St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-24
AN ORIGINAL WIFE.
How a Young Husband was In
duced TO Give Up Poker.

duced TO Give Up Poker.
The other day the announcement OF the
marriage of Gerald Leopold Jenkins created
quite stir among his friends. They I'M
agined he was cut out for an old bachelor
because he played the best game OF draw
poker in his club. He was so decided and
dogmatical in his ways, too, that the idea
of any.wolnan ever marrying him with the
view of causing him to reform afterwards
was prepoSterouS. Every one OF his friends
said:
''How pity Gerald's poor wife. She
will have to start regular game OF draw
poker in her own parlor, or her husband
will be at the club all the time.
= He and his wife went to Boston mme-
diately after the marriage, via Fall river, on
Sound steamer She has relatives in that
city. and so the bridal tour was to begin
from there and extend some distance
West by the way of Niagara Falls. After
a month Gerald and his wife returned.
+ He will be at the club, boys, to try a
game OF draw" was the remark OF his
many friends. One, two days and week
passed and still no Gerald appeared. That
is queer" thought every one.
Yesterday his most intimate friend met
him On Broadway. He was astonlShed at
the change Where was the man OF will
power and dogmatical assertion OF month
ago? Not in this Gerald.
''What is the matter, Gerald, old boy?
Are you i'll? Have you become Puritan
or what?" was the anxious query OF his
friend.
Gerald said, sadly: 81 have got an orig
inal wife,
''Why, you did not intend to marry a
counterfeit"
NO, but she is one of the way-back
primitive originals, the beginners, and
there is no denying it. l have sworn off
poker"
''Great heavens, are you mad?"
, mo, but l must tell you how it all hap
pened, how found out had an original
wife Before we married she never said
anything about my ways or habits, for If
she had I would have told her that if l
could not play draw poker at the club the
match would be declared off. l cOngratu-
lated myself on marrying a woman who
would mould readily to my disposition, not
! to hers Three hours after the ceremony
she said to me, in the cabin Of the Sound
steamer: b.
'-'Gerald, for my sake, l want to ask
little favor of you?'
-C6nIdlnly my uodr. L dllSWcIcu.
''' Give up draw poker and that horrid
club
'sWhy, it stunned me, the boldness and
originality of the request.
Madam, said sternly, you married me
and not my habits. They are mine and
not yours and / firmly decline your re-
quest
g She pleaded with me, begged me not
to play poker with the captain of the boat that
evening ilf'his private room, shed tears, and
finally, when she saw she could not move
me- kissed me tenderly and went into our
stateroom was moved, but was resolved
to play cards with the captain. so as to gain
my point and be my own master. played
poker until 3 o'clock in the morning
and won right along. 1 got up and went to
my stateroom, WhiStling merrily. / walked
in quietly,T so as not to disturb my sleeping
wife. / pulled off my coat and looked in
the lower berth. She was not there. What
did itmean? / went out and sought the
chambermaid. She had not seen my wife.
/ thought it was strange. | rushed back
again to the staterOom and called her name
loud. I ran out into the cabin and fairly
sllrieked her name. It suddenly occurred
to me that she had jumped overheard to
commit suicide because she was married to
mOnsterl Everybody was amused on the
boat, ank knew nothing of her whereabouts.
The engines were reversed and the boat
went back several miles to see if any white
floating garment could be seen on the
water. None, none. all quiet surface.
The captain shook his head and asked me
to bear up brayely, that trouble came to
every man. walked about in the cabin
in front of our stateroom swearing that she
was an angel and that l had killed her. l
said that if 1 could only see her face again,
If heaven would bring her back, would be
her slave, and be as man should be to his
wife, l even went SO far as to get down
on my knees and pray that if ever my
hand touched another card it might wither
and her spirit haunt me until died. l
asked the passengers to mob me, declar-
ing was murderer. Finally, in my des-
peration and despair l said
''Iet.the spirit of my wife appear, that
L may attest to my oaths of reformation
s'Just then my wife quietly walked out
of stateroom opposite the one we occupied.
l shall not describe the scene that followed.
I know she Saidlgl
HIsSwear5 not by my spirit, but by my
hesheand blood, which has come back to
you to hold you to your OATH
''Now, what do you think? NY wife was
lying on the upper berth in the opposite
stateroom, peeping over the skylight at me
making guy of myself. Well, 1 cannot
go back on my word now. But she is an
original wife, amt she? Let us take some
soda water"