The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-06-02
AN IMAGINARY
HUSBAND
BY VICTOR REDcLIFFE.

L '''" ~ lile next loNn purchasing
pipe, an ash tray and fancy smoL
ing stand. At once in their lnauis
tive. babbllng circle the decision WA
arrived at that the lady in question
was about to become devotee Of TN
weed.
little later, after shopping visl
10 the city, one of her packages wa,
left In the train. The conductor re
stored II TO her, hut not until he ha,
Informed his wife that it had con
tained pair Of loungIng slippers
mans size, and the imputation spread
tlat Miss Martin had beau and was
gong to get married. Several busy,
bodies visited Miss Martin hoping ia
get sight OF the suspicious articles
enumerated, but obtained no sight OF
the same
Those old catsl" volubly denounced
little Matilda Brown, the maid whom
Miss Martin employed, and who was
true blue and full of love toward the
KIND mistress who treated her as con,
siderately as she would relative
She was talking to nelglbor. "rhe
idea They Just came snoopns
around to see If they could get hold
1 of some mean thing to say about thu
I Ioveliest lady in the world. WHY
haven't they got sense enough to guess
That Miss Martin has been making
some presents to her cousins down at
Evansville who got married last
month";"
But Matilda's mind was full OF
secret uneashess while she thus de.
Tended her beloved mistress. and she
marveled at a great mystery concealed
within the precincts of the pretty little
cottage home For neither smoking
oulfit nor slippers had been sent away. .
They reposed at that very moment I'm
room which recently Miss Martin
had transformed from a library into
den and a mans den at that. She
Kept that especial apartment securely
locked up when strangers were around,
bur she could not hide its existence
from Matilda. Bit by bit she had fur
nlshed It, and as various articles Of
comfort and luxury adapted to man
KIND solely were set in place, Matilda
solved the enigma to her own satis-
faction in the cautious solloquy:
shes got an imaginary husband !"
Yes, Matilda had correctly figured
out the puzzle, and soon she knew
great deal more about 1t. Miss Mar
TIM twenty-slx, but still girlsh, had
never been wooed She regretted the
fact as she grew older for life was
monotonous and lonely. There was
only one epistle In her life that had
approximated real interest in a men,
Der OF the other sex on her part. About
a year previous Alan Frisbie, whom
she had known since he was school,
mate, had come to her on the score of
longtime friendship.
Teresa" he sad said, "I am not do.
Ing well in this town, and | want TO
try my luck further west. need 5000,
and | want YOU to loan 1t to me if
you have 1t and can spare it. to be
repaid later. l wish to
leave as security my dead mothers
ring. worth more than the
amount"
"You offend me by limiting at such y
! thing as security" declared Teresa, u
lut he pressed the pledge upon her. y
Then, with tears in his eyes he lifted =
Ter hand to his lips and kissed it, and
vept with deep emotion.
You are the noblest of womankind,
Teresa. and life Is worth a lot If it
las been only to find such true. good
rlend 70
A month later from thousand
niles distant there came a brief note,
nclosing a few pressed violets which
he wanderer had gathered on the TOP
I one of the loftiest mountains in the
Vest. After that silence and dreams.
Somehow the impressionabIe nature
( Teresa craved some object to senti-
lentally consider. Her romance took
he form of fitting up a room just as
II was for a husband, and she loved
} sit there in the cleaning and think
the man who might never return.
lt who was a fond memory to her
avoted soul.
OF all this-the treasured violets.
" NihOtlVHei VI IltE 2tIlIR,
ndly mistress-Matilda became fully
ware, and enjoyed stolen particpa-
on in the secret. 1t was months
ter, and Miss Martin had gone to the
ty and left her in charge of the
'use, when there came summons at
@ street door, and there stood the
turned wanderer. He. looked eager
ID prosperous he was CHEEKY and
endy with Matilda. She had al
lys liked him, she liked him bet
+ than ever now as, in her simple
~, she debated with herself MS to
W far she dared venture to employ
present golden opportunity to let 4
an Frisbie know just where he stood
the estimation of Miss Martin.
nally she decided.
Mr. Frisbie," she said, "Allss Ter
/ will be mighty glad to see YOU" ons
Think so?" replied Frisbie, all -
lies.
Yes, let me show you something"
| Matilda secured the key of the
!. She unlocked the door and ush-