The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-05
MS LITTLE JOKE.

II there is anything young Mrs. Wick
i ers detests It is a sham. She will not
even permit mock-turtle soup to be
served In her house. and for the belts
and hatpins profusely jeweled with ar
tihc!al tcms which women wear SO
freely nowadays she has a worthless
contempt
For this reason Mt. Wlckcrs' latest
Joke on her was especially hard to bear.
They went to Europe on their wedding
trip. from which they returned last fall.
and while over there Mrs. Wickcrs
picked up any amount OF brIc-a-b rac
and hang!nRs for her new house. She
reveled In what Mr.. Wickers graphic
ally describes as "old-clothcs shops"
and even the pigeons OF St. Marks could
not charm her away from the curio
stores. In Rome she came upon q gem
OF chair. genuine, antique. mellow
with age and carved with the art Of by
gone days. Even Mr.. Wickers was
forced to admit It's beauty. though he
did It privately. and In public made fun
OF 1t as lumber" But the chair sailed
safely across tho Atlantic and made It's
way to tho Chicago home OF the Wick
crs, where 1t was proudly Installed and
became the object OF envy and heart
burning whenever feminine callers
viewed It. The fact that there was not
another chair like 1t In Chicago was
source OF satisfaction 10 Mrs. Wickers
which can be measured only by another
woman-no man can realize It.
Then. one fatal day, at his warehouse,
Mr.. Wickcrs ran across case OF office
furniture shipped to him from Grand
Rapids, Mich. Everybody who knows
anything knows that Grand Rapids
manufactures more furniture at a
quicker rate of machine speed than 1t
Is possible to imagine, and that all
things. antique, modern and medieval,
look alike to the hustlIng and capable
business men Of that city. Mr.. Wickcrs
distracted a neat and unobtrusivc
Grand Rapids manufacturing label from
new desk, put it In his pocket and
went home to dinner with the bland
complaccncy which radiates from q cat
after canary cntree.
When Mr.. Wickers reached home tho
following day his wife was In the hall
bidding farewell 10 the last Of her at
ternoon's callers, the naughty, socially
powerful and snobbish Mira. Rhine
porker.
THAT lovely Roman chair OF yours!"
sighed Mrs. Rh!neporker for the sew
enteenth time.
Mira. Wickers dimpled in pleasure.
I'm so glad you like it." she said sra-
c!ously.
II don't believe ever thoroughly OK
amined it." Mr.. Wlckers remarked, ju-
dicially. You sald It was rocco, didn't
you, dear?" 10 his wife. He abscntly
turned 1t around, tipped II and turned
It over. How curious!" he broke out In
astonlshment
Mrs. Rhineporker's stern head and his
wlfc's golden one bent in curiosity.
There staring them in the face. from the
underside of the scat, was an indlsputa-
bic. glazing Grand Rapids trademark
Ycs. he called himself brute. cad.
an unfecling wretch, after MrR. Rhine
porker had swept out with triumph,
curving her sarcastic mouth. Any man
would have done AZ much after one
glimpse at Mrs. Wicker's face.
But, as his hcartbrokcn wife sobbed
out from the depths OF the big sofa q
whole dictionary of names would never
set things In the right light with that
horrid Mrs. Rhincporker. Being man.
Mr.. Wickers thinks that la tho small
est part OF the whole troublesome at
fair. 1t has cost him n diamond lorg-
nette chain already.-Chlcago News.