Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-07
DAILY SHORT STORY
A MASTER STROKE.

| in double harness for the first time.
| Mr. and Mrs. berwick belonged TO the
Batter class. Mr.. berwick was level
BEADED. practical man. He had had
| quite enough of "spooning" during the
| engagement, and the wedding festiyi-
ties had bored him. He wished TO set
Gle down to the huindrum of life Not
| 40 the lady. She saw no reason why
, the honeymoon should not continue in
| definitely.
Now, there We're both truth and fall
| lacy in her position. There IS differ
| ence between a lunar and life honey
moon--the same difference as between
| Il bubbling brook and a deep, silently
| flowing stream. Mr.. berwick, though
| tired of the former was ready for the
| iatter. The consequence was that his
| wife jumped at the conclusion that they
had made a terrible mistake-that they
| were not fitted for each other. One
day. with as much deliberation as she
could assume, she Informed her hus-
| band of this conclusion. Naturally he
was very much surprised.
| WELL he said calmly, IL fear it is
| too late to repair the error"
| Nothing under heaven would induce
me to endure this any longer. 1 would
soon land in lunatic asylum"
What do you propose 10 dog
Leave YOU
well replied the husband. IF you
are to do that it would be far better to
| 90 before there are any children to
suffer by this terrible mistake"
THE sooner the better
| Would you like Il divorce so that
| you can marry again."
Thank you. I've had quite enough
| of matrimony."
Il want you to ba- comfortable. L
will leave you in possession here and
| live at my club
You are very kind. I,shall return to
my mother
| George berwick considered this
merely passing squall and while at
business during the day thought it
would have blown over by the time of
lii, return. What was his astOnish-
I meut when he went home to find his
wife gone with her principal baggage.
1 The situati ton was serious. His first
! impulse was to go aftep beg her par
don and bring her back If possible be
fore her flight should become known.
But for what should De ask forgive
|
should humble himself once for sins
he lad not committed would he not
need TO do so indefinitely? Should he
await developments or bring matters
| to a crisis? If a knowledge of her
| foolish move got out it would be ir-
reparable. He determined to settle
| the matter at once.
When Mrs berwick got settled at
4
| whether she had taken a very brilliant
or very silly course, but her mother,
| who had made spoiled child of her
and into whose ears she had poured
| all her husbands imagined harsh
treatment, satisfied her, at least for
the moment. that she had done just
right and he would soon come to her
crawling on his knees.
What was the young wife's ,astonish
| ment the morning after her flight TO
/ receive a call from a lawyer, who, the
moment she appeared in the drawing
room, stood up and mechanically read
something which she did not under
stand. but which the man Informed
her was a summons in divorce pro
| ceedings on the part of her husband,
on the ground of desertiOn. The bust
ness air with which the attorney
handled the matter caused the room to
swim and the floor TO sink.
| 'I-I-wish,'' she stamDlereG ito
see my husband"
My client does not desire an inter
view. You having deserted his bed
and board
"Where can | address him? Is he
still at homer"
Il am not at liberty to tell you"
do you mean that l can only COM
municate with him through yOu?"
'IIe did not tell me that he expected
any communication from you, but said
that if there was anything it must
come through counsel
This is shameful"
| The man bowed and was about to
take his departure when she stopped
him. "Stay. Will you forward a let
ter TO my husband?'
Certainly"
Going TO a mahogany writing desk,
| she wrote n letter, a tumble of re-
proaches. threats, sprinkled with q mi
mute quantity Of self condemnation,
and was about TO seal IL when the law
yer said:
Pardon me. As Mr. Zerwick's coun-
sci must see that letter or shall de-
| cline to transmit it,"
Mrs. berwick tore up the letter and
| ordered the man TO leave the house,
but before the door was closed on him
called him back, rewrote the letter and
handed 1t to him to read. He did SO,
and refused to transmit It, on the
ground that II would not be acceptable
to his client.
At the end of an hour, during which
Mrs. berwick wrote a number of let
tiers, each more tractable than the last
she finally was brought into a state of
mind TO write simply: