Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-26
HIS NIGHT OFF.

NV iii5 Tx una lC olIotlo q oJG l1lSH0
off every week. After awhile Mrs. Harlow
learned that Miss Audrienne de Bellville,
queen of burleaque artists, had sat down
to a late supper at the expense of Mr.. Ed
die Harlow. Wrinkles formed upon the
fair young wife's brow, and now and then
tears trickled down her cheeks.
Finally she olinched her little hands,
went to a mirror, gave her features a few
dabs with a powder puff and became calm.
Now it happened that there lived in the
fashionable apartment house across the
hall from the suit occupied by the Harlows
a young clergyman, who was a bachelor
and handsome, as many unmarried clergy.
men are.
Mrs. Harlow stepped across to his door
and knocked.
~ was afraid" she said, with q percep
tible tremor in her voice as the Rev. Mr..
Bentley opened his door, ''that you might
not be in. I have a request to make of
you. My husband has a night off every
week. Tomorrow evening l shall be left
alone In my apartments. Will you please
come over and visit me a little while?"
The book that the gentleman had been
reading slipped out of his grasp, and his
face became very red.
Don't imagine for a moment" said
the pretty, blushing little woman, "that l
mean to-to"-
Then she got confused and didn't know
what to say next After an awkward
pause the Rev. Mr.. Bentley cleared his
throat and said:
"Perhaps I had better defer my visit
until comm ovapi,n xrb,,, o,,u h,,i,nJ
will be at home"
"No," said Mrs. Harlow, recovering her
self possession, ''that is just what 1 don't
want you to do. l want to teach him a
lesson. l have learned that he is disposed
to forget during his nights off that he is
married. l want to make him remember. "
But, my dear lady," the clergyman
replied, 81 am afraid you are preparing to
get us all mixed up in a scandal that will
be hard to explain to the public. Can't
you think Of some other way to stop your
husbands wrongdoing? Let me talk to
him about it,"
no." she said, "that would only make
him more certain to keep on. know his
nature, and have come to the conclusion
that there is but n way to reform him.
l promise that 1t shall never go beyond
our own doors if you will assist me, and
I shall never cease to be grateful to you"
In the end the reverend gentleman con-
sented to take part in the reformation of
Edward Harlow, and so it came about
that the latter, upon reaching his office
next morning, found the following anony-
nous letter awaiting him:
"Perhaps you know your own business,
but If you are not blind you may, by
Watching your innocent little wife some
Saturday night, see something that will
astonish you. A word to the wise ought
to be sufficient"
Eddie Harlow had no appetite for
lunch that day, and half a dozen times he
was asked by the senior member of the
firm If he Were i'll.
BY a supreme effort he remained calm
when his wife greeted him in the evening,
but he couldn't eat much dinner, and
when Beatrice asked him what was the
matter he replied:
"Oh, nothing much! I'm a little nerv-
GUS, that's all. It's a good thing I'm to
be out this evening. I need d~iversion-ex-
oitement. If / don't get home until a lit
tie later than usual, you won't mind it,
will you, pets"
The young clergyman, who sat near
them, dropped his fork with a loud clat-
ter and looked at Mrs. Harlow in a way
that made her blush beautifully. Her
husband, who had just started to sip his
tea, put down the cup and stared first at
and then at the other, but said moth
Ing.
After he had bestowed rather more care
than usual upon his attire Eddie Harlow
said he guessed he would start early that
evening, as he needed air.
He was careful to get upon a down
town car while his wife was looking out
of the window, but he jumped off after
riding two blocks and then began walk
ing around and skulking away from peo-
pie that he thought might know him.
Every little while he would look at his
watch and mutter things that must not
be printed. 1t seemed as if the time had
never passed so slowly as then, and with
every dragging moment he became more
restless than before.
Az last he slowly wendell his way home
ward.
His wife had pulled down the window
shades, but he could see that there was a
light behind them, and he had to shut his
teeth hard to keep his heart from escaping.
He went through the front entrance
like q thief in the night and up the stairs
with oatlike caution.
When he reached the hall leading to the
occupied by his wife and himself he
hesitated for a moment, and then, turn
ing out the gas, he crept along slowly and
noiselessly until he reached the door.
There he stopped again and listened.
Yes, Beatrice was talking to somebody.
Then there came the sound Of a mans
voice.
Eddie Harlow waited no longer. With
swelling muscles he gave the doorknob
q wrench that almost dislodged the whole
thing and stood like an avenging spirit
facing the guilty pair.
Mr.. Bentley and Mrs. Harlow arose.
They had been looking at some photo
graphs which she had taken during her
wedding trip in Mexico, and the album in
which they were mounted was permitted
to tumble to the floor.
Crouohing down like a beast going after
its prey, Eddie Harlow, with hooked fin
8OAuI ouASAH8 UyOc 0uu 6iloVolAIiS oooun bO'
gan moving upon the church. The clergy
man reiterated around one corner of the
baby grand piano, meanwhile making
mental calculations as to whether he could
lodge under 1t or not II necessary. "You
villain" Missed the wronged husband.
You wolf In sleeps clothingl You de-
stroyer Of homes, I'll tear you into
"Stop, Eddie" said Beatrice Harlow,
in front of him. "You will find
no evidences Of late suppers here. Mr..
kindly consented, after a good
deal Of persuasion, to help me convince
you that your nights of have ceased to
give that rare sense Of freedom and pleas
ure that you got from them at the start.
You evidently got the anonymous letter l
wrote to you. just hold 1t up to the light
and you will see by the water mark that
u is written on a sheet Of your W writ
Ing paper. cleveland Leader.
rvnAH, Pnl N><1v>