Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-09-05
The Cleverest Woman in Australia
BY GUY BOOTHBY.

it herself) When the ladies had re-
tired Mr.. Kelton drew his chair up TO
the table, and over some undoubeed
port preached the subject of the case,
as Mrs. Guilfoy knew he would.
Iheu, one by one, as a man drives
lacks into board, Tom Guilfoy drove
his wife's ideas into the senior part-
ner's head. The partner was deligh Ted.
ne rose and shook hands with his lar
r1ster, and they finished the bottle in
great good fellowship. Then they went
up to the drawing room
When the carriage was announced,
and after Mrs. Kelton had kissed Mrs.
Gu1lfoy, Mr.. Kelton said warmly to his
hostess:
Madam, I congratulate you on your
husbands ability He's a clever fell
low, madam; he's solved a great diff
Guilty for us. An enormous difficulty!
| see future before him, madam. I'm
proud of his acquaintance! Good
night"
week later the case was heard,
and Guilfoy made his first public ap
dent, for his wife had drilled the line
we'll into him. He was no fool. nor
was he wanting in oratorical powers,
and, backed up by the peculiar nature
OF his defense, he was soon at his
ease. His argument was a great sue
cess, and His Honor, in giving judg
ment for the defendant, referred in
highly complimentary terms to the
ability of his learned brother
Soon afterwards his wife presented
him with a son and heir, and the
senior partner stood godfather. The
doctor, shaking his head solemnly
said: Mrs. Guilfoy must not be wor-
ried." consequently her husband lost
big will case in a most unaccouEtable
manner; he took the wrong line his
solicitors affirmed. Then the medica!
man ordered a sea voyage, and Mrs
Guilfoy and the baby went to England
She looked terribly careworn and pale,
and her husband naturally felt INK
ious.
He put up at the club during her abb
sence, and for the first two months
she began to figure in his eyes as a
tall, thin, dark-eyed woman, who cried
on the promenade deck, and told hin,
to- be a good boy, to work hard, and
above all, to write often. After this
he only wrote once a fortnight.
Somehow or other things began to
go very wrong with Tom Guilfoy. He
neglected his work and lost three i'm
portant cases through pure careless
ness. His solicitors demonstrated but
he took no notice. He lost another
Then he began to take a nip" &C.
| casionally. All men and a good many
women know what that means. He
scarcely went near his office but
played pool at the club until his nonG
grew too shaky and he could ha, dly
see the balls. After that for three
weeks he disappeared into the black
valley altogether.
His wife had been gone six months,
and he only wrote when he felt in
| clined-which was not often. His
handwriting must have been a reyela-
ton to- her, for she suddenly wrote
announcing her return Taking tn.
letter out of the club rack he put il IL.
his pocket, intending to read it When
alone. About month afterwards he
CHANGED to find it. The Oratava was
| expected that day, and he went down
| to Williamstown to meet her, taking
just nip or two to prepare himself
for the interview. He could not trust
himself to shave
l have said before that Mrs. Gull
foy was clever woman. l withdraw
that statement and say that she Was
the clevereSt woman that breathed
Another wife would have shrieked anG
tainted on being welcomed by su:.h a
husband as Tom Guiifoy looked at that
moment, but she did neither; she was
far too wise. Conceive it if you can,
But | tell you that that radiant. ma
Jestic creature, beautiful as Aurora.
fioated up the salon towards him with
her hands outstretched, and before he
knew where he was she had kisse /
/ him on either cheek crying:
Tom, Tom, my dear. dear boy, Oh.
how glad l am to be with you again.
Then she took him home. and he
felt like bad little boy who, an-icl-
pating a whipping, had been unexDect-
eddy forgiven.
Now how that woman worked no me
will eyer understand; but she shaved
she toiled, she fought, she struggled
night and day to lift her husband back
to his lost position. She was popular
before she left; she was a thousand
times more popular when she returned.
Nobody could deny her anything; and
even old Kelton began to think that
after all perhaps he'd been just little
too hard on Tom.
A small brief followed She brushed
her husband up, gave him his cue. and
he won two more cases, and his nerve
returned. By this. time he could run
downstairs without using the banis-
| tiers.
His cure was complete. and everyone
Il