Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-07-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
CAREFUL AS TO REPUTATION.
rOriRinal.1

IOriginall
A bachelor member of the New York
Four Hundred sat IN negiigee costume
in an easy chair, servant in plain
clothes standing before him, hat in
hand. The gentleman was examining
the servants credentials with a view
TO hiring him.
Il see," said the former. that you
have been with Lester Walker and Ell
lott Gorton, men who have exchanged
wives"
Yes, sir. 1 lived with Mr.. Walker
when lie had his own wife. Then
when she married Mr. GOrton / went
TO live with him. Most Of the ladies
and gentlemen I've lived with, sir,
have been divorced and married again.
/ never worked for any except the first
families"
Wasn't there some chance of Wal
ker and his first wife getting together
again some time agO!"
Its very complicated case, sir.
Y see, Mr.. and Mrs. Walker bein' d.
vorced, Mr.. Walker married the d.
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 la
dies first names? l 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. Gwendelen."
well, sir, as l was sayIn', the two
couples as had been married different
before found themselves ct 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 the first families is
used TO such things. 1t didn't trouble
'em bit, sir. Indeed, sir, the novelty
of their second marriage havin' wore
off, Mrs. Alice looked mighty charm
in TO her first husband, Mr.. Walker,
and Mrs. Gwendolen got up a f1irta-
ton with her first husband, SlY. Cor
ton. After the opera Mr.. Walker took
his-I mean Mrs. Alice-to the Waldorf
to supper, and Mr.. GOrton took Mrs
GwendOlen to DelmOnicO's to supper
and l, bein' at the time workin' at
DelmonicO's, saw Mr. GOrton and his
first wife sparkin as II they was hon
eymOonIn'.
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';
oh N nj a napI'ia 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 di-
vOrces and marry again as they was
in the FIRST place. Mr.. Walker took up
with 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 beat
in SO they all got their divorces
without any scandal, for II was only
the men that was compromised. and
that didn't matter, and after waltin'
Il proper time they made their prepare
tons to marry again as they was in
the first place. lis was very fine for
the children, poor things, who natural
" preferred their own parents and l.
who had gone to work at Mr.. GortOn's,
was mighty pleased at his little ones
bein' SO delighted at the prospect Of
gittin' back their own mother
while they was all waitin' to take
their original positions 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 1t would make
talk. and they was all very particular
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 n 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 II all His first
wife married duke IN England Mr..
Gorton married the divorced wife of a
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 a
dispensation. But. this bein' the case,
the set they belonged to considered IT
perfectly proper for 'em to live to-
Sether, and they did.
Il could tell you lot more about
'em. sir, only the names has got 80
mixed that couldn't make you under
stand"
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
made only one error, and that you have
fallen into by listening TO scandal. You
have said that the first Mrs. Gorton
lived with Roman Catholic whom she
could not marry on account Of relI-
gious interference. In this you are
wrong. Society might tolerate such a
union, but in this case it did not occur.