The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-10-07

evening by an earller train
l. IL than usual, and Mrs. Dolby
M Ml was out do you know
where Mrs. Dolby is, MarthaT' he
called to the girl in the kitchen.
THE mistress went out, sir. about
ten minutes ago. and said she'd be
back in half an hour"
Edmund returned TO the sitting room.
and lay back in the low armchair by
the fire in gloomy meditation. He had
been uneasy in his mind all day, for
the night before he and Lefty had
quarreled. and II was because this had
been frettlng him and he was wistful
Of making his peace with her that he
had c0ntrived TO get home so much
earlier than usual. And now she was
out.
The fact that this chanced to be his
birthday gave keener edge to his suf-
ferings, and made her absence. when
he came yearning for reconciliation. SO
much the more inexcusable. He sat,
hunehed In the armchair. brooding un-
I'll he began 10 see a sinister signif-
cance In her not being there TO vel
come him: 1t became as clear to him
again MS II 1t 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.
The facts in connection with that
quarrel were. chiefly. these Edmund's
one particular friend in Watford was
Alfred Hilbert and Letty's one Dartic-
ular was Nelly Hilbert his wife Once
a week the Dolbys went round the cor
ner and spent an evening with the Hill
berts, and once a week the Hllberts
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
friendllness would have been abso-
lutely ideal but for one jarring clrcum-
stance.
There had been a 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 so completely that. few months
later. being breezy young man whose
heart was too well seasoned to break
easily. be transferred his affections to
Nelly. who was already Letty's dearest
friend and had remained so ever since.
Edmund knew all about this from
the beginning. Alfred treated II as
jest After they were all married he
would speak Of his past infatuation
openly at their weekly meetings. and
laugh about It. never seeming to real
ize that nobody enjoyed the joke but
himself.
He was that sort OF n man. Instead
of growing Injured to his facetious de-
scrlptions OF his extinct passion. Ed
mund more and more resented them.
even rebuking Lefty now and then. as
II she were 10 blame for having been
passively responsible for Alfred's fas.
cinatlon.
Last night. after the Hil5erts were
gone. he had rebuked her with unrea-
sonable irritation, for he was OF nat
urally jealous temperament. and had
gradually persuaded himself that Al
fred was much too attentive TO his
wife and that Lettys manner toward
him was unnecessarily gracious He
told her so in no measured terms. mag
nIfying his grievances and saying more
than he meant. as an angry man will.
Lefty was disposed at the outset to
answer him laughingly, but her Flip
pancy exasperated him. Finally, he so
lost control of herself that his prepos-
ferrous hints and innuendOes stung and
insulted her. Her cold dignity was un-
abated by breakfast time this morning.
and. as be could not humble himself
and surrender. he had gone off to the
city sullenly. without kissing her.
Away from her he remembered all
her sweetness and was ashamed that
his jealousy could so outrageously be-
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 hlAl; and only to imagine how she
would lean her head upon his breast
and cry brought tears to his eyes.
He had pictured it all vividly; he had
hastened home to fulhll his happy i'm
aglnngs-and she was out
III she had sent me telegram ask
Jog me to come home 1t would have
been nothing astonishing" he NUT
inred. bitterly. "but. instead Of that.
she isn't even waiting for me when l
do como"
There was a piece Of crumpled paper
lying IN the fender. He had noticed it
idly. directly he sat down. and now.
suddenly. seeing there was writing on