Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-10-18

ball-and-chain affair as his wife has
turned out to be- She's a pretty girl,
too, in way"
Discontinued looking. She ought to
be thankful to have gotten such a
clean. whoie-souled husband as Bob
Page. He's one in thousand"
Looks awfully seedy and down
nowadays"
What man wouldn't when he has
to help with the Homework every
night. Did you hear that she made
a soup out of smoked beef-the
shaved sort, you know?"
Somebody told me-wasn't it alb
surd? l wonder who ate it?" They
both laughed.
She gave it to her laundress, and
the woman told our Nora"
What right has a woman to get
married if she doesn't know how to
take care Of house and make her
husband comfortable"
mo more right than a man has to
marry when he can't support wife.
BuS Bob Page is certainly holding up
his end"
"She doesn't play fair in the matri-
monial game" was the other woman's
comment. 81 suppose she would be
thunderstruck to think that he was
dtsillusioned-IIl wager you he's sick
and tired of married life already"
1T will end in divorce" declared the
first speaker decidedly, as they arose
and went toward the door for just then
the train came to a standstill in the
big station
Stunned by the realization of her
own position in the matter, as re-
vealed by the thoughtless chatter OF
her neighbors, Nellie Page walked out
of the train and into another one that
was due to leave in five minutes. One
thought whirled around giddily In her
mind. She must hurry home and de-
stroy that dreadful note she had writ
ten to her husband. She must never
let him realize what selfish, unreas-
enable woman he had married. What,
she asked herself, over and over
again as the train sped toward home,
what had she contributed toward the
happiness of their home?
Suppose anything happened to Bob
before she had a chance to tell him
that now she knew what was wrong
she would work hard to make 1t right
she would take cooking lessons-she
would study the housekeeping maya
zines.
The more she pondered the greater
was her wonder that Bob had ever
married her; she marveled that he had
been so patient Suppose, after all his
love for her was dead-that he was, as
the women on the train had suggest
ed, disillusioned. What would her life
be without Bobs love and devotion?
Thoroughly frightened and remorse-
full and hating herself for her blind
ness Nellie Page fairly ran down the
street toward home. Her heart almost
stopped beating when she saw light
in the sitting-room window. Bob must
be home. He had taken an earlier
train and by this time he had found
her note and read it and-Nellie did
not dare think of the look he would
give her.
The front door was unlocked and
she slipped noiselessly in and dropped
her tell-tale bag in the hall closet,
Then she stood unnoticed in the door
way and looked at her husband with
questioning scared eyes.
Bob was playing with Flinders who
frisked heavily around his master,
barking sharply as Bob waved crum-
pied scrap of paper to and fro over
the dogs head.
! 1t was the note. He had read 1t.
Nellie leaned against the door, a sud-
! den faintness assailing her. Bob
must have cared little for her If he
could give her note to the dog for a
plaything.
All at once Flinders saw her, her
body stiffened and he stood rigidly
watching her, his head poised on one
: side, the little black sheer curling his
| lip.
Wool" said Flinders and tore
across the floor to meet her as he
used to do in the days before she re-
buffed him.
What is it?" and Bob turned quick
ly, to see his wife staring dumbly at
him. What is the matter. sweet
hearth" he asked, gaining her side.
The note. did you read 1t. Bob?"
she gasped. pointing to the scrap of
paper he held and which was now
nicked around the edges by the playful
teeth of Flinders.
WAS it a note?" asked Bob. sur
prised why. no. When l got home l
| found Flinders chewing this scrap OF
| paper into ball and we've been play
| ing with it." He smoothed 1t out lit
tie and then shook his head over the
half obliterated characters. 1T was
written in pencil and l guess Flinders
| has chewed all the sense out Of it," he
declared. tossing the paper into the
waste basket.
Nellie was down on the floor her
arms around Flinders whom she was
hugging. She turned a rosy face up
to her husband. "Oh, Bobby. dear, If
ever you're tempted to write perfect
ly silly, Unjust note to anybody-just
write 1t in pencil and leave it around
| for Flinders to destroyi"