Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-30
DAILY SHORT STORY
How We Worked Out Principle
COriginaI.l

Oue Jay JOHu Mcll AWAY, anu
he came back he brought wife with
him. AS soon as we saw her it was
evident that John. with good natured,
easy going proclivities, had been roped
into a marriage with a woman beneath
him.
Amy and L found ourselves in the
face of a problem. We could not take
Mrs. Wren into our hearts along with
John, and we could not give John up.
The only thing we could do was to
treat her as cordially as possible. This
we tried, but it proved a failure. She
was constantly in trouble not only
with us, but with others. Her asso-
ciates were noisy, common people like
herself, and she usually led them by
the nose TO make themselves more dis
agreeable than they were naturally.
Amy and 1 had many long talk as to
what we should do to keep Johns
friendship, relinquishing that of his
wife, but never came TO any cOnclu-
sion.
Having children who needed the
country air, Amy and l concluded TO
build a suburban residence. We were
much interested in its construction and
when we got into it thought we were
settled for life. My wife insisted on
inviting John Wren to come up and
stay over the first Sunday we spent in
the house.
''Will you invite his wife, L asked.
mo. John understands the situa-
ton perfectly and will come without
her"
Very well,' l replied. 81 trust she
will be satisfied with our loving her
husband and ignoring her"
John came. He said nothing about
our leaving out his wife. and we did
not mention her during the visit. He
looked careworn when he arrived, but
frightened up while he was with us.
When about to return, he again re-
lapsed into sadness.
Three months after we got settled
Mrs. Wren wrote Amy asking some
questions about the place of our resi-
dence, saying at the same time that
she was urging her husband to build
| near us. You are such friends" she
wrote, land John enjoys your society
so much that l have not the heart to
let him be separated from you"
Amy and 1 looked ut one another ia
establishment. What could we do to
prevent this woman from coming
among us? What did we do? Moth
ing. One morning we saw n load of
lumber dumped in the adjoining lot
and upon inquiring who was going to
| build there were told that il was Il
man of the name of Wren.
| Well, we watched the house go up,
every day losing interest in our own
home now that it was to be in the
shadow of Mrs. Wren's. When she
moved in, she was profuse in express
sions of friendliness-all on account of
her husband-and was sure that it
was the only thing that would save
him from a chronic melancholy. AS
John left in the morning on an early
| train and never returned until near
midnight 1t did not appear that the
remedy would be effectual. Neverthe
| less whenever lie was UP from the
city for the day he spent all his tine
with us. But If John was not often at
home his wifes friends were there
constantly. They would sit out on the
piazza until late in the evening, talking
and laughing boisterously.
We had never noticed any fondness
| for music on the part of Mrs. Wren,
but now most of her friends played on
some instrument. There were guitars,
mandOlins, banjos, tambOurines and
bones. The players seemed to have
barely learned the rudiments of music
and kept up an incessant hammering
that would destroy the nerves of a
dinosaur. One evening when Amy was
suffering from a headache / ventured
to inform the party of the fact from
my piazza and ask Il respite. They
stopped playing Immediately and sulk
lily. The next evening their concert
was enlivened by French horn.
Amy" said |, that woman came
here to drive us out
Il do believe it," she said, almost
with a Sob
When the autumn came and Mrs.
| Wren announced that on Johns ac-
count, his health demanding that he
should remain near us, she would re-
main in the country, there was nothing
for us to do but take house in the
city. We could only afford fat, but
| we feared that Mrs. Wren would take
| another in the same building and over
or adjoining us, so we rented a house
standing by itself. feeling safe that she
could not build another beside us be-
fore spring.
Mrs. Wren finally decided to spend
the winter in the city, returning to her
country place in the spring, only to
find ours rented. She was preparing
TO return to the city, doubtless to dis
cover where we were going for the
season and follow us, when one after
noon a terrific thunderstorm came up.
For five minutes the bolts flashed in
rapid succession, and after one of the
sharpest a servant appeared at the
Wrens' front door calling for help. A
neighbor went over and found Mrs.
Wren lying dead in a room in which