Wichita daily eagle., 1886-08-01
1ai19R ga9le
/ A MYTHICAL MONSTER.

A MYTHICAL MONSTER.
Abcyt four years ago became the hui
band OF q very charming girl in one of on
eastern seaboard citiea In nv marriag
With Mabel Lane all the conventionalitie
were fulfilled. She was q few years m,
junior-modest. domestic-and this, l sin
cerely believe her first attachment Eve
our complexions presented the proper ex
tremes. she being perfect blonde and
dark brunette loved her sincerely. I wa
In comfortable circumstances, and on ou
wedding day l saw no reason why our mar
rted life should not be bathed in perennia
sunshine
Such would probably have been thu cas-
had IL not been for an unfortunate defec
IN my disposition l may as well stat
hare that before our marriage l had de
voted myself pretty largely to that agri
cultural pursuit known as sowing wild oats
/ cannot say that was vicious, but loved
the company of good fellows Late hour.
had q peculiar fascination for me, and thu
pop Of a champagne cork fired me as thu
report of a cannon is said to thrill a war
horse These things, which were never
counted more than "wildness" in a single
i VlCo7
and utter depravity in a married one. Like
many another, l had difficulty in adjusting
myself to the changed condition of affairs
and there the trouble began.
So It was that after spending all my
evenings faithfully at home for month
!, began to drift back into the old routine and
pleaded an increase of business to Mabel as
an excuse for later hours l did this grad
s ually. Now and then qualms of conscience
would conquer force of habit, and l would
be entirely domestic and devoted for sew
eral days at q time Then / would back
slide and come home at L 1t was not that
my affection for nv wife diminished On
the contrary, it increased I was never so
happy as whea in her company, but think
It must have been q strain Of old Bohemia
in my veins that drew me with q subtle
force back to the boys
All this, though was as nothing compared
to the actual downfall that began one night
in earnest l recall it shudderingly, hesi-
tatingly. As | entered our gate an unusual
light warned me that Mabel waited for me,
and shut my lips tight with annoyance
and contrition as look at my watch and
saw it was after Il l found her in tears.
70, Frank" she sobbed, IL am very un-
happy"
mot unhappy with me, are you, MabelF'
asked
mo, no." she said, "but unhappy because
am without you SO much. 1 am sure it
can not be business that keeps you out at
these awful hours o, Frank, tell me, what
was it kept you so late"
well, Mabel" l answered, feeling it use
less to resort to the old story, "the fact is 1
met friend Of mine who is something of a
bore, and he held me in conversation for q
couple Of hours"
"Who was he.'
Bancroft" L said desperately, using the
sss name that came into my mind, "a fell
~ named George Bancroft"
= "What does he do."
felt that l was in for it and told her he
as the accountant at Reeds tea-store
There were few more tears, but her sus-
picions were lulled and peace was declared
l went to sleep, blush to say it, with a sort
Of guilty satisfaction that had done smart
thing. Little did dream of the precipice
on which was treading.
A few nights afterwards, when was late
again, Mabel met me with the inquiry: Il
suppose you were out with that Bancroft
ayes, DEAR" l replied, catching at the
straw, Bancroft is a pretty good fellow
after all, Mabel He has scheme on foot
for some realestate investments, and we
we're talking it over"
what, has he money!" she said in sur
prise. "Then he must be of saving dis
position Perhaps he is a better man than
thought Tell me something about him
Frank. Where does he ive."
He has room at-at-:,O Staunton place;
No IL, believe" l choose Staunton place
upon the inspiration of the moment because
d was long distance from where we lived
aud consisted OF only two short blocks, SO l
was quite sure Mabel would never find or
penstrate them To my great relief she did
not pursue her investigations further, but
1hrUw me into CONSERVATION at the table
ns9t day by looking at me wistfully and
saying:
- @Frank, am quite curious about your
frfnd, Mir. Bancroft Does he look like
-syJo," l said, giving my imagination rein,
she is shorter and of light complexion"
"Does he wear beardl'
"Yes, a full beard, cropped close"
@What color are his eyess"
Some foul fiend prompted me to say he
was Gross seyed, and that one organ was blue
and one gray.
"How very singular" said Mabel with
growing interest Il should like to see him
1ell me about his realestate scheme"
felt that if l hesitated was lost and
laying down my knife and fork, entered
into detailed account of a series of ficti-
tious investments contemplated by Bancroft
and myself did not originally intend to
goso Deep but her questions drew me out,
ard eaclA successive step was necessary for
observation As l walked out of the front
a. S~ya ox,le e.1l
However, the my thical Bancroft was a
parsonage and concluded that,
now that had invented him and put my
foot ia 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 ques-
tiouing of my wife involved me in tissue |
Of falsehood so monstrous that was afraid |
T. contemplate it.
About this time became alarmed lest |
shs should visit his supposed place of busi- |
nsss to read him lecture upon his habits, |
ANd told her he had left Reeds and gone to |
uptown stora This necessitated going |
all the details as to why he Left which |
I've shameiessly. My conscience was in |
. condition by that time that was
=. ,sroubled over my fabrication of COM
plicatsd hes than was that I should cross
myself in some Of them. How intricate,
bow manifold and multiplied they were can
b imagined when say that at the end of |
Two years Mabel was still unsuspicious
She bad however, conceived violent dis
xe. growing into an utter adherence, of
We man This was engendered by pecu-
lar turn whicn the fiction happened to take
One night the first pencilings Of dawn were
moving in the skies when returned home
bad mot intended to stay SO late realized
Nth sudden and humiliating force that I |