Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-01-10
PLAYING WITH FIRE.

lie lunched at his club, and drove to
Cavendish square in the afternoon. A
footman informed him that Mrs. Now
bray was at home. and he was shown
into the drawing room and left to his
own reflections After an interval of
about five minutes she came in.
The three years which had passed
since he had seen her had scarcely
changed her at all. He noted the small
| head perfectly poised, with its crown of
| fair hair, the slightly tilted chin, and
the gray eyes that had fingered in his
memory ever since she lad dismissed
him. Now he saw them light up with
| pleasure at the sight of him. She smiled
radiantly.
"Geoff!" she said, "is it possible?"
| tits more than possible, it's an actual
fact" he replied. Il got back to Eng
| land a week ago"
| She looked at him with her head on
one side.
You're not changed" she pronounced,
after pause of inspection.
You are" he answered.
Am |? In what way?"
I'm very important one When
left you you were a girl; now you're a
married woman"
"A change for the BETTER" she laughed
lightly.
"0f course! Especially when your hus-
band is so celebrated man"
ooh, celebrity has its penalties" she
answered, smiling. you see, my hus-
band is so immersed in his work and has
so many scientific meetings to attend
that see very little of him. At times
am tempted to wish that he was not
quite so distinguished
"An ill-natured FRIEND he said, cheer
| fully, INFORMED me this morning that
you erept under the lens of his micro
scope in order to attract his attention"
"Horrid Who was it? Well, in way
/ suppose | did. At least, took live
ly interest in all his doings. had made
up my mind 70 marry him, and found
the infusoria the best way of accomplish
ing my purpose, You see am frank
Very frank. And now that you have
accomplished it, l suppose you are quite
happy"
Not quite. One can't be quite happy
| in this world, can one? You see, a seien-
tifc man can't be always looking down
the microscope at one object. So after
| looking at the other-infusoria"
kitty! You don't meant"
She broke into ripple of laughter.
'You absurd boy!" she cried. How
could you think But you don't
know the professor He is older than
am, of course. and l don't suppose he
had ever looked at a woman before
WELL before / put myself under the lens.
/ k.tl hot hn hos onfrf llxr r,.1I
one of us-has gone through the cere-
mony, so to speak, am sure he consid-
ers that he has done his duty by the sex
for the rest of his days No. He has
gone back to the other kind of infusoria
-horrid little things with waggly tails.
He finds them more attractive. You see
how frank am"
"Then be franker STILL" he replied,
"and tell me why you married him?"
We'll, it was kind of experiment.
she admitted Il wanted to know how
| it felt to be the wife of a celebrated
man; and besides 1 fell in love with
him."
"And was there nothing3" he asked,
in slightly lowered tone, mo thought,
no memory Off"
"Of?"
well, of me?" he said bending down
little toward her and looking keenly
into her eyes.
She blushed little.
None at all" she answered hurriedly.
Don't be foolish, Geoff. All that boy
and girl nonsense was over ever so long
ago"
He Strengthened himself.
ooh, WELL" he said, morosely. ''I'm
afraid / must be going. So glad to have
seen you, Mrs. Mowbray. Pray give my
kind regards to your husband and tell
him how greatly regret"
Now you are more foolish than ever,
Geotf," she laughed. "I'm not going to
let you go so soon. You must come
often, and we must see great deal of
one another. l get so bored at times.
Sit down and have some tea, and tell
me all about South Africa
At tea their tete-a tete was interrupts
ed by the appearance of the professor
| and his sister. The professor was an
elderly man, STOPPING slightly under the
weight of his years, trife short sighted,
and with little puekerings about his right
eye due to years of research at the micro.
scope. His sister, almost his own age,
rigidly erect in black satin, had obviously
no touch of his absent -mindedness She
was even unpleasantly alert; and Geof
frey, as ne caught her eye fixed upon
him with suspicious inquiry, felt abso-
lutely uneoIn Portable, and was glad when
the time came when he could take his
departure gracefully.
Goodbye, Geoff," said Kitty, as she
shook hands. Remember now-we ex.
peet to see a good deal of you as long
as you are IN town"
'Delightet" murmured the professor
I'm a busy man myself. But my wife