The Washington times., 1922-08-27

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years ago, John thought the same
thought that he expressed over the
slain body of the girl last week:
"I was married at seventeen. and
was darn fool to get married,
but didn't know any better"
He wasn't a darn fool. and II
wasn't necessary for him to know
any better then. In the heavy fea-
lures and figure Of his wife. then
middle-aged. he could see no trace
OF the girl he had married. but in
the fine. supple sister of hers the
olden charm was renewed for him
and he saw the vision of his youth
restored. The thrill of other days
came back to him. As he said
after her death:
Bertha was a good girl-none
better. Never anything wrong be-
tween us. She was good to her
mother and supported the old lady
for the last fifteen years. She was
my secretary and my pal. that's
all. I'd known her since she was
a little girl. I educated her. She
was my pal"
WHAT MEN NEVER KNOW.
What John .Reisler didn't allow
for in this re-encarnation Of ro-
nance was that he himself was
not the slim. ambitious youth that
he was thirty years ago. He saw
his wife growing old and unwieldy.
but he never thought Of himself
as cast In the same mold, though
physically today husband and wife
are fairly mated.
John Reisler thought of himself
as he was and saw in the coquet.
tish Bertha what his wife had
been. There's enough Of the Orr.
entail In the blood Of the man TO
make him a dreamer, despite his
prosaic profession. 1t was this
that prompted him to set out a
barber shop in Longacre square
twenty-odd years ago and lay the
foundation for a fortune. It was
this that urged him into the show
and sporting field
But all his dreams crashed Just
as did his romance John tho
Barber-he could not shake clear
Of the title even after he had be.
come wealthy-had the first claim
on that gargantuan gold mine Of
pugilism. Jack Dempsey, and he
let his claim be Jumped. He let
the infinite possibilities of the
chain barber shop system slip from
his hands and. after buying q few
pecks Of diamonds, he speculated
In oil shares, with the natural re-
suit. He Is broke now, and the
girl he loved is slain by the wife
he loved long ago and his two sons
are punched with her in the muir
der indictment.
WIFE DREAMED, TOO.
Reisler never believed that his
neglected wife dreamed also. She
protested, and vigorously over his
devotion to Bertha. but in the
early days he'd buy her q ring or
q fur coat and expect that would
quiet her. He never suspected
that she too saw in the girl what
he saw in her and that the sight
drove her to primitive jealousy.
Was q woman to live once and .
man as often as he desired?
When the affair continued, from
months into years, and Bertha
grew into womanhood while Min
nie's body settled under the weight
Of years. the wife tried to break
off the romance by harassing her
husband and the girl with suits
and summonses and finally an &C.
ton for separation. All these
failed and served only to strength.
en- the friendship. or whatever Il
was, between John the Barber and
Bertha. who had rsAwaksned his
affection for women.
ONE DREAM FADES.
The whole situation gradually
developed in its intensity until
none concerned could have con.
trolled II. The aged mother Of
the two sisters. Mrs. Jennie Katx,
sided with Bertha, possibly be-