The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-02
An Hour Too Late.
TFrom the Free Lancet

some OH WHO WASH a man OF Scteucc
but a Woman of the World. which is
quite another thing. She had talked in
the rapid, bewildering way that her
kind affects. At first the Man of Sci<
ence hadn't attended much, being deep
at the time in the N entail speculation
as to the effects of certain bacilli on q
given ground in a given temperature.
But eventually he did listen, because it
was borne upon him that this creature,
who didn't know the difference between
Schizomycetes and Schizophyta, was
actually presuming to lecture him!
Look here, doctor, it's all very well.
You may know all that's worth know
ing about hearts and brains and all that
sort of thing, but SO far as human ma
ture goes you're a fool. There's that
pretty little wife of yours, for instance,
eating out her heart and straining her
sensitive brain for bit of human COM
panionship, a scrap of human love,
while you go about looking at your
fellow nen-yes, at her, too, I dare say
merely as probable subjects for your
nasty experiments
Those were her actual words. and
before the doctor had sufficiently re-
covered from his indignation to speak
she had whisked away, with flushed
face, a painting chest and an irritating
''frOu-frou" of silken skirts Yes, but
her last remark-the remark thrown at
him over her shoulder as she disappear
ed:
You deserve to lose her. and hope
you will.
The Man of Science gazed after her
lose her, and l hope you will" The
hands and unclenched them again.
| What did she mean? Lose her, indeed!
Rosie was in perfect health Why, he
had registered her pulse only yesterday
| to use it as an example in the book
| he was writing aid to compare it with
| other and less steady pulses. Did she
mean to inSinuate that he wasn't at
! tentive enough? Rosie had never COM
| complain when they were miserable.
| He made an effort to throw off the
! vague alarm which possessed him and
| to go back comfortably to the bacilll.
But he couldn't, for, once in a. way
| they got on his nerves.
To calm himself he stopped a boy
and bought a copy of daily paper.
hoping to find in it the finish of a
| to read it as he walked. Generally he
read better so than at other times, but
now he found himself staring at the
| date on the first page over and over
thing in his mind that he associated
| with June the 10th. Was it on that day
! that he had made his famous dis
eovery? No. of course not! 1t was the
| day on which he had married Rosie
! Rosie all pink and white and trusting
| Rosie fresh from her country home
| Rosie as frolicsome and beguiling as a
| young kitten For the first few months
it was almost delightful to have his
| precious books thrown across the room
| into far corner, and to find Rosie
perching on his knee instead. But at
| terward-well perhaps afterward he
fAI
was very absorbing Had there been
room for fame and Rosie in his life of
| late?
A sudden tenderness overwhelmed him.
Little things that he had forgotten surg
ed into his memory. He saw himself
| sick, we'll nigh unto death, and he saw
the strained. anxious look in Rosie
child-eyes. He remembered that, in
| spite OF the best nurses to be procured
for money, she. herself had never left
| him day or night He recalled. with a
! pang, their early married life-how she
would sit up with him in his study-not
the luxurious sanctum it was now. but
tiny, shabby room-till the gray dawn
| crept through the blinds, and made her
look gray too, while he worked on, I'M
| needing time or eompanionship.
The better the day. the better the
| and Rosie's. Let science take care OF
itself for awhile. The woman was right
| now, at once, he would make amends to
Rosie.
His usually brisk footsteps had
brought him to the corner of Bond
| street, opposite big shop where gems
of all kinds dazzled the gaze. He hest
| tated, Strengthened his round shoulders
and pushed open the glass door.
/ "A diamond bracelet, please; the bes:
| you have"
| In ten minutes more the Scientific
| Man had completed his unscientific pur-
| chase, and was tramping out of the
hCYa wit ~
| pocket, and a pleasurable warm glow OF
| excitement about him that transformed
his thin face and made it human.
Half an hour later he thrust aside the
4 astonished butler and hurried up the
| stairs Of his own house to his wife's
| boudOir. He felt a boy again-and a
reckless happy boy. too! He hoped she
would be out. and she was: SO he ex-
| tracted the velvet case and arranged
it on a small window table placing it
where the SUMS rays caught its contents
7 best. Then he stood back, almost
trembling, to admire it.
| Prof. Steinway to see you, SIR" said
the butler at the door,
Tell him." said the Man of Science
without turning round, tell him that
I'm engaged
His eye hoved round the room. He
| felt wanton now that he had let him.
self go, and coveted fresh worlds to
| conquer; in other words, fresh surprises
that should greet Rosie on her return.
Flowers! Happy idea! Women al
| ways liked flowers. He was rushing
out in quest of some when a small pink
envelope, lying on another table near
the door, caught his eye-an envelope
with his own name inscribed in Rosie's
rounded writing. He picked it up quick
ly, and, with a strange feeling in his
throat as of sudden suffocation he tore
import Then he read it again slowly
twice, thrice, then he put it down, still
slowly, and glanced at the clock 1t was
exactly four, and on the first page OF
the letter in the corner Rosie had writ
ten p. M A curious paIlor spread
it open. At first he didn't gather its
over his face. He took the bracelet from
it's case, and, dashing it on the floor, he
ground it under his heel again and
again till it was worthless, sha oeless
mass.
Then he went downstairs to his study