The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-08-17
The Mon Of 0 Thousand.
By NJ. Quad.
Copyright. 1900. By c. B. Lewis.


ter" man when you can call him
colonel or Judge" AS James Dale
looked more like judge than colo
nel they called him as / have said
He was mine owner. and when things
went wrong he could make hot times
for his engineers and foremen, but he
didn't do it in vulgar way. He was
always a gentleman even when he
cussed the hardest. AS matter of
fact, the judges motto was good
form," and he carried it out in his
clothes, his cigars, his dinner and the
way he took the news when a fall Of
rock in the Emma mine buried II men
at once. What he said on that occa-
sion was, "Please wipe your feet on the
rug next time.' What he did was to
fill out II checks for $1,000 apiece for
the respective widows.
l have it on good authority that
Judge Dale was not vulgarly startled
when he received word from Denver
that his handsome wife, to whom he
had been married five years and who
was visiting friends, had taken an old
lovers arm and severed conjugal rela-
tons by clipping. Others got the news
about the same time, and they couldn't
find anything to criticise In his con-
duct. He went through the daily rou-
tine just the same for three or four
days, and he had the same placid look
and the same even voice as he called
his head clerk into the private office
and said:
Thomas, am going away for few
days, and you will take charge"
Eyes, sir" replied Thomas, and next
morning the judge was on his way to
Denver. He picked up his clew there
without having elbowed anybody or
soiled the polish of his shoes. He
met friends and talked politics and
real estate and mines, and lighting a
fresh cigar, he took a train for the
east. Arriving in New York city, he
paid a detective to locate the couple,
but he didn't lug out gun and shout
at the top of his voice that he was an
injured husband thirsting for gore. He
simply threw couple of big goldpieces
on the table to pay for the information
and descended to the cafe for lunch. A
steamer was sailing for the Mediterra-
mean at the end of the fourth day, and
when she departed the judge was one
of her passengers. There were more
than hundred others, and as the
weather was also stormy for the first
two OF three days out no one comment
ed on the fact that the passenger who
was registered as Major Davis stuck
close to his cabin and had his meals
brought to him by a steward. Judge
Dale had changed his name, but he had
no Idea Of changing his identity. There
were laughter and conversation and
clatter of dishes as all the passengers
finally gathered for dinner for the first
time since leaving Sandy Hook. To
the right of the captain sat one of the
handsomest ladies and one Of the finest
looking gentlemen on the list, but tax
en- altogether it was grand array of
wealth and culture. Dinner was fairly
under way, and the lady on the cap
tain's right was beaming, when she
table, and her face went as white as
death in a second. Half a dozen peo-
pie caught her words as she whispered
to her supposed husband:
"My God, John, but there is the
judgev'
The man looked, and the color went
out of his cheeks, and his jaw fell.
~, 60 NF fo1N cot In n
who had taken new name. He was
cool and placid, and only the ghost of
a smile lowered around his mouth. He
| looked the woman and the man full In
| the eyes for a minute, but made no
sign of recognition.
"What is itY asked the captain as
Mrs. Bemis' shuddered and gasped
and seemed on the point of fainting.
GA sudden illness-heart troubler
| she stammered as she left the table for
her stateroom, followed by her suppos
| ed husband.
There were wonder and curiosity, but
little was said. "Good form" demands
that such incidents be passed over as
easily as possible. There were those
who thought it might be heart trouble
and others who suspected the presence
| of the "major" had something to do
| with it, but that was no place to com
pare notes. Neither Of the pair was
seen again that evening, though Ma
jor Davis was very much In evidence
until late hour. At breakfast next
morning Mr. Bemis appeared alone.
His wife was better, thank you, was
his reply to inquirers, but thought 1t
best to remain quiet for day or two.
Not once did he let his eyes roam
around the table, but he knew that
Major Davis was there among the
rest. He knew that pair of steel blue
eyes were scanning his troubled face
and that pair of soft white hands
were aching to grip his throat. After
breakfast, as the men sought the smok-
ing room, Mr.. Bemis started to act on
plan which had doubtless been talk
ed over with his wife. He walked
straight up to Major Davis and began
"Judge, don't know what can say
in extenuation, but r.
excuse me, sir" interrupted tbs
other, but you have evidently made
mistake. think the gentleman called
the Judge has passed into the salon."
Mr.. Bemis looked at the major like
man seeing the face of death In
nightmare, and beads Of Precipitation
started out on his forehead
"Your-your wife is better this morn
ing, think l heard you sayy Queriet
the major in courteous tones.
"Y-yesv