The Sauk Centre herald., 1904-02-04
MRS, PELGROVE'S HAT.
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Dy Herbert Jameson.
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MATTHEW PELGROVE strolled
m along the esplanade at Hastings,
chuckling to himself. From a moral
standpoint he had done most repre-
hensible thing, but the circumstances
were certainly mitigating. May not
much be forgiven to man whose wife
has a shrewish tongue, and ideas of
expenditure that by no means square
with tt , possibilities of limited in
come?
Three days previously, in the pri-
vacy of their home at Hornsey, Mat
thew had remarked to his wife:
MY dear, find l shall have to go
to Bradford on Friday"
Mrs. Pelgrove lowered the coffee pot
and glanced sharply across the table.
'Oh! Rather unexpected, isn't it?
On business?"
certainly! Must see some wool
people there before the next London
sales. Most important clients"
Il understand. Shall come, too?"
Matthew endangered the life of his
cup by bringing it precipitately TO the
table.
Impossible, Mary! Bradford's not
a place for pleasure. Besides, l shall
be fully engaged all the time"
That was what had passed between
them. And this Saturday afternoon,
when his wife believed him to De in the
north transacting business, Pelgrove,
the arch-deceiver, was bathing in beau
dful autumnal sunshine on the Hast
ings promenade.
He wore blithe and jaunty air.
How sweet it was to capture, even for
a weekend, the lost delights of bach
elorhood! Did he not bless the comic
paper that had first suggested to him
this brilliant notion of duplicity, and
resolve to subscribe to it for the fd-
ture? The very day was in fitting ac-
cord with his spirit of hilarity.
At home Mrs. Pelgrove insisted on
her husband dressing in harmony with
the ideas of their genteel suburb, but
here he had thrown (metaphorically
conventional attire to the winds-in-
deed, it consisted of little but white
flannel suit, red and orange boating
blazer, and a sun hat worn at a rakish
tilt. AS Matthew stepped along, OBJ
serving the varied life of Hastings, he
persuaded himself that he had not
care in the world. He could even smile
at his wife's desperate ambition to cut
q social figure, and her bitter discon-
tent that he was not making money
fast enough for the full attainment of
her purpose. Money-bah!-the word
had an ugly sound. Nothing should
be allowed to poison to-day his draught
of pleasure.
Now. Matthew Pelgrove was not
given to much exercise, and he pres
emily became aware that, despite the
iightness of his raiment, his lower
limbs were beginning to ache He
would seek one of. those inviting
shelters where, shielded from the suns
rays, he might watch the people and
indulge to the full his present sense
of contentment.
Proceeding little farther he espied
a vacant place. That glass partition,
dividing the seats on either side, would
pleasantly shelter him from all
draughts, and this corner seat looked
most luxurious. The authorities really
g deserved
But at that moment Matthew got
terrible shock. Sharply defined against
the glass on the other side of the
shelter was hat-a hat reposing on
a woman's head of golden hair.
Matthew turned and literally ran from
the spot. No one could mistake that
hat-it was his wife's; he would pick
1t out amongst thousand others.
How vividly he remembered the sick
ening feeling with which three weeks
ago he had regarded it, perched for
the first time on her proudly raised
head! Surely nothing so blatant, moth
ing SO vulgar, had ever sprung to ex-
fstence before in the millinery world.
Through all the dark ages had femi-
nine taste stopped to such an appall-
fng confection of color? And the price
well, his bank balance suffered from
IT yet. ~.
So Mary had discovered his scheme
and followed him to Hastings. But
how in the name of wonder-ah, he
had it! He had stupidity mentioned his
real destination to the manager of his
office. Evidently suspicious OF some
tking. his wife had gone there and