Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-10
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Prelude TO the Marital Kiss
lOriginal.1


to give him kiss, as was her daily
custom. He was disappointed. Going
| into her boudoir he threw himself ON a
lounge for awhile, then concluded that
| he would write a letter. In the bou-
| doir was an antique desk in which
Mrs. Wharton kept her papers and her
correspondence. Sitting at this desk
Mr.. Wharton penned his epistle. ad-
dressed it and set about hunting for a
| stamp. In the effort, opening and
shutting tiny drawers. punching here
and there, suddenly he was astonished
to see a drawer fly open from n place
where he had never known there was
Il drawer. In the bottom were several
papers. Taking one up, he read:
Dearest-I was not able to come TO you
on Munday. as my Horse had gone lame
1 will you soon as possible but
GEORGE.
"Can it be from one of Laura's old
lovers? She's had this desk for twenty
years and doubtless has used this
drawer. Upon my word, never sup
posed my wife could have associated
with-had a lover who would spell
horse with a capital II and Monday
with u
He glanced at the next paper:
Dearest-I was frightened today at
meeting you in company with a Stranger,
especially since L have heard reports
about you. Do relieve my anxiety as soon
possible G.
The next had been addressed on the
back, but the name had been erased:
Dearest-You say that you still love me.
but that fate separates us forever. Is *
possible that you can think of marriage
with another? YOUR LOVER.
At this point Blakely began to de.
YOUR the missiyes greedily and with
terrible anxiety. Some of them had
dates and other features to give a mea-
ger information about them. but he
was too eager to get the story to notice
anything except the facts stated. The
next note was postmarked, but TO this
Blakely was oblivious:
Oh, my darling how can you submit to
this tyranny? You know you are my
Wife in the sight of God, and yet you
are going to marry another Man, stab
bling me and him at the same time. Turn
before 1t is too late. YOUR HUSBAND.
Blakelys heart seemed suddenly to
freeze 80 Godr' he mOaned and, sink
ing on a lounge, buried his face i'll the
cushions. In this position his wife
found him a few minutes later. Sur
missing that he had fallen asleep, she
went to him and, sitting on the sofa
beside him, put her arms about him.
GO away" he cried.
"Why, Blakely, what's the matter?''
Go away, 1 tell you. 1 have discov-
cred ALL"
Great heavens! What all?"
"Bigamist.''
By this time BlakeIy Wharton was
standing in the center of the floor gIar-
ing like a lion.
"Oh. BlakeIy, what does this attack
mean? Be calm. You have been over
strained by the loss of your suit in
court, but the appeal will be decided in
your favor. Do lie down and let me
pet you"
And you have been living with me
ten years, the wife of another man!
You were not even married to the first.
He calls it n marriage in the sight of
God We all know what that means"
The wife stepped TO the electric but
ton.
What are you going to do?' cried
her husband.
Send for the doctor. the police. some
body, anybody. l can't take care of |
you alone
Hold. 1 am as sane as you. I sat |
at your desk to write a note Acciden- |
tally a drawer flew open, and l found |
notes that you have been treasuring, |
hiding where you supposed they would |
never come to- light. They prove con-
that when you married me |
you were the wife of another, an in |
the sight of God wife Mt that"
Il never knew of that drawer"
The notes were either on the desk or
On the floor. Mrs. Wharton gathered
them up and ran them hastily over
Then her brow lowered. For the first
lime since their marriage her husband
saw her angry.
''Blakely, you are a fool!'
Her action warned Mr.. Wharton that
perhaps he might have been hasty.
do you suppose anybody nowadays
spells nouns with capitalist"
81 didn't know anybody ever did"
"Or Monday with up
CT noticed that. l thought you'll
mean the fellow-must have been I'M
Did you notice these dates?"
mo; 1 was too cut up"
do you suppose I'm a hundred and
years old?"
mo, my dear. You're only thirty
wo."
"Thirty-one. If this note was for nee,
must be a century and a quarter old,
or it was written in 1777."
You don't mean itr'
"And this postmark on the back
10 you suppose n man even ten years
go would have written me a letter
nd sent it through the post without
he envelope?"
'Why, no."
Mrs. Wharton started to leave the
Dom. my love-" called her husband,
l.. 49,.