The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-30
HOW eArwELL DECEIVED WIFE.

TlOW 0Af W Ell IES ElS EO WIT :.
Mrs. W. Guernsey Batweu left for Bar
Harbor with many misgivings- Florence,
: years old went with her. She had two
truEksful of stunning apparel. enough
money to splurge for at least two months
and she was so tired OF the continuous
performance Of housekeeping in her
Hyde Park fat that she seemed emf
nentiy equipped for an ideal existence az
the fashionab bic seaside resort But she
wasn't. She had misgivings. mountain
Of them, ard when Billy, her husband.
finally persuaded her TO start and rush
ed her and their daughter OF 10 the
train she thought she saw a CLEAN Of
demoniacal joy in his eye. and she was
Wretched without even the satisfaction of
knowing exactly why
Billy had been too anxious TO get rid
or her, and he showed il. For two years
she had begged him TO give her a sea
son at the seashore. and he mad never
felt financially able till this summer.
IN May he achieved a famous coup on
me Board of Trade, and from that day
showed an almost offensive enthusiasm
about sending her on a fashionable va
cation. He was a youngish' man of
80, with quite a streak of boyish devil
ment" yet in him She knew he was
handsome and that other women knew it
as well, and she tacitly resented his evil
dent delight over the plan to get rid"
Of her and their daughter fer two
months. She wasn't jealous. Not a biz,
Billy had never given her cause for
that, but he had been so insistent about
getting her started and SO atrocious-
" glad wher she agrees that she would
have refused to go at al If she could
have found q single reasonable excuse.
She put an anchor 10 windward before
going by asking Mrs. Howard, her next
door neighbor, to have an eye on the
fat The edmonton was quite unnee-
essary, for Mrs. Howard was all eyes
and ears when it came to keeping posted
about her neighbours affairs. But Mrs
Batwelis request to have an eye seem
ed 10 carry an unspoken wish for Occs-
siOnal reports about the deserted Bat
we'll home, and the impressionable Mrs.
Howard made a mental resolution 10 keep
tab on Billy and bulletin his wife every
time he did anything out of the routine
Women are so tactful and sympathetic
that way!
So Mrs. Billy went away with gloomy
forebodings. and Billy. the brute. HE'D
himself to a blind pig and, in the ex-
uberance Of his joy, bought two rounds
for every man present.
Mrs. Batwell who was quite q hand
some young matrOn. COntrfved to make
something of a hit at Bar Harbor, and
after a week Of mingled uueasiness and
pleasure she was beginning to forget her
misgivings and learning to make the
most Of her new surroundings. Billy
wrote every day. Not since the days Of
their cOurtship had his letters been so
romantic, so ardent. so soulful. They
were actually love letters, and the read
ing of them awoke again in her heart
the girlish emotions that had slumbered
beneath these later prosaic years. She
mad begun TO respond in kind, when she
got her first letter from Mrs. Howard
1t ended with this postscript:
BY the way, dearie. don't forget to
tell me who is this Hemingway woman
who is at your house now nearly every
day and often in the evening. Her
daughter is beautiful. 1 think. but the
mother strikes me as a bit bizarre
think the name is Hemingway or some
thing like that. Who are they?"
Mrs Batwen nearly tainted when she
read that postscript. Grief, despair. rage
humiliation shook her by turns First
she resolved to return to Chicago at
once. Then she vowed she would never
look upon her husbands face again She
held her little daughter in her arms for
hours sobbing.
No wonder he was anxious to get rid
of her and her darling child Enter
tanning loud" widow and her 'beauti-
full daughter" day and night in her home.
~.
much less met such person. She began
a dozen letters 10 Billy and tore them
all up. She would wait and see how
long this hateful duplicity would con-
tinue. She was almost hysterical the
next day when his letter, more loving.
more romantic and more rhetorical than
ever, was read.
by this Hemingway harry" she sneered
10 herself
Then she wrote a guarded letter to
Mrs. Howard, saying that she had only
a slight acquaintance" with the Hem
ingway, thanking her for her letter and
adroitly urging her to keep a close
watch on her husbands guests. '.as
some Of them take advantage of his good
nature and are apt to get too gay"
Mrs. Towards next two letters fol-
lowed each other with ominoUs speed
The first intimated that the Hemingwavs
had almost taken possession of the fiat,
that they were there all day during Mrs
Batwells absence, and that at night
when he came home they remained in
the parlor laughing and chatting, playing
the piano and guitar till nearly bed time
The second letter brought the fateful
news that the Hemingways were fully
installed, that Billy seemed TO have gone
ito board elsewhere" but that he was
a constant visitor next door"
"Of course, 1 suppose you know all Of
these things" concluded the letter. but
as you never Intentional that you intend
ed 10 give up your fat I thought I'd
write YOU about 1t. I hope everything
IS all right. have picked up a nod
ding acquaintance with Mrs. II. and her
daughter, but they don't seem anxious to
know me. It's mutual I think they're
vulgar"
Mrs. Batwen did leave on the next
train after that letter. She showed up
at her fat in Chicago with fire in her
handsome woman Of about IS opened the
door
Are you Mrs. Hemingway" Kissed the
wife.
Yes, ma'am." said the harpy very 20
litely
We'll" almost shrieked the wrathy
Mrs. Batwell. Where IS my husbaud2'
II don't know, ma'am. I-really I'm
afraid you're ill., Your husband?
Madam. ] never saw you before; there's
some mistake"
do YOU mean to ten ne you don't
know Mr.. William Guernsey Batwell?
You shameless
oh. goodness. what a start you gava
me- said the blonde woman. sinking
into a chair. "At first 7 thought you
were insane You're Mrs. BatweH.
aren't you? Tn glad 20 meet you. but
your husband VIII be creadfgily disap-
pointed. He
Disappointed
Yes. Indeed I ought 70 keep the So
cret. but it's too late now. YOU see he's
fixing up = new home Tor vou on the
boulevard. and he hoped 70 surprise yoU.
aEv daughter ard i just bought out an
your ola furniture except the pictures
ana a few heitIcoms. and-whv. we've
beer basy Tor two weeks heirinz him 10
pack away all your personal things 10
took the last q -hsm away Test@r1ay.
ICES bfvirg ali mex thiEgs for your new
eaen h-rf Z r.r.1ar.