The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-09-26
HIS WIFE'S CHUM.

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cynical bachelors that marriage is a fail
ure. But yet, with all his devotion, he
was able to appreciate pretty woman.
He kept this appreciation to himself. In
a years time he had learned many valua-
BILE truths of whose existence he had not
even dreamed before. One Of these was
that 1t was far better for married man to
keep some things to himself and to observe
a religious silence on others. One subject
upon which he kept religious silence was
that of praising pretty women in his wife's
hearing. When he had married her, he
thought his wife the most beautiful crea-
ture which the widest dreams of lovers
fancy could conjure up, but after years
constant association with her he had been
forced to acknowledge to himself that
there were others as pretty and at last had
decided that some we're even prettier, but
that none was better or sweeter he never
doubted.
One morning at breakfast as his wife,
clad In o bewitching gown, was pouring
the coffee the smart, white aproned maid
came in with the mail, and amid the pile
of letters was one upon which his wife
seized eagerly and tore open with the un-
conventional aid Of the butter knife.
ooh, Jack" she said joyfully as she
read on with smiling face, "Maude Is
oomingi You remember Maudef''
He did not remember Maude and said so
"Oh, yes, you do," his wife replied
"She was my ohum when you came to see
me before we were married. She used to
plague us by coming in when we wanted
to be alone. Don't you rememberf"
Jack had a dim recollection of O small
girl who used to make herself "too con-
foundedly numerous, as Jack had once
said in q moment Of evaporation, but her
fnna hn rOn1d nt call In Ind Go ha
nodded and asked when she was coming.
"Tonight, she says She docs not men,
tion the train. There arc two you know.
suppose she will take the 1895 from
Boston, where she wants to do some shop
ping. I am SO glad she Is coming. We
can have such fun talking over old times,
and, oh, lots of things."
Every afternoon at $3.50 the train started
back from tho big, smoky, noisy B. and
A. station, and every afternoon at $50
Jack entered the last car with his grip and
his paper. In tho middle Of the week the
train was seldom crowded, and often Jack
found himself entirely alone for most OF
the journey. This happened to be one Of
the days, and Jack stretched himself out
comfortably and began to read the paper.
The main line pulled out In a slow and
dignif1ed manner. Jack saw o fash of
white fly by the window, and the next
moment a charming young woman, with
dark brown hair, laughing brown eyes
and a jaunty blue and white shirt waist
and rod necktie, stood In the door, q
vision Of summer personihed. She was SO
extremely pretty that Jack could not help
looking at her again as she came down the
aisle. She caught his eye q half surprised
expression flashed over her face she paused
uncertainty and then deliberately sat down
directly opposite Jack. She arranged her
blue skirt daintily, looked out Of the win
dow and then at Jack, who found himself
stealing q surreptitious glance at her from
tho edge Of the paper which he was pre-
tending to read The same little comedy
was gone through with again, and this
time she smiled slightly, but encouraging
ly, and Jack smiled back. Nay, do not
frown. What would you have done under
the same circumstances, o stern and NOR
al benedicts of q years standingf
At any rate, Jack smiled, and then with
malice aforethought, as he very well knew,
this pretty girl began to struggle ineffec-
tually to raise tho car window. Now, this
has been the accepted prelude to car flirta-
tions since the invention Of railroads, and
there Is good ground for thinking that it
may be the reason why car windows al
ways stick. As soon as Jack saw her at
tempts he gallantly sprang up and offered
to help her. With charming confusion
she accepted, and after q few vicious tugs
the window came up, and Jack snt down
beside tho charming young woman. He
was SO exhausted he had to.
"0h, thank you SO muoh," said she.
at is SO hard to get these windows up.
As was coming through on the main line
tried SO hard to get one up and no one
offered to help me"
"Have you ever been out this way be-
fore?' he asked.
"Oh, yes. used to live In Boston or
about here''
YES indeed know-er-that Is, IL
do not know any one now. Everybody has
moved away
"Now, what the dickens made her blush
like thats" thought jack as tho young
lady suddenly became intensely interested
in the passing landscape. She turned back
again after time, but evidently had great
difficulty in meeting her companions eyes.
Every reference to Boston or it's vicinity
was discouraged with restrained oonfu-
sion. Jack made some tactful attempts at
getting her name, but every one was foiled
"She's bright girl, /" said Jack to him
self, "but what makes her want to giggle
all tho time?,'
The train approached Alton Centre, and
the young lady made preparations to leave
the train, md while 1t pulled into the sta
tion Jack carried her bag to the door and
wished her goodby. She turned as IL to
speak to him and then ran down the steps.
"She is a mighty pretty girl" unused
Jack as he resumed his seat "But what
wonder II I'd better say anything to
Edith about 1t. No, I won't-no need of
it," And he began to read his paper.
His wife met him at the gate, and her
face wore look Of disappointment.
''Maude Is not coming today, Jack, she
said. "She wrote me she was going to
stop off to see friend and come on to-
morrow on the afternoon train. Isn't ID
mean, after all my preparations toopH
Jack thought is was, and the subject
dropped. In the evening they went over
to the Van Pluys' to play whist, and Edith
and Mr.. Van Pluys beat Jack and Mrs.
Van Pluys, much to Edith's delight and
Jacks chagrin, for If there was one thing on
which Jack prided himself IL was his whist
and his famous combination play of the
king second hand which had never failed
of its object, but did fail signally that
night.
For some unaccountable reason the next
day did not pnss as well for Jack in the
city. Everything seemed to go wrong
His typewriter spoiled two briefs when
they were almost done, and he dropped his
big inkstand and spilled all of the ink on
tho pretty rug which he and Edith had
selected to make the Office look more
cheery. When 1t came time for him to &c
to the station, he was glad and sank with
In his accustomed seat with sigh of re
| lief. Ho remembered tho affair of the day
before and wished that he had told Edith
and compromised with himself by decid
ing to tell her when he reached home Tn,
monotonous rattle of clicking cars jarret
upon him, and he could not read. Wher
the train stopped at West Alton, bis TEN
per had not improved materially, ant
| when he ran m In n fat man with tvvf rrri,,,