Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1899-03-16
A WOMAN'S IDEAL.


der his friends wife ran away with
him. Any woman would have found 1t
impossible to resist him. He was so
unlike Jack. Poor Jack was SO dread.
fully prosaic. He never even quarreled.
He was too phlegmatic for anger.
At least, that was tie way Mrs. Blen.
kins put it to herself. OF course Jack
was fond Of her. She knew that per.
fectly well. But his affection took the
form of placid contentment, a desire
to be amiable, sickenine domestic
bliss.
Fate had clearly treated Sophia Blen.
kins badly in uniting woman OF her
temperament to such man as Jack.
She felt herself utterly thrown away
upon Jack. He was only fit for the
ordinary woman.
Mrs. Blenkins' reverie was so deep
that she did not hear the sound Of the
latchkey. The first intimation she re-
ceived of her husbands presence was
when he stood before her. He was not,
certainly, romantic object. The pock-
cts of his overcoat bulged out unsym-
metrically; from under each arm an
ungainly brown paper parcel protrud-
ed.
II wish you wouldn't make such an
exhibition Of YOURSELF" exclaimed
Sophia, with look of intense disgust;
"it's so dreadfully bourgeois Why
didn't you have the things sent?"
Nobody saw me, I'm sure" said
Jack, putting the parcels triumphantly
down on the. table, "and wanted to
give you surprise"
He took out penknife and cut the
string. The first package contained a
pair of warm sleeping socks; from the
second he produced a beetle trap. II
know you suffer from cold feet" he
said, land l heard the cook complain
of the cockroaches this morning" The
rest of his purchases consisted Of vari-
GUS household requirements; a mouse
trap, set Of backing brushes, some
digestive candy, and so forth.
AS Jack displayed these trifles, one
by one, he looked anxiously at his wife
in the hope of detecting gratif1ed
smile. But SJphia's thoughts had gone
out swiftly to Adolphus de Montmor-
ENJOY, the hero of the novel.
Take them away. How could you
buy such trash!" she cried exasper-
ated. The panied look on Jacks face
nearly drove her mad. His meekness
irritated her beyond endurance. Why
didn't he swear at her? A blow even
would be preferable to silence.
Sophia refused to wear the sleeping
socks. And next day she laughed at
Jack for putting comforter round his
neck. Jack had a bad throat: but to
please his wife he left the wrap at
home, and went out without It, When he
came back In the evening his cold was
much worse. Jack would have COM
mitted suicide to please his wife; and
he did. Day after day he carried that
cold about with him. Sophia thought
it more manly and romantic not to give
way to such trifies. Consequently Jack
caught one chill on top Of another; he
became feverish, even delirious. Then
the doctor was sent for. But 1t was too
late. Jack had severe attack Of in
fammation of the lungs, from which he
never recovered And even at the last
Sophia could not help rejecting that
Adolphus would never have given in to
such a disease. His will power would
have saved him.
Sophia became widow. She wept
over Jack, of course; but behind her
grief there was kind Of exultant feel
ing that the ideal man had become, af-
ter all, possibility.
OF course Sophia met him. The or
binary conventional method Of making
his acquaintance was too commonplace
for her emancipated SOUL 1t was a
case Of love at first sight. Love ripened
into acquaintance. His name was
Eugenio FitzJones. The Jones she
forgave because his mother had been
an Italian.
They were married a year after
Jacks death. For whole fortnight
Sophia lived in the delirious atmos-
phere Of two people who do not know
each other. Then her ideals began to
be realized.
Jack had always been deeply inter-
ested in her thoughts and condolences.
Eugenio would not listen to her at all.
Women's views were of no consequence
whatever in his estimation.
He never brought her in present
when he came home from business.
Jack never failed to have something in
his pocket, at least twice week. But
Eugenio had more important matters
to consider. He had his club, and his
Wagner Society, and his golf, and his
bicycle. Frequently he dined out with
bachelor friends. When Sophia remon-
strated with him he told her to mind
her own business. He even went so
Tar as to strike her. The blow was not
so sweet as Sophia had anticipated, in
spite OF Adolphus.
In years time he had drank him
self to death. The gossips declared 1t
was happy release for Mrs. FtzJones.
But the flowers were always fresh
on Eugenio's grave. And his magnifi-
cent tombstone, which absorbed most
Of the Widows provision, was the envy
OF every mourning neighbor.
When Sophia died year later the
doctor declared 1t was the result of a
broken heart. She passed away with
the name Of Eugenio, on her lips.