Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-08-31

doorless doorway she saN an unspoI-n
stream of her guests, cioaked and
shawled making their way 70 The head
Of the stair. Most kept their looka
studiously before them, and OF the tew
who cast her a glance. half scared. hair
curious, none added the smallest ghost
Of a bow
or all the wondrous crowd, only two
men carue up 20 her before they went.
one said. Good night Mrs Shelf
The other said Goodnight, Laura,
I'm very sorry
Then these followed the rest. and
when ali had gone a white faced SER
want came up snd told her what had
happened The police had been quioh
with their reach. but the man they
wanted had been quicker. He had eft
the house ten minutes before they ar
rived.
is that aH?"
THAT Is all, madam"
Very well, said Mrs. SHELF. Il
shall not want YOU any more tonight
Lock up, and then you may go TO bed"
Then, picking up her fgn, she walked
| leisurely out OF the drawing room and
| went to her own boudoir.
That Mr. Theodore Shelf had made
! his own exit and brought about his
/ wife's social downfall most dramati-
| Cally even the worst hit Of his VIC
I Tins could not but admit The police
| with exquisite trouble had traced him
/ 90 Paddington station and found that
/ he had taken a FIRST class ticket to
Liverpool. and after using the wires
! they he'd returned 10 bed with the firm
! conviction that their seaport associates
/ would meet the gentleman at Lime
street or course they could rot pos
| Tbly guess that he and a wire haired
( fox TERROR dog had changed their
I route 10 MOnmouthshire ana had ar
( rived IN Newport !u ample time 70 go
1 on board one Of his own steamers
/ which had just finished coaling there.
! The police and the victims said a
! good many things when they learned
! the simple means by which Mr. Shelf
/ had escaped and they confidently ex-
/ peCted never 10 see him again in this
| world and hoped TO miss him in the
/ next And consequently all were con-
side1bly astouished and not "a little
/ pleased when only two days later Mr.
I shelf re-entered London with all his
freer movements hampered by vulgar
/ fctters.
OF course Mr.. Shelf could not forsee
! that when his steamer was passing
! Lundy at a brisk fifteen knots her
steering gear would break down and
! jam Jam the ruddcr so hard aport that
| she would take the ground before re-
! vcrsed engines could check her way
/ And because OF this lack OF foresight
/ he was after some f0rmality though
! regular diet, TO which he went among
! the wailngs and curses Of a ruined
! multitude. And there reQuiescat
AS 70 Mrs. Shclf I do rot know what
J has bscome of her neither do / par
( icularly care But the odds are she
.s keeping on her feet somewhere,
| somehow. She is a clever woman, Mrs.
4 Theodore Shelf, If expensive.
/ The good she did in this world dur
/ ing her sway may be summed under
| The heads Of encouraging dressmak-
/ ers, society journalists and the manu-
! cacturcrs OF old masters, and By these
ard a few others she viii be missed.
/ The evil she did is the tax Of tho
street and the poor felix who were
ruined hy the failure OF her husba nd s
/ companies can be eloquent thereon.
! But her loss is not without one gain.
! Now that she has gone the poor wo-
I man ma!.es a very pretty neg for hus-
/ bands who knew her to hang moral
/ on for the delectation OF their unfor-
! tunate wives.
{ Continued Next Wock.)