Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1910-10-28
Those Dreadful
Suspicious


Il saw in the paper today" the reg.
ular customer remarked as he leaned
back In order to help the lady bar
Der lower the chair. that four men
had been arrested for being implicated
In the murder over on Jefferson street,
and later they were all released with
no proof against them
Eyes," the lady barber said. twisting
the curl above her ear. Nov, amt
that awful? Four families put In
suspense because some police sergeant
has suspicion" She tucked towel
neatly into the neckband of the regu-
lar customers neck.
IF the police force did less sus-
pecting and more running there'd be a
greater number of guilty parties see.
ing daylight in strips" the lady bar
Der remarked derisively.
But they always have to suspect
somebody before they arrest hin," the
regular customer demonstrated.
The lady barber put stop to fur
ther argument on his part by build.
ing pyramid of her lather around
his mouth, which, experience had
shown him, would fall in If he dared
to speak. ~
Suspicion" she remarked, lis an
awful disease. The germs Of 1t are
in everybody. All it needs is an idea
to put them at work tearing down
character and sending happiness to an
early death"
The regular customer snorted help
lessly
Suspicion is the DEVILS favorite
vegetable. He plants 1t in peoples
minds, and every year gets crop OF
sin off of it." the lady barber con-
tinued. ... ,...7 g
Nov, there was Susie and her hus-
band-happened just last week. Not
the marriage, but the suspicion. and
if it hadn't been for the blessed fact
that Susie's mother had more sense
in minute than Susie had"
The regular customer had been
fidgeting uneasily. Now, he asked
question that filed his mouth with
lather.
who is Susie?" be sputtered.
Susie" the lady barber said, Sc
verely, lis the sweetest bit of sill.
ness that ever refused a dozen rich
men and married poor one. Susie
is my best friend. Before Susie was
married She" .r $751;.
But what did Susie suspect"
she suspected her husband, and
the poor boy wouldn't do wrong for
anything in the world. and Susie
knew it. But that just shows how
suspicion is If it once gets start
on anybody's mind it's as certain to
cause, trouble as--as a mouse in bar.
Der shop" s - -s.asa..-- <...- -. ......
"A lady barber shop you mean" the
regular customer bcmbarded. reliev,
ed at last of the lather. -'g
DO you want close shaver the
lady barber demanded.
"I'll take mine well, done, please.
bat tell me about SUSIE"
"Oh, yes. You see, Susie's hus-
band works in a gents furnishing
store. He is clerk. They've been
married about two months, and never
had cross word. He adores her from
the toes of her shoes to the top
curve of her rat, and she worships the
very counter he works, behind. Hot
or cold towel?" . s@ ~~
''Hot-and Susie?''
( Her boy got a day of last week
and went down to Bean lake, fishing.
That morning after he had gone a
man came to the house and told Susie
that a robbery had been discovered at
the furnishing store-that somebody
had been stealing ties and hosiery
and other stuff for several weeks, and
that it was very important that he
should speak to John. and where was
he So right there the devil plant
ed suspicion in Susie's poor head
and she answered up that she didn't
know. 5,
After the man was gone she ran
upstairs and looked all over Johns
clothes. There were an awful lot of
new ones. She thought 1t over, and
then carried them down to the cellar.
She was going to save her guilty hus-
band if she could. OF course he was
guilty. She never doubted that a
minute by this. time. When they came
to search the house she was deter
niined-Wet or dry?"
"Wet-no, give me tonic, and 60
on with SUSIE" s. =
# they should find nothing to
convict him. So she started fire In
the furnace. She never had started
the fire before, and it took her about
an hour. 1t was one of those days
when the mercury stood around 95.
and by the time the girl had Johns
clothes all burned. she was about
dead with exhaustion. But she burn
ed them-every scrap.
"And in the meantime she had lock-
ed all the doors before she went to
the cellar. you know-John had missed
his train and come back. He couldn't
get in, and she didn't answer his
knocks. so suspicion got started on
him. and he was certain that as soon
as he got away from town Susie had
gone out to have a time. So he left.
and when he came back that night
Susie was really gone, and for q day
or. two there was nothing but misery
for Susie and John. all because Of sus-
picion."
But how did It end?"
Susie's mother took a hand and sent
her back to him. He wore old ties for