Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-02-24
THE GOLDEN WHEEL.

THE GOLDEN WHEEL.
Jack Addison had not been married
more than six months. l had seen moth
ing of him since 1SS7-jubilee y~ear-when
we had taken u degrees in the same
batch. We had been friends at Cam.
bridge, not perhaps very intimate, but
with that kind Of friendship that consists
in playing whist Or poker in each others
rooms and walking together down to the
boathouse most afternoons. Ihad thought
Of Addison perhaps half a dozen times
since / came down from the varsity. Prob
ably my image had crossed his mind about
as often. Nevertheless, though I would
not have walked more than half a mile
for the pleasure of seeing him, it was with
unaffected cordiality that We shook hands
in Piccadilly the other day. Chance meet
ings are always agreeable, and even to
come across ar old enemy is better than
nothing. The pleasantest evening l have
spent for years was after a casual encoun-
ter with old Larking, who used to lick me
regularly every day during my first term at
school.
OF course Jack asked me to dinner. 1t
is the Englishman's custom, when, hay
ing exhausted all the obvious topics of
conversation, he can think of nothing else
to say. l accepted, because just then l
was not sorry to get a dinner for nothing.
Besides, n is always curious to see the
sort of girl who has cared to throw her.
self away upon an old friend.
Jack, it seemed, was now partner in a
firm Of brewers and apparently had plenty
Of money. These brewers have always
rather reused my envy-probably because
I do not know anything about the bust
ness. To the casual observer from the out.
side they all seem to enjoy a sufficient in
come without overworking themselves.
Anyhow, Jack had a very comfortable lit
tie house, nicely furnished, and gave me a
very fair dinner, good without being os-
tentatious. The wine was excellent, and
Mrs. Addison proved to be a charming
woman. She was extremely pretty, with
that Irish combination that l have always
thought SO effeotive-blue eyes and hair
rather darker than common. She was also
a lively talker, without a trace of shyness.
Jack, when at college, was the shyest
man I ever knew, but it is a commonplace
that men Of this sort always contrive to Sc
cure the best wives. I confess she fairly
fascinated me, and we talked together the
greater part of the dinner. When she rose
to leave us, I noticed she wore in her bod
ice a little gold brooch in the form of a
bicycle wheel, with a large diamond for
the hub. As / held the door open for her
to pass out I asked her, laughingly, If she,
too, had fallen a victim to the general
craze.
''It is my talisman," she said, with a
smile at Jack. "You must ask him about
it,"
"Hellor' I said to Jack when she had
gone, and he was putting out the cigars.
"a romance, eh? Out with it, old chap!"
sit was my wedding present to her,"
replied Jack, handing me a Cabana. 'The
reason why I chose it is a long story"
"Armed with a cigar and a cup of coffee
black, please, and one lump-1 can
stand anything" Jack handed me the cup
and began with a preliminary cough.
1T was two years after we came down."
he said, "that I made the acquaintance Of
the lady who Is now my wife. She was
then Miss Irefusis, and lived with her
father, old General Trefusis-poor fellow,
he died before we were married-in a re-
tired village in Deyonshire. The general
was a good old chap, and l won his heart
by allowing him to beat me at golf. The
fact Is, I had gone down to Devonshire SO
as to be near Westward Ho! You remem-
Der I vas one Of the few men who were
enthusiastic golfers before 1t became the
rage?"
"You got your blue for 1t, I remember"
"Well-if you call that getting a blue.
Anyhow, Westward Ho has always been
n of my favorite links, and there it was
that I first met the old general. l can re-
member as well as anything the first time
I saw him. He had driven off from the
seventh tee and lost his ball in the rushes.
I was just behind him playing a round
myself and az he had gone we'll off the line
and seemed to have no chance Of getting
on to 1t again I thought I might as we'll
play on. Unfortunately, as frequently
happens In such cases, I pnlled my drive
badly and landed in . dump Of PUSHES
just in front Of his Aosa. never remem-
" AAOAO VAVAOAV 40A14 u0AO III any
life. However, l apologized p~rofusely, and
by a curious coincidence We found the two
balls lying close together in the same
clump. That paciled him, and as he wa
also playing alone we finished the round
together.
"That was the beginning Of quite an in
innate friendship. We got to playing to-
gether frequently, and at last he asked ME
over to dine at his place. / had brought
my bicycle with melt was one of the
good old sort, with a 66 inch wheel, you
know-and I rode over In the afternoon,
carrying my dress clothes in a bag. l
saw Dolly that evening for the first time,
and I need not tell you that I lost no OPP
portunity Of seeing her again. Soon it be-
came quite the regular thing for me to
ride over In the morning for luncheon
Ii was about five miles of-and drive
back with the general for a game in the
afternoon. Then we would return to din
ner, and l would ride back on my ma
chine after q cheroot and q game Of bill