Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-05-04

goose, and dance in and out of my room
and make me worse. You'll go, won't
your
VERY WELL" and mechanically Jack
bent and kissed the upturned face. He
was quite stunned; they hadn't been mar
ried a year and-a whole crowd of
French plays, serious and the reverse,
raced through his brain as he paused.
Dolly! his little Dolly. And, despite
himself, the glaring prophecies his maid
en- sister and only relative had made
when he married REQUIRED to him.
Dolly Ward had been brought up by
an aunt, a woman who even in late mid
die age could whistle off an admirer from
the side of the average girl; a woman
whose smartness was beyond reproach
and reputation was one Of the politest
fctions. Not unnaturally such connec-
tons did not meet with the anDrOyal of
Miss Barrett, who like the lady of the
French novelist, had spent her youth in
praying heaven to deliver her from temp
tation and her middle age in lamenting
that her prayer had been heard
All these things passed through Bar
course of action. At half past ?, with
great fracas, ne mounted his bicycle and
departed. AS he turned the street cor
ner he distinctly saw the blind in his
wife's room raised; she was evidently
watching him.
An hour later, with infinite precautions
and his head on fire. Jack let himself into
his own house. He stole cautiously up
the carpeted stairs to his wifes room, and
then he held his breath and listened.
The merest murmur of voices reached
him. but he felt sure that a mans voice
helped to swell it; the next second he
was in the room, white and quivering
with passion, seeing nothing distinctly
save that man stood there, one head
resting Familiarity on Dolly's golden
head.
Dolly herself sprang up with scream
when she saw him, and the man took a
step back. For a moment they stood
each other. Dolly's hair lay half I'M
coiled upon her neck, and she was
wrapped in a loose, white dressing gown.
Those were the details that struck her
husband as he went toward her and
| caught her wrist.
''Sit down." he said. roughly pushing
low | have to do -
'But, monsieur -
Like a wild beast Jack turned upon the
man, who stood smiling blandly.
You scoundrel," he missed. "You -
Dolly sprang up.
'Jack-Jack- don't be a fool. It's
it's -
Monsieur is under a slight mistake -
broke in the stranger-"a mistake per-
haps. natural, certainly f1attering; but 1
must correct monsieur. Indeed, it is my
meter to correct everything, even nature.
| [ am -"
You are q scoundrel!'' burst out Jack,
| Infatuated, with his arm raised to strike
him.
mot at all. monsieur" continued his
| adversary, withdrawing discreetly from
within reach Of the others muscles: Il
am simply madame's coiffeur. Madame
has been endowed by nature with the red
hair you English call carrots and we'll
| as / say"
sob, Jack, do send him away whis-
| pered Dolly. I always meant to tell you.
| and didn't dare. He's always dyed my
hair since l was quite little, and-and-
oh, how could you think of anything
else
As the suave and smiling foreigner
| bowed himself out, carrying his discreet,
| black bag, Jack Barrett hardly knew
whether he felt angry, amused or relieved
"a little of all three perhaps, for, after
all. disillusion though it may be, there
are worse things in heaven and earth
| than to discover that your wife owes
much of her personal beauty to a hair
| dreSSpr'S black bag-I london World