Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1911-01-19

uuuCl lhO AAhPaeoeANhs
you handle" continued the visitor,
"all the various ramifcations of bust
ed-up connubiality. You are surgeon,
we might say, who extracts Cupld's
darts when he shoots 'em into the
wrong parties. You furnish patent, In
candescent lights for premises where
the torch of Hymen has burned SO low
you can't light a cigar at 1t. Am /
right, Mr.. Gooch?"
81 have undertaken cases." said the
: lawyer, guardedly, Gin the line 10
which your figurative speech seems to
refer. Do you wish to consult me pro-
fessionally, Mr.. -" The lawyer
paused, with significance.
Not yet" said the other, with an
arch wave of his cigar, mot Just yet
Let us approach the subject with the
caution that should have been used IN
the original act that makes this pow
WOW necessary. There exists mat
rimonial tumble to be Strengthened
out But before l give you names l
want your honest-well, anyhow, your
professional opinion on the merits of
the mix-up. l want you to size up the
e-abstractly-you under
stand? I'm Mr.. Nobody; and I've got
a story to tell you. Then you say
what's what. Do you get my wire
less?"
you want to state a hypothetical
case?" suggested Lawyer Gooch.
That's the word was after 'Apoth-
ecary' was the best shot / could make
at 1t in my mind. The hypothetical
goes. I'll state the case. Suppose
there's woman-a deuced fine-look-
ing woman-who has run away from
her husband and home? She's badly
mashed on another man who went to
her town to work up some real estate
business. Now, we may as we'll call
this woman's husband Thomas r. Bill
ings, for that's his name. I'm giving
you straight tips on the cognomens.
The Lothario chap is Henry X. Jessup.
The Billingses lived In a little town
called Susanville-a good many miles
from here. Now, Jessup leaves SUI
sanville two weeks ago. The next
day Mrs. Billings follows him. She's
dead gone on this man Jessup; you
can bet your law library on that"
Lawyer Gooch's client said this with
such unctuous satisfaction that even
the calIous lawyer experienced a
slight ripple of repulsion. He now
saw clearly in his fatuous visitor the
conceit of the lady-killer, the egoistio
complacency of the successful trifier.
''Now," continued the visitor, Sup
pose this Mrs. Billings wasn't happy at
home? Well say she and her husband
didn't gee worth a cent. They've got
incompatibility to burn. The things
she likes Billings wouldn't have as a
gift with trading stamps. It's Tabby
and Rover with them all the time.
She's an educated woman in science
and culture, and she reads things out
loud at meetings. Billings is not so.
He don't appreciate progress and ODE
lisks and ethics, and things of that
sort Old Billings is simply a blink
when 1t comes to such things. The
lady is out-and-out above his class.
Now, lawyer don't 1t look like a fair
equalization Of rights and wrongs that
woman like that should be allowed
to throw down Billings and take the
man that can appreciate her?"
'Tncompatibility," said Lawyer
Gooch, "is undoubtedly the source of
much marital discord and unhappi-
ness. Where 1t is positively proven,
divorce would seem to be the equitable
remedy Are you-excuse me-is this
man Jessup one to whom the lady may
safely trust her future?"
ooh, you can bet on Jessup," said
the client, with a confident wag of his
head. "Jessups all right He'll do
the square thing. Why, he left Susan
vile just to keep people from talking
about Mrs. Billings. But she followed
him up, and now, of course. he'll stick
to her. When she geGs divorce, all
legal and proper, Jessup will do the
proper thing"
And now" said Lawyer Gooch,
continuing the hypothesis, If you pre-
fer, and supposing that my services
should be desired in the case, what"
The client rose impulsively to his
feet.
ooh. dang the hypothetical bust.
ness" he exclaimed, impatiently.
Lets let her drop, and get down to
straight talk. You ought to know who
am by this time. ] want that woman
to have,-her divorce III pay fov it.
The day you set Mrs. Billings free I'll
pay you five hundred dollars"
Lawyer Gooch's client banged his
first upon the table to punctuate his
generosity.
''If that is the case" began the
lawyer.
Lady to see you. sir" bawled Ar
chibald, bouncing in from his ante
room. He had orders to always an
nounce Immediately any client that
might come. There was no sense in
turning business away.
Lawyer Gooch took client number
one by the arm and led him suavely
into one of the adjoining rooms. ga
vor me by remaining here a few min
utes, sir" he said. 81 will return and
resume our consultation with the least |