Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-01-29


There were two psrsoi1s who observed
the descent Of Huston and the cab upon
the gas office with surprise. These were
the instruments OF Fate. Oneswss Mr..
James Wharton. third vice president OF
the bank; the other young married
woman, Mrs. Josephine Hodges by
name. confidential friend Of Mrs.
Huston. In his haste Huston saw neith-
er Of them
Him." muttered Mr.. James Wharton.
HGood deal of style for a young man Of
Illusions salary, it seems to me. Won
der what's his hurry?"
So. ever vigilant in the interests Of
the bank, MIR. Jemes Wharton stepped
into the gas office and asked the clerk
what Huston's mission was.
Paid a gas bill OF 81. So" replied the
clerk, grinning ''Must have been aw-
full anxious to keep the company out OF
% cents to pay dollar to a cabman tc
do it,
Must be drunk or crazy" nuttered
the bank official To himself as he hur-
ried out.
During the brief remainder OF the day
at the bank the third vice president
watched Huston narrowly. That un-
conscious person with the humor Of the
cab incident uppermost in his mind GER
tainly did grin and chuckie from time
to time in a manner that gave color to
Wharton's suspicious.
These suspicious were duly voiced at
the daily conference OF the officers and
they lost nothing in the telling-as gus
picions never do The upshot was that
1t was decided to have Huston's books
quietly examined by an expert and to
have little examination made into his
life and habits out of the bank.
In the meantime trouble of an entirely
different nature was brewing for the
unfortunate Huston. On that fatal
September morning after he had left
home. Mrs. Josephine Hodges called on
Mrs. Huston and together they had gone
into the city on little shopping expedi-
ton. While crossing street just as
the bells were striking II they had been
run down by careless cabman and had
narrowly escaped injury. When they
protested sharply they had taken the
number of his cab, 1916, with a threat
to make trouble for him. A blond wo-
man with peroxide hair and supernatur-
ally tinted cheeks had leaned from the
cab and laughed at their anger. but had
been Pulled back by a man whose face
they did not see. Mrs. Huston had hur-
ried home. but Mrs. Hodges had gone to
the gas Office to pay her gas bill. There
she had seen the pyrotechric arrival OF
Huston in the cab and had noted. in.
voluntarily the number of the cab
1476.
To say that the discovery surprised
her would be to put 1t mildly. She nearly
tainted at the Importance Of her discOv-
cry. 1t was the same cab that had run
them down a short time ago ard, OF
course, Huston was the companion of
the peroxide blond. In her haste to
tell poor Flo" (to-wit, Mrs. Huston)
of her discovery she forgot to pay he1
gas bill and arrived at the Huston cot
tage nearly as soon as Mrs. Huston.
The consequence was that when Hus
ton arrived home that afternoon, burst
ing with the joke about the cab he found
a deserted cottage very much disordered
with evidences Of hasty packing, and
brief, tear-stained note informing him
that he was base wretch and that his
wife had gone home to her mother.
Utterly bewildered, he hurried to the
home of his wife's people, but was not
admitted nor was he permitted to see
his wife.
In the meantime Mr.. John Hodges
expert bookkeeper had been sum-
moned by the bank to go over Illusions
books on Sunday. Having been made
the confidant of his wife Josephine, he
was not surprised and limited as much
to the bank officials.
'You know his wife has left him.
chartered Hodges, proud to be the We
hicle of such a choice morsel. "a
blond woman, cabs, wine-all that sort
of thing"
So, although not an irregularity was
found in the books, the officials thought
it better to take 70 chances and Mon
day Mr.. Huston found a polite rote on
his desk informing him that his serv-
ices would be no longer required, and
that instead of the usual 80 days notice
pay for that time would be handed him
by the second assistant cashier ard 20
further work would be required Of him
Before he left the bank a deputy
sheriff served papers announcing the
beginning Of divorce proceedings by his
wife
The next few weeks may be passed
over in silence. Illusions frame of
mind defies description in cold type.
When his wife's bill was filed and his
lawyer called him In to discuss It,
great light broke upon him. Then his
temper asserted itself and he disdained
explanations
The case went to trial, and the court
room was crowded. attracted by the
promise Of sensational testimony. The
case OF the plaintiff was brought to a
dram attic. close blythe fes tinnnnr Of Mr.