The Newtown bee., 1892-07-22
The Hicks Brown Divorce.

newspapers UuG Io was JIle Hudi aCb Ol brutality on MT Hicks-Brown's part that was especially dilated upon and, for weeks, this s'iiend in human form" was execrated by danes and damsels all over this broad land and Mrs Hicks-Brown was an object of heartfelt commiseration on all sides.
 I am inclined to think that, if Mir Hicks-Brown had been more like the men who are held up as model husbands by the knowing members of certain ladies societies, he and Mrs Hicks -Brown-she whom only two short years since he had promised to love and cherish-would be living in peace and amity, to say nothing of conjugal happiness, even unto this day; and, if Mrs Hicks-Brown had been anything but the only child of rich and foolishly indulgent papa, things might have been different. But Mir Hicks Brown was just as much used to having his own way as was his pretty spouse ; and the natural result was family rows more or less insignificant in character.
 At first, Mir Hicks-Brown was inclined to give in, just as all dutiful hubbies are ; but he saw the shoals of trouble on which this course was causing him to drift and concluded, after mature consideration, that it was his will that should dominate in the Hicks-Brown family, and he fixed his plan of procedure and governed his actions accordingly. Mrs Hicks Brown, with feminine insight, perceived at an early stage of the game what her lords intentions were; and, as she had always been accustomed to have her way, she decided that it was too late to begin knocking under-and there you have what was presumably the beginning of the end.
 It was a dog-not only d dog, but a young-lady dog-not only female ca nine, but what MT Hicks-Brown termed "a measly, dodgasted pug''-that caused the climax. If there was any creature on earth that MT Hicks-Brown loathed and despised, it was d pug and especially one of the gentler sex-and his better half, aware of this antipathy, had, with characteristic feminine perversity, avail ed herself of the first opportunity to pos sess herself of one of those interesting animals, which speedily won, it seemed first place m her affection and made Nil Hicks-Brown's life miserable.
 He stood it, however, as long as he could, but the end had to come.
 Mir Hicks-Brown was an architect anC it came to pass that he had on one occas ion been invited to prepare the plans fol a public building. The plans were drawr and accepted by the committee, which however, returned them to him for cer tain important alterations and they were laid on the table in his den, to be attend ed to when he returned home in the late afternoon of certain day.
 | Now, it so happened that Vie, the pug aforementioned, was of an inquiring turr of mind and she chose this very upper part of the house.
 When Mir Hicks-Brown entered his dei about o'clock, he saw at once that DOT tions of his plans were missing and, sup posing that his wife had taken them tC show some visitor, he hurried down stairs
 "Where are those plans?" he asked. i ssWhat plans, dear?" softly inquired Mrs Hicks-Brown, sliding her carame into one cheek and still keeping one ey' on particularly thrilling page of th yellow-back novel in her lap.
 "What-what plans! Do you meal to say you didn't take those Calume building plans from my table?" asked NJ Hicks-Brown, in some agitation.
 "O-h!" said his spouse, mildly sur prised. Why, it must have been thos' that Vic had.''
 s'That-Vic-had! '" howled Mir Hicks Brown. "And: pray, where are the, now?''
 | ssDon't get excited, dear. Were the. anything in particular? Vic had som' old, soiled pieces of cloth playing witt them awhile ago; but I supposed the, were some you had thrown into the vast basket, so I burned-Henry! What art you going to do?'
 But Henry did not answer. He strod over to the cushion whereon offending Vie was taking her afternoon siesta gripped her firmly by the nape of tn neck and, despite his wife's hysterica protests, opened the door and kicked tn bowling animal into the street and, no satisfied with this, when Mrs Hicks Brown would have rushed to rescue he pct, he took her by the shoulders ant forced her into a chair, noting with grin satisfaction, as he did so, that coupI of street Arabs were making off witl Vic.
 That day, Mrs Hicks-Brown went hom I to her mother and, two weeks later, sh was member of the divorce colony in l Western city, seeking freedom from mat l rimonial bonds on the ground of acrne l and inhuman treatment,' which she eS pected the court, when her case was pre- sented, to understand as having been az piled to her, instead of to Vic.
 In the State where Mrs Hicks-Brow l sought her divorce, it takes only thre l months to establish q residence and tn legal IAfmaHIleS cohsunC sCAy iieoi l time, but, strange to say, Mrs Hicks Brown did not find it easy to pass tn I time. The first three or four weeks, i I her Hurried state of mind, she did not nt ltice-but, after that, time passed slowl indeed. Strange as it may seem, lii apart from Mr Hicks-Brown was very ' very dull--and lonely. Yes, she ha been very hasty-too hasty-bu5 ther was 10 turning back now. She ha burned her bridges and, besides, had e, CT Lovedale retraced a step once taken No. And she held her pretty nose ii
 tie higher and tried to look hanghtil dont-care-ish, all the time being yer Il rnisera ble indeed.