The broad ax., 1927-02-12
His Fictitious
Wife
(copyright)
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS


fringe Of the world. An unmarried
doctor was inclined to lose out among
certain patients.
The brilliant idea Of having a
fictitious wife came to him like an
Inspiration and so simple 1t was that
he fell into 1t like a duck to water.
The story was rapidly circulated
that Mrs. Bruce was compelled to live
in a higher altitude than Glen Cove
and the tale was so plausible that
no one, not even the servants in the
house, doubted it.
These false matrimonial cOlors had
been flying some two years and Doc
tor Bruce found himself giving nat
ural reports of his wife to the many
patients interested and felt no guilty
qualms Of conscience whatever. He
realized that his patients thought far
more Of him as a married man and
told him their innermost secrets with
greater freedom than they ever would
have had he been single.
There was old Mrs. Kent who SYM
pathized with him so keenly about his
wife's health and took so much inter-
est that she insisted on seeing a pho
tograph Of Mrs. Bruce and the wee
/ son.
This was all very simple until Doc
tor Bruce was called in suddenly to
Mrs. Kent's-who lived all alone well
out in the country-in the middle Of
the night and there he met his Water
loo-as it were
There had been nothing in the past
to suggest that Mrs. Kent had been
deliberately hiding from her doctor the
fact that she had a niece and that
FlOry Hall was the most exquisite
niece that anyone ever had. She had
come for q visit with her aunt and
been taken Ill Immediately after her
arrival.
She was tossing about with scarlet
cheeks and flame-lit eyes when Doctor
Bruce arrived and her temperature
was quite high enough to have
alarmed Mrs. Kent
The temperature Of Flory didn't
alarm Doctor Bruce half so much an
the sudden and devastating swirl that
| he himself seemed swept into. He
knew now why his heart had remained
so utterly unmoved hitherto by any
| thing feminine. This tremendous
thing had leaped upon him, as surely
thing of fame as the fever in
Flory's eyes. Flory's fever would be
quite overcome.
'Then it's just the flu," sighed Mrs.
Kent in relief: Il was afraid 1t
might be brain fever or nervous pros
tration. Her mother has sent her on
to visit me in order to break up an
unapproved love AFFAIR." was fearful
the worry might"
Nothing to worry about, Mrs. Kent
we'll see that this lovely niece Of
yours doesn't throw herself away on
some worthless chap"
When he had made Flory as COM
Portable as possible and given full in
structions to her aunt, Doctor Bruce
reluctantly departed.
There was no slightest doubt that
the doctor had got himself in a fine
kettle of fish with his false marriage
tales. And the point was, would any
one ever believe him again? He could
hardly kill of his supposed wife, and
If he informed people Of a divorce
they would probably give him up as
| their doctor. Besides the One Girl
would no doubt object to divorced
man to replace that other lover.
Flory responded with fiattering
speed to the doctors care and had
she not supposed him married would
have acted just as swiftly in the mat
ter of-well-perhaps love affair. As
1t was, she had many moments when
the look in his eyes swept away all
feeling that he was the husband Of
| another woman and that she herself
was supposed TO be suffering from a
disappointing love experience.
Two weeks fed quickly by and more
| and more the doctor realized that
something must be done to ease the
situation in which his folly had
plunged him. Certainly he was in
love with Flory. OF that there was
no doubt. And, what was more, he
intended to marry her and the sooner
it happened the better.
Before Flory ventured out after her
| illness Doctor Bruce asked Mrs. Kent
to come for a short drive with him.
When they had got TO a bit Of clear
road, Doctor Bruce turned to Mrs.
| Kent
Mrs. Kent have an extraordi-
nary confession to make. / have
fallen desperately in love with your
niece. and / want your advice"
my advice. Doctor Bruce, Is for
you to take me home at once. Yeu
"a married man-t0-"
'sBut that's Just my trouble-I'm not
married-it's all been terrible bluff.
1t seems almost impossible to make
you believe me, but honestly when you
hear it alI-Fm sure you'll forgive
and"
docs FIory know about thisT'
There was something rather lattering
TO the doctor In her surprised eyes
certainly not. wanted to tell
you first and get your consent You
see, If FIory and / could 90 right
away and be married, no one need
know but that she has been my wife
all this time
And while it wasn't quite so simple
/ to lose a frfifforc wife Nc IL had hapn