New Ulm review., 1913-10-29
THE
HUSBANDS
OF EDITH
By
GEORGE BARR
n'CUTCHEON
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ps-..-.-s.a. l,tit.
lcoNTINUED.1

Fellow named Brock. Stupid sort
Of chap, my mother says. r.
"Oh. dear me, Mr.. Ulstervelt," cried
Edith, breaking in. you shan't say
anything mean about Mr.. Brock. He's
my husbands best friend"
II didn't say 1t. Mrs. Medcroft. It
was my mother" Brock was hiding .
smile behind his hand. ''She knows
him better than I. To tell the truth,
I've never met him, but I've seen him
on the Fifth avenue stages. You do
look like him. though. by Jovev'
"It's extraordinary how many peo.
pie think look like dear old Brock. .
said the false Roxbury. "But. on the
other hand. most people think that
Brock looks like me. so what's the
odds? Haw. haw! Ripping! Eh, Mr..
Rodney?"
Ripping? Ripping what? Good
heavens, am ripping anythingT' gasp
ed Mr.. Rodney, who was fussy and fat
and generally futile. He seemed to
grow suddenly uncomfortable. az IL
ripping was habit with him.
Dinner was a success. Brock shone
with refulgence that bedimmed all
expectations. His wife was delighted.
In all Of the four years Of married life
R0xbury had never been so brilliant.
20 deliciOusly English Ito use her own
expression Constance tingled with
pride OF late she had experienced un-
usual difficulty In diverting her gaze
from the handsome impostOr. and her
thoughts were ever Of HMM justi6.
cation Of platOnic interest. Of course.
NO more than that. Tonight her eyes
and thoughts were for him alone,
circumstance which. could he have felt
sure. would have made him wildly hap
py instead Of inordinately furious in
his complete misundersta nding Of her
manner toward Freddie Ulstervelt.
who had no cOmpunction about max
ing love to two girls at the same time.
She was never so beautiful. never 80
vivacious. never so resourceful. Brock
was under the spell; he was fascinat-
ed: be had to look to himself carefully
In order to keep his wits in the pre-
scribed channel.
His self esteem received a severe
shock at the opera. Mrs. Medcroft,
with malice aforethought. insisted that
Ulstervelt should take her husbands
seat. As the box held BUT six persons.
the unfortunate Brock was compelled
to shift more or less for himself. In
war1iy raging. be suavely assured the
party-Freddie in particular-that he
would end seat in the body of the
house and would join them during the
entr'acte. Then be went out and sat
in the foyer. 1t was fortunate that he
hated Wagner. Before the end of the
act he was joined by Mr.. Rodney. hor-
ribly bored and eager for relief. In
nearby cafe they had whisky and
soda apiece and. feeling comfortably
re enforced. returned to the opera house
arm In arm. long and short. thin and
fat. literally discoursing upon the in
teiiectuality of Herr Wagner.
"Say. you're not at all like an Eng
exclaimed Mr.. Rodney i'm
pulsively. even gratefully.
"Eh. what?" gasped Brock. replacing
his eyeglass. Lob, 1 say. now. 'pon
ny word. haw. haw!'
"You've got an American sense of
humor. Medcroft-that's what you
have. You recognize the joke that
Wagner played on the world. Pardon
me for saying it, sir, but | didn't think
It was in an Englishman."
"Haw, haw! Ripping. by Jove! No.
no! Not you. mean the joke. But
then. you see. it's been so long since
played It that even an English