The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-07
THE GOOSE AND
 HER GOLDEN EGGS.
BY KENNErT HARRIS

Copyright. 1904. Daily Story Pub. Col
 It was a pretty sight to see them to- gether--well. not a pretty sight. pre- cisely, in the ordinary acceptation of the phrase, but sight, nevertheless. to restore one's faith in human nature and the endurance of marital affection We were rather selfish lot we '1un9ers"-taken up with our own pull monary symptoms and having little sympathetic interest for anything else: but we could not help being touched by the devotion young MT. Gerrisop showed to Mrs Gerrison.
 It seemed rather hard on c good looking young fellow of a finely and sociable disposition to be compelled to bury himself in this out of the way corner of New Mexico with an invalid wife. but he never complained. In fact, we learned that 1t was only at his earnest solicitation that Mrs. Ger rison consented to come to San Mateo.
 Her doctor said that 1t was plain suicide for her to stay in New York. " explained Mir. Gerrison to little cir cle of the women on the veranda Of the sanitarium. Here. he said. her life might be prolonged indefinitely. and he thought 1t even possible that she might be cured. really do think she Is improving a great deal. Don't you think that she Is looking better?"
 He asked the question eagerly. with genuine anxiety, and we all said we thought that Mrs. Gerrison was look ing better--decidcdly better. That Is. all of us but Mrs. Rankin. Mrs. Ram kin only snifted.
 MT. Gerrison seemed relieved. I'm glad to hear you say so." he said. gratefully, and I'm sure in all sincer- ity.
 It was then that Mrs. Rankin spoke "a most cantankerous person, Mrs. Rankin. and cynical to fault.
 You speak of prolonging her life in- definitely. MT. Gerrison." she said. She is of a rather advanced age now. is she not7"
 MT. Gerrison colored little. she Is 62," he answered, with simple dig nifty. Then he rose and went into the hotel, and about half an hour later he came out with his wife on his arm and the two entered a buggy and drove away. They always took a morning ride together.
 T don't care," said Mrs. Rankin. when somebody demonstrated with her.
 oon approve or marriages between elderly ladies and young gentlemen like our friend. What does he make eyes at that bold-faced Teresita for?'
 We all denied that he did. Miss Montfort said that 1t was Teresita who made eyes at MT. Gerrison.
 And marriages of that sort are off, ten very happy" she added. There was thA Baroness Burdett -Coutts, you know. and Mir. Johnson"
 'Yes, I've heard of 'em," said Mrs. Rankin. Do you know any more?'
 Well, we didn't happen to, so she seemed to have the best of the argu- ment, on the whole. Still. nobody who noticed how carefully MT. Gerri- son drew the fur-lined wrap over his wife's angular shoulders when & little breeze sprung up in the afternoon. or with what solicitude he watched her eat at dinner, could have doubted the strength of his affection for her.
 As for Teresita, she was simply 3 coarse, uneducated Mexican girl. ] suppose some men would have called her good-looking, and she certainly had a good figure and a rich complex iona brunette, of course, but the Idea that MT. Gerrison would make eyes at a creature of that sort was absolutely preposterous. I doubt if she could So much as write her own name. Some