Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-01-28
MRS. @PELGROVE'S HAT.
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Dr. UIn,.hn,f Tnn,sacnn :
BY Herbert Jameson.

M ATTHEW PELGROVE strolled
ll along the %esplanade at Hastings,
%chuckling to himself. From a moral
standpoint he had done a most repre-
hensible thing, but the circumstances
We're certainly mitigating. May not
much be forgiven to a man whose wife
has a shrewish tongue, and ideas Of
expenditure that by no means square
with the possibilities of a limited in
come?
Three days previously, in the pri-
vacy of their home at Hornsey, Mat
thew had remarked to his wife:
"My dear, I find | shall have to go
to Bradford on Friday"
Mrs. Pelgrove lowered the coffee-pot
and glanced sharply across the table.
ooh! Rather unexpected, isn't it?
On business?"
Certainly! Must see some wool
people there before the next London
sales. Most important clients"
II understand. Shall l 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 be in the
north transacting business, Pelgrove,
the arch-deceiver, was bathing in beau
tiful autumnal sunshine on the Hast
ings promenade.
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 fu-
ture? The very day was in fitting &C
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 a white
flannel suit, a 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 a
care in the world. He could ever smile
at his wife's desperate ambition to cut
a 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 ware that, despite the
lightness 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 a 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
deserved
But at that moment Matthew got a
terrible shock. Sharply defined against
the glass on the other side of the
shelter was a hat-a hat reposing on
a woman's head of golden hair.
Matthew turned and literally ran from
the spot. No n could mistake that
haiti was his wife's; he would pick
it out amongst a thousand others.
How wildly 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-
istence before in the millinery world.
Through all the dark ages had femi-
nine taste stopped to such an appall-
ing 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-
thing, his wife had gone there and
secured the information that had led
her to appear in this quarter.
Out Of breath with his unusual x
penditure of energy, Pelgrove dropped
his run to a walk and glanced furtively
back. Thank goodness, that hat with
the flaming, artificial fio~wer-garden in
it. visible for fully 100 yards with the
naked eye, was not in sight! Mary
had not seen him, then. He walked
on hurriedly to the small hotel where
he was stopping.
Arrived there. Pelgrove sought the