The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-10-10
Mister What's
His-Name
WEEKLY SHORT STORY

Ses'~o oiu hiA'ii, tll'pusl Sic AtS lltt
yet thirty. lived in flat On the OPP
posite side of the hall was another
fiat in which lived a couple who inter-
ested Miss Wilkins. There is nothing
remarkable in this inasmuch as old
maids are usually supposed to be in
terested | nther neighbors' affairs.
Whether or no this Is the case, Miss
wilkins, who by the bye was very OBJ
sorrowfu countenance.
The next thing Miss wilkins noticed
was that whenever she was lying
awake between midnight and or 4
o'clock she would hear footstep COM
ing up the stairs, and on reaching the
story on which she lived the sound
would end in the closing of a door
There being but one other fiat on the
was undoubtedly closed by one of that
other flats inmates
An idea struck Miss Wilkins right
between the eyes. Mr.. What's-his
name, her neighbor, was the cause of
his wife's melancholy. 1t was he who
came home so late. What wonder that
the lady was miserable with such
husband! Was he dissipated? An
other idea popped into Miss Wilkins
head. Mr.. What's his name must make
his living by gambling. She had once
known a woman whose husband was
gambler and the wife was always the
picture of misery. The problem was
solved.
That it was solved correctly was
proved by the fact that no one was
stirring in the neighboring flat in the
morning till II o'clock. Then waiter
from a restaurant brought a tray COW
cred with a napkin, knocked at the
What's their-name's door and handed
in what Miss Wilkins was sure was the
husbands breakfast. The reason she
was sure it was the mans breakfast
was because she had often seen the
tray sitting on the floor beside the
opposite door for a waiter to remove
and there was but one coffee cup and
one plate. Undoubtedly Mrs. What's
her-name got her own breakfast at
proper hour.
Miss Wilkins gave music lessons,
and an hour when she was sure to be
occupied with a pupil was between 10
and in the afternoon. She watched
for Mr.. What'shis- name to go out, but
never saw him, consequently she sur
missed that he left home during the
hours that she was always engaged
On 1st of May Mr. and Mrs. WHAT'S
their-name moved out of the flat OPP
posite Miss wilkins. The lady attend
ed to the moving, Mr.. What's his name
not appearing while it was in progress
Indeed, it was done in the afternoon.
Miss Wilkins inferred that since he
was up all night at cards or whirling
roulette machine he must have his
sleep in the morning and have his poor
wife to do the moving. Anyway, Miss
Wilkins never saw the husband, but
mental picture of him that she con-
jured up remained in her mind 1t
resembled Mephistopheles
That was the end of the What's
their names for Miss wilkins
Three years later the spinster got
husband Of her own. The moment she
saw him all that antagonism to men
which had been with her since she
had passed twenty five--in other words
since it began to look as if she had
been felt out of the matrimonial king
dom--vanished. There was something
so benevolent. so noble so winning in
his face that she fell before him like
grain before a scythe.
The gentlemans name was Smiley. |
Miss wilkins said it should be Smiling.
since his beautiful face always wore
a smile and that smile was his most
lovely feature. He seemed very much
plased that Miss Wilkins was pleased
ing for wife. Having every reason to
suppose that he would be accepted by
Miss wilkins, he proposed, and they
were married.
Mr.. Smiley was very regular in his
1habits and very domestic He was a
magazine editor, and his hours at his |
Office were the same as those of other |
persons, though sometimes he brought |
manuscript home and spent the even |
ing reading them. But he always ex |
cused himself 50 pleasantly for thus |
depriving his wife of his company that |
she forgave him,
One Sunday afternoon while etrolling |
they passed an apartment house.
II once occupied a fiat in there said |
Miss wilkins.
Indeed! When was that"
-Four years ago. We occupied the |
second story west flat. A couple lived |
opposite whom | shall never forget |
The man was a gambler. and his wife
was the most unhappy creature l ever
met
"How did you know that the man
was a gambler"
4 why, he was out all night and lay |
" bed till noon Besides his wife show
"a NV bor aypraecipn that he was some |