Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-10-28
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
"Come to this corner, Trixy, and let
us have quiet talk before the men ar
rive from the dining room. hope your
husband is duly grateful to me for al
lowing him off this social ordeal. Ex-
cept perhaps John I don't think there
is person here fit to discuss things
with him.
"Oh, Mr.. Marsden does not care one
straw whether they know his subjects
or not SO long as people will listen to
him, and I'm sure he was quite eager
to come, but I wanted Godfrey to have
a little pleasure. I'm SO sorry for poor
Godfrey" And BIrs. Marsden settled
herself down to condolences "You know
he lost all his money two years ago
through no fault of his own. It was
simply the stupidity of his partner, who
was quite common man and could not
carry out Godfrey's plans.
"My husband might have helped the
firm through It's difficulty, but he
was quite obstinate and very unkind
also He spoke as if Godfrey had been
careless and lazy, when the poor fellow
really injured his health and had to go
to Brighton for two months to recruit I"
eyes. I remember, put in Mrs. Les
lie. "We happened to be at the Metro
pole one week end, and Godfrey looked
utterly jaded.
"You have no idea how much he suf-
fered, Florrie, and how beautifully he
bore the trial. Why, had it not been for
me he would not have had money to
pay his hotel bill, and that was dread
full change for man like him. He has
always been very proud and much pet.
ted by people.
"The poor fellow has never been able
to find a suitable post since, although
he spends days in the city among his
old friends, and can see how it is tell
ing on him. And-Florrie, wouldn't
mention it to any one except an old
friend-Mr. Marsden has not made our
house pleasant to poor Godfrey"
"You don t mean to say that here
fleets on his misfortunes. -
| Doesn't he2 It's simply disgusting
what he will say at times. Only yester-
day morning-this is absolutely be-
tween you and me; one must have some
confidant-G Godfrey made some remark
in fun about the cut Of Toms coat. He
will not go, you know, do what I like,
to proper tailor. -
| Godfrey is certainly much better
dressed, said Mrs. Leslie, ethan either
Of our husbands
perhaps it was that made Tom an
cry, but at any rate he said quite
shortly, i can't afford to dress BETTER
and Of course Godfrey knew what he
meant. It was cruel in the circum-
stances, for many men spend far more
on their clothes than Godfrey. He SIM
ply gives his mind to the matter and
takes care of his things He will spend
any time selecting color or getting
coat fitted"
'Is your brother quite-dependent on
his friends, Trixy?"
eyes, in the meantime, and that is
the reason why we ought to be the
more considerable. wished to settle
half my income on him, but it is only
a third of what it used to be-some.
thing to do with investments has re-
duced it-and Mr.. Marsden would not
hear of such thing. He allows God
frey e10O a year, but that hardly keeps
him in clothes and pocket money"
"Still, don't you think it's all God
frey could expect?" And Mrs. Leslie was
inclined for once to defend this abused
man. "Few husbands would do as much
for brother-in-la law"
ooh, of course he does it for my
sake, and he means to be kind. But,
Florrie, Mr. Marsden is SO careful and
saving, always speaking as if we were
poor and had to lay up for the future,
while I know he has large income
and sure business"
ssWhy, he would not leave that hor-
rid street in Highbury, say what I
could, and I owe it to Godfrey that we
have come to Putney. When Tom went
out to Alexandria, my brother simply
took our present house and had it fur
nished in Mr.. Marsden's name, and SO
when he came home from Alexandria
we. were established il. the cottage"
John is the best OF husbands, but !
dare not have changed our house in his
absence" And Mrs. Leslie began to get
new views on the situation. "Was Mr..
Marsden not rather startled?"
"He was inclined to be angry with
Godfrey, but sent the boy off to Scar
borough for q month, and he is never
hasty to me, only tiresome--you can't
imagine how tiresome.'
Is it the statistics?"
"Worse than that. He has begun the
Reformation now and insists on reading
from some stuffy old book every even
ing, Dumas history, think, till ]
4 wish there never had been such thing
and we were all Roman Catholics -
every likely he would have read
about the popes, then, or the saints
My dear girl, you don't wish to have
| your mind improved. You ought to be
4 proud of your husband. Most men sleep
after dinner with an evening paper in
-.eir hands and are quite cross if
ey're Weakened. But there they come,
we must have Godfrey's last song. I"