Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-04-19
Prettv Mrs Ben0lS.

PrettV Mrs BemiS.
Say, fellows, now that we are on
the subject OF college "reminiscences, |
have mind to add one of mine which.
I have always been a good deal
ashamed Of But as this is sort Of
confessional, | don't mind telling it,
on condition that my name, at least,
will not be mentioned if it is repeated.
1t has a moral for the thoughtiess and
the censorious as you shall see
Thus spoke Harry Crompton, as he
and two of his old college chums, Rob
ert Ware and James Greene, sat
smoking in his particular sanctum
some 10 years after they had finished
their college course.
''You remember those pretty little
brick houses on the left of the college
which we had to pass ON our way to
and from lectures? Well, there were
four of us, as you know, in the large
white house just beyond the cottages
Edward Hare, Tubly Brown, Harry
Frost and myself-and great times we
used to have altogether. But what
conceited lot OF idiots we We're, to be
sure.
THE first, or corner house of the
row had been vacant q long time and
we somehow took an interest in it,
specializing as to what the next tenant
would be like, and whether there
would be any girls il the family.
One day we saw indications that some
| body was to live there, for several
drays and wagon loads of furniture
were opposite it. A few evenings later
we saw a girl with about as pretty
face and figure as you could imagine,
watering some flowers in the little
front window garden. We held our
breathS, almost, she was so exceed
| ingly pretty, and our united gaze
caused her to blush and draw behind
the curtain from out of range of our
too apparent admiration.
"The house now possessed real
charm for all of us, but alas! it was
the caFSe of Il great change in our be
hayior towards one another. The
chums that were were chums no
longer. Each one would make some
now the object Of our admiration was
generally engaged in some kind of
needlewOrk which women seem ever
lastingly doing and are never done
with. Our evenings were no longer
spent together over a comfortable pipe
and game of whist. [ think we used
to go sneal1ing round the house to try
to get a look at her shadow on the
blind. At least, I'll be candid enough
to say [ did.
'Things became more and more
strained until one evening, by the
merest chance, we happened to be all
together in the smoking room. We
pulled away in grim silence for awhile,
when suddenly Tubly Brown-you re-
member Tubly, don't you, JIM
reat, but good-natured chap: always
first to make up to a fellow even when
you knew he was in the right of
quarrel-well, Tubly burst out laughing
| and slapped me on the back with his
/ pOnderous hand. I asked him surily
! what the matter was, and for an an
swer he only chuckled the more and
finally blurted out:
Look here, you fellows, what's the
good of our falling out about a chit of
a girl with whom none of us is even
acquainted? Dash it ALL We've been
/ chums for three years, and I'm ready
/ to give up any little advantage I have
! in that quarter for the sake of auld
lang syne"
''This al1usion 10 his advantage
father nettled the remainder of us, of
course None of us could see it, and
Hare said he thought he had more of
a pull than any one. One thing led
to another, until we began telling how
many smiles and mods had been cast
in our direction, each man trying to
outdo the other in exaggeration. Fin
ally said:
"'Well it is plain that since she is
equally charming to us all, she must
be an outrageous little fiirt. What
shall we do, boys, to pay her off for
fooling us?''
"'Oh. by the way broke in Frost.
I heard for the first time today that
she is married.
"a chorus Of Obs and Nos greeted
this piece of information, and particu-
lars were asked for and given. 1t
turned out that her husband was a
bookkeeper in a wholesale house down
, town: he went to his Office early and
did not return until late at night, so
that we never saw him.
"'Worse and more Of it, said TubIy
She deserves good lesson
Each of us knew in our hearts that
our yarns about her smiles and mods
were lies, but each thought she might
have encouraged the other, and jealous
madness seemed to seize US, with it's
usual desire for revenge There and
then we concocted a scheme to
humiliate that pretty, innocent little
woman.
1--WE all met the next day, which was
Sunday, and watched the house from
short distance After while we saw
Mrs. Bemis, as we discovered her
name to be, and her husband come out