St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-07-28
Selected Story
THE HICKS-BROWN DIVORCE.
4, IdvI of South Dakota.

that caused the climax. If there was
auy creature on earth Mr.. HICKS
Brown loathed and desplsed, 1t was
a pug, and especially one OF the gen
tier sex-and his better halt, aware
of this antipathy, had, with char
acteristic feminine pervers1ty, avail
ed herself of the first opportunity to
Dossess herself of one of these inter
esting animals. which speedily won,
If seemed, first place in her affections,
and made Mr. Hicks-Brown's LIE
miserable.
He stood it, however, as long as
he could. but the end had to come.
Mr.. Hicks-Brown was an architect,
and it came to pass that he had on
one occasion been invited to prepare
the plans for public building. The
plans were drawn and accepted by
the committee, which, however, re-
turned them to him for certain i'm
Dortant alterations; and they were
laid on the table in his den, to be at
tended to when he returned home IN
the late afternoon of certain day.
Now it so happened that VIC, the
pug aforementioned, was of an in
ouiring turn of mind, and she chose
this very afternoon for an exploring
tour in the upper part of the house.
When Mr.. Hicks-Brown entered his
den, about 3 O'Clock, he saw at once
that portions of his plans were mss
ing, and, supposing that his wife had
taken them to show some visitors,
he hurried down stairs.
Where are those plans ~ he asked.
What plans, DEAR" softly in
Uuired Mrs HicksBrown, sliding
her caramel into one check, and still
keeping one eye on a particularly
thrilling page of the yellow-back
novel in her lap.
.What-what plans! Do you
mean to say you didn't take those
Calumet Building plans from my
table," asked Mr.. Hicks-BrOw n, IN
some agitation.
"Oh-hl" said his spouse, mildly
surprised. why it must have been
those that Vic had"
-Vic-had!" howled Mr..
Hicks-Brown. and pray, where
are they now"
Don't get excited, dear. Were
they ANYTHING in particular Vic
had some old, soiled pieces of cloth
PLAYING with them awhile ago; but
supposed they were some you had
thrown into the waste-basket, so
burned-Henry What are you 60
ing to do :"
But Henry did not answer. He
strobe over to the cushion whereon
the offending Vic was taking her at
ternoon siesta, gripped her firmly by
the nape of the neck, and despite his
wife's hysterical protests, opened the
door and kicked the bowling animal
into the street, and, not satlsheo
with this, when Mrs. Hicks-Browr
would have rushed to rescue her pet
he took her by the shoulders ano
forced her into a chair, noting With
grim satisfaction as he did so that {
couDle of street Arabs were making
off with Vic.
That dav Mrs Hicks-BrOWn wen
home to her mother, and two week.
later she was a member OF tn
divorce colony in a Western city
seeking freedom from matrimonial
bonds on the ground of cruel ant
inhuman treatment" which she ex
Dected the court, when her case wa
presented, to understand as having
been applied to her, instead of to Vic
In the state where Mrs. Hicks
Brown sought her divorce 1T take
only three months to establish
residence. and the legal fornalitie
consume very little time but, strang
to saw, Mrs. Hicks-Brown did no
find it easy to pass the time. LII
first three or four weeks, IN he
Hurried state of mind, she did no
notice-but, after that, time passe
very slowly indeed. Strange as
NAV seem, life apart from Mr.. Hick:
Brown was very, very dull and lone
ly. Yes, she had been hasty-bu
there was no turning back nov
She had burned her bridges, and, b.
sides. had ever a Lovedale retraced
step once taken? No! And she bel
her pretty nose a little higher an
tried to look haughtily don't-car
ish. all the time feeling very m1serab
indeed.
EVERYTHING seemed to cOnspire
add to her load of sorrow. She w;
pointed out on the street as
''colonist;" men about the hot
where she boarded tried to thru
their attentions upon her; and {
though she met, through the past
of the church she attended and
the home of her attorney, many
the incest people in the city, she w;
almost entirely ignored in soci
way, and it CALLED her immeasurabl
She, a Lovedale-yes, and a Hick
Brown; for even if the man who h;
bestowed the last name on her
work for living, it was name
be proud OTTO be ostracised by the
insignificant country people half t
men among whom attended balls
Prince Albert or cutaway coat
The ideal AS if she cared And y
she did care a great deal.
And Mr.. Hicks-Brown? He w
fhOtoh n Oh