Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-05-24
HER HUSBAND.

We Were dining at the Savoy in Len
don, and l was staring about me al the
beautiful Englishwomen in the evening
dress which is so strange TO Americas
eyes in a public restaurant. 1t was Il
gay scene, and enjoyed its full flavor.
l liked London. l had been there ex
actly three hours, but the peculiar at
moSphere of the place, the Emhanh-
lnent with the strings of barges on the
little, SLOW river. the great NeiSon mOnu-
ment in Trafalgar Square-with its
hons, the cabs-weTe all Old friends.
Like everybody else in America l was
saturated with English literature, and
| as most of us need TO have thing de-
scribed TO US before we can see ii,
though it be before our eyes, ! really
felt that l knew London better than
New York. had read more about it.
The man who sat opposite me smiled
| now and then III vast and beautiful
content. He had told stories of Aus
tralia. where he had been for three
years. He had had important business
in San Francisco and had come home
that way-for England was home to
him. That was about all | knew of
| him, except that he was brown of skin,
deep of chest and with honest eyes and
good laugh. One can't dislike a man
with a real laugh. He had great tales
Of riding in Australia, of the red dust
the desolation. Evidently he had felt
the tragedy as well as the comedy Of
his life. He was likable chap, and |
wished | knew more of him than that
his name was Gordon.
We left the table, presently and
Strolled down toward the Embark
ment with our cigars. 1t was the sort
of night in which a man wants to con-
tide in something. | didn't know much,
but l felt like telling it. Perhaps / was
hunting a leader when said:
odd a man who likes England as
much as you 90 should have left it,"
The answer L expected was that he
had gone ont to make money; and ! had
Il tale of my own which hung on money.
But he grew suddenly grave.
Il went to Australia for the same rea-
son nine men out of ten do anything-a
woman"
l waited minute for something
more original than the old saw about a
woman being at the bottom of every
thing.
'Certainiy she was at the bottom of
my going to Australia. l loved her too
much to stay"
"Was she married:" | asked
she was-and TO q confounded rake.
4 chap who ought to have been horse
whipped all over England, He drank,
he raced, he gambled, he led her the
devil of a life"
THAT must have hurt"
Put not half as much as it hurt her, y
do you think she loved youE"
81 know she did. That was the thing
which finally gave me the courage to
go away. There hasn't been a minute
in these three years that | haven't
known it, and it has made my life pos
sible. If l hadn't known that she was
here in this part of the world believing
I'm, hux
lost my head many's the time"
And now" asked l.
''Now l am going to see her again.
She will be on the train from Paris
which comes over that bridge there in
just one little half hour | haven't seen
her for three years"
q suppose her husband has died?"
l ventured.
NO" He spoke with sternness.
"But-''
There are no butts about it. We are
going to pretend that drunken wretch
is dead, and begin our lives all over
again. We are going to take a yacht
and poke its nose into every corner of
the globe. l am going to take her out
70 Australia and show her some of those
places where | suffered-and where the
thought of her kept me alive"
DO you think that is just fair to her?
She may. love you enough, but"
shes willing to risk life with me, and
am willing to risk it. although there
was Il time when | wasn't. When two
people love each other as much as she
and | 30 it overcomes everything"
| had liked the man so much that
hated to see him 20 wrong, and | made
final plea.
but her husband? The man whose
lawful wife she promised to be-"
He gave me 4 heavy grasp on the arm
and burst into his happy, hoyish laugh
Put. man, I'm her husband. She's
my wifer'-New York Daily News.