The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-01
AMICABLY SETTLED.

absolutely no miStaking, that little Mrs.
Denison was at last reluctantly forced to
the conclusion that her husband had really
got tired of her. His days were given up
to the office, his evenings to the club, he
had ceased to care about his appearance,
and his clothes had become deplorably I'M
tidy. For a week she could think of moth
ing else. At the end of that time she be-
gan to look about for means of consolation.
For woman she took a strangely philo-
sophical view. She knew that she could not
live without love, but instead of sitting
down and deploring her lot she just deter
mined to make the best of things.
There were plenty of men in love with
her already. She was far too pretty and
charming a woman not to have the chance
of numberless admirers, but hitherto she
had always proved entirely inaccessible
Henceforth she made up her mind things
should be different.
Her choice fell on Algie Owen. He was
little more than boy only just down
from Oxford and had long admired her in
silence. A word from her would, she
knew, be sufficient to bring him to her
feet. Within hour from the time she
came to her decision Algie had received a
note asking him to come round to tea the
next day. Within a week he had become
her constant companion, and her hus-
bands Indifference had lost half its.sting.
coming home unexpectedly, had surprised
Algie in the act of pressing kiss on her
lips. His first impulse was to kick the
boy out of the house, his second to leave it
himself. Neither impulse, however, pre-
vailed. He just stood there looking. And
as Mrs. Denison was far too frightened to
speak it was Algie who at last blurted out,
his face rosy red and his lips quivering-
he was really very boyish indeed, despite
his grown up airs:
''Wen, sir, what is to be done?'
''That, sir, - said Mr.. Denison, almost
smiling-the pair before him looked more
like two naughty children than anything
else, "that, sir, lies with you. WHAT
ironically-"is your suggestion"
CT will tell you, - stammered Algie,
''what What Mrs. Denison wants. She
-she''-it was really very daring thing
to say-'she wants to marry me, and she
wants you to go-gO and do something
that will get-get her-her a divorce. 3"
The suggestion was SO cool that for a
moment it quite took Mr.. Denison S breath
away.
''Well, I'm hangedP' he calculated at
last
He was silent for moment, thinking.
CHOW, - he said at last, ego. oh, by the
way" he added as Algie turned toward
the door, "can you come in to dinner this .
day week? We shall be very pleased to see
you"
Algie's blue eyes widened into stare.
But when the question was repeated and
he saw that Denison was in earnest he said
that he would be very pleased. And then
he went out, wondering what extraordi-
nary thing would happen next, and trying
to remember if he had ever heard any re-
ports OF madness in the Denison family,
and Tom DenisOn after ringing for his
wife's maid and telling her to see afteI
her mistress as she wasn't very well,
strobe off to his club to think out a certain
little ssiheme.
That day week, when Mr.. DenisOn
walked into the little drawing room about
20 minutes before the dinner houP-his
usual practice was to get home, if at all,
about ten minutes after it had been an
nounced--Mrs. DenisOn opened her eyes
very wide indeed Instead of the old shah
by tail coat he had donned what was evil
IDENTIFY a brand new dress suit, cut in the
latest fashion. His hair had been freshly
cut and trimmed, the heavy mustache was
curled off his lips, and the yellow rose in
his buttonhole became him to perfection.
He looked at least dozen years younger
He just bent over his wife and gave her
a kiss, and then sat himself down to the
piano, and his fingers straying over the
notes began to sing more to himself ap-
parently than to her. Music always ap.
pealed to her, and she could not help re-
marking in a pause that came between
the verses that it was very pretty song,
and she had no idea he could play SO well.
sit comes from the new opera at the
Futurity,'' he said. 81 haven't got it
quite right, but it went something like
that, I think, as far as can remember"
He had bought the music three days before
and had been trying to get right ever since.
''You are very spruce tonight, " she said,
looking up as he shut down the piano and
took up his stand against the chimney
piece.
'Are you going out anywhereP I'm CO.
ing to supper, and you will have Owen to
entertain you. He is sure to stay late. He
hasn't seen you since yesterday, has he?'
She ignored the sarcasm in the suggeS-
ton, and, still looking up at him, reflected
with an inward sigh that she wished Algie
was half as handsome as this husband of
hers. Then her mind reverted to the sup
per.
''It's to be with some woman, sup
poser she said.
''What?' he queried carelessly.
"Why, this supper"
f'Nothing of the kind" he said, but in
a tone which only confirmed her suspi-
cions.
''Well, where's it going to be anyway"
f'Oh, at a little place in Soho. 1 don't
suppose you We ever heard OF IL
"And you are really going alone?'
Certainly"
She got up from her chair and came over
to where he was standing.
Cant you make it dinner instead of
supper and take me with your she said.
But Mr. Owen2i'
.'Oh, bother Mr.. OwenI He can have
his dinner by himself. l can easily haven't
some excuse
''And besides it's not exactly the sort Of
place woman like you can go to; it's
mott
She flew out of the room and returned
moment afterward III her cloak. "Come
along, quick she said, cor he'll catch
u.s.
"Who?''
''Why, Algier
MIR. Denison smiled. 1t was really very
funny.