New Britain herald., 1915-11-13
Memories of Jack.

l up the oriental fabric, my hands trem bling. The sight of it brought the memory of my mother to me wth 1 overwhelming force. How precious this gift had been to her, and how she had treasured it!
 It had never been secret to mo that my mothers dearest wish had been to see me Jacks wife before she left me forever. knew that her last years had been shadowed by the knowledge that neither Jack nor had any other feeling for each other than that of the close friendship, al- | most relationship, in which we had been reared. had always been glad that Jack had never wanted to marry l me. l did not love him, but I liked him so we'll that l knew in my heart l never could have resisted the pres sure of my mothers wishes and h ia combined.
 A sinister little thought crept into my brain. "If you had married Jack you would never have had to meet any of these problems which so coIn- plicated your life with Dicky. Jack would never have urged you to do anything you did not approve, like smoking cigarette. He would have kept you from meeting women of the type you must entertain tonight. He would have thought you perfect in every way. where Dicky seems to want to break down your prejudices and ideas at every turn.
 Memories of the past came rushing Nnv1N NrsA LIx<.< connected with Jacks unvarying kindness to my mother and myself. The son of a distant cousin, he had been adopted in his orphaned baby hood by my mothers sister. We had been brought up together. All our childish joys and sorrows we shared. and after Jack grew up and estab- lished a creditable place for himself in the engineering world, it was to my mother and myself he brought all his triumphs and dissappoint- ments.
 No brother and sister could have been closer in affection. The fact that We were not related except so dis tantly added just the necessary filling to make our association a most ln- teresting one to, both of us. Jack was the only man of any consequence l in my life, as I was certian I was the only woman in his. Then had come his long Journey to the wilds of South America, where he could neither re- celve mall nor get any message out l for so long. And I utterly forget ting almost his very existence, had I met Dicky and married him during
 Jacks absence.
 With little sart, I rem embered X a <o1 1,o | would be horne again, expecting to l greet me as of old. The letter from
 him was in my desk now, the letter | which had occasioned quarrel be- tween Dicky and myself. felt a sud- l den seise of guilt. For my mothers
 sake, if not for Jacks, I should have
 waited for his homecoming and ap- l proval before I married Dicky.
 "Oh, the Gorilla With the Mumps!' T "well, upon my word, what are
 you incoming over?"
 Dicky's voice close to me startled
 mo so that dropped the silken
 square which had brought back tc
 rne so many memories of my mother and Jack Bickett. Dicky
 stepped and picked it up and exam
 ined 1t closely.
 India" he commented, and ther
 suspiciously to me: You appear
 very much upset over this orienta
 souvenir. What is it-a mementt
 of some sentimental episode?''
 Il A*H
 Dicky's voice was sneering, un
 pleasant I had learned upon the
 day he discovered Jacks letter an
 nouncing his unexpected return tha
 underneath Dicky's careless exterio
 there lurked a demon of jealousy 1 It was not a dangerous demon b.
 any means, and one of which I wa l very sure Dicky was much ashamed but it was strong enough to mak
 him a most unpleasant companion : while it possessed him.
 |, knew that I had only to say 4 quietly, "This is something that be
 longed to my mother" to mak
 tcnder- hearted Dicky utterly re " morseful and humiliated But m
 conscience would not let me te
 such half-truth. I was awar c that my breeding over the silke = fabric had held as many thought
 of Jack as of my dear mother. So I faced him, outwardly brave
 but inwardly quaking, for I dreade another scene.
 T found this when I was takin
 out the linen for tonight l sai
 "It is something which my mothe Il prized very highly, a gift to he S from Jack Bickett, the best frien 1ny mother and myself ever had.' v Into Dicky's face flashed the loo e | of anger which I had learned t 5 dread.
 l. "Oh, the gorilla with the humps, r he jeered contemptuously. It wa a the same explosion that he ha
 used when he saw Jacks photo