; smoke and make it dryer"
"Why, Singlemann, you know never
smoke go on"
81 told you was queer tonight.
Did you ever notice how wrapped up
Denmark is in business? Business Will
be the conversation over the turkey to-
morrow. I tell you, young men nova
days" 49,.
"How about the girl?"
"Oh yes-she always dressed plain
ly, but you ought to have seen her. 1
tell you, John, young ladies nowadays
think of nothing but dress, and yet,
with all their silks and feathers"
"I know; Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like your Woodward
avenue belle-in plain clothes"
He poked the fire for nearly two min
utes, and began to fear that had fig
uratively put my foot into it and lost
my story.
CT think any one must have fallen in
love with her, but could never get De-
mark to see it. / never cared for any
one before or since. Twas completely
but what's the use of talking of that? /
met her every morning. She always
looked straight ahead and never seemed
to know that she passed the same two
fellows every day. Where did she live
What did she do? One night in De
cember as I came up late from the store
[ was astonished to see my young lady
I call her understanding at a desk in a
counting-room. Her hat and cloak were
flung on the desk beside her and she was
evidently Just ready to leave. The love
lest little frown was on her brow, and
the figures evidently wouldn't add up
right. The lamp-light shone on her
face and it never looked so handsome
before. I stood before the window and
gazed there in rapt admiration, and, ]
may say, alteration. [ tell you, John, !
don't believe that people nowadays know
what it is"
"Well, did she come out? F"
"Of course, she did," said Single
man, little GROSSLY, "and equally OF
course I followed her at distance, and