Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-09-29
THE VISION OF JOHN DESMOND

flung himself YEARLY into an easy chair,
while his wife dexterously poked the fire
into more cheerful blaze.
You're tired. dear" she murmured,
glaneing at her husbands heavy eyes and
noticing with alarm his haggard, detected
look.
Yes" murmured Desmond. with an eff
fort 1--WE had hard day, and don't
feel mp to the mark. Another touch of
the flu expect"
The man sighed. May Desmond bent
over and kissed his forehead, and then
drew up chair to the daintily prepared
supper table.
Come" she said; "have something to
eat. And then should get to bed
He rose languidly, with the unspoken
reflection that he possessed wife in a
thousand. Never was he late from the
office but what meal awaited him,
tempting and inviting. And it wasn't as
though they were a honeymoon couple
they had been married twelve years
and Mays principal thought amid all the
ceaseless round of household duties was
still for her husband.
Desmond ate sparinCly-too tired to
appreciate the good things before him
while his wife. with the usual tact, re-
Trained from irritating questions In
stinctively she fell something was wrong,
but knew all would be related in the
morning. It's wonderful how different
things look after nights slumber.
The man laid down knife and fork at
last and yawned.
I'll go up now" murmured May
you won't be long?"
NO. dearest" answered Desmond
zone pipe, that's ALL"
He sat down in the easy chair again,
the generous warmth of the fire extend
ing soothingly over his frame. His
nerves felt all wrong; he certainly wasn't
WELL A patent medicine advertisement
he had read in the evening paper had de-
scribed his symptoms to at, - and these
We're naturally serious. But that was
nothing to his mental trouble.
He heard May moving about upstairs,
and his thoughts reverted to her.
Poor little woman!" he murmured
"And | was going to do so much! I'd
reckoned on 1T"
He filled his pipe, lit it. and pulled
vigorously, But the taste of the tobacco
seemed nauseous tonight-certainly he
wasn't well. A mans in a bad way
when his favorite weed no longer affords
pleasure.
Poor little womani" he murmured
again, putting his pipe aside and leaning
back heavily. The world was a topsy-
tmvy place; things were uneveuly dis
tributed. Here was May, hard working,
industrious from childhood, scarcely
knowing the meaning of relaxation, and
yet she deserved life of leisure. She
ought t? nave married a wealthy man;
instead, that lot had fallen to her sister,
years younger and with a chronic disin-
clinatioE to all forms of exertion. Things
went by contraries; he had been power.
less TO alter it, and now
He closed his eyes and groaned as his
thoughts, revolving in a circle, came back
once more to their starting point. How
he had looked forward to that day; with
what hope he had pictured the news he
would be able to tell his wife when he
reached home that evening! But the
times We're out of joint; the same old
monotonous round must continue with
out let or hindrance.
Desmond ground his teeth. endeavoring
But it was impossible: the fact that he
had been overlooked, and not only over
looked but outstripped by a man years
his Junior, CALLED, cut him to the heart
For twenty years-yes it was that: he
was just Is when he joined the firm
/ he had been in the service of Porrett &
| Co. For twenty years he had served
them faithfully, commencing as office boy
and working his way steadily upward
the vacant position of cashier was his by
right of successorship, if nothing else
But no! Porrctt, keeneyed, shrewd.
sharp in manner and speech. had allo-
Gated Wcrkins, a mere boy-and till
yesterday his inferior--to the post.
Once more John Desmond groaned.
Was it his fault? he wondered. He'd
always done his best, yet he was only a
plodder. Inclined to be interpretive, he
knew he lacked brilliancy; he never pos.
>esSed the Americanizcd pushfuness of
NerkinS, for instance. Rather was he
apt TO let others assess his value than
make the valuation himself An old
fashioned procedure, but in keeping with
his years; soon he would be at that com
mcrcially fatal age. 40.
And Yet all his aspirations had been
loi May ana the children. Fifty pounds
q year more would have meant fortune
to them. Hitherto, although their re
sponSlbiliteS increased as time went by.
they had managed to keep things going
and clear of debt. Messrs. Porrett 4
Co were not renowned for hberalitv.
and 1t had meant hard and, what per.
haps was worse, continuous economy. A
thousand uiiiing things had been denied :
his wife last year had sacrificed holiday
tor his sake. She had smilingly pointed
out that he was their chief asset 1t was
secret, of course, hut ii the expected
had happened he had arranged t. take
May the coming Easter To Paris.
He smiled bitterly at the recollection
of those air castles. it would he hard
tn imagine Chaplain common the R5;s do
Boulognc. To Werkius was left the
fgrand tour; $50 extra to bachelor
meant additional personal Qualifications