Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-06-10

the straw, Bancroft IS "a pretty good
fellow after all, Mabel. He has 3
scheme on foot for some real estate in
]yestments, and we were talking it
over"
."Why. has he sny money!" she
asked in surprise.
| "Yes, some," l answered, indefinite
,ly.
"Then he must be of ;a.saying dis
!position." she said, musingly. per
haps he is better man than thought.
fTell me something about him, Frank. )"
| ..Why, what do you want to know,
tdear," l replied, feebly.
..Whete does. he live?"
| "He has room at-at-20 Stanton
place; No. II, Ibelieve. Ichose Staun-
ton place upon the inspiration of the
moment because 1t was long distance
from where we lived and consisted of
only two short blocks, so was quite
sure Mabel would never find or pene-
! trate them. To my great relief she
did not pursue her investigations fur
Their, but threw me into CONSERVATION
at the table next day by looking at me
wistfully and saying:
Frank, | am quite curious about
| YOUR friend, Mr. Bancroft. Does he
| look like you?"
| NO" l said, giving my imagination
rein, ''he is shorter and of light COM
! pleXion."
"Docs he wear a beard?'
Eyes, a full beard, cropped close. ="
| "What color are his eyes?"
Some foul tiend prompted me to say
he was cross-eyed, and that one organ
| was blue and one gray.
How very singular, said Mabel
| with growing interest. Il should like
to see him. Tell me about this real es-
| tate scheme
] felt that if hesitated [ was lost,
and. laying down my knife and fork,
| entered into a detailed account of a Sc
| ries of fictitious investments contem-
| plated by Bancroft and myself. l did
not originally intend to 60 SO deep, but
her questions drew me out. and each
| successive step was necessary for pres
| ervation AS | walked out of the front
| gate felt like convicted felon.
However, the mythical Bancroft was
| convenient parsonage, and L con-
| L
him and put my foot in it. so to speak,
l might as we'll use him to all possible
advantage. Consequently Bancroft
was pleaded night after night with
great success. although the continued
questioning of my wife involved me in
a tissue of falsehood so monstrous that
l was afraid to contemplate it. Ban
croft became piece of exquisite char
actcr painting. AS the eXigencies of
the case demanded l endowed him with
tastes, habits, prejudices and some few
principles All the details of his con-
| stitution were given the night he was
sick and had to accompany him to
his room and stay until two o'clock.
Then it was that Mabel learned he was
subject to sudden and violent cramps.
epileptic fits, and partial paralysis.
| The night he took me to a poor widow S
| garnet and rescued her from the verge
of starvation Mabel wept over his good
ness of heart, but made some suspicious
inquiries as to the widows personal
appearance. Next night she abused
him savage!y because he got drunk and
| had to stay with him and see, as a
friend, that he did not get into trouble.
| About this time | became alarmed lest
she should visit his supposed place of
business to read him a lecture upon his
habits. and told her he had left Reed s
and gone to an uptown store. This
neceSsitated going into all the details
rs to why he left, which gave shame
lessly. My conscience was in such 4
condition by that time that [ was less
troubled over my fabrication of COM
plicated lies than was that l should
cross myself in some of them. How
intricate, how manifold and multiplied
they were can be imagined when say
that at the end of two years Mabel W as
still unsuspiciouS. She had, however,
conceived a violent dislike. growing
into an utter adherence, of the man.
This was engendered bv Il peculiar turn
which the fiction happened to take.
One night the first pencilings OF
dawn We're showing in the skies when
| returned home. l had not intended
to stay so late. realized with sudden
and humiliating force that l was a
brute to leave young girl alone. I'M
protected, anxious and afraid through
the, long night. felt ashamed, morti-
fled, and above all alarmed, for was
we'll aware that scene awaited me-
With beating heart eptered the house
Mabel was in bed and turned her head
slightly without looking at me or
speaking. l felt intuitively that she
was crying. At that instant any plan.
any lie, no matter how black, that
would have relieved the poor girls dis
tress would have seemed noble to me.
So it was with no pang of conscience
that sank into char and exclaimed
in a hollow voice: 20, Mabel, if you
had seen what have seen you would
be sick at heart.
What was it. Frank?" she asked
with instant curiosity, sitting up in
bed.
This was the effect l had calculated
upon. and for moment / said moth
ing, as if too much overcome to speak.
Then in low tone l continued:
Bancroft is in jaii.''
20. Frank" she cried, her eyes sud-
denly dilating: what has he done?'
| Again was overcome with emotion;
l had to have time to think.
| s.You know how Bancroft is when