The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-22
BACCHUS AND Il US.

@ 9-M| s---. E%a AL"4"E
Why don't / marry tho girl. eh2 We'll.
my reason is tho very best in the world. ShI
I wouldn't have II overheard. though. be-
sauss IN not generally known, and ]
would't havs II got about. Hsnven knows
I've suffered enough without being farther
damned by that alliance! Yss-I dom
mind con1dinR tho fact to you. I've a wife
already. Surprised! knsw you would be.
Nobody imasines ii. II they did. I'd hays
to make mp 10 the matrons instead OF the
buds. and that doasn't suit me. You should
think I'd get = divorce. Easier said than
done. old chap. In the fFst place, such a
proceeding would get into the newspapers ..
and make enemies Of those b are nov
my best friends. and in the second place. J
can't. She's 90 straight az = string, and
yes. I may admit it to you-there are timss
whom I love her to the verge of madness.
It's q curious story. Imct her just about
this time two yenrg ago. l remember 1t all
too we'll. You see, I had been drinking u
good deal TINT DIV with some friends from,
Boston-jolly fellows, from whom | couldn't
escape until nearly dinner time. and ]
shouldn't have got of then II It hadn't been
that ! had an Engagement to dino with my
partner and his family up AZ Washington
Heights.
on nv way over 10 tho TWENTY. third
street station of tho elevated ] dropped
into Stern's to buy n rair of gloves. Heaven
only knows why l sbould have gone there,
for never before made suoh =
purchase outside. Q regular gen
t!eman's furnisher's; but ! iossed in that
day with : throng Of women. and pres
satly I foundm myself standing at q counter,
behind which were several girls, al! more
or less plump and pleasing.
One OF them laughed at me. and In doinG
20 showed such jolly dimples and such q
saw only her. Her black dress was cut
temptingly low about the throat, too. and
her neck was go white. firm and gracefully
turned that. old man, I was heels over
bead in love with her on the instsnt.
Instead Of buying one pair OF gloves.
sisted that she should try each and
every one Of them on my hands foE
me. The wine I had drunk loosed my
tongue, and ~ she worked away at the
gloves. and her pretty taper fingers csressed
mine with only the thin kid between. l paid
she accepted a. no more than her due-nnd
ended by inviting her 10 din with me and
go to the theater.
You can imagine. my dear boy. The condi-
tion l was in. really looked upon her o.
the most beautiful and enhancing woman
! had ever seen; and when she accepted my
invitation l was in the seventh no Won OF
delight. l arranged to meet her At tho
corner Of Twsnty-third street and Fifth
avenue in ten minutes. The store was Just
closing. already the shelves and cases were
nearly all spread with the linen covers used
for that purpose. and / wished only sufh-
cient time to stop in the messenger Office
wife. apoloRizing for my absence ON the
ground of sudden illness.
Oh, YES, she met me. We dinsd; We went
TO tho theater; wo supped. The night was
warm. ] remsn Der, and ! suggested a drive
up III ouRh the park and back: she did
still linRers in my mind, though il brought
with it a train OF misery.
Before ! sat her down at her boarding
house. over on West Twenty-seoond street.
had proposed marriage to her, and she
had promised to be my wife. Can you fancy
anything 30 foolish?
Call me anything you like, dear boy-J
deserve 1t! l reniized fully the next mo n
ing what u lunatio / had made Of myself;
and the passion that had held me thralled
the night before. had given way to disgust.
! hated the woman. and / sworo that I
would never see her again. For = week !
didn's go near hsr: had not
III rsfore safe. l thought. / recognized
that an over-indulgance in wine had caused
it all. and l determined to drink little ii
anything in the future.
My determination held good until the
seventh day. when-but why should l 90
and PHI get on to the end.
All! After all. there's nothing like cham
paRno TO make one forgot ones SORROW.
Yes, l met her again., of course. In q little
while l discovered that "a long az l rs-
manned entirely sober ] was NIL right. l
Sdn NADN n ~~, 30 Lr- -k>- i ltA-yA
drink. and the thought of marrying a girl
40 much beneath mo in social station was
horiifyinR TO me. Two or three glasses,
however, were sufficient to elevate her in
my eyes to tho pinnacle of q goddess. and
whom in that condition l would have died
for her.
What surpripes ms now 10 that l didn't
marry her before. Had she suggested a
visit to a parson, l should have gone with
out question. At length, however, l de-
termtned to break away. ! went abroad.
and once on the steamer I was 80 elated
that-yes. you have guessed II. Before wo
re .ohel Liverpool I was crazy to sec her
again, and back l came by the irst boat.
oh. no; / was not married then. Even
when l returned did not marry her. l
was quite m self when ! landed, and for
days l did not 90 near her. Then the APP
petite for wine seized me. and with its graf.
ification came the renewed desire.
hAoAA uhu dRut0 ! bIlSu 70 OEOU uCE Oh
Sirely. l screwed up all my moral courage
1t length. and ! actually wrote her that all
must be over botwesn as. For two months
! was u model Of tcmprrnnoe. ! went west
on a journey, and. rs u total abstainsr,
roved through the Yellowstone Pa k, visited
Alaska. and thought myself GU ed forever.
suppose We have some more wine? am
approaching the end Of my tale.
1t has been ny cursc. and yet I'm fond Of
II. Where vas I? Oh, yes! On my ar
rival in New Yo K l was sew with legal
papers. She had sued me for breach Of
promise. Didn't l hate her then? OF
course l did; l dospised her. l engaged
Howe * Hummel TO defend me. They saw
that a defense was impossible. but they
arranged matters with her, and abe agreed
TO withdraw tho suit il / would make q
settlement uron hs'. was ovs, ioyed.
The case was st down for q cortnin day.
but l was NOT to appear in court, Ihcre
was to DO some excuse for my absence. and
post ronement. and an indefinite post-
pouemsnt. was 10 bs fixed.
Now you see ] was more Of a fool than
ever. Or, was l o fool? Sometimes i
think ] was not so foolish. Ives. nv bow.
the Joy of having it oil over caused me 10
break Though my resolution. drank .
glass of wine for the f,st time in months.
drank 4 second glass. I-yex. 81 xsd
there ! mads-no. IL was NOT an error. II
was what fate willed ! should do / am sure
OF it. l-I-I-wont 80 the court room.
When my nSmow was called / answered.
had NO defense to make. / said: | was quite
willing to marty her; I-yes. by Jove; / was
willing, and / did what in note-fill nv