Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1884-10-01
HIS WIFE'S FRIEND.


HIS WIfE'S FRIEND.
When Phil Partlow married Florence
Tragmer, his friends said that in select
ing wife he had been true to his busi-
ness habits. for he was note-broker,
who dealt only in what is called gilt
edged paper" and Miss Tragmer, like
the notes which Phil bought and sold,
was of the best origin and amply en-
dorsed. Like many other popular busi-
ness men who are in society, Phil knew
no more of music, art and literature
than he was obliged to do, but as it was
the proper thing, when he was looking
for wife, for q lady to analyze an
opera, criticize picture and talk we'll
about poetry and novels, the young man
did not fully commit himself until he
was assured that Miss Tragmer was
the envy of all her friends who were
afflicted with the aesthetic craze. Young
Collignon, whom Phil pronounced the
greatest fool he had ever known in
business, but who was believed to know
all about music, declared that no plan
ist he had ever heard could interpret
Chopin as skillfully as Miss Tragmer.
Collignon also said that he had never
known another lady who had read
Goethe's Faust" in the original Ger
man. AS for art, did not the two or
three painters who were patronized by
some OF Phil's society friends always
seem at their best while chatting with
Miss Tragmer?
So Phil made love TO Miss Tragmer,
who really was as accomplished as he
believed her, and quite handsome be-
sides, and in his persistent, business
like way he strove as hard to make him
self conversant with the subjects in
which the lady seemed most conversant,
that his suit prospered finely. Miss
Tragmer believed him to be all he
seemed, just as any other woman should
have done, and just as Phil honestly
believed any woman would have been
justified in dong, and as Miss Tragmer
had as much heart as head. she was SO
deeply in love when Philip proposed
that she did not even protest against
the early marriage which the young
man, still prompted by his business
habits, suggested.
And what honeymoon they spent!
The bride, who had always been of too
strong character to be given to gush-
ing, wrote two or three young ladies
who were engaged that she pitied them
from the bottom of her heart-that
they didn't know anything whatever
about love. As for Phil, who had al
ways been an enthusiast at billiards, he
confessed to his friends on his return
that he hadn't touched cue since his
marriage. And how the couple roamed
about together while furnishing the
house which Phil bought for his bride
Florence, like all persons of aesthetic
taste, detested all things conventional
80, by laying dozen upholsterers under
contribution for the carpets for twelve
rooms, and buying o single article OF
furniture at o time, and studying effects
Of papers and hangings, and having a
piano case so made that by no possibil-
ity would it look like any other piano
case, the bride enjoyed many hours OF
bliss, all of which her husband shared.
But lovers have appetites, and furni-
ture bills have to be paid, especially
when incurred in New York, so Phil
soon became restive to return to bust
ness. Once back at his office the force
of habit made itself felt; he threw him
self into his work with energy renewed
by long rest, and from that time for
ward he thought and talked bust
ness whenever he was awake. He was
always affectionate when he was at
home; he could not help being SO, with
o glorious creature like his own Flor
ence, but neither could he help being
suddenly inspired, in the midst OF con-
jugal conversation, to occasionally take
memorandum book from his pocket
and make a business entry. He fro
quently had to lust run around for q
moment" to hotel where business men
were congregated at night, and the min
utes which did not lengthen into hours
were rare. Hcpersisted in telling bus
iness incidents TO his wife, he had al
ways talked business, after the day was
over, to his male friends, SO why should
he not do so to Florence, who was now
his dearest of friends? He was fre-
auently prevented from keeping his en-
gagements with his wife for parties. OF
operas, or drives, and he mourned sin
cerely when he found that such failures
always caused great disappointment,
and that his explanations never seemed
entirely acceptable as excuses.
This troubled his honest heart 90
much that one afternoon--a few hours
before the first performance in New
York Of LA Gioconda," which he had
promised to hear with his wife--hs was
made entirely miserable by the neces.
sity Of investigating for himself the
rumor that firm whose paper he had
handled largely was in trouble. He
was ct first Inclined to let the firm and
their notes 60 TO ruin rather than have
his wife disappointed; then he realized
that money was money. and that Flor
encs wou' a certainly besensible enough
70 understand when he should tell heT
all about II. While he wAs wondering
what 70 do, Collignon sauntsred into
the Office.
aCol.s exclaimed Partlow, don't ron
want to take my wife to the opera to-
nightf 'Twon't coat you anything.
I'VE the tickets. carriage everyt ythiaGi T.
The dividing youth answered = ~