The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-06

smoke and chat now and then, for
getting that Maisie knew no one in
town except the women who called on
her day" and that the evenings were
wofuly long and dull for his young
wife while he was Longing and chat
ting at the club. He had not meant in
truth to go out as often as he did, but
Maisie resented his neglect with all her
passionate little heart, and was so an
| grily disdainful of his excuses and his
feeble attempts to mend matters, that
he was glad to fly to the club or any
where else to escape her reproaches.
1t was rather a pity that they had
made such a muddle of it, for Jack was
| a good fellow after all, and with proper
cultivation might has blossomed into
a model husband, and Maisie, foolish,
quick tempered little Maisie, was loyal
and loving to the bottom of her soul.
| They had been wonderfully companion
| able in those brief days at the seaside,
and neither of them quite understood
why their happiness had passed SO
quickly.
But passed it had and misery
''reigned in it's stead" and the young
mans heart was hot with anger as he
strobe along the street that morning
vowing within himself that he would
never speak to his wife again except
to settle a few matters regarding the
divorce.
So engrossed was he in nursing his
resentment that he ran into a group of
people on street corner before he
noticed where he was.
whats the trouble?" he asked abb
stractedly of policeman whom he had
we'll nigh run over.
"Oh, nothin','' was the reply; "just
waitin' for the patrol wagon to take
that old rascal to the station" and
he off cd n a n n0liH0-
men with a dignified, clerical looking
prisoner between them.
Jacks heart gave a great thump and
then seemed to stand still. The
prisoner was the man who had mar
ried him and Maisiei
''Why, he looks like clergyman, he
stammered, struggling to maintain his
composure.
That's one of his tricks" returned
the policeman; ''he int no more a
preacher than you or me; he's always
gettin money out of people by passin'
off for a parson."
"Are you sure?' asked Jack, trying
hard to speak indifferently; "he is
really rather a decent looking fellow"
"Sure!" echoed the policeman scorn-
fully; "ain't 1 been KNOWN that old
hypocrit for ten years? l tell you he
amt no more a parson than / am. He
was out of the city for two or three
years, and has only lately come back.
He don't live here noway."
Just then the patrol wagon drove up,
the clerical looking gentleman vanished
within it's gloomy depths and was
driven rapidly away.
Jack walked on mechanically, his
head in a whirl; what must he do?
How could he tell that proud little
girl at home that she was not really
his wife, after all? He remembered
with a pang how hard it had been to
persuade her to assent to the secret
marriage, how timid she was, and how
implicitly she had trusted him.
A great wave of tenderness welled up
in his heart; he forgot all about the
divorce, and thought only of how he
might correct this horrible blunder and
yet shield Maisie from the knowledge
of it.
His conscience smote him sorely as
he remembered his share in their fire.
quent misunderstanding his many
delinuuencies, his half-hearted apollo
gies,-and suddenly catching a passing
car, Jack went home even faster than
he had gone away.
When he softly opened the door of
their little sitting room the scene of
dire confusion that met his eyes spoke
eloquently of Maisie's energetic pre-
Washington and return to her Western
home. Open trunks, bags, and boxes
were standing all about the room,
their contents piled in every conceiva-
BILE place, while over by the mantel-
piece, her back to the door and half
concealed by huge armchair, stood
little Maisie herself, pressing some
thing to her breast and sobbing as if
her heart would break.
Jack approached somewhat awk-
wardly, but she did not hear him, and
he saw that the object she held against
her heart was ridiculous little picture
of himself, taken at the seaside a day
or two after they were married
Suddenly Maisie looked up, saw him,
and with a faint exclamation of dis
may tried to hide the picture in the
folds of her goWn.-The next moment
she was sobbing in his arms and Jacks
own eyes were wet with tears.
A half hour later a brilliant idea oc-
Cured to this astute young man, which
he craftily proceeded to put into in
slant execution.
"Maisie, dearest he began tenderly,
feeling himself a past master of the art
of diplomacy-"Now that everything is
Strengthened out, and we are happy
once more, let's begin all over again;
let's blot out this wretched year, have
another marriage ceremony and start
out again on the journey of life. We
won't tell anybody and it will only be
just to give us Il good tart again."
Jack concluded rather lamely, suspect
ing that his speech was somewhat of
failure after all.
"Oh Jack!" cried Maisie in distress
'I couldn't! Whatever made you think
of such a thing" You know I'd do
anything for your happiness, but
but-that would seem as if-as if we
hadn't really been married at all the
first time. Let's make up our minds
ard be good without doing anything
queer" Maisie was nothing If not
practical and always strongly opposed
to anything queer"
In vain Jack argued, setting forth
the advantages of beginning all over
again" until seeing that Maisie was
about to cry once more, he desisted,
and spent the rest of the day helping
to unpack the trunks and restore the
household goods" to their rightful
places, rejoicing nightly in her renew
ed happiness, but no nearer the. solu-
ton of his latest difficulty than he had
been at first.
At last Maisie dropped down for
nap. exhausted by the labors and
emotions Of the day, and Jack had a
little time for serious thought.
How child-hke Maisie looked, lying
there asleep on the big leather couch,
her soft hair falling over her flushed
fare her rraffv round Ifttla Ar,,~,