The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1904-06-23

M va WAS OUT 10 YOU Al'o"
where Mrs Dolby is, Aartha!' he
called to the girl in the kitchen.
''rhe mistress went ont, sir, about
ten minutes ago, and said she'd be
back in half an hour"
Edmund returned 10 the sitting room,
and lay back in the low armchair by
the fire in gloomy meditation. He had
been uneasy in his mind al! day, for
the night before he and Lefty had
quarreled, and it was because this had
been fretting him and he was wlstful
of making his peace with her that he
had contrived to get home so much
earlier than usual. And now she was
out. I..
The fact that this CHANGED to be his
birthday gave keener edge to his suf.
ferlngs, and made her absence when
he came yearning for reconciliation, so
much the more inexcusable. He sat-
hunched in the armchair, brooding un-
til he began 10 see a sinister signifi-
canoe in her not being there to vel
come him; 1t became as clear to him
again as If it had been last night that
he had been justified in the complaints
he had made. and that her Indignation
had been assumed Simply to Blind him.
Z The facts in connection with that
quarrel were, chiefly, these. Edmund's
one particular friend in Watford was
Alfred Hilbert and Lettys one partic-
ular was Nelly Hilbert, his wife. Once
a week the Dobys went round the cor.
rer and spent an evening with the Hill
berts, and once a week the Hilberts
came round the corner and spent an
evening with the Dolbys. Moreover,
they frequently dropped in On each
other informally; the wives occasion,
ally shopped together, the husbands
took Sunday strolls together, and their
frlendliness would have been abso-
lutely ideal but for one jarring circum.
stance. va
There had been time when Alfred
Hilbert was desperately in love with
Lefty. Twice she had rejected him,
when Edmund made her acquaintance
and they fell in love with each other
at sight
Alfred resigned himself to the newt
able 50 completely that, few months
later, being a breezy young man whose
heart was too well seasoned to break
easily, he transferred his affections to
Nelly, who was already Letty's dearest
friend and had remained 50 ever since.
Edmund knew all about this from
the beginning. Alfred treated it as q
Jest. After they were all married he
would speak of his past infatuatlon
openly at their weekly meetings, and
laugh about 1t, never seeming to real
ize that nobody enjoyed the joke but
himself.
He was that sort of a man. Instead
Of growing Injured to his facetious de-
scrptions of his extinct passion, Ed
mund more and more resented them,
even rebuking Lefty now and then, as
II she were to blame for having been
passlvely responsible for Alfred's fas-
clnation. tF r&
Last night, after the Hilberts were
gone, he had rebuked her with unrea-
sonable irritation, for he was of a nat
urally Jealous temperament, and had
gradually persuaded himself that AL
fred was much too attentive to his
wife, and that Letty's manner toward
him was unnecessarily gracious. He
told her so in no measured terms, mag
nlfying bis grievances and saying more
than he meant, as an angry man will.
Lefty was disposed at the outset to
answer him laughlngly, but her flip
pancy exasperated him. Finally, be so
lost control of herself that his prepos-
ferrous hints and innuendoes stung and
insulted her. Her cold dignity was I'LL
abated by breakfast time this morning,
and, as he could not humble himself
and surrender, lie had gone off to the
city sullenly, without kissing her. ~
Away from her lie remembered all
her sweetness and was ashamed that
his jealousy could SO outrageously be.
H. -
fool him. He yearned to be with her
thinking of tender things he would say
to her; he would even ask her to for.
give him; and only to imagine how she
would lean her head upon his breast
and cry brought tears to his eyes. ---es
Hehad pictured 1t all wildly; he had
fastened home to fulfill his happy i'm
aglnlngs-and she was out.
IF she had sent me a telegram ask.
ing me 10 come home 1t would have
been nothing astonishing" he NUT
tured, bitterly, "but, instead of that,
she Isn't even waiting for me when |
do COME"
There was a piece Of crumplcd paper
lying in the fender. He had noticed 1t
idly, directly he sat down, and now,
suddenly, seeing there was writing on