The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-05-05
SUCH A DEAR chubby"
From the washinrton Star.

VI ~ . ANo A1oA ~ 0S W ~
Louis on q business trip. to be gone for
about two weeks. His young wife hated
to have him go, Of course, for they've
only been married about a year. Not that
the length OF time that couples have been
married really makes any difference in
such cases. but-however, this Is not q
didact.c discussion on the subject of con-
nubiality, but a concrete story. This man.
when he started OH business trips, always
pleased his pretty young wife immensely
by making a great show OF taking her
picture along. with him, and while he was
away Of writing to her about how the
photograph soothed his lonesome hours.
and all that.
h last thing that he always did when
packing his bag was to grab, that cabinet
photograph of his wife, the only one OF
Its kind IN the house. that stood or the
looked on. pleased all over to observe him
in the act of doing such a nice, thoughtful
ching.
1t Is necessary to remember. by the way.
that the cabinet picture that he took way
with him on these business trips was, as
stated. the only specimen of its kind in
tho house. and that it always stood on his
wife's dresser while he was at home.
We'll. when he started for st. Louis on
this last trip he was in such a dead rush
that in packing up he quite forgot the
photograph OF HIS wife. He had to make
LlAS / AAAll III 4ulCh llII0. ana NE overlooked
His wife noticed that he had forgotten
the picture only after he had gone. and
she mentally excused him for forgettinc
1t when she remembered what a great
hurry he had been in.
But
A couple Of days after her husbands ar
rival in st. Louis she received a letter
from him that shocked and amazed her
beyond expression.
The letter from her husband said. amona
many other things not germane to this
narrative, that he was deriving all kinds
OF solace and consolation from her pic
ture. That he'd taken 1t out of his grip
just as soon as he'd unpacked in st.
Louis. and that, at the very moment he
was writing. the picture, standing there
on his hotel bureau. was smiling and
smiling away at him and making him
suffer all kinds Of inconsistencies and lone
someness for the dear little wee wife
and all that; the average reader'u I'LL
out the rest all right.
~ course. she was shocked and amazed,
She was worse than that. She was griev-
ed. To him that he. whom she hnd dur
ing all her married life found so perfectly,
so scrupulous!y truthful. should stoop to
telling her a THAT is, that he should
write her something that wasn't so!
Wasn't that photograph Of her right
there on the dresser before her very eyes?
Oh. it was a sad blow to her all right.
She didn't let on in her letters to him
didn't say a word about it. But 1t stuck,
and it stuck deep.
Now, three or four days after he'd ar
rived in st. Louis he was writing her an
other letter about how much joy and de-
light he was extracting from her picture
on the hotel bureau when a. quick wave OF
remembrance overwhelmed and stunned
him.
He, suddenly recalled that he didn't have
the picture with him at all.
And here's where the resourcefulness
comes in.
He went right on and finished the let
ter to her about how much consolation he
was finding in the picture Of her and
mailed the letter.
lie Didn't calculate on being found out.
He Is a SORT of an adherent to that e.ev-
cnth commandment which says that
Thou shalt not be found out" and there
wasn't minted amount of coin that he'd
take to nave his wife catch him in even
one of those tenchy domestic f%alsehoods.
His way out was this:
He was we'll acquainted with the Wash
|iEston photographer who had taken that
photograph OF his wife. And so, that very
evening. he< wired to the Washington pho-
~tographer. instructing hfm to make. in
SANITY. a print of that photograph-which
the photographer. knowing the wife, too.
could quickly ident.fy-and send it along.
by special delivery. to the hotel in st.
Louis.
The photographer found the negative
without any trouble. made a print OF Ii.
mounted it and fired 1t along to the man
An st. Louis, who, when ne received II.
Went out and bought an elaborate oval
gilt frame for it and chuckled a very great
deal indeed while he put the photograph
into the frame.
He knew that his wife would imagine
that she had him when he got pack and
that she would have a little sadness about
ner, ana so on. And he had that end Of it
right. of course.
She had meant to restrain herself. but
When he flung his arms about her on en-
teflng the house upon his return she COL
lapsed from having worried so much about
the little thing and fell to weeping.
OF course. the brute, with a wide gaze
OF utter innocence. asked her what on
earth could be the matter.
on, to think" she gasped. that you
c-c-could t-tell me a s-s-story.."
story said the man. winking at him
der Say. little one. what's this all about.
anyhow? What storye"
Why she moaned between her sobs.
that you were l-l.looking at it every
n-n-night, and you d-d-didn't nave it with
yLy1 tSis at ailmit,s up on the b-b-bureau
The u~nspeakable male person pushed her
gently away from him and regarded her
with an expression Of the most lofty sad
ness.
My, dear" said he. in that injured.
abused tone that some husbands have got
down pretty pat: My dear. dc you really
mean to say that you could think ma
cah slheh of s9ch a thing as that-me
the p-p-picture Is upstairs n-n-now'
and"
For answer he put his grip on top of the
sitting room table. opened 1t. and there.
right on top of the clean linen, and beau.
TRULY wrapped about in a white silk
muff1er. was her photograph in the fine.
heavy gilt easel frame, '
She gazed at 1T with natural astonish.
mcnt.
.B-b-but." she cried. "w-w-when did
Dearest" he said to her, .didn't 7 tell
you that l had another print made inst
for carrying away on business trips. about
a week before started for st. Louis. and
that l got this frame Cor It. and thar !
put it in the bottom OF mY grip as soon as
If N.Y = u-hila. ~ u.pp, t.. ~.