The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-08
HAMILIoMs Pretty COOK.

Hamilton and his young wife-no doubt
about that. He knew IL felt it, saw It.
but being a philosopher and an optirnist.
he ascribed the temporary change in her
behavior TO the natural disappointment
Of a young matron OF two years whose
maternal yearninss had not been graft
fed.
Wed be all right If we only had q
/ child he would nurrnur so himself as he
walked from the station to his far and
bounded up the back stairway TO show his
smiling face and crack his joke of greet
ing with his pretty wife. But some how
his smile looked like a grin TO her. his
Jokes dida't 90 any more, and she would
Z lou toward the dinner table and carry
the conversation no farther than mono
syllable
OF course this got on Billy's nerves a
Bit but he didn't show il. He was one or
those irrepressible anliable men who won [
! scrap" with q woman That makes
some women furious. There are some
women who find it hard TO forgive the
man who will not argue, scold and even
threaten. A family row always gives them
chance 70 air their grievances. to un-
+ burden suspicious and 10 wind up with A
/ good cry" Mrs. Billy didn't know it,
hut she was one Of those thoroughly fem
inine persons who resent the denial OF
these wifely privileges.
Now. cute as he was. Billy was all
wrong in MS guess about his Martha :
spell" She wasn't yearning for child
at all but in her fretfui soul the shadow
Of an ugly suspicion had gradually grown
into the intolerable certainty that Billy,
her Billy was unfaithful. She didn
have any final proof as yet. but she w5s
50 sure of the hateful truth that she
hardly dared 10 face the visual certainty.
Meanwhile her husband came home each
evening gay with a gayety that she re-
I garded as a mask. fun of such tender
nj as he had not shown since the days
+ Of their courtship and as sprucely dressed
as if ne were lover instead OF a hus-
band.
/ Now, the impending domestic tragedy.
which didn't worry Billy half as much as
K should have done, started in a very
innocent and natural way. Coming back
from her summer VACATION to rehabilitate
her fat, Mrs Hamilton had been unable
ID find a suitable domestic. She was a
poor housekeeper. couldn't cook and
hated housekeeping. Furthermore, she
didn't like hoisewifely "drudgery," as
she called it. and Billy. who was some
thing of an epicure, fond of all crea-
ture comforts and prone to take Martha
to the theater with him, was even more
anxious to get a girl than was his wife.
She was sitting in the parlor one even
/ ing reading the paper, when he rushed in
with:
Good news, Martial I've got girl!'
He would have plunged into details then
and there, but smelling at the air with
a sickly grin, he added:
"Supper's burning, MARTHA But as she
ran to the kitchen to DUH forth the
charred turkey he followed her with:
Let the darn thing go, Martha. Wen
go down town and celebrate. The girl
viii be here in the morning sure. Lucki-
est thing in the world for us. Tompkins
and his wife are going to Europe for six
months just happened to mention the
fix we were IN this morning, and he
ups and says: What's the matter with
taking my girl till we come back 2
I Tomkins says she is a treasure. You
won't even have to tell her what to do
So they abandoned the UNBEATABLE hoIo-
caust and went down town for the mer-
REST little feast they had had in two
years. The next morning Billy sailed
forth like q conqueror, and IN two hours
returned Without what's the use of
describing poor Hulda? Mrs Hamilton s
face fell the moment Billy showed her
into the house, for the girl was too
pretty.
That was the beginning Of the ''cool-
ness" Martha began to recall her hus-
bands extraordinary enthusiasm over
the pleasant memories of that feast of
celebration became bitter to her. To
confirm her suspicious, on Huldas very
first night Off. Billy was detained at the
Office"
Double work Martha, since Tomky
went away" laughed the rascal. but his
wife knew better, and her heart was
pinched with silent rage Suspicion be-
came conviction when she noticed that
her husband never came IN by the front
entrance after Hulda's arrival, nor left
By the back stairway.
Billy" she began one evening, trying
to appear calm. though her pretty mouth
twitched as she said It. Billy, wouldn a
use the back entrance. 1t isn't exactly
that is. think it's rather vulgar. Why
do you DO it?'
Martha, and IN this muddy weather
hate to come in the front way with my
shoes dropping real estate"
And so the subject was dropped, for she
felt that her expressed objection to the
back mode of entrance was palpably triv-
.al.
The iron having entered her soul, how
ever. she continued TO torture herself and
every time Billy praised the cooking OF
said q good word for Hulda, Martha
WINGED as if he had struck her. She
tried to trap him into arguments so that
she might pour out the 7oOdtide Of her
misery, but he lodged every effort at a
wrangle, AMI even made love to her til
she began TO almost loathe him. To make
matters doubiy horrible, she began to
notice that he never passed through the
Kitchen without speaking in low tones to
the servant, and once, listening cautious
l. at the closed door. poor Martha was
sure she heard the sound OF a kiss.
That settled Il. The next day, with no
explanation but the necessity for econ
envy" Ms. Hamilton dismissed Hulda.
and laid a rap for Billy that could hardly
fail TO bring about the final rupture that
was already a necessity for her outraged
feelings lie always arrived az his home
upon the stroke Of 6. and az that hour.
dressed in a calico wrapper. with light
shawl on her head. the better 70 conceal
her features Martha lay IN wait for him
IT. the unlighted kitchen. She was peeling
potatoes over the kitchen sink when she
/ heard his merry whistle and his light
step bounding up the stairs. In a mo-
ment hs had entered and was saying;
"Hulda why don't you light the gas?
! You're not tired OF your job yet ] see.
How Mrs. Hamilton this evening"
lie spoke softly and quickly and went
on into the fat But IN a moment, as
she expected. he was back, up-toeing
softly this time.
is the old woman around77 she heard
him whisper. his voice husky with IN
holy passion.
out" murmured Martha. bending her
heed both with shame and a deteTmina-
zion 70 keep her Disguise But che feit
IKE stabbilg him as his arm stole softly
round her waist She reached for q
match ard would have lighted Il ard
| faced her vile husband If another strong
arm had nrt p5rl0ned her arms and drawn