The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-08-25

L
The stars burned soft and dim;
! A maid and man sat on the beach
She had her eye on him!
Poor unsUspecting youth was he,
As in her eyes he looked;
She knew the signs; and presto
change,
She had the sucker hooked.
What was bOthering Brown most
was the way his wife mad been carry
ing on OF late
1t was true he had been engaging
| in several little side plays himself,
and the lady probably knew of it
She generally did pTy into matters
which did not in the least particle col
Germ her. he considered. wrathfuily;
but hadn't he finally cut it all
the slim little girl in the baby blue
dress, whom he had paraded before
the wife of his bosom day after day,
night after night, as the one vision
of loneliness in the world, the IA
dance of which made all other futile
feminine attempts fade at the finish
Hadn't ne? Well he guessed yes
And now, after ne had actually
emerged from his one and great ''af-
faire' as he privately termed the oc-
currence, il had remained for his wife
to vertically kick over the traces"
and to give him worlds of anxiety and
serious thought
A business man. he considered with
a certain amount Of self. pity, hadn' I
any right to be muddIing his head with
affairs of the sort, anyhow.
He wished she would settle down
like the sensible little woman she was
Was she bent on revenge? Brown
hardly thoI ght so-but there was al
ways a Glance for doubt.
He would turn in early that night
and surprise her once.
Palafox street didn't look good to
him, anyhow, tonight, with its squeak
ing monographs and its everlasting
electric pianos
And besides. he wasn't quite sure
where his wife had gone.
She had limited something at supper
about going across the bay.
Maybe she had really meant it. She
hadn't asked him to go, he considered.
Well, she needn't.
There were others.
Still he was restless.
Just then he rounded the corner
which lead down the street to his
home.
There was a light
That was encouraging.
Then he let himself in with his
latch key and made his way to the
little back parIor. There she was.
She hadn't gone oUt after all, Brown
considered exultingly-
She was a dear little faithful thing,
and he ought to be square from the
word go" with her.
He would after that COnfOund ii,
had been good of her 10 turn the whole
deal down. and then TO sit up for him!
His wife, who sat sewing by the
little reading lamp, looked up casually
at mis- approach
If she hadn't known the man thor
oughIy. completely, who stood before
her. she might have been less cruel.
She, woman like, grasped the situa-
ton at a glance however, so she
yawned politely, looked a trife bored,
perhaps, and regarded her better ddlt
with degree of interest so evidently
slight that the pride of the man was
hurt
Then she said, with all the nonchaI-
ance. she could muster:
Such a stupid evening-and you
home early, too! Do you know. had
meant to go out tonight. but the party
broke up, and / stayed at home, Dear
me-" and she yawned again.
Brown retired to his room without
opening his mouth, but he did lot
of thinking during the silent watches
of the night, and in the morning ne
regarded his wife fUrtively across the
breakfast table. in a futile attempt to
understand Being a man, however,
he failed, ANONYMOUSLY.