The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-10
TIE EVENING STORY
Careful as to Reputation.

Careful as to Reputation.
A bachelor member of the New
York Four Hundred sat in negligee
costume in an easy chair, a servant in
plain clothes standing before him, hat
IN hand. The gentleman was examin-
ing the servants credentials with a
view to hiring him
I see" said the former, "that you
have been with Lester Walker and
changed wives
Yes. sir. 1 lived with Mr.. Walker
when he had his own wife. Then
when she married Mr.. Gorton I went
and gentlemen I've lived with, sir.
have been divorced and married again.
l never worked for any except the
first families
Wasn't there some chance of
Walker and his first wife getting to-
gether some time ago?"
It's a very complicated case, sir
Y see, Mr.. and Mrs. Walker beizs' di-
vorced, Mr. Walker married the di-
vorced wife of Mr.. Gorton. Then Mr..
Gorton married the first Mrs. Walker.
One night Mr.. Walker and his second
wife and Mr.. Gorton and his second
Wife
Hold on! Don't you know the
ladies' first names? I can never keep
them straight by their married
names"
Mr.. Walker called his first wife
Alice. and when he married the other
one he called her Gwendolen."
All right, call them Mrs. Alice and
Mrs. Gwendolen.'
well, sir, as I was sayin', the two
couples as had been married different
before found themselves at the opera
In adjoinin' boxes. 1t might have been
tryin' for 'em if they hadn't always lived
in the highest circles and BEEN
ITO the manner born"
YES sir. all first families
used to such things. It didn't trouble
'em a bit, sir. Indeed, sir, the novelty
of their second marriage havin' wore
off, Mrs. Alice looked mighty charmin'
Mrs. Gwendolen got up a Irritation with
her first husband, Mr.. Gorton. After
the opera Mr.. Walker took his-I mean
Mrs. Alice-to the Waldorf to supper,
and Mr.. Gorton took Mrs. Gwendolen to
Delnonico's to supper, and 1, bein' at
| the time workin' at Delmonicos. saw
Mr.. Gorton and his first wife sparkin' as
| if they was honeymoon.
| Toward mornin' Mr. Walker he KEN
in with Mrs. Alice. and they all set
| down at the same table and drank
| champagne till the day was breakin'; ;
| then each man got into a carriage with
| his own Wife-I mean his own legal wife
and they drove home.
WELL sir, that was the beginnin' of
a change. They all agreed to git d.
| vorces and marry again as they was in
| the uFSI place. MI. walker look up
with a chorus girl, and Mr.. Gorton
| KEN home one day when his wife had
| hired a detective to hide in the closet
| a-purpose and did Job of wife beatin'.
! So they all got their divorces without
| any scandal, for it was only the men
that was compromised, and that didn't
| matter, and after waitin' a proper time
they made their preparations to marry
i again as they was in the first place
This was very fine for the children
| things who naturally preferred
/ their own parents, and I, who had gone
to work at Mr.. Gorton's, was mighty
pleased at his little ones bein' SO de-
lighted at the prospect of gittin' back
their own mother.
while they was all waitin' to take
their original position the men lived at
their clubs and the ladies put up at
different hotels. You see, sir, it
wouldn't do for 'em to swap back to
their own children till they was mar
ried over again-at least it would
make talk. and they was all very par
ticular not to git people to talkin'
: about 'en.
| ''Well, sir, Mr.. Walker and his wife
! was to be remarked in the fall, but
unfortunately in July he took a party
: off on his yacht for long cruise, and
when he KEN back he was engaged to
Miss Yardley her that owns all the
stock in one of the big insurance COM
panies, and this spoiled it all. His first
wife married a duke in England. Mr.
(IOrUOn 1ndTI16u LDS ulNOICCO WIG VI q
big mine owner. The only one of the
) four that was left out in the cold was
| Mrs. Gwendolen, who was in love with
| a Roman Catholic who couldn't git &
| dispensation. But. this bein' the case
} the set they belonged to considered il
perfectly proper for 'em to live to-
gether, and they did.
ST could tell you a lot more abou
'em, sir, only the names has got sc
mixed that I couldn't make you un-
derstand.'
"You needn't trouble yourself.
have no desire to lose my mind and be
, sent to a lunatic asylum. Besides.
am quite sure that you have occupied
places in the highest circles. You have
have fallen into by listening to scan
dial. You have said that the first Mrs
Gorton lived with a Roman Catholic
, whom she could not marry on accoun
, of religious interference. In this yoI
are wrong. Society might tolerate sucl
a union, but in this case il did no
occur. I happen to know alf about it
but I wish you to understand that
will have no gossip among my servants
You must be very particular not to re
peat this story about Mrs. Gorton. In
G deed I shall expect you to deny
+ whenever you hear it mentioned. An
!. other thing wish to say to you: Yol
5 will be in the service of a bachelo
o. married"
? ST don't doubt, sir, that you will
marry in the highest CIRCLE
= Certainly, and my wife must be Xix
= Caesar's-above suspicion. am t
q marry the first Mrs. Gorton."
= F. A. MITCHELL