The Southern herald., 1892-08-19
MRS. HICKS-BROWN.
How a Lesson Of Mutual For
bearance Was Learned.

b6dIdQCa w h5 LchEu6A.
There Is always a beginning 20 an
end. What il was in the case Of Mr..
and Mrs. Hicks-Brown, l do not pre-
tend to know. What | know most
about is the end and the appendix. OF
course all the differences leading up to
the last act were thoroughly aired in
court and in the newspapers, but it was
the fnal act Of brutality on Mr.. Hicks
Browns part that was especially
dilated upon, and for weeks this "fend
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
am inclined to think that If Mr..
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 II
Mrs. Hicks Brown had been anything
but the only child Of very rich and
foolishly indulgcnt papa, things might
have been different. But Mr.. 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, Mr.. Hicks-Brown
was inclined to give in, just as all
dutiful bubbles are; but he saw the
shoals Of trouble on to which this
course was causing him to drift, and
concluded, after mature consideration,
that it was his win that should domin-
ate In the IIicks-Brown family, and he
fixed his plan of procedure and gov
erned 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 aecus-
toned 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.
1t was dog that caused the climax,
II there was any creature on earth that
Mr.. Hicks Brown loathed and despised,
it was a pug. and his better half, aware
of this antipathy, had, with character
istic feminine perversity, availed her
self of the first opportunity to possess
herself of one Of those interesting ami
mails, which speedily won, it seemed
first place in her affections, aud made
Mr.. Hicks Browns life miserable.
He stood it, however, as long as he
could, but the end had TO come.
MIR. Hicks-Brown was an architect
and it came to pass that he had, on one
occasion, been invited to prepare the
plans for a public building. The plani
were drawn and accepted by the com
mittee, which, however, returned them
to him for certain important altera
tions; and they were laid on the table
In his den, to be attended to when he
returned home in the late afternoon o.
q certain day.
Now, It so happened that Vic, the pug
aforementioned, was of an inquirinl
turn of mind, and she chose this very
afteruoo for an exploring tour in th'
upper part of the house.
When Mr.. Hicks Brown entered hi
den, about five o'clock, be saw at onct
that portions of his plans were missing
and, supposing that his wife had taker
them to show to some visitor, he hur
ried downstairs.
"Where are those plans?" he asked
"What plans, dear?" softly inquired
Mrs. Hicks Brown, sliding her carame
into one cheek, and still keeping on'
eye on particularly thrilling page o
the yellow back novel in her lap.
"What--what plansi Do you mear
to say you didn't take those Calune
building plans from my table2" asked
Mr.. Hicks Brown, in some agitation.
"Oh-h'' sad his spouse, mildly sur
prised. "Wby, it must have beer
those that Vic had"
-Vic-had!'' howled Mr.. Hicks
Brown. "And, pray, where are they
now?"
Don't get excited, dear Wer'
they anything in particular? Vic hat
some old, soiled pieces Of cloth, playing
with them awhile ago; but supposed
they were some you had thrown int
the waste basket, so ! burned-Henry
What are you going to do?"
But Henry did not answer. He strod
over to the cushion whereon the offend
| ing Vic was taking her afternoon 81
esta, gripped her firmly by the nape o
the neck, and, despite his wife's hyteri
cal protests, opened the door and kicke,
the bowling animal into the street
and, not satisfied with this, when Mrs
Hicks-Brown would have rushed +
rescue her pet, he took her by tn
shoulders and forced her into a chair
noting with grim satisfaction as he di
so that couple OF street arabs wer
making off with Vic.
That day Mrs. Hicks-Brown wen
home 10 her mother, and two week
later she was member Of the divorc
colony in western city, seeking free
dom from matrimonial bonds o
the ground of "cruel and inhuman trea'
ment," which she expected the cour'
when her case was presented, to undel
stand as having been applied to her, il
stead Of to Vic.
In the state where Mrs. Hick
Brown sought her divorces " take