The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-10
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hercneVal, VINO prided herself on her
consistency. held her peace
TWAS nothing that the meerschaum
was inanimate, that Its jettyi bowl bore
no semblanoe of female face or figure
or that Glen had bought 1t himself
with his own pocket-money: the fact
remained that Mrs. Kercheval had q
feeling about 1t, underlined and unad-
mitted, but still a feeling. 1t was SO
absurd to see the care the man took OF
the horrid thing. the way he polished
and caressed 1t and the pride with
which he regarded It whenever he took
It from his llps.li And then his affection
for It had existed long before he ever
knew her-ages before. 1t had shared
his vigils, II heihad ever kept any, had
soothed his melancholy moments, and
had even. by the vaporous medium OF
Its filling, crept into his brain and In
spired his thought. He said that he
thought better when the thing was In
his mouth. anyway. And then It SMELL
cd so abominably. And one time when
she had stolen quietly behind him and
thrown her arms round his neck he ut
tered an exclamation of horror and dis
may because she had knocked the
wretched pipe out of his mouth. 1t fell
on the rug and did not break. She wish
ed that 1t had, and then repented OF
the wish In sackcloth and ashes.
Through 1t all 1t might have been
supposed. that she had not,the slightest
luminosity against the pipe. Once she
did say that she believed he cared more
for It than he did for her. but 1t was in
playful way and when he offered 10
give up smoking to please her, little
supposing that It was the pipe that she
did not like, she declined to accept the
sacrifice SO earnestly that she almost
deceived herself.
1t was not very long after that that
Mrs. Kercheval was talking over the
vice Of smoking with woman friend.
who informed her that she cleaned her
husbands pipes by boiling them In am
monia and water. The woman said
that this rendered them sweet and
clean. but she did not say what her
husband thought Of the process or
whether he had stopped smoking pipes.
AT all events. Mrs. Kercheval though.
1t would be noble and worthy thing
to treat Clems pipe to bath. True, It
might increase his love for It. but she
determined to repress the Jealousy that
she was beginning to acknowledge to
herself. She had a prolonged mental
struEgIe Hr n week over the matter and
then SIT asroically put the pipe In an
old saucepan and boiled It.
Kercheval came home and found her
In tears and was as alarmed as may
be imagined.
You will never forgive me-" she sob
bed, never In the world. know you
won't. But, o. Glenn! I didn't mean to
do 1t. didn't have any Idea. Please
say that you will forgive NE"
kercheval Gained himself with q
strong effort and inquired the cause Of
his wife's agitation. whereupon she pro-
duced the CHASTITY white, twisted. warp
ed and swollen remains Of the old
friend.
What is III" asked Kercheval, turn
ing 1t over curiously. at looks some-
thing like pipe"
That's what it u.s." moaned Mrs.
Kercheval. IT'S your meerschaum.
Oh! can't begin to tell you how sorry
am about it. b-but tried to clean 1t
Il thought that it!would please you
by boiling It in ammonia and water,
but didn't have any ammonia in the
house and | used I've instead. Oh! don't
look at me like that, Clem!"
1t goes to show the influence wo-
man can exercise over man. Kerche-
val actually laughed.