Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-21
BLYkINS THE HERO.
HE TAKES THE LEADING PART IN A
DOMESTIC DRAMA.

Manages TO Get Things BADLY Mixed,
Cues Mixed, hut In well Satisfied
with Himself.
Mrs. Blykins has a certain streak Of
romance in her disposition, although her
domestic atmosphere is not favorable to
its cultivation. 1t was Saturday evening,
and she had just come home from the
matinee where all is so different from
this workaday world, where all is so
coarse and commonplace. Her husband
sat down Mt the table and, ny usual,
pushed everything away except a cup Of
tea and morsel Of steak. AS he turned
TO his newspaper he heard faint sigh.
He glanced Mt his wife and noted that
her expression was one of patient resig-
nation. He reread the same paragraph n
number OF times without in the least
compromising the sense of it, and then
he crumpled the paper and threw it with
all his might into the coal scuttle. He
folded his arms across his chest and,
dragging his toes walked slowly across
the room. He tripped at the hearth rug
and was Obliged to do it all over again.
He passed his hand over his forehead
and stopped abruptly before his wife
"Naleric, my darling" he said.
ITO whom are you talking?" she asked
rather sharply. You're getting me mix
ed with some one else. My name isn't
Valerie, and you know it,"
Eyes, it is" he answered. ar you
think I'm going to call you Sally any
more, you're wrong Don't you call me
Jerry after this either. From this on
I'm Etienne to you, and don't you lose
sight Of the fact. If it's necessary, I'm
going to get the legislature to ratify this
new deal in names. Valerie, my dar-
ling
She looked at him in silent asonish-
ment
Resale, my darling" he went on TAX
ing her hand, Something has come be-
tween us. a cloud has drifted into our
lives. You have some secret"
81 haven't anything of the kind"
"Yes. you have" he insisted as he
made an attempt to sit on the arm OF her
chair and slid off. He finally succeeded
in getting more or less secure perch and
tried to draw her head over so that it
would rest on his bosom.
GO way" she squcaled. you are
spelling my frizzes"
"Frizzes be blamed" he shouted 81
want to know what it is that has crept
into our lives and is blasting our young
happiness"
Il was going to tell you all about it,"
she exclaimed. There wasn't any need
for you to carry on this way"
Great Scott he shouted. do you
mean to say there is anything serious the
natter"
Il didn't suppose you would go guess
ing around this way and have susp-
cions." she answered chokingly. Il know
] could have made it all up 1t was only
S4.I3 anyhow. 1t was such a beautiful
piece of china! | know | oughtn't to
have gone in debt for it, but could very
easily have saved it ont of the house
keeping money without scrimping the
table bit"
"Who said anything about S4.73?" he
demanded savagely.
You did, Jerry. You know you did
You began talking about shadow com
ing over our lives and terrible secrets un-
til you got my conscience all stirred up.
I'm sure | never thought you'd make
such a fuss about four dollars and
Keep the change. Never mind the 70
cents. Give your arithmetic a holiday,
SALLY mean Valerie-that is, Rosalie-
and listen to me. All, Rosalie. think Of
the days when. we were young! Look in
to your heart md ask If it has changed
so much. If it is better that we should
part, tell me, and | will go. But think
think carefully for the sake OF our sweet,
innocent child"
'Yes; and if you keep on yelling and
wake him up he won't go to sleep again
tonight
II will go out into the world alone and
try to forget"
Il wish you'd stop Juggling at my hand
that way. told you this morning l had
a hang nail"
You will let me come sometimes and
see the child. You will teach him to call
me papa and let me kiss him-for his
mothers sake?'
She began to cry in good earnest as she
said:
That you were going to go stark star
ing crazy over four dollars and
Cut the four seventy-three!" he inter-
rupted vehemently. Don't you try to
impute false motives to me. Don't you
know what I'm doing?"
Not exactly"
I'm trying to make you forget the hui
initiation woman must feel when she
comes home from the matinee and real
ICES that she has been tied up for life to a
plain everyday proposition who wears
pepper and salt clothes and eats 10 cent
lunches and comes home dead tired at
night after hard days seance with that
vulgar thing known as work. | heard
you sigh, and know that was what you
were thinking about"
She couldn't deny it.
There's one thing | want TO tell you
right here and now" he went on Gercey.
Don't you let the idea get into your
head that because have the dyspepsia
and talk short ] don't think a heap of
you. Don't you imagine for an instant
that don't appreciate what you've stood
all these years and that | mint proud to
hustle and pay house rent and buy coal
Cor the sake of such a woman as you are.
I'm willing to do anything can, Sally,
too, that'll please you. I've been study
ing these matinee dramas, and If you like
that sort of thing the fact that it makes
me tired doesn't make the slightest differ.
ence Didn't do purity good for a start
err"
She gazed at him in gentle astonish F
ment/and began to smile family.
That's the way they always talk, you
know-going out into the world, for the
sake of the child, terrible secret and all