Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-05-23


had been married little over a year
Mrs. Riley confessed that she believed
she had made a mistake in marrying
him.
whats the natter" Riley asked
Don't you love me any more?"
"Oh, yes" she replied. 81 like you
just as much as ever | did, but | think
1T was wrong to marry you. | don't
think | ought to have married a second
time. | don't think anybody ought to.
l think second marriages are sinful"
Riley said "Rotw unsympathetic-
ally. Presently he added: what put
that idea into your head ?"
Mrs. Riley tapped the first page of
the magazine article that she had
been reading. This" she said. 1T
says-but there haven't time to
read the whole article. will just
give you a synopsis of it. 1t says,
IN effect, that any woman who marrleS
second time makes a mistake, the
only thing that can possibly excuse
her for doing so being marked re-
semblance between the first and sec
ond husbands in looks, manners.
habits, speech and thought. PROBES
SOr JOintsberry is the author. He is
a friend of our family. On a number
of occasions he has given us excellent
advice, and when he says that second
marriages are not advisable | am quite
sure that he knows what he is talk
ing about. ] am doubly convinced
that he is right, because up to the
, time | met you | felt just that way
myself. Indeed, the truth is, | should
never have married you II you had
II
Blanchard"
"Oh, you wouldn't" said Riley,
really interested at last. you never
told me anything like that before.
mo, | know | never did. | was
afraid ! would hurt your feelings. But
it is So You are wonderfully like
Wilbur. The first time | saw you |
turned quite faint. The resemblance
seemed really supernatural. 1t seemed
for a minute as if Wilbur had been
resurrected before his time and had
come back to haunt me.
Il am beginning" said Riley dryiy,
"to entertain decided admiration for
Mr. Blanchard.
"Well, you ought to-" she returned
coolly. considering how well pleased
YOU are with yourself You are just
ion are for all the world like his.
Then your muStache grows heavier on
the left side, just as his did, and
you've even got that same cute little
way of SQuinting up your right eye
every little while You've got a scar
on your left wrist, too, the same as
he had, and you have his provoking
habit of saying. oh, | don't know
about that whenever anybody says
anything you don't happen to like"
'In that case your conscience ought
10 be clear" Riley said. "Since the
lamentcd Mr.. Blanchard and myself
seem to be twin peas you haven't any
thing to worry about
ooh, yes, | have" she returned tear
fully. Gou are a great deal like
Wilbur, but YOU are not enough like
him. Please don't be angry Horace,
and do not ridicule | have thought
over this matter seriously ever since
] read this article 10 days ago, and
/ have come to the conclusion that
the only way ] can reconcile myself
20 the situation is for you TO cultivate
more of Mr.. Blanchard's manncrisms,
50 won't be able to tell, without
stopping to think about it, whether
YOU are yourself or Wilbur"
at strikes me-" Billy grOaned. that
I've got peculiarities enough Of my
own, without adopting q batch of new
ones. Still, if that is your only
chance for happiness, and you really
do seem TO be in dead earnest about
this thing | suppose | ought not baik
at acquiring a few of Mr.. Blanchard's
pet tricks"
Mrs. Riley dried her eyes.
"Yo on are very good" she said. As
soon as ! get time ! will make out q
list Of certain little habits Mr. Biaucn-
ard had which il would make me most
happy to sec YOU adopt The only
things can think Of now are his pas
sion for black Deppcr-hc wanted
everything made fairly black with it
his fondness for lavender socks and
his funny way of crooking his index
finger every few minutes when he
got interested i'm talking"
ooh. see here" Riley protested
"You don't cXpcct me to make such
an idiot Of myself as all that, do you -,
Mr. Blanchard did" Mrs. Riley muir
INJURED pensively.
"Then Riley shall" her husband re-
turned heroically.
Two months after he began to con-
sumo expensive quantities Of pepper,
60 sport lavender socks, to tWiddle
his index finger and to perform var
ious feats indicative of the cccentricity
Of his predecessor. Riley began to
stay out late at night. For several
weeks Mrs. Riley bore the nocturnal
1 jesertion uncomplainingly, but when
RILEY came i'm one morning about 2
o'clock with torn raiment and dishev-
eled hair. she put aside her patient
demeanor and turned relentless in
quisitor.
"Where have you been ?" she asked.