The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-28
Our Daily $bcrt Story

Paid gas bill Of s2. .eo." replied the clerk grfnning Must have been awful anxious tc keep the company out of 2a cents to pay . dollar to a cabman to do it."
 Must be drunk or crazy" muttered the bank official to himself as he hurried out
 During the brief remainder of the day al the bank the third vice-president watched Hus- ton narrowly. That unconscious person with the humor of the cab incident uppermost in his mind certainly did grin and chuckle from time to time In a manner that gave color to Whar- tons suspicious
 These suspicious were duly voiced at tho daily conference of the officers and they los nothing in the teliing-as suspicious never do The upshot was that 1t was decided tt have Huston's books quietly examined by expert and to have little examination made into his life and habits out of the bank
 In the meantime trouble of an entirely diff ferent nature was brewing for the unfortu nate Huston. On that fatal September morn ing after he had left home, Mrs. Josephine Hodges called on Mrs. Huston and togethe they had gone into the city on little shop ping expedition. While crossing a street jus as the bells were striking II they had beel run down by a careless cabman and had mar rowly escaped injury. When they proteste sharply they had taken the number of his cab, l476, with a threat to make trouble for him. blonde woman with peroxide hair and super naturally tinted cheeks had leaned from tn cab and laughed at their anger, but had been pulled back by man whose face they did nc see Mrs Huston had hurried home, but Mir Hodges had gone to the gas office to pay he gas bill There she had the pyrotechnic arrival of Huston in the cab and had noted. involuntarily the number of the cab-i476.
 To say that the discovery surprised he would be to put it mildly. She nearly fainted at the importance of her discovery. It was tho same cab that had run them down a snort time ago and, of course. Huston was the com panion of the peroxide blonde. In her haste tell "poor Flo'' tto wit, Mrs. Huston) of he discovery she forgot to pay her gas bill and arrived at the Huston cottage nearly as soon as Mrs. Huston.
 The consequence was that when Huston ar rived home that afternon, bursting with the joke about the cab he found a deserted cottag' very much disordered with evidences of nasty packing, and a brlef tear-stained note informing him that he was a base wretch and that his wife had gone home to her mother.
 Utterly bewildered. he hurried to the home Of his wifes people. but was not admitted no was he permitted to see his wife.
 In the meantime Mir. John Hodges, expert bookkeeper had been summoned by the bank to go over Huston's books on Sunday. Having been made the confidant of his wife Josephine he was not surprised and hinted as much to the bank officials.
 You know his wife has left him." chattered Hodges, proud to be the vehicle of such q choice morsel. "A blond woman. cabs, wine all that sort of thing
 So, although not an irregularity was found
 
 to take no chances and Monday MT. Huston found polite note on his desk informing him that his services would be no longer required and that instead of the usual 30 days notice pay for that time would be handed him by the second assistant cashier and no further work would be required of him.
 Before he left the bank deputy sheriff served papers announcing the beginning of di- vorce proceedings by his wife.
 The next few weeks may be passed over in silence. Huston's frame of mind defes descrip- ton in cold type. When his wife's bill was filed and his lawyer called him in to discuss it, a great light broke upon him. Then his temper asserted itself and he disdained ex- plantations.
 The case went to trial and the courtroom was crowded, attracted by the promise of sen- sational testimony. The case of the plaintiff was brought to a dramatic close by the tes- timony of Mrs Hodges regarding her dscov- cry of Huston descending from cab bearing the number i476.
 All eyes were on the defendant. He laughed sardonically.
 Hardened wretch" murmured the crowd.
 Huston's lawyer called the officials of the bank to testify that Huston was at his desk from S:30 to 1 80 on the morning of Sept. 10. Then Ben Phillips was called and told the story of the cab ride in about six sen- tences, but with many grins.
 Let us draw the curtain upon the ending of the case of Mrs. Huston's deep contrition and cottage is again happy home and that Illus ton occupies his old desk at the bank more cynical and wiser man-and q man who shits whenever he sees cab. As for Mrs. Hodges, Mrs. Huston passes her with nose and chin well in the air.