The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-05-31
A WOMAN'S IDEAL.

Mrs. Blenkins laid down her move
with deep sigh The hero of the
elopement in the last chapter was such
a splendid romantic figure. No won
der his friends wife ran away with
him. Any woman would have found il
impossible to resist him. He was sc
unlike Jack. Poor Jack was so dread.
fully prosaic. He never even quarreled
He was too phlegmatic for anger.
At least, that was the 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 eontentment. a desire
to be amiable, a sickening domestic
bliss.
Fate had clearly treated Sophia Blen-
kins badly in uniting a woman of hel
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-
when he stood before her lie was not
certainly, a romantic object The peck
cts of his overcoat bulged out unsym-
metrically: from under each arm an
ungainly brown paper parcel protrud-
ed.
Il wish you wouldn't make such an
exhibition of YOURSELF" exclaimed
~ int Il isc ct
cts so dreadfully bourgeois. Why
didn't you have the things seut?"
Nobody saw me, I'm sure" said
Jack, putting the parcels triumphantly
down on the table. and I wanted to
give you surprise.
He took out penknife and cut the
string The first package contained
pair of warm sleeping socks; from the
second he produced a beetle trap. y
know you suffer from cold feet, he
said. "and | heard the cook complain
of the cockroaches this morning" The
rest OF his purchases consisted of yari.
GUS household requirements; mouse
trap. set Of backing brushes. SOME
digestive candy, and SO forth.
by one, he looked anXiously at his wife
in the hope of detecting gratifleG
smile But Sophias thoughts had gone
out swiftly to Adolphus de Montmor-
ency, the hero of the novel;
TAKE them away How could you
buy such trash!" she cried exasper.
ated The panied look on Jacks face
4 has u
irritated her beyond endurance. Why
didn't he swear at her? A blow ever
would be preferable to silence
Sophia refused to wear the sleeping
socks. And next day she laughed al
Jack for putting a comforter round his
neck. Jack had Il bad throat: but te
please his wife he left the wrap al
home, and went out without ii. When he
came back in the evening his cold was
much worse. Jack would have com.
mitted suicide to please his wife; ane
he did. Day after day he carried that
cold about with him. Sophia thought
ii more manly and romantic not to give
way to such tribes. Consequently JACK
caught one chill on top of another. he
the doctor was sent for But it was toe
late. Jack had severe attack of in
fiammation 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 te
such a disease. His will power woule
have saved him.
4
over Jack, of course; but behind heI
grief there was kind of eXultant feel.
ing that the ideal man had become, ar
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 {
case of love at first sight. Love ripenee
into acquaintance. His name was
Eugenlo FitzJones. The Jones sht
forgave because his mother had beer
an Italian.
They were married a year aftel
Jacks death For whole fortnight
Sophia lived in the delirious atmos'
phere of two people who do not know
edCn OlHeF. ueH ueT luedlS DeSdu II
be realized
Jack had always been deeply inter
ested in her thoughts and condolences
Eugenio would not listen 70 her at all
Women's views were OF no consequence
whatever in his estimation.
He never brought her in a presen'
when he came home from business
Jack never failed to have something il
his pocket, at least twice a week Bur
Eugenio had more important matter,
to consider. He had his club, and hi!
Wagner Society, and his golf, and hi:
bicycle. Frequently he dined out Will
bachelor friends. When Sophia remon
strated with him he told her to mint
her own business. He even went 81
far as to strike her The blow was no
so sweet as Sophia had anticipated. II
spite of Adolphus.
In years time he had drank him.
self to death. The gossips declared i.
was happy release for Mrs. FitzJones
But the flowers were always fresl
on Eugenios grave. And his magnii.
cent tombstone, which absorbed mos
of the widows provision, was the envy
OF every mourning neighbor.
When Sophia died year later tn,
doctor declared it was the result of {
broken heart She passed away with
the name of Eugenio on her lips.
Swiss Inns.
In proportion to its size, Switzerland