The Portland daily press., 1894-05-31
His TYPEWRITER.

Ingals home to tea, and as they partook
of the delicacies his hostess had prepared
the guest thought, as he had SO often
thought before, what an exceedingly lucky
chap Dick Walker was.
They had been schoolboys together, and
now in the prime of manhood enjoyed
quiet chat and friendly smoke quite as
much as they had enjoyed the more active
pleasures of their younger days.
Tom Ingals thought if anything would
induce him to change his position of well
to do bachelor to that of benedict it would
be woman of Mrs. Walkers style. Mar
rage had not been a failure in this case
certainly, and he saw in his minds eye
another home-something like this, only
the king and queen of the realm were Tom
Ingals and the wife he had yet to discover.
Dick Walker had no idea of the hazy
air castle his friend was building His
courtship was over, his home established,
his wife secure. So his thoughts turned
to business and the probable success of his
plan.
''Have you seen my typewriter, TOMB"
he asked 'sShe's a daisy''
His typewriter! Mrs. Walker was not
woman who showed her emotions easily,
but she wondered that the two men at her
table did not hear her heart beat as the
full meaning of her husbands remark
broke upon her. A typewriter And he
had never mentioned to her his intention
of getting one; she-his wife-the proper
one to whom he should tell his affairs and
with whom his plans should be discussed.
NO." said Tom; "I've not been in the
Office lately"
well, stop around!' responded Mr.
Walker cordially. you'll find me busy,
but I'm rather proud of my typewriter,
and think you'll agree I've made wise
selection. Been to see Rutledge lately?"
Their conversation flowed in another
channel, and though Mrs. Walker lives to
be 90 she will never forget the wretched-
ness of that evening. Why had Dick given
her no hint of this new venture? He had
often told her in their counting days that
she was unreasonably Jealous Was he
still afraid of that unhappy failing crop
ping I'D to make trouble between them?
Yesstrday-nay, today-she would have
staked her life unhesitatingly upon her
husbands loyalty and devotion, but now
"a hard cynical light shone in the brown
ewes, a little suspicious line settled about
her mouth that augured ill for Dick Wal
ker's typewriter.
If he had placed pretty girl in his office
without hint to her, who could tell how
long it would take for him to begin paying
this sDaisy''-how she hated herl-the at
tention other men had given their office
girls9 All the stories she had heard her
husband relate, all the scandals she had
read in the newspapers, came to mind and
she determined her husband s new acauisi-
ton should have something to contend
with before Dick Walker would follow in
the footsteps of those whom she had de-
spised for their weakness.
An angry blush suffused her cheeks, and
it was with great difficulty she carried out
the part of agreeable hostess she had here
tofore found so easy.
AS Dick had addressed the conversation
to Tom particularly, she felt he did not
care to have her opinion She would not
ask him all these queries she was tertur-
ing herself with. No, indeed. If he didn't
wish to introduce the subject, she certain
ly would not, but she was going to see that
typewriter as well as Tom Ingals She
had right to go to her husbands office,
and she should not wait for special invi-
tation.
Long after Dick Walker had slumbered
peacefully his wife in uneasy wakefulness
turned over and over in her mind many
chance expressions of her husbands she
had thought she understood at the time,
but now believed held another meaning,
and this was undoubtedly the reason, too,
of his desiring to reach the office earlier
than usual and returning home later at
night.
Others complained of ''hard times" and
lack of business, but Dick had made a plea
of extra work to account for his unusual
attention, and she had rejoiced over it and
felt proud of his success.
What fool she had beenI Doubtless the
typewriter was some chit of girl, whose
youth and freedom from care would make
her pleasant companion, but the thought
of this girls association constantly with
Dick, knowing more of his work, his plans
than she could-ah, it was hard to bear.
Had he told her that business demanded
this extra help, she felt it would have been
different, but for him to employ the girl
and then let her know it in such an I'M
usual way aroused all her suspicious. The
next day at Mr. Walkers usual lunch
hour his wife entered his office with the