Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-14
DAILY SHORT STORY
An Averted Tragedy.

1t was only yesterday at breakfast
that he had asked, half in earnest,
whether she expected company, and
1 she had granted certain reasonable
ness to the question, for there was
twice as much meat on the table as
was necessary; also it was the first of
the month and their Prenuptial figures
on the cost OF living had been more
than doubled while the prenuptial
earning capacity had in no way in
creased.
| So, though this first manifestation Of
spirit of criticism cut her two-mOnth-
old wifeliness, it was passed over, for
John was very loving toward her. She
was duly sorry about her extravaganza
and, with a pat on the cheek, told him
she would try to figure more closely.
But this morning they had eaten in
silence. She could not speak, for she
was ON the verge of tears. Neither did
he speak, except to say that she did not
understand, but would when she had
thought it over.
| Now she had thought it over and al
most decided that she had never. in the
two years of their acquaintance, known
the real John. She almost reached the
conclusion that he had deceived her,
that he was not The sunny, open faced
boy he seemed, but brute who could
not control his own temper and who
took pleasure in coldly and cruelty
showing it to her.
So she cried in the coZy little front
room of the little house in the suburbs,
and the torn collar Oh the dresser in
their room was to her mute evidence of
his true self.
The truth of the tragedy was this:
The collar he had tried to put on that
morning was frayea and saw toothed,
old and useless. He had scratched his
neck, and he had said, not altogether
pleasantly, that it Should never have
gone to the laundry, and then, vindic-
lively, she thought, he had deliberately
torn it in two.
All it meant to her was the loss of her
ideal, and that was everything. And
then he had not seemed to see how she
felt. The words in her mind were,
Now we know that he never could
know and never could understand"
1t looked that way, and helplessly
he also realized it, though perhaps it
should have been, Did not under
stand"
He had quoted the lines himself as
he left her, but he quoted them YER
batim, with the proper pronouns, and
then was sorry they had come to his
mind.
All the way to the city it worried
him. Why had she not answered him
when he had spoken to her immediate
ly after the collar episode? 1t had al
ways brought an answer-that hearty,
kindly, Whats the trouble, Mrs.
John 90 his pet name these two months.
Then he said, IF she's going to get
huffy and quiet about nothing, all
right"
But as he thought it over perhaps
he had net been exactly affable at
the table. He had kissed her goodby,
however, and her response was of the
passive, dutiful variety. 1t made him
blue to think of it.
At the Office he found that he had to
recheck all his additions, and the sec
Ond bookkeeper was spared the usual
"joIIying." BY o'clock he found that
he was shading every figure made.
There was one page in last years cash
book similarly disfghred, the day after
r.ssS G. he or
work and sharpened his pencil. By the
time he had used up two inches of it
and the neat pile OF red shavings had
grown to magnificent proportions his
brow was less clouded, and he reached
to the side of his desk and rang mes
senger cafl.
1t was IL o'clock when at the door
of a certain little house in the suburbs
a fearful little housewife took pack
age from the blue coated messenger of
peace. The flowers were violets, her
favorites, and this was the note with
them:
Dearest Mrs. John-Probably I am a
brute probably 1 don't understand. but
anyway I want te LETT you know L am
sorry. I haven't had any great peace OF
mind since left you, and 1 thought IL
might make you feel better to let you
know right away that 1 really WASH
very angry when I tore up the collar
that is, not any angler than any man
ever is when he puts en- one of those saw
toothed things. And-if you'd had the ex-
perience with starched linen I have you'd
appreciate this; but. thank goodness.
you're not mannish enough to have run TO
them. you'll have to read this twice to
catch my meaning)
The fact is this: In nay boarding house
life always tore up a cellar the moment
1t showed signs of dissolution, but
haven't doubt that paid laundry bills
enough, at 2 cents per; on useless collars
to keep us in theater tickets for year.
So, there
O. Z. D., as we used to love to write
after problems when we were in the high
school.