Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-05-05
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
GROUNDS
FOR DIVORCE
IOrisinal.l

Do YOU tdAe uhOiSe SdSes' ehe
asked.
Il do not
g"Oh. dear! I hoped you did"
y Perhaps there was something wrong
About her mentally. II might advise
you If you will state your case" said.
:, 81 wish divorce from my husband"
A"For WHAT"
j"Brutality."
k"He is
edward Talbot"
Ned Talbot He was a member Of
the only club l frequented and a de-
Hghtful fellow.
'Will you mention a case of brutal
fty?"
well, a few days ago 1 was sending
Tettie out to ride and left my husband
I'm the room with him. When l came
back, lie had taken seven wraps of
the child"
"Well?
81 told him to put them right on or /
would never speak to him again. He
said that there were sti three wraps
on the baby and that was enough"
What did you say to that?"
IL said. Mother has brought up ten
children. and she ought TO know how
many are required 30 ra.
>'And he said?' rr....
Mother he hangedr If you don't
call that brutal. I don't know what
brutality IS"
what other cases are there?"
"Well, Ned IS especially disagreeable
in the morning. At breakfast he Will
/. sit aud sip his coffee and read the pa
I per. Not n word will he say. like to
talk at breakfast"
"But you say he gives you every op-
portunity by not talking himself"
How is one to talk, l should like to
know, to a man who neither listens
nor replies? One morning lately / de-
termined to make him talk. so l talked
and talked and talked for half an hour
When he got up from the table. he
looked at the clock on the mantel and
asked IL il had run down"
Had it,"
Yes. but he didn't mean that. He
was referring TO me-"
''Well. go on
med is inordinately jealous of me.
He has forbidden me to dance with
any one man more than three times of
an evening"
what else?"
az don't remember any more just
now. bat l can think them up. Mother
knows"
"You want to be advised whether
you can get a divorce on these cases
of brutality you have cited:"
Yes"
al think the law-there is n great
deal of injustice in the courts. you
know-would be against you. Besides,
any man who would treat his wife as
your husband has treated you would
| fight hard. Don't you know any pref
ty woman who would win his affec-
tons and thus make him the complain
ant:"
The what?"
"The person desiring the divorce"
"Yes; l do know such n person, and
she has done everything in her power
to get him away from me. She's con-
stantly contrIving to get at him.
came home the other evening and
| found him In the garnet. He poked
his head over the banister and called
in a whisper. is she goneT 'WhoT
Mrs. Gillikin' Expect so. She isn't
here If that woman ever shows her
face in my house again, she'll go out
without any hair"
"Then you wouldn't like to have her
take your husband off your hands?"
Like it? I'd scratch her eyes out.
I'd stick her full of pins Pd'-
Mrs. Talbot. I can't say surely
whether you could get a divorce from
your husband on the grounds you have
stated. for ] am not a lawyer"
Not a lawyerT
"No."
''Iasked you If you were. didn't ?"
NO; you asked me If took divorce
cases."
Then you are not a lawyer. after
ALP
mo; I'm q doctor. I know your hus-
band very well. 1 don't think he will
trouble you very long. had occasion
recently TO examine him for a life in
surance company"
''Oh. heavens. doctorI What's the
matter with him?"
He has polygloss OF the pericardium,
dramatic phthisis of the epidermis. con-
gestion of the baiiiwick and
Doctor. doctor. don't tell me any
more Of those borrid diseasesl Is there
no hope for himT
Eyes; love him and cherish him and
obey him
"Obey him."
Yes; do all these things. make his
home happy. and he will recover be-
yond doubt"
When I next saw Talbot. he was
playing billiards at the club. Throwing
down his cue. he came toward me.
whats this you've been giving my
wife," he asked. "She said she met
you at the Office of friend and you
told her had all the diseases in the
medical dictionary"
Il did meet your charming wife at
the Office of one OF her and your best
friends. ! told her about those dis
en szrs 10 test Ier q Election for vnn