The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-05-14
Ghe
Other Girl.
BY Y. A. BEhLl.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
by n. A. BEhLl.


To all their friends there seemed to
be something essentially homogeneous
In the idea Of their marriage. Friends,
of course. as il well known. have the
right to decide those things.
Grace 0rmlston was New Eng.
land girl OF an old Boston family.
who knew her Emerson by heart. 1t
was even reported that she knew
what Robert Browning meant when
he wrote:
Setebos and setebos and setebos.
Jim Garrison had been born and
reared on a big Kentucky plantation,
and he had obtained his education In
that school which not only believes
but vows that gentleman's education
ito ride. to shoot and to speak the
truth"
Yet their marriage had turned out a
happy one, for with all Jim's igno-
rance of books he was a gentleman,
every inch of the stalwart length of
him. He did feel bit oppressed,
though, at times when his clever and
conversation" as he expressed 1t, and
showed by her manner that she knew
II was over his head and that she ex-
cused him In sympathetic kindness.
The truth was that Jim would have
been quite bit the better for 1t II he
had possessed more of a share Of that
OF which most men have too much
conceit.
Poor Jim didn't have bit, and he
used to rub his handsome head rue.
fully and with very genuine sorrow at
the harassing thought that he was not
good enough for his brilliant beauty OF
wife and that she must feel some
degree of shame for him when she was
surrounded by the wise and learned
people who called on them contin
ually.
When they had been married n little
more than year telegram came for
Jim while he was absent In Kentucky
looking over some of his land Mrs
Garrison hesitated before she opened
the yellow envelope, for she was no,
woman who believed in letting hel
curiosity get the better of her, al
though she had her full share Of tina
delightful instinct of her breeding.
However, she finally decided thai
she should open the telegram to see II
1t was important enough to forward tc
Jim. Surely every one will forgive
that. Women ought to be curious. It's
part of their charm. Think Of what
the world would be without woman's
delicious curiosity!
The message was short. But few a,
the words were they were sufficient to
cause something very much like her
little world tumblng disastrously
down around the pretty ears Of Mrs
Garrison. The telegram was dated
from a village on Long Island and
said
The uIrl is dying. Come at once,
1t was signed Jack Harrington
Grace recognized this name as that OF
she had often heard him speak. but
whom she had never met.
Grace was not naturally jealous
woman-that IS. nothing more than tc
say that she was not any more Jealous
than is any good, true, warm souled
woman. She tried to remain unsuspi
cious; but. try as she would, she coult
find but one Interpretation for tn,
message.
believe that 'the girl" referred t.
could be her rival since their mar
riage. She never gave place In hel
mind for one moment to any idea thai
her Jim was capable Of the shameful
disgusting treachery such surmist
would presuppose.
But she could not help but see thai
this girl had some old claim on jim
and the thought Of such claim on the
man whom she loved so passionately
was sufficient to drive her nearly fran
tic,
She perceived that the sender Of the
telegram had taken 1t for granted thai
Jim would not hesitate to "come a
once" And then she recollected with
keen sense that gave her new pail
now that Jim always had spoken shy
ly and hesitatingly about Harrington
and had evaded all her attempts t.
Induce him to invite this friend Of bis
early days to their home.
Her feeling was one Of total desola
ton. She moaned at the thought Their,
could be anywhere In the world ,
woman with such claim upon hel
Jim that he must go to her deathbed
Mrs. Garrison realized now and all a
once how deeply and helplessly sh'
loved her handsome husband and how
empty all her world Of knowledge ant
art would seem to her II that low,
were DESTROYED.
At last, however she began to thinl
OF the unknown girl who lay dying
With mighty effort she put aside he
own grief and telegraphed to her hus
band:
Mr. Jim Garrison. Phenix Hotel, Lexing
ton. Ky,
Come home Immediately. A matter c
life and death. GRACE.
She could not bear TO telegraph I
him that ''the girl" was dying. To re
fer to her In such a way was repue
nant to every instinct. and she was 4
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