The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1920-06-03
THE ROSE-GAR-
DEN HUSBAND
BY W1DDEMER
Copyright. by ). p. Lippineott Co.

Cheerful thought" said Allan
laying down his magazine entirely
Shall l ring for Wallis and some
peroxide? AS you said the other day
I have to be approved of or I'm un
happy
ooh, it really doesn't matter" said
Phyllis mischievously. you know
married you principally for a rose
garden and that's lovely"
II suppose / spoil the perspective
said Allan, Unexpectedly ruffled.
Phyllis leaned forward in her
draperies and stroked his hand, that
long carver hand she so loved TO
watch.
Not a bit, Allan" she said, laugh
ing at him. You're exceedingly de-
corative! l remember the first time
saw you l thought you looked ex-
actly like a marble knight on a
tomb"
Ailan-Allan the listless, tranced
invalid of four months before-threw
his head back and shouted with
laughter.
II suppose I serve the purpose Of
garden statuary," he said. 1--WE used
to have some horrors Whine l was a
kid. / remember two awful bronze
deer that always looked as if they
were trying to get their feet wet, and
a hoppy bronze dog we called Fido.
He was ment for a Gordon setter, 1
think, but 1t didn't go much further
than Intention. Louise and 1 used to
ride the deer"
His face Swallowed a little as he
spoke, for nearly the first time, Of
the dead girl.
Allan" Phyllis said, bending
closer to him, all rosy and golden
in her green hammock, "tell me about
Louise Frey-if you don't mind
talking about her? Would 1t be bad
for you, do you think?"
Allan's eyes dwelt or his wife
pleasurably. She was very real and
near and loveable, and Louise Frey
seemed far away and shadowy in his
thoughts. He had loSod her very
dearly and passionately, that boist-
erous, handsome young Louise, but
that gay boy-life she had belonged to
seemed separated now from this
pleasant rose-garden, with its golden
haired, wisely-sweet young chate-
lame, by thousands of black years.
The ~blackness came back when he
remembered what lay behind it.
There's nothing much to tell,
Phyllis" he said, ~frowning a little.
"She was pretty and full of life. She
had black hair and eyes and a good
deal OF color. We were more or less,
friends all of our lives, for our cour-
try-places adjoined. She was eight
cen when-it happened"
Eighteen" said Phyllis musingly.
She w%ouldhave been just my age.
We won't talk about it, then, Allan.
Well, Viola?"
"Hha pretty Tuskegee cnamper-
maid was holding out a tray with a
card on it.
1.-THE doctor, ma'am," she said.
"The doctor!" echoed Allan, half.
vexed, halflaughing. II knew you
had something up your sleeve, Phyl-
lis! What on earth did you have him
for?n
Phyllis's face was a study Of as
constituent son my honor, I hadn't
q notion he was even in existence"
she protested. Hes not my doctor!"
He must have just growed,' or
else Lfli-Anna's called him in," sug-
gested Allan sunnfly. Bring him
along Viola"
Viola produced him so promptly
that nobody had time to remember
the professional doctors visits don't
usually have cards, or thought 10
look at the card for enlightenment.
So thesurprisewas complete when
the doctor appeared.
Johnny HEWITT" calculated
Allan, throwing out both hands in
greeting. "Of all people! Wei, you
old fraud, pretending to be a doctor:
The last heard about you, you were
trying to prove that you weren't the
man that tied a mule into old Sum.
erley's chair at college,"
7 aver did prove it" responded
JOHNNY Hewitt, shaking hands Wig
orously. .but the fellows said after
ward that | ought to apologize-to
the mule. He was q perfectly good
mule; But I'm q doctor all right I
live here In Wailraven. I wondered
Il It might be you by any chance.
Allan, when / heard some Harring-
tons had bought here. But this is the
iIrss chance q promising young
c~hickenpox epidemic has given ME
to find OUT"
It's what's left OF me-" said Allan,
smiling ruefully. "And-Phyllis, this
doctor-person turns out to be an old
" r;onS ~ -9-LT n1a4-Ga RL.S1rwEN ,G&z,