Norwich bulletin., 1915-10-14

There is always beginning to an end. What it was in the case of MT. and Mrs. Hicks Brown I do not pretend to know What I know most about is the end and the appendix. Of course all the differences leading up to the last act were thoroughly aired in court and in the newspapers. but it was the final act of brutality on ] Mir. Hicks-Brown's part that was es- pecially dilated upon. and for weeks this ''fiend in human form" was ex- ecrated by danes and damsels all over this broad land and Mrs. Hicks Brown was an object of heartfelt commisera- ton on all sides.
 It was a dog-not only dog, but a yt,ung lady dog that Mir. Hicks Brown termed a ''meaSly, dodgasted pugs-that caused the climax Mr.> Hicks Brown was an architect and 1t came to pass that he had on pare the plans for a public building. The plans were drawn and accepted by the committee, which however, returned them to him for certain in- laid on the table in his den. to be attended to when he returned home in
 the late afternoon of a certain day. Now it 30 happened that Vic, the pug. was of an inquiring turn of mind, and she chose this very af-
 
 upper part of the house.
 When Mir. Hicks Brown entered his den, about five o'clock, he saw at once that portions of his plans were missing and, supposing that
 his wife had taken them to show to Where are those plans?" he ask
 What plans, dear?" softly in- quired Mrs. Hicks. Brown. sliding her caramel into one cheek. and
 still keeping one eye on particu-
 back novel in her lap.
 "What-what plans! Do you mean to say you didn't take those Calumet building plans from my table?" asked
 MT. Hicks Brown in some agitation. 1 "Oh-h!" said his spouse, mildly sur- prised. Why. 1t must have been those l that Vic had"
 ''That--Vic-had," howied Mir Hicks-Brown. And pray, where are
 they new?"
 Don't get excited, dear. Were they anything in particular Vic had some old. soiled pieces of cloth playing with them while ago: but l supposed they were some you had thrown into the
 waste basket. so I burned-Henry
 What are you going to do?''
 But Henry did not answer. Ht
 strode over to the cushion whereon the
 offending Vic was tnAxing her after
 noon siesta. gripped her firmly by tht
 nape of the neck. and, despite hi'
 wifes hysterical protests, opened thu
 door and kicked the bowling anina
 into the street. and, not satisfied witi
 this. when Mrs. Hicks Brown woulG have rushed to rescue her pet. he tool I her by the shoulders and forced he, into a chair, noting with grim satis , faction as he did so that a couple o street arabs were making off witt i, Vic.
 That day Mrs. Hicks Brown wen home to her mother, and two week later she was a member of the al vorce colony In a western city, seek } ing freedom from matrimonial bond on the ground of "cruel and inhumai
 treatment" which she expected tn court. when the case was presented, [ ! understand as having been applied t her, instead of to Vic.
 The first three or four weeks, i f l her Hurried state of mind, she did nc
 notiee--but after that time passe seem. life apart from MT. Hicks
 Brown was very, very dull-and lone : iy.
 And Mir. Hicks-Brown? He wa working away as though fighting tim, g He never gave himself a moment, t he coud help 1t. for thought. Ther . were times when he had to think. an t they were not pleasant times. Ther | was one in particular. A few month !, before. he had begun to build, un z known to his life, a handsome ne house In her favorite suburb--and tn . time came for him to occupy 1t, an n she was not there to enjoy it. HI 8 younger sister. an orphan, who ha
 just finished her school and had com f to live with him, was delighted wit = everything. She ran all over th D house, fairly gushing with p1easur . and dld not know that her brothe n sitting amid the confusion of fun 1T niture in the front hall, was thinkin s of how much some one else woul a have been pleased. And there wei ' two big tears on his cheeks when I
 remembered himself and arose to st = perintend the work of arranging fui a niture.
 r Everybody who reads the pape1
 remembers the Hicks Brown divort
 triai-how the defendant paid no a
 tention to the suit; how the judge.