The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-12-24

Oy receiving letter from her on his
return from one Of his periodical excur-
sions, saying that the information she
had received from a private detective
had rendered her further stay in his
house impossible, that she had taken
refuge with her uncle, and also that,
acting under the advice of her solicitor
and friends, she was about to institute
proceedings for divorce. The Cap
tain rayed and swore, but in the
absence of his wife his rage, being ex-
pended upon inanimate articles of
furniture, such as tables and chairs,
was soon exhausted and he was COM
PEELED to confront the melancholy
situation. Thinking did not help him
much, but the next day he wrote a
letter to his wife's solicitors, in which
he undertook not to defend the suit if
she could be induced to allow him
something to live upon. So the mat
ter was arranged; Mrs. Vandeleur got
her decree nisi, which in due course
was made absolute, and, much to the
surprise of her friends, who could not
lind words enough to condemn her
deplorable weakness, she insisted on
allowing the erring Captain G6OO
year. Vandeleur eked out an exceed
ingly dissipated existence upon his
allowance, and saw no more of his
wronged partner for a season. And
Mrs. Vandeleur lived with her Uncle
Eversleigh, but showed no inclination
to contract second matrimonial
alliance.
A couple of years passed and old
Eversleigh was gathered to his fathers.
His niece Clara, as was generally ex-
pected. inherited the greater part of
his money, the residue being left to old
servants, poor relations and the Home
for lost dogs. Vandeleur, meanwhile
had suffered severely from intermittent
attacks of D. T., rheumatic govt and
general debility, which, combined with
the pressure of circumstances, had
made him comparatively reformed
character. He was, indeed,
mere wreck of his former self; his
lungs were gone, his liver had sustained
an abnormal development, and his
constitution was finally shattered. But
still, as his few friends remarked, he
kept going, and was really a wonder,
considering what he had gone through.
In due course the quondam husband
and wife met, for Vandeleur, reformed.
| though ricketty. was now more often
seen on the outskirts of decent society
than he had been in his palmy days:
and, little by little, the amazing news
! got bruited abroad that the Captain had
fascinated his wife for the second time
in short, that they were about to con-
tract second alliance.
There is really no knowing what
foolswOmen are,' remarked the stri-
dent Jawkins, who was notoriously sat
upon in his own family circle.
Imagine pretty woman with ten
thousand year tying herself again to
a wreck like that" cried Splashcr,
justly indignant because Mrs. Vande-
leur had decisively repulsed his own
advances.
elbow can you be so mad-so wick
ed?' protested Mrs. VS. dear friend,
Lady Stalker; but Clara simply smiled
and said the Captain had reformed now
and that she meant to give him anoth-
er chance.
In a very few months Mrs. Vande.
leur was reunited to her vagabond
spouse. The honeymoon number two
was brief, and after month the couple
settled down in an exceedinIv pretty
house in Mayfair. Mrs. Vandeleur-
for her money was all settled on her
self and the Captain did not seem to
have much to do with the household
arrangements-was evidently deter.
mined to enjoy herself, for she bought
several carriages, gave dinners and
dances and went pretty near.
~ everywhere For some time this
sort of life suited the ex-Hussar well
enough. He had no trouble of any
kind, everything was arranged for him
he was at liberty to come and go ex.
actly as he pleased, and his wife had ar
admirable cook and a cellar beyond
reproach. There were only two
drawbacks to his perfect felicity and
these were the state of his health and 8
certain unpleasant independence which
his wife had developed during her sep
aration from him. There was no deny
ing the fact. She was not the simple
loving little woman, by any means
that she had been three years. ago
I She did not, it was true, interfere Will
his movements; but, on the other hand
she permitted no interference with hers
. When this discovery first dawned up
on the Captain s mind, he treated i
very lightly indeed. She had Away
been devoted to him and he had no
> the smallest doubt that he could brin,
> her back to her allegiance.
r Vandeleur's first effort to reassert hi
| authority was made after this fashion
/ They went to a ball together-Mrs
Vandeleur's appetite for dissipation
had of late grown quite extraordinary
and this was the fourth successive en-
' tertainment to which she had dragge
r her unwilling spouse.
s 'For goodness sake, don't stop her
l all night, Clara" he grumbled, as the
4 mounted gorgeous staircase.
"Would not you like to 20 home
dear?" she answered sweetly. *Yo
q need not sit up for me.'
l mo, thanks; I'll stay" said th
/ Captain, for quite suddenly it occurre
t to him that she might have had som
a reason or another for getting rid of hi
t company. Needless to state. the Ca,
+ tain's health did not permit him to il
r dulge in the excitement of dancing, fc
= his doctor had recently warned hi1
q that his heart was weak. Moreover
the sort of people who went to bal
= were not precisely his set and on thi
t particular evening he felt very dull an
e low-spirited.
n His wife, on the contrary, was a
D smiles and gaiety. Men positivel
= mobbed her for dances and for the fir!
: time in his life Vandeleur began to fe,
e a vague sensation sill gularly like jea
ousy. This was heightened when b
It saw her dance several times with
8 certain Lord Rockerton; so he decide
b he would take her home at once.
r Walking up to where she was seatet
y he remarked: Its getting late, Clar'
= don't you think we ought to be goin
e homeP''
: I'm not at all tired, thanks" st
e answered languidly.
r II suppose I'm little out of sor
j. tonight. Haven't you had enough I
a r. vaf 30