The Winslow mail., 1912-10-05
What
Happened
Then

DOWN At the once and he felt IKE
nothing SO much as simply being
quiet, saying nothing to any one ana
having no one to say anything to him.
Consequently he silently propped the
evening paper against the sugar bowl
and continued reading the column Of
Wall street gossip about Hartman
gobblins another railroad
Mrs. Jones stood the strain Of "a.
lence as long as she could and then
burst forth desperately: well, what's
new down town."
Nothing much" said Jones auto.
matically.
Have q good day down at the Of
feet"
"oh. about as usual" answereA
Jones.
HAS Brown been giving you any
more trouble?"
Nope" he grunted shortly.
How does your new stenographes
get on?''
There was no hidden trap in this
question. no secret jealousy concealed
Jones's new stenographer was an
elderly maiden who wore spectaclss
and goloshes and Mrs. Jones's mina
was perfectly serene regarding her.
Jaw RI" responded Jones betwesa
mouthfuls.
Il believe your like her much bet
ter than you did that pert. girl yos
had" said Mrs. Jones. "She seems
sensible and respectful-uuite differ
ent from that fluffy-haired thing whe
always looked at me so critically
whenever came down to the office
fairly detested her, the little ninny!'
Mr.. Jones stirred uneasily, but made
no reply. and after pause Mrs. Jones
said: How much does that clerk she
married get?"
Now. see here, Maria" said hei
husband, looking up impatiently
Cant you see I'm reading? How can
| tell whether it's Hartman or Bat
tling Nelson I'm reading about when
you keep firing a question into me ev
cry two seconds?"
Seeing that 1t was useless to try
to make him talk, Mrs. Jones decided
to do the next best thing talk her
self
THAT Mrs. Bowman who's moved
into the fiat overhead was down again
today" she began. do YOU know,
Henry, hate to say It, and Of course
it's no business Of miEe, ana for all
I know she may have taken It az
| medicine, but was almost certain ]
caught the smell Of whisky on her
breath. I wonder II she drinks. OF
course she acts like lady and wears
| good clothes and is polite, but you
can't tell what you're going to en-.
counter in New York. / don't believe
in spreading scandal, but when Mra
Green dropped in here this afternoon
I happened to mention my suspicious
to her, and I asked II she didn't thinh
| 1t was awful for q woman to take to
| whisky and drink herself to death,
and then she said she met q woman
that would deceive you Just the same
way down at Bath Beach last summer
She said this woman"
| "Oh, 1 don't care what she said OF
what this woman did," exclaimed
| Jones angrily, showing back his chaia
from the table and flinging his napkin
down on the table.
| Mrs. Jones's lips uuivered. She
buried her face in her handkerchief.
Now, don't start that!" said Jones
"You know didn't mean to hurt your
feelings
These were Just the words needed to
start Mrs. Jones off in full cry, liter
ally. Her husband listened to her
sobs for a moment and then as his
wife begun to pour forth torrent oil
reproach, he twisted uncomfortably
for few minutes, and then angry
both at himself and at her, jumped up
| and put on his hat and stalked out OF
the fat, banging the door behind him
Straightaway he went to the corner
emporium. hoping to md some old
cronies there with whom he could
laugh away his disgust with things in
general. But he found none present
and after a solitary drink, went out
and slowly walked down the street
Accusing thoughts assai1ed him.
He reproached himself as he thought
Of her cooped up in the hst all day.
But at the thought of the ceaseless
flow Of language, he gritted his teeth
and went on down to bowling alley.
where he found some friends and i'm.
mediately joined in the sport.
It was midnight when the play
ceased Then his conscience began to
trouble him. Suppose burglars had
broken into the house during his ab.
sencef Suppose there had been .
fire, with him the natural protector.
away7 Suppose his wife, in her ex.
element and resentment, should throw
herself-oh, no, that was foolish. And
yet he had heard Of women doing that.
He worked himself into such fever
that he entered the darkened nat with
horrible feeling of foreboding He
entered his wife's bedroom and there
lay
No, his wife had not been shot she
was sleeping peacefully. But she