Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-16


For oLce the verdict of clubs, mess
rooms and smoking-rooms YVES just; Mrs
Montgomery Swift's morals ware unim
| peachable. Without ostenfation she FREE
QUently alluded to her absent coDsorf,
retaiIed passages from his CORES pond
ence, bewhiled the long exile and freq uent
changes entaiIed by his profession, won
dered how long be would remain in those
outlandish places where wives were an
| i'm possibility, and occasionally reduces
her admirers to frantic despair by an
noun cling her intention of joining Capt.
Swift wherever he might be sent next.
| When assured that such self immola-
ton would be madness she pensively
concluded that perhaps it were wiser to
await his return to civiliz ation and Eng
| land.
| Sometimes-not very ofteu-Jessica
was alone, and then she would look at
| herself in the glass and smile quantity.
isn't it fuuny?" she murmdred, scan
ming her features. II am sure I am not
| ute SO fresh and pretty as 1 was two
years ago, and 1 don't think am nearly
as nice. And yet-then nobody even
looked at me, while now" Her eyes
sparkled. "Oh, my blessed husband,
what a service you have rendered me!
/ And to think l shall never, never be able
to repay your
| Toward the middle of August, with the
abruptness which characterized all her
movements, Jessica, without a word of
warning to her courtiers, accepted as in
vitatian TO spend a fortnight in Scotland
with young married couple who had
| taken house or Loeb Lomond for Two
months. She had not been told whether
or not there would be other guests, but
she knew that the Bellunes had the knack
of making people comfortable, and she
| felt Just little tired of q surfeit of de-
votioD, and inclined to escape from il
and rusticate in comparative solitude. So
one morning she found herself at st.
Pancras station, and when her maid,
previous to seeking her second-class
carriage, had settled her in a tirst-class
one, with her books, rug and dressing
bag, she prepared for her long solitary
| journey with restful satisfaction. How
ever, just IS the hour for departure had
struck the door of her carriage was VIC
lently opened, military looking port
manteau and case were thrust in, guard
exclaimed, "Plenty of room-just in time
jump in, sir-thank you sir!" and
slammed the door again upon a tall,
|
riedly, and who as the train steamed out
of the station, looked rather disconnected
in finding himself tete-a a. Eete with young
pretty and elegant woman.
Before reaching Leicester the traveller
had already exchanged few common
place civilities connected with the pull
ing up and down of windows, the loan of
wspapers, etc. Instinotively they
recognized that they belonged to the
same social class; each discovered in the
other certain independent, uncohven-
tional originally, and, like strangers
meeting by chance at come dinner party,
soon began to converse on every possible
subject.
"DO you propose stopping at Edin-
burghP" said the gentleman, when, after
Nolmanton and lunch, they had resumed
their seats,
"For the night, perhaps; but I am
bound for Inversnaid," answered Jes-
| sica.
"Ah" with slight start; 81 have
some friends about there myself-rela-
tions."
81 wonder if they know my friends
at the Towersf"
"The Bellunesr"
Exactly"
"Why, Dora Bellune is my cousin, and
l am on my way to see her."
"How very amusing! Well, [ had an
| intuition that we should eet again-in
fact, had quite mapped out your destiny
before reaching Bedford"
Let us heal the horoscope-past,
present, future; the first will, if correct,
be guarantee for crediting the last"
81 cons ent to tell you what think of
you; but only if you tell me first who you
think l am"
would you be offended if 1 said a
charming womanS Don't frown; l have
not said it,"
"Be serious. Am I maid, wife or
wido W"
"Not miss, certainly" with fine
contempt on the noun.
"Of course not, or you would not have
deigned to DE even decently civil"
Frankly, L am at fault now. Is it wife?
Is it widowf"
81 own there may be reason for doubt.
| You see, it is difficult to be widow with
out having been a wife, and, as man don't
marry girls nowadays, it is equally diff
cult to be wife. However, as no other
status has been invented, I have a nus
band"
"And no wife, although 1 have been
married"
"a widower! Hum! should not have
| thought So"
mo, not widower. L was married
without my knowledge, by mistake, i'll
default. The newspapers married mel
heard of it in India-and so persistently
that got a three months leave only to
make myself free man once more. left
the 2. and O. three days ago, and am on
my way to the Bullunes to ask what they
were about in allowing their nearest rela-
tive to be labeled all over the world as
booked and done for.
"a hard case, and one deserving of
much pity. So the indignity of wedlock
has been put upon You. Accept my
| deepest sym pathy."
"You may laugh, but it was, it is obi
Gus. All the fellows out there affect to
believe it is true-that I am d derelics
husband, with a family. On landing here
I found no end of letters of congra ula-
ton. dare not show myself at the clubs.
If at first I was inclined to treat the mat
ter lightly, now am determined to sift
the whole thing, sue the ibelers, and give
public denial"
"To the compromising accusation of
matrimony? [ would, if l were you"
81 shalt" he said, sternly.
They we're just steamjng into Carlisle
station, Jessica remained alone while
her companion smoked a cigar on the
platform. She took advantage of the
gathering twilight to rise and, upper
ceived, to examine the label on the hat
box repos1ng in the rack. She had some
difficulty in deciphering it, and fell back
into the seat as the owner of it stepped