The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1906-10-11
The PHOTOGRAPH
AND WILLIAM
BY HAROLD WHITE


or we part company--t is the right
expression, / think, isn't it?"
Eyes, sir" said William, scooping up
the luncheon crumbs.
How the deuce 1t could be lost
passes my comprehension" | added,
glancing at the vacant space on the
mantelpiece where the photograph used
to stand. ! missed it. 1t was not only
pretty in ITSELF but valued it; times
had changed, but | say | valued it.
"P'r'aps Mrs. Groom knows some.
thing about it," suggested William,
withou; apparent interest.
"Nonsense!" | replied, rritably.
"You know as well as ] do that Mss.
Groom hasn't been near the place since
nine this morning"
William apparently gave it up, anu
went On with his crumb-scooping
Did | understand, sir" he said
after pause, "that you was to be
back at tea-time with the young lady
and her aunt, sir?"
Williams remarks generally have a
significance, and with practice it is
possible to gather what that signiti-
canoe is. This time | saw at once what
he meant by certain pose of his head
and the meditative manner in which
he picked up the table-cloth.
"Confound your impertinence!" |
said. tLooll .here, William, I'm not
going TO have you arrange my rooms
according to your notions of propriety
or whatever it is. That photograph
will have to be produced and put up
exactly where it always stands"
"As you please, sir" sfid William
81 will see that it's looked for"
do you think | want you to man
age my matrimonial affairs?" | went
on. ! was angry with him.
II shouldn't take the liberty, sir"
who's going to notice the things?"
"Oh, | think they notice 'em, sir
It's my belief the women see with the
backs OF their heads. Besides, sir, it's
natural that they should take stock,
coming for the first time"
"Ard suppose they do?"
"Wei, sir" said William, "in my
opinion what the eye doesn't see the
heart doesn't grieve after, and least
said soonest mended. OF course, sir,
that may be only in my station in L re.
sir"
do you imagine that any woman
would think that have lived for three
and-thirty years without the diversion
of feminine society?" l put 1t to him.
"They may not think it, sir but
they like to believe it,
But that's nonsense"
"Very likely, sir. It's my belief it's
very much this way. A woman don't,
no more than a man, imagine things
in a general way; but If she finds
hook, she hangs deal on it"
But don't you scc, William"
said that this entails life of per-
petual deceit?"
IL don't see, sir, begging your par
don, that any man is bound to incrim-
mate himself"
THAT is casuistry," I said. Where,
william, where are your ethics?"
Il don't know. sir. Perhaps | never
had any, sir. I'm not familiar with
the word"
IF you had" | said, you would
see that the one great condition of
happiness between man and wom-
an who are, or who are to become
man and wife, is perfect confidence.
There should be no secrets. Nothing
should be kept back"
"Some have tried it, sir" said VIII
liam, and raused thoughtfully. II
think Il | was to look, sir, ] might
find the photograph in the wardrobe
in your bedroom. Shall ! look for it,
sir?" he asked. walking to the door.
"Stop!" I said You say some have
tried IT, In your experience"
"I've lived in married families, and
l have come across il" said William.
"IIow did it work?"
"Oh! lori" said William, and said
nothing more.
How often" / said, "are our natu-
rally good impulses checked by the
| knowledge that If we let them go, they
will only lead to harm in the endg
| My natural impulse is to befriend the
beggar in the street, but | know that
l shall only be encouraging vagrancy
and drink, and things. My natural inn
pulse under the present circumstances
| is to have no skeleton in my cup
boards, and no photographs concealed
| in the wardrobe of my bedroom-and
then a man of experience tells me
that II let that impulse so, the re-
suit will very likely be appalling. !
| gathered, William, that the results in
the other cases were appalling"
William lifted his eyebrows and
nodded.
Then your advice, as a man of ex-
perience, is to arrange the mantelpiece
without including the photograph"
Seeing what's written on it"
Seeing what's written on it, you
think that on the whole il would be
as well to-er-exclude the photo
graph"
eff Il ism; a liberty. sir" said VIII
liam.
THE mantelpiece will look very