Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-02-14
BEHIND THE SCREEN.

| Didn't yOC tell them Mr.. MoWDray
hasn't come .ome YETI"
'Yes'm, and they said they'd wait
Eve shown them into the drawing room.
Very well; | shall be down in mo-
ment."
THE gentlemen told me not to disturb
you, but | thought you would like to
know they were here"
Thank you, Mary"
''WilI the gentlemen stay to dinner"
NO hope-I mean think not. You
may SOUND the gong at the usual time.
Don't forget, please"
Nom, won't forget" And Mary
smiled significantly to herself as she re-
tired to the kitchen. This wCuld not be
the inst time she had been called upon
to sound the dinner gong at Holly Lodge
as gentle hint to visitors that it was
time tor them to go.
Mary had discovered long ago TIA
| hospitality to masters friends" was not
one of her young mistrcss's virtues.
And | don't blame her. neither said
Mary to herself; its only natural she
shouldn't want them always hanging
around and taking masters attention off
of herself, and she only married six
months"
Mrs. Mowbray gave little petuIent
sigh
Il suppose I must" she murmured. ad-
dressing her looking glass with a frown.
And then she began to smile, half reluc-
family, at the face she saw reflected
there.
1t was pretty face The frown
clouded the prettiness, but the smile
made it bewitching Yet Mrs. Mowbray
frowned almost as often as she smiled.
But then so many things happened to
annoy her.
Harry was dear boy, of course. but
well, he certainly had his faults. What
made him so late tonight, for instance {?
Surely he hadn't gone off again to plav
chess with that horrid Bob Jollibois, as
he did only the other week
But. no, he wouldn't be so selfish and
horrid when he knew perfectly well how
unhappy it would make her. She had
told him so when he came home at $50
o'clocl, that other night, and he had
vowed never to do it again.
Harry was man of his word; she
would say that for him. He had prom
Used before they were married, to give up
that hateful volunteering and football
that always took up so much of his time,
and he had Kept his promise so far,
though she was quite sure Bob Jollibois
and the others were doing their best to
tempt him to break it.
What was keeping him this evening {?
She had never felt quite easy in her
mind since she found out that Harry was
still member of the Jackdaw Club. He
had quite agreed with her when she de
clared that married man with a com
Portable home of his own had no business
TO 90 to club. but all the same he had
not resigned his membership. He had
explained to her that it would be shabby
to do so, and that paying a subscription
to club was mere matter of form.
lie had never been near the place since,
| it is true. Still, she would have been
happier had he severed his connection
with the Jackdaws altogether.
The club was a link with his bachelor
days. in which she had had no part, and
resented it as such.
The two men waiting down stairs were
! links of the same sort. They had known
| Harry when he was still stranger to
her, and they would talk to him of things
that had happened before he had ever
met her. 1t made her feel vaguely ag-
9ricved She would not have admitted
| it N so many words, but it always
| panied her little to think that Harry
| could ever have had any absorbing inter
csts and thoughts outside of herself
| Though she laughed to herself, she
| liked to cherish a delusion which Harrv's
| friends always seemed to destrov-to
Wit that llarry's life had been a dead
| and dreary blank before she came into il.
Mrs. Mowbray seized her silver backed
hair brush ilarry's latest present-and
administered half dozen impatient and
quite unnecessary dabs to her pretty
fluffy hair
Il suppose | must" she sighed again
and tripped lightly downstairs. prepared
to be civil to her husbands visitors.
Poor old Mowbray! Take warning
by him, Bundy. and don't get married"
Il don't mean 70. But how about
yourself, eh?"
oh, Nelis one in thousand. She,
not like Mrs Mow-but, / say. | suppos,
one mustn't abuse mans wife in hi,
own house. And | daresay she's q
charming little woman, really-but bit
jealous, Anyway. he adores her"
Evidently \ man must be pretty
| - -'''N ~ SANN Nf WI tllit8s rs NOW
bray does. You don't think he'll com,
to the smoker
"No-Im afraid he won't. Since he'
been married he can't be induced to spen,
an evening away from her"
Poor old Mowbray. He's bound t,
get tired of it,"
"Ncs, man wants a little change
even ii he's married an angel. Huma,
nature can't stand monotony."
Adams relying on Mowbray to sing
The fellows will be horribly disappointe,
if he doesn't"
so will Mowbray himself. He used /,
he uncommonly keen on it. OF course
he'll refuse. simply because he's afrai,
Of hurting his wife's feelings"
1T strikes me he's carving devotio,
bit too far. Why, he seems To hay,
thrown over every blessed thing he eve
cared for. The Growers are furious n
his desertion. They've lost their hes
haltback. And old Harding was rr,p,
bling To me, only last night, becaus,
Mowbray hasn't put his nose inside m,
School of Arms for months"