Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-16
CAUSE FOR REFORM.
Experience of q Clubman Who Lied
to His Wife.

Experience of q Clubman Who Lied
to His Wife.
TN never try to fool my wife by telling
her that have been sitting up with a sick
friend, when I want to stay out late at
| night again. said a gentleman from the
metropolis at one of the uptown hotels, to
a Star reporter recently.
Il got cured of that, most effectually,"
| he continued, land it all came out in such
natural manner that 1 look back at 1t
and think it is a sort of dispensation of
Providence to keep me home at night. I
ought to have been ashamed Of myself for
doing such thing, as we had not been
! married very long. AS matter of fact,
however, 1 had been something of a
rounder before my marriage. l was intro
Guced one night into a social club on the
west side. No matter what the name of 1t
was, you can call it the Bachelors Club,
for nobody but that unfortunate class
should have belonged to it. 1 am some
thing of a sleight-of-hand performer and
made myself SO agreeable that night that 1
was given a ticket of membership for
thirty days.
Rather late We got into a game of
poker which 1 found SO fascinating 1
stayed In ii until the early morning hours.
l framed number of excuses when l got
home to give my wife for being out SO
late. Some of them we're very plausible.
When l saw her, however, 1 got slightly
ratified and sprung the same old chestnut
on her Of Sitting up with a sick friend
l had heard. by the way, that this friend
whom I mentioned, and whom my wife
knew, whose name was or was not Mr..
Sportfboy, was really sick.
The next night, in spite Of the opposition
of my conscience, 1 drifted around to the
club again. and almost unconsciously sat
down TO little round table with four
others and again succumbed to the ap-
propriately named draw poker. The thing
Tod for irht 4lls
my wife when 1 went home that poor Mr..
Sportiboy was very sick indeed. She
seemed to believe me, although felt like
sheep-killing dog.
after about a week Of this had passed
at the breakfast table one morning, my
Wife. who was reading paper. gave a sud-
den exclamation, dropped the paper, pushed
the chair back from the table and looked
at me with an expression of horror on her
countenance.
'Wh-a-hat's the matter. darling asked,
In conformation, are you i'll? Her face
vas pale, and I noticed that she seemed to
De much agitated. She rose and started
out the door. Not knowing what was the
matter rose and followed her. She turned
on me tragically. saying: Don't come near
me; don't touch ne! To think that YOU
have been visiting that sick man who had
the scarlet fever and then could have The
audaclty to come home and associate with
me- am surprised that you thought more
of him than you do of your wife or your
self, by exposing both of us to such horri-
bly, malignant disease And she swept out
Of the room.
Here I was in pickle. I hardly knew
what to make of 1t. 1 finally got hold of
the paper she was reading, having some
suspicion of what was the matter, and
looked in the death notices. Among them
l read with raising hair that Mr.. Willie b.
Sportiboy had died the day before of scarlet
fever. To say that felt shocked was put
ting 1t mildly. 1 was shocked at his death,
and also at the manner in which I had
been exposed, literally speaking, as far as
my truthfulness was concerned, and the
oretically to the scarlet fever.
when l went to find my wife I dis
covered a hastily written note, in which she
said she had gone home.
Il knew it was no use to follow her, re-
membering her terrible fear Of all such
diseases as scarlet fever, and 1 knew IL
wrote her she would not open the letter
owing to the same fear of eontagion.
thought awhile. and finally did the only
thing 1 knew would bring her back.
visited lady who knew us both well,
made a clean breast Of the matter and
sent her to my wife's home, as an inter-
mediary.
Il fixed the matter up all right finally.
She had been teasing me to bring her a
certain piece Of jewelry, to which she had
taken a fancy. 1t took all of my poker
winnings and more to pay for 1t, but
was satisfied.
That was the last time ever lied to nv
wife. / tell you, honesty Is not only the
best policy, but the best policeman where
your better-half Is concerned. If 1 have
occasion to stay out late, now I come up
like man and tell why 1t happened"