The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-04-01
the play of moonlight on the blades O

| er Will IOryeL-Iuat unluchy, aootni'
nable, idiotic speech Of mine, made a
month after our marriage, in the heat
of our first quarrel. have eaten those
words hundred times-you have for
given them ostensibly-but you do
not really, and thanks to your Scotch
blood, you never will. They rankle
in you now."
He bit his cigarette through in the
sudden closing of bis strong square
teeth, and threw it aside with band
that shook little.
mo. You're light,' he acknowl-
edged, after moments pause. "We
were having a quarrel, the first real
word scrap we had ever had. Meth
er of us was in earnest at the begin
ming; the thing developed as we went
on. And you told me | had married
you for your money.
THE. accusation wasn't likely to
hold water, even with my enemies or
with my friends, for happen to be
what is generally called rich man.
But you had said it-and, as you say
Il don't forget. / cant! Nothing
will ever bring back"-he drew a
harsh breath-"what used to be.
"The day after our quarrel l took
measures-we won't detail them," the
man went on, "to insure your having
command of your money-in fact, OF
every stick, rag or bone belonging to
you-command more absolute, if pos
sible, than even the married woman's
property act ensures. l absolutely
prohibited you from spending any OF
it upon the housbold. required of
you an undertaking that if we should
have children, you would not settle
any portion of your money upon the
boys, but reserve such manifestations
of your generosity for the girls-if
there were any
His wife burst out laughing wildly.
Hysterical sobs gathered in her throat,
and broke from her lips, her eyes
moistened the filmy han lkerchief she
pressed against them.
Il asked you to do what you chose
with your money-short Of spending
it upon my household. You had got
into a gambling set, the Ardleighs,
Lady Cecil Wilbram, and Coatleigh
Knolles-you took the stock exchange
fever and you used the three broug-
ham horses in your toand-froings to be-
tween Chesterfield gardens and the
city. I'm not grumbling-you were
welcome to the horses. Now, you
have a motor-coupe, for which you
paid yourself lam not grumbling at
that.you don't expect me to use it..
But this box-containing the fruits of
your years inance-you have made
me promise to go through it-and l
hated the idea.''
He unlocked the box with a shad-
ow on his forehead and about his lips.
The upper tray of the smart red re-
ceptable was full of bundles of cou-
pons, bulky sheaves of shares in vari-
Gus companies, cracking securities
gayly stamped and smartly engrossed,
mining scrip and foreign rails.
The first bundle lie opened caused
him to whistle a faint, long drawn
whistle of sheer dismay, that sent her
rebellious eyes dancing under their
concealing valance OF lasheS.
dumping Cats! Good Heavens!
Do you mean to say that Coatleigh h
Knolles or Lady Cecil advised you to
throw away yonr money in "a rank
swindle like those mines!'
"To do them justice" said his wife
suavely, "they endeavored to dissuade
me from the speculation. Why are
you laughing?'
His sense of humor stirred at last
her husband was shaking with
amusement over a fresh bundle of
coupons pulled out of the red dispatch
box
"The Electric Cook Company.
They-they seem to have done you
pretty throughly, if the electric cook
cry plant did prove a failure! Ha!
ha! hal
"Do not, oh, do not she implored,
''try to be funny" But he did not
hear. His eyes were streaming now
and his handkerchief in play, as lie
rocked himself and roared with help
less laughter over new trouvaille.
"'The magic Skirt Hangerv You
bought that patent for eight hundred
of the inventor. Do you-do you
hang your skirts on it? The Patent
Guillotine Mousetrap,' you bought
that invention, too. Five hundred
| 30