The Democratic advocate., 1909-04-23
6he
Other Girl.
BY r. A. BEAIL.
Observation-Disclosures
BY R. A. BEALL.
Copyrighted, 1909, by Associated
Literary Press.

be something essentially incongruous
in the idea of their marriage. Friends,
of course, as is well known, have the
right to decide those things.
Grace Ormiston was a New Eng
land giM 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:
Setafos 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
is complete when he has been taught
"to ride. to shoot and to speak the
truth
Yet their marriage had turned out
happy one, for with all Jim's 1gno-
rance Of books he was gentleman
every inch of the stalwart length OF
him. He did feel a bit oppressed,
though, at times when his clever and
learned wife let him ''slide out of the
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 O bit the better for 1t II ne
had possessed more of 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
q 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 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 not
a woman who believed in letting her
curiosity get the better Of her, al
though she had her full share of that
delightful instinct of her breeding.
However, she finally decided that
she should open the telegram to see If
it was important enough to for ward to
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 as
the words were they were sufficient to
cause something very much like her
little world tumbling disastrously
down around the pretty ears of Mrs.
Garrison. The telegram was dated
from a village on Long Island and
said:
The Girl is dying. Come at once.
It was signed Jack Harrington.
Grace recognized this name as that of
one of her husbands friends of whom
she had often heard him speak, but
whom she had never met.
Grace was not a naturally jealous
woman-that is, nothing more than to
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 could
find but one Interpretation for the
message.
Her faith in Jim was too absolute to
believe that "the grip referred toI
could be her rival since their mar
riage. She never gave place in her
mind for one moment to any idea that
her Jim was capable of the shameful,
disgusting treachery such a surmise
would presuppose.
But she could not help but see that
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 it for granted that
Jim would not hesitate to "come at
once" And then she recollected with q
keen sense that gave her new pain
now that Jim always had spoken shy
" and hesitatingly about Harrington
and had evaded all her attempts to
1uuuC6 Q1u 10 1uHlI0 ILLS 1ElCuu VI Ills
early days to their home.
Her feeling was one Of total desola-
tion. She moaned at the thought there
could be anywhere in the world a
woman with such claim upon her
Jim that he must go to her deathbed.
Mrs. Garrison realized now and all at
once how deeply and helpiessly she
loved her handsome husband and how
empty all her world of knowledge and
art would seem to her If that love
were destroyed.
At last, however, she began to think
Of the unknown girl who lay dying.
With mighty effort she put aside her
own grief and telegraphed to her hus-
band:
Mr. Jim Garrison, Phenix Hotel Lexing
ton KY.
Come home Immediately. A matter Of
life and death. GRACE
She could not bear to telegraph to
him that 1.-The grip was dying. To re-
fer to her in such way was repug-
nant to every instinct, and she was in
total ignorance of the girls name.
Before noon she received the ex-
pected reply. 1t read:
Leave at noon. Arrive tomorrow noon.
Grace Garrison, having forced her
self to sacrifice her own emotions and
her own wounded love and anguished
pride, was not the woman to shrink
-