Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-08-03
AN M. P.'s INFATUATIoN.
A DOMESTIC DIFFERENCE.

NchbuIG
An NJ. p, with safe seat and de-
cided abilities, young, good-looliing,
well connected, but having only a
limited income, he was just the man
who should have married money, and
this is exactly what he had not done.
He met his wife in Paris during holi-
day trip. She was pretty, viva
.cious Irish woman, lady-like and at
tractive, but she had no fortune, and
was of no particular family. The M.
P.'s friends shoolt their heads over the
match, and all felt convinced that be-
fore long he would find out what q
mistake be had made.
There could be no doubt that under
the circumstances his marriage was an
imprudcnt one. With his eight hun:
drei pounds Year Percival had
subsistcd comfortably enough as a
bachelor, but as married M. p he
found that his income went simply no
way at all. To cut himself off from So
ciety and to live with his wife in econom-
ical seclusion was, of course, out of the
question. 1t would have made him un
popular with his constituents, as we'll
as with certain influential friends in
town, to whose good Offices he looked
for securing some post in the govern
ment when his party came back to
power. And as he had no profession,
but had launched hiptself for good or
Ill upon parliamentary career, it
would have been madness in him to
prejudice his cha noes OF political pre-
ferment.
The natural consequence followed.
Percival got iuto debt. He consoled
himself first of all for outrunning the
constable by the consideration that his
party must soon return to power. aud
then he should lie able to recoup his
present expenditure. But the radicals
remained lin" session after session;
the loolked-for general election came
no nearer, and Percival began to feel
very lugubrious indeed. He already
owed nearly one thousand pounds
a crushing liability to man with
small income and no capital; in
deedsahe did not attempt to- disguise
from himself that unless some thing
very unexpected turned up he must
soon he hopelcssly insolvent. His wife
had long been urging immediate and
rigid retrenchment, but each time she
mentioned it Percival shook his head.
The house was in committee on
bill which was being fought tooth and
nail by the opposition, and urgent
whips had been issued to the members
of both parties to be as frequently as
possible in their places. But there
were many dreary intervals of debate,
when no big division was imminent,
and during those intervals Percival did
not always remain in the precincts OF
the house.
He might no doubt have spent them
al home or in cscorting his wife to one
or other of the numerous social func-
tions which, for his sake, she so re-
ligiously attended. But in his worried
state of mind the dullncss OF domes-
tic evening, or the yet deadlier bore
dom of n political Conversations, was
uninviting. lie preferred TO forget his
troubles in more enlivening scenes.
Within mile of the Palace of West
minister there is, as all the world
knows, famous theater of varieties.
1t is under unexceptionablc manage
ment; it puts forward the strongest
and most enterprising programme of
the kind in London. One evening dur
ing particularly drowsy debate fell
low NJ. P. had suggested to Percival
that they should run across to the X.
and see the Rainbow danseuse. Perci-
val had complied. After that night
he went to see her pretty regularly.
Just before the dance the stage was
harliened; behind loomcd a background
of murky clouds, gloomy as the sky
before an impending thunderstorm;
then a brilliant blaze Of sunlight burst
upon the shadowed scene, and whirl-
ing wildly in its dazzling rays ap-
pearcd the famous Rainbow danseuse.
What a sight that was! How dextcr-
ously she managed her mass of gor-
geous draperies, which foated all about
her, and swirled and spun like re-
volving wheel. At times nothing but
the flashing hues of these robes was
visible; ut other times q lovely face,
crowned with golden yellow locks,
stood out among them, radiant, spirit
ual, supcrb-an1 then, while this en-
trancing apparition smiled and the
audience clapped and shouted, rum
blings of thunder rolled upon the air;
clouds overcast the sunlight; and,
amid their gathering gloom, the Rain
bow goddess faded slowly from the
scene.
If it had ended with his merely ad-
miring this ravishing beauty from a
distance, all might have been we'll.
But such infatuation as Perciva's was
not satisfied to confne itself within
those modest limits. strong desire
came over him to mako her personal
acquaintance. He ought, of course, to
have withstood it. 1t should have been
perfectly oil vious to him that, in Civ
ing way to his desire, he was volun-
tarily thrusring himself into the path
OF danger
But he gave way, nevertheless. Hc
went farther. He actually addressed
one or two letters to the young lady.
To his great chagrin she sent him nc
reply. AT last, in desperation, he pro.
cured an introduction to the manager