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$ne of the Series of Evening Public Ledger
KU,: en Married Life
P5
PP ONLY Mm. Themas Bain had been
content te compare Mr. Themas Daln
With men nbeut liim, he, (or counter
Arguments, would net have been put at
serious disadvantage. Out of her am am
munitien locker lie might have borrowed
helli te (Ire in his own defense. Did
the, for instance, cite polished beauty
of Mr. So-and-Se's drawing-room be be
ktrler, speaking with thnt subtle In
flection which as geed ns said that his
wn society manners left much te be
desired, Mr. Bain's rebuttal would have
ttn prompt and ready. He would have
Token right up te point out the (act
that So-nnd-Se notoriously neglected
bis family, or that he drank entirely tee
tnuch for his own geed, or thnt habitu
ally he foiled te pay his just debts. Mr.
Bain was no scandal-monger, under
stand. Still a man must fight back
With such weapons ns he may command.
But Mrs. Bain's method of nttncK
Was entirely tee subtle for him : it left
him nractlcally weaponless. Out In the
World he amply wns competent te fend
for himself. Beneath the domestic roof reef
tree, where his wife sat in judgment en
him, his ways, his small shortcomings
r his larger faults, he completely wns
t a less for proper rebuttal. It gave
him such a helpless feeling. It would
have given any normal man a helpless
feeling. And Mr. Bain wns in nil
essential regnrds n normal man a geed
Citizen, a geed provider and, ns hus
bands go, an nvcrage fair husband.
I would de Mrs. Bnin no Injustice.
She was a normal woman, tee. But It
la only natural that when destiny has
fashioned an advantage te fit our hands
It there any one in this
country who docs net knew the
name of Irvin S. Cebbt Or
what that name stands for in
American literature f
lie has Icen and done many
things; newspaperman, war
correspondent, author, plan
tcright, elc there isn't space
enough te chronicle all the
ground he has covered, hut
from the time he first began
writing he has been claimed Ig
" Ms elloic-ceimtrymcii in a wag
that seems te make him hilnng
te his admirers individually.
It has been said of him by ii
friend, Rebert H. Davis: "In
Cobb we find Mail; Ttrain,
Bret Hartc and Edaar Allan
Pee at their brst," but tu
who read him he U jutt him
self, Irvin X. Cuhh, the must
popular humorist In the L'nitcd
States.
W should employ it. Her dvantagc
was a very great one. Her criticisms
'of Mr. Bnin took the form of measur
ing him off ngnlnst the conceived pic
ture of her fust husband.
And her first husband wns dead. New,
In common decency, nn honorable man
and Mr. Bain wns nn honorable man
nay net speak ill of the dead. What is
nnr hnil lip. under mress of nrovecn-
tlen, been minded te retort tliut after nil (
", ''-,; ttttti V" 1
''' ; PW'''' " ';'-:'
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ihljK st ?' '("J- " K' v '' -m --'I
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Wm2.:''M&ieB ''' i
Mrs. uam h nrst uuMiimu
wi,a nnt i
xac'tly perfection either, he could have,
produced no proof te support the u-ter-
Han. Fer he had never seen fivs nreue,- .
etaser. tie Knew noneuy wne mm
known the deceased. The present Mrs.
Bain had been for three jeurs a widow
When first he net cjes en her. SIip had
lately returned then from Honolulu; it
waa in Honolulu thut she had been
........
A Gwan te Bed Story : B ' MeEV0Y
ONCE upon n time, dear children,
there was a big street car flat
wheeling It down the street, BLUM I',
BLTJMI', BLUMP, nnd alongside of it
eoeted an automobile, BLIPPP.Ti,
BLIPPEBTY, BMPPKTY. And ns
they bumped and bllppetied they talked.
"Whaddye making such n racket
about?" said the nute. "Sound terri
ble. Yeu don't see me running when
I've get a flat tire "
"I have te run, replied the street
cmr, proudly. "If I didn't hew would
people get down town?"
'Suppose they didn't get down town,
then what?'' ,,...,
Why why, they huve te get down
wn."
"Why?"
"Why. they Just hnveta, that's all."
jMITELL," said the automobile sar-
W rnstleallv. "Hint's J.N aoed a rea-
mb as they can think uL.fp. But If
Y.wtn veu I'd stny In'T .ISbnrn just
W";t same. It wouldn't Ki.jM"ch dlf-
E . tMrn aimed home or netwrlie ones you
re ilewn in the uuiriilni: ire te make a
n thlnes nobedv need. And the
P,aBM TUU IUHU UV II 111 lilt' IIIICI IIIJUI1 EU
1 "Ifc.! k. a-.-. -. A.1.a ,!. lam tlt.fc tstaiswfcft ha
rlv ",-xt -. i, . ...lit. .t. 4,
ra 'Wn 10 DUy mem wim cue money uie
M wne went ciuwii in uie illuming
R bring buck that night. It's nil very
anil UBelesi. '
it wuat you imnu," aaia in
ti what I Ulak.'mUrt tht
Second
Irvin S. Cobb
by the Best American Fiction IVriters
bereft, as the wing is, by the hand of
death. And Honolulu is u long distance
from Breckwny, Mnss., where Tem
Bain's people, n stay-at-home stock,
had lived theje the generations past.
Se, en these frequently recurring
occasion when Mrs. Bin, with a sad
dened, nlmest n wistful, nlr wns moved
te remind herself of her tlrst husband's
marvelous qualities temperament, dls
position, tact, amiability, or what net
there was for her bccend husband neth
Ing te de except te suffer en in an
Impotent silence. It It net well that
nnv nne en this earth and mere
especially n husband -heuld be re
quired te Buffer discomforts in silence.
Suffering calls for vocal expression.
Otherwise, ns human beingt go, Mr.
and Mrs. Bain were well suited, one
for the ether. It was that, dead first
husband of hers who, invoked by her,
kept rising up te mur the reasonable
I happiness whlsh might have been theirs.
The thing was getting en his nerves.
Indeed, at the time this brlefcned nar
rative begins, It already had get upon
hi nervct. He hud come te the point
where frequently he wished there had
never been auch a thing as a first hus
band. THERE were even times when h6 al
most permitted himself the wish that
there never had been auch things as
second husbands, either.
With the acute vividness of a war
scarred veternn remembering the first
time he was shot, he could reconstruct
the occasion when Mrs. Bain's former
husband first came into his life. They
had been married just two months then.
The honeymoon wns in Its last quarter.
If the couple wcr ever te go nleng to
gether in harmony the time had new
come when mutual understanding must
succeed the period of adjustment and
balaCie. She had the benefit of ex
perience en her slde; for she had been
through the process, once before. Tem
Bain might be a green hand at this bus
iness of being married, but, sub
consciously, he wns beginning te ad
just himself in his ordained nnd proper
place in the mntrimenlal scheme as it
related te him nnd this very charming
lady. In ether weMa, he had reached
the place where he wns slipping out of
tb bridegroom pose into the less studied
and mere matter-of-fact stntus of n
husband. He was ready te quit acting
a part nnd be his own self again, always
though with regard for the limitations
nnd restrictions imposed by the new-
estate upon which he had entered.
The campaign against him we may
as well call it a campaign opened en
the evening following their return from
the trip te White Sulphur. Thnt first
day nt his desk had been n hard one;
se much which peemed te require his
personal attention had accumulated
while he was away. He left the office
pretty well tired out. On his way home
he built up a pleasant -'sien of a nice,
quiet little dinner and then a peaceful
hour or se In the living room In slippers
and an old smoking jacket.
Mrs. Bain met him at the deer with n
greeting that put him in thorough geed
humor. This, he decided, was the be,t
of all possible worlds te live in, and his
undoubtedly was the best of nil pos
sible nays of living.
"You're late, dearest," she said.
"You've just time te run upstairs and
slip en your evening clothes. I've laid
them out for ou."
"Why, tiierc's nobody coming in for
dinner, is tbereV" he nsked.
Slip drew away from him slightly.
"Ne, there's no one coming," she
said. "What difference docs that
' make?"
"Well," he said, "I'm rather fagged
out nnd I sort of thought that, seeing
, there'd be only the two of us, I'd come
te the table just ns i am.
"Verv well, dear,' she said, "suit
yourself."
But he took note that she had short
ened the superlutlvp "dearest" te
"dear." Mso she slipped herself out
of the circlet of his eiicii cling arm.
Suddenly there was n suggestion a
hnre trace of an autumnal hill in the
air.
"Suit yourself," she repeated.
But. ns a newly inairied man, hew
could he suit himself? He clad himself
I in the starchy slilrt, tlie lilgli tuut
tnllur
that
pinched his threat, the
nindiv Dnteni learners, nni im me rest
of the funeial regalia in which cMlled
man encases himself en any supposedly
lesini eei.i-iuu. em- kuv: uhu an U
nreviiic leek when, ten minutes later,
lie presented himself befeie her.
"Tem," she said us thei sat down,
"I think veu nlwnjs should dress for
dinner. Arthur always said that it
gentleman should dress for dinner."
auto, "becnuffe I think, and you don't.
Yeu lm ii nnc-tinek mind. But me,
I nm free. I go ever where and I ob
serve and rctlect And, besides, my
brain Isn't muddled listening te rill the
dumb conversation you get nil day long,
day after day."
"pnOPLE who ride In automobiles
A talk Just as dumb ns people who
rlde in street cars."
"Yes. but there Isn't se mnnv of
them. Think of all the dumb dialogue
you drag up and down the streets all
day. All the flat heuds standing en
their flat arches, rnnking flat conversa
tions. Ne wonder ou have flat wheels.
There's only one live thing nbeut you.
That's mir current. Ever; thing else Is
dead. Even jour metnnnnn nnd con
ductor, they stepped living long age.
They holler 'C'men, 'step lively' nnd
'nlentarenn un front. and rln hntln
nnd muke rhunge as mechanically nnd
flat as machines. What flattened them
nut? Conversation. 'And I snys nnd
he saH and then I W,s ami then he
says, I'll say you snld it, I'll mi.v I did.
you sure did.' Well, I'm ghid I don't
have te carry them nreund," snld the
automobile, and off he went bllppclv
blippety down n benutlful boulevnril
through the park, while the peer old
street car weut bluinp, bliimp, Mump
en its way te work down town.
There's nn awfully sweet moral in thlH
deurt seem te be able te find it. That's
til, gwan te bed.
story, uear cnuuren, but somehow I
Coming of Mrs. Bain's First Husband
Original Short Stories
He stared nt her, puszled.
"Arthur?" he echoed, "wbe'b Ar
thur?" "My first husband," she explained.
"Arthur looked se well in his evening
clothes."
"Oh' he said, like that. That was
nil he said for a minute or se. He was
thinking.
She was thinking, tee. Practical
nil women are popularly supposed te
novo intuition, and ccrtulnly this par
ticular woman hnd her share of it.
Probably it was in that very moment
of reflection that the lady decided en a
future plan of action.
AT ANY rate, this was the beginning.
Eventually Mr Tl.lr, nU.i,
realization that he wns. the victim of n
gentle tyranny that he had fallen cap
tive te n combination enemy made up
of en affectiennte, If 'somewhat master
ful, lady and the memory of a dead-
and-gene personality. Mrs. Bain's first
husband was persistently dogging Mrs.
Bain's second husband. Dally, after
one fashion or another, the latter was
reminded of the late Arthur. Arthur,
it seemed, had never lest his temper.
What made the comparison hurt the
mere was the Indubitable fact that Mr.
Bain occasionally did lese hit. Arthur
had never raised his voice above the
low-pitched key of Innate refinement
no matter hew Irritated he might be.
Arthur had been se tidy; never left his
clothes lying about where he dropped
them. Arthur had net given her a
cress word in all the seven years of their
me wgeiner. Artmtr Invariably bad
been se considerate of her feelings. It
Striking
Remance et
Rise and
Fall of an
American
Family
and Its
Comeback
SYNOPSIS
CllKHnr UOUVtr. aauehttr of a money,
mc Mm father and neciallu atpirine ireth'r,
li e tupicnl girl et the period a tapper in
moeda but also an athletic girl, net alto alte
qrther spoiled bv wealth and adulation. Dr.
DaiUl Hangret. a iioune American cthnolo cthnelo cthnole
aiit. v.he it vastlu surprised at the chanties
r the count ru en his return from a long
scientific expedition, meets her through
Ururae Lvcett, an elderly philosopher.
Cherrv is bored bu the savant, and ht is
etartled at her and her set. Cherrv Is
helving her mother entertain a let et celeb
rities, uhcre Sangree makes a big impres
sion. Gilpin's Ride
TVVYID SANGUEE talked with her
for a while nnd then was passed en te
Miss Lydla Brampton, according te the
prearrangement. Lydia belonged te the
vast army of masterlcss women. Dur
ing the war she had worn her Emer
gency Aid uniform se constantly that
there were these who averred she slept
In it at, night. But new, her occu
pation gene, she wns devoting her ac
tivities te the cultivation of all that
she had missed in art, science and lit
erature. Te that end the visit of David
Sangree wns most opportune and she
lest no time in acquainting herself with
his experiences in the Near East. Ne
one, perhaps, in all that assemblage
could have drawn him out as Lydia
Brampton did, for she was known
as the human question-mark when net
Indulging in the perpendicular pre
noun. But she suemergea nerseu in
the intei est of his narrative nnd, In
the genernl conversation that followed,
David Sangree found himself, quite un
intentionally, the center of a group
which listened as he talked. It was a
Eerdld tule, uncolored, of plague, pesti
lence and famine, of battle, murder and
sudden death, and, the crust of his
reserve broken, Sangree warmed te his
hobby" which wa3 that of attempting
te Hive a Christian people from ex
termination. If he talked, as Cherry
Mehun had said, "like a book," and
if his manner hau none of the flam flam
bejant self-confidence te which she was
accustomed, there was in bis even tones
a deep note of sincerity which seemed
te held his listeners vvltlieut difficulty.
Vccerdins te the Uundnrds that Cherry
had set, this ethnologist person com
pared unfavorably with almost every
jeung man of her acquaintance, end
yet she found herself pausing in her
conversation with Mr. Lycett te listen
te the dry insistence of his voice,
which, though unpleasant te the ear,
carried with It a kind of mild au
thority which compelled her in spite
of herself. She had made up her mind
te snub blm, but he hadn't given her
the chance.
It was seldom that Jim Mehum had
found time te make an nppeartince at
nny of his wlfe's'nt homes," espe
cially since she hnd chosen te dedicate
her Sunday afternoons te the pntrenage
of the Arts, and he entered his emi
drawing room upon these occasions with
an nlr of furtiveness and unease. But
teduv. suylnir Ueorge Mcett. he crossed
te him at once, gave htm n hearty hand
clasp and in the redistribution of
groups which followed joined the new
est visitor and made him welcome,
"Ah. Sangree," lie said with u smile.
"fta clad vou've looked Us un. I've
wanted very much te have jeu meet
the family'
"TnanKs," eniu rsangree. "it has
been very plcnsnnt."
"I don't get nine te go m much for
thesu hlghbrewenffnlrs," he whispered.
"Kuthcr uuii. ueiwecn seu nnu me if
you're bored, suppose we go out en
the terruce. I'd like seu te see .the
place, tee." He caught the jeunger
man by the nrm und led the way toward
the nearest French window, by which
Cherry Mehun upw wit with the barl barl
ten" who vvii'i premising her thut his
next song would be addressed tu her
violet-blue eyes.
"Oh, Cherry," broke In her father
im he espied her. "jnu'vp met Dr.
Suiigree, stockholder In some of mv
companies. My daughter, doctor. I
want you 10 de goon iricnds. Won't
seu tnke Sangree out and show blm
tne place, Cherry T That Is if Slgnerv
-"
w ywr '
was Arthur thts and It was Arthur that.
She realized her power and she used It.
Mrs. Bain's first husband was ever, se
te speak, nt the elbow of Mrs. Bain's
second husband, by proxy chiding him,
admonishing him, correcting him, scold
ing him, even.
THE HOUSE
By GEORGE GIBBS
Aufner of "Youth' Triumphant" and Other Successes
Copyright, I9tt, D, Applcten d Ce.
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"Excuse me, Dr. Sangree," she saldwlth a Iuugh, "but you don't seem
of the stuff that 'aces' are made of"
"MarteHI," snld the Italian, bowing
stiffly.
"If Signer Martelll will permit "
It waa awkwardly done at best and
te Cherry seemed tee pointed te be
quite agreeable. That was the trouble
with dad, he always had te be offering
people en the altar of business ex
pediency. What affair was It of hers
If goggle-eves was mixed in some of her
father's business ventures? And yet
she was net tee dull te be aware of her
father's insistence. Se she preceded
them te the terrace, acquiescent but
bored anckn little angry at having let
herself in for such nn unpleasant after
noon. It was almost enough te have
been cheated out of her flight in the
airplane with Dicky without havln this
dry-as-dust philosopher thrust down
her threat. New, probably, she would
miss her ride en "Bramble" into the
bnrgaln. But she felt Intuitively that,
no matter hew boring, she must de as
her father wished at lenst this ence, for
he did leek tired nnd worried. It seemed
se strange thnt neither her mother nor
her brother Beb had noticed it.
Outside, upon the terrace, Jim
Mehun pointed out the beauties of the
place, Indicated with n wave of the
hand the sunken gnrden new ablaze
with his prlze dahlias and chrysan
themums, the wide luwn new steeped
la shadows) with the view of the sound
through the bordering forests.
"Old place I picked up only the
buildings and gardens are new. Yeu
can't grew woed9 like these over
night." "Handsome," muttered Sangree, hla
gnste en Cherry.
"Hard Jeb during the war te keep
enough people en the place te leek after
things, but we've managed nomehew.
These are the stnbles ever there 'the
garage bevend. Are you interested In
horses? We have a few geed ones.
Cherry my daughter rides te the
hounds rides straight tee, they tell me.
Eh. mv dear?" He patted her brond brend brond
deth shoulder nffectlen'ntely. "Suppese
you take Dr. Sungree out and show
him nreund.
Having thus carefully destroyed his
daughter's hopes of retrieving her lest
afternoon, her futher left-her with the
unwelcome guest cm the terrace nnd en
the plea of letters te write went up up
stelrn te his own room.
Cherry steed In n moment of doubt
beside the unfamiliar tweed-clad
figure.
"I'm nfrnld." she heard him pay,
"that I'm taking you nwny from sour
fi lends."
"Oh, they're net my friends." slie
Mild with n shrug. "Come en. If you
like." und moved ilnwn the stens of the
terrace te the lawn, her lithe young
im Itt ittiag eft, bstte
And for .nil that he naturally was s
sunny -tempered and companionable per per
eon, Mrs. Bain's second husband was,
nt the end of the first year of his mar
ried life, in a fair way te become a
most unhappy person. Their matrimo
nial craft was sliding down the rapids
OFMOHUN
breeches seeming very straight and
rather scornful. Against his will
Sangree followed her, obeying the in
junction of his host.
lie was very uncomfortable, for be
was sure that she 'did net mean te be
polite. On each occasion when they
hnd met she had given evidence of
strong distaste for his society, In no
case mere marked than at the present.
He wasn't sure that he did net share
hir feelings, nnd yet tbe enigma she
presented still interested blm, It was
difficult te bellove that any young fe
male person with se flewcrllke a face
could be se lest te all sense of conven
tional morality as had been indicated te
him. He joined her in a moment.
"Yeu ride?" she asked indifferently.
"Oh, yes. I had te a geed deal
in the East. That waa the only way
te get about."
"Stupid unless you're going across
country. That's geed fun, but it's net
'in if with flying." And then, as
though anticipating the disappointment
In his reply, "Have you ever flown?"
"les. We had four plnnes."
"Oh, It's gorgeous. Isn't it?"
"Oh, yes, but it's very alarming."
"Alarming! Yeu mean you're fright
ened?" "Yes, alwnys. Of course when It's
necessary one does such things. But
I rnn't sec the slightest need of risking
one's life when there's nothing te be
gulned by it."
"Oh!'5 she tald with shrug, as
she compared him with the magnificent
Dicky. "Of ceurse if you're fright
ened "
"I've never gene up without thinking
I d come down in a mess, and It went
against the grain when you sent the
ether fellow down that way. It was
beastly." -
"Yeu mean, you fought that way?"
"Yes. We hid a voluntary squadron
ngnlnst the Turks. They bothered us
n great deul. But we managed te sten
them." v
She turned n glance of curiosity vary
ing between dubiety and respect.
"Tell me mere, please."
"Ne. I'd rather net," he finished
quietly. "I've never found much pleas
ure In killing or In telling of it."
She gazed nt him, round -eyed with
nmazemeut. The dry, matter-of-fact
tones of his voice taxed her credulity.
They differed se greatly from thene of
Dicky Wllberferce, whose casual refer
ences te death and destruction filled
her with nn abiding ndmlrntlnn. And
her loyalty te Dicky challenged the ret
icence of lui present companion, whose
npiienriinei' comported ke little with his
half-mentioned deeds of adventure, He
was se little heroic. Her Argus glances
saw only tnn goggles, tne nent shoulders,
snd the shambling nit of this queer
tmuM
. btsld kef.
j
Ten are astonished? Permit me
te introduce myself. I am Mr.
Bain's first husband"
toward a thundering Niagara, and she
didn't rcnlize it, and he, thoroughly
tinder the dominion of forces with which
he found himself somehow powerless te
tope, only uimiy nnu auiiy appreciated
the peril. He wanted, above all things,
te have and te held his wife until death
i
Are Flappera
at Bad
tu They're
Painted?
Are
Jaxx-Beyt
All Limbs
et Satan?
She wasn't quite certain that she be
lieved him. A here who' was frightened !
"Excuse me, Dr. Sangree," she said
with a laugh, "but you don't seem of
the stuff that 'aces' are made of."
"I'm net," he said with' some dig
nity. "I wasn't an ace. or anything
like it. Yeu asked me if I'd flown. I
merely answered your question."
His air of pique amused her. Per
haps after all her afternoon was net
te be wasted. He was se stodgy and
self-satisfied, and his dignity affronted
her. She would have liked te stick a
pin in him te see If he would really
bleed.
"You're full of surprises, Dr. San
gree," she went en. "I didn't knew
ethnologists ever did anything se ex
citing." He smiled and stared straight before
him through his goggles. "The war
has done some astonishing things te us
all," he said.
She caught the significant note In
his words, and imagined, If she did net
feel, the reproach.
"Exactly what de you mean?" she
asked, turning quickly. ,
"Just what I say. We've all done
things we didn't think we could de.
And the world is hardly the same place
that it was six years age."
"II m," she muttered, ironically,
"the world doesn't please you new, Dr.
Sangree?"
"I don't see what difference it can
make whether it pleases me or net."
"Oh, I knew. Mr. Lycctt told me,"
she sald-wtth warmth, "you belong te
the crowd who think that the United
States is going te the devil."
"Ne. The devil has saved some waste
motion by coming te the United
States," he said with a dry laugh.
"In exactly what don't we please
you?" she mocked. "Yeu see, there ere
se many of us, und se few of you,"
She might have been mere impressive
if 6be had been mere polite. As it
was she seemed like a spoiled child.
"Perhaps we had better change the
subject "
"I don't want te change the sub
ject," she snld quickly. "It's very
amusing. Yeu don't like the munners
of the day. Why net. Dr. Sangree?
Won't you answer me?"
As he was silent she went en in a
hnlf-bantering tone, "l'eu like the nge
of ruffles and lavender, don't you
when women fulnted at the sight of
bleed or went into histories when they
couldn't have their own way? Lets
of geed women like that would have
done In this "war I" she finished con
temptuously. Sangree smiled faintly. Her petu
lance was rether surprising, '
"Let me remind you," Im said coolly,
"that my-own point of view need net
concern you in the least."
"It docs. I'm one of the geed llttle
people that the devil has ceme te, I
smoke, Dr. Sangree: I drink; I piny
bridge for moneys I spend my time
where I please. I even drive lute at
nlgbt with reckless young men who
smash machines agnlnut fences and have
te be towed in, in disgrace, bv per
fectly respectable ethnologists who leek
with pity en the error of my wnyH
He stepped abruptly and stared at her
in dismay nt her impudence.
"Miss Mehun, I beg of you -"
"Ne, 'you see, I own .you that," she
said, shrugging lightly, "Of course
you can think what seu nlvnse that
I'm gay, loesp, unprincipled "
"Miss Mehun!"
"I may be all of these things, per
haps I inn. But what I tiny Is what
the devil are seu going te de about
."Oetid Oed!" he stammered, aghast
and befuddled. "What cuu I de ubeut
it.
The vverdw enme from him with art
less spontaneity and his round ,.V(H
through the goggles seemed twice tlielr
size. There wiih no doubt new of the
genuineness of his Interest or the In In
geuueiiHncs.s of hi point of view, (,,
believed her nil that slut hiuj said she
was. Cheriy Mehun threw buck her
head and laughed softly. Him couldn't
remember when she had been se greatly
entertained.
TB
did them part. But always there was
Arthur trntelns along, making a crowd
of three et what otherwise might have
been a congenial company of two.
But, as some one has most aptly said,
It's always darkest Just before the dawn.
In this Instance, though, deliverance
came te the oppressed, net with the
raduatiens of the spreading dawn, but
rather with the solid emphasis of a belt
from (the blue. There had been nn
evening of bridge with the Tatunis, and
Bain, who played well, had for a part
ner Mr. Tntntm who didn't. It M
barely possible that he had betreyed
a passing emotion of testlness once or
twice. At midnight, as they were en
tering their house, Sirs. Bain renewed
her remarks en a matter te which ref
erence already hnd twice been made en
the way home In the cab.
"My dear," she wns saying, "I really
must repeat again that, te my way of
thinking, no amount of exasperation
could have justified you in showing your
feelings as you did show them at least
twice at, that card table. New, Arthur
would never "
At this instant Mr. Bain's finger
found the push button just inside the
Jamb of the living room deer and the
lights flashed en. What next ensued
the vocal part of It, I mean might have
suggested te an eavesdropper had there
been one that the vowel sounds In their
proper order were being Repeated by
two persons laboring under strong ex
citement. "I'H" That waa hla aatnnnta1
ejaculation.
"E-e-e-el" A shrill outcry, psrt
scream, part squeal, from her. .- -"I
I" Mr. Bain again.
"Oh I" Mrs. Bain's turn.
"Yeu I" Her startled gasp of reoeg
nttlen.
"Yes, .Evelyn, that's who It Is."
This, in matter-of-fact tones, was s
third voice speaking.
AFTER this for a moment the spell
of a terrific faction held both Mr.
and Mrs. Bnin silent.
Standing in the middle of the fleer
facing them was n shadow. I use the
word advisedly. With equal propriety
I might write down "apparition" or
"wraith" or "shape" or "spirit" te
describe that which confronted them.
I prefer "shadow."
It had the outline, somewhat wavery
and uncertain, of a man. It hed the
veice of a man a voice calm, assured,
almost casual. It had the garb of a
man. or nt least It hnd the nebulous
faint suggestion of garbing. But It hnd
no substance te it, none whatsoever.
It had no definable color, either. It
had rather the aspect of a figure of u
man done in lines of very thin smoke.
Yeu could leek right through It nnd dls
tingulsh, as through a patch of haze,
the pattern of the wall paper Behind It.
And new, as It spoke again, jeu could,
in some Indefinable sort of way, see its
voice starting from down In Its chest
and traveling en up nnd up und se out
. I8 .2s' lt.wn(l no mere than n
patch of fog, modeled by some unearthly
magic into vaporous semblance of a
human form. It was, inconceivable, im
possible, an Incredible flgment of the
imagination, and yet there It was.
Its sesend speech was addressed te
l.Zl r,.l who J;?'1 freMn ere he
wns, his linger still touching the push-
buttpn, his eyes enlarged te twice their
size and his lower jaw sagged.
imieu nre ns'2nisljed? nit me te
Intreduce myself I am Arthur Mrs.
Seet'yeu"' fbU8bcnd' J au Itad te
Mr. Bain, under this shock, came te
himself. The shackles of twelve months
ex bottled-up restraint fell from him.
Are you? he answered. "Well.
I'm damned if I'm glad te meet you."
"I understand." Th JmLj "' .
gentle, almost compassionate, "v.
lini qii lnter ,n 1 think very
eM- Shall we sit down, all of us?"
The Thine tnnh n Mini. Y!.i ii.. U?(.
of the chair cloudily revent.ii i.". -.
a sub-motif for the half-umterlalizcd
w.ny . uixupuiii. Jiechanlcally,
moving jerkily, Mr. Bnin followed suit
he likewise took a chair. .Mrs. Bnin
titterine cllbked. n'hlm,u.i.,n ".
clown in her threat, nlrcndy had fallen
upuu it uuui-u ii mj uuuuicd there. It
vvns Just us .well the couch had been
nanaiiy nearey, for her legs would no
longer support her.
iicr nrst husband we may as well
call him that turned te her.
i ''Control yeunclf. Evelyn," he bade
here. "There is no occasion for any
excitement. Besides, these curious
sounds which you urn new emitting
annoy me. I haven't long te stay and
I have much te say."
He cleared his threat the process
might ie followed with the eye as well
ns by car and preceeded:
"I have been endeavoring for months
past te bring about this meeting. In
fact, ever since shortly alter veur sec
ond marriage te this gentleman, I have
stilven te leturn te earth ter the ene
purpese which brings me tonight. But
1h was difficult -very difficult." He
sighed n visible sigh. "Jt is net per
mltted thut I should explain the nature
of the obstacles. I mcrclv state that
they were very great. As you will no
tice, I am net nble even .vet te attain
the seeming f.Udltv weight and spe
ciflc denl'.y which I craved te take
en. Se i just came along in the some
what sketchy nnd Incomplete guise In
vv hlch you new see me,
Uncommon Sense
ny JOHN
TI1E writer has lately looked ever the
record of n remarkable treasure
hunt, made nearly thirty years age.
A sea captain, a man of seventy, had
told n number of ncqualntnnces that,
ns a boy, he sailed en a vessel in the
Seuth Sens, nnd had seen deposited
many millions of dollars of treasure,
taken by pirates from vessels that were
bearing te Europe the" geld taken from
the mines which n (short time before
hud been found in Australia, .
lie nt hist made a party of perhaps
fifteen men believe his story.
These men raised money, bought a
schuencr, and sent eight of their num
ber with the old captain te discover
the treiisure, which was supposed te be
en one of the many Ibluuds in the Seuth
I'ucltie Seas,
THE treasure vv
The captiilii sin
as net discovered.
inueil I mil.. f.H, .1,0 .
hiivin,' lest his mental balance, und was
umn Mini, in nm 1 mini Ntutch a mis mis
ener. '
And the fifteen men, having lest their
K.rt.TW t,,elr ti,ne'
"My reason for coming Is simple, I '
desire te see jistlee done. Where' I
wns I ce'iM net rest In peace knowing
that you, Evelyn, were lying se out
rageously and, what wns worse, muting
me an unwitting accomplice, as it were,
te your lying campaign.
"Evciyn, you have been a foolish,
wicked woman. Yeu have done this
gentleman here" Including Mr. Bain,
with a wave of a spectral arm "a
cruel wrong. But what, from my point
of view Is even worse, you hove done
me a grave wieng as well, I nay be
only a memory I may say that that,
precisely, Is what I am but even i
memory has Its feelings, its sense of re
spensibillty, its obligations te Itself,
"Very well, having made that point
clear, I r all proceed : Hlr, for nearly
a year past reu have been intimidated
by the constantly presented tmnte of s
fabulous creature. Your peace of mind )
has been seitTeuslv affected. Before
your eyes X nave been held up as a par par
aeonI. And I resent the slander en
my nttia. It has been an Insult which
no self-respecting memory should be
crJunclled te tnnd. Hlr. I wish you te N
knew the truth : I was net a paragon,
and I thanft Oed ler It. I was net the .
perfect ht iband this woman would have
you believe. I was fussy, faulty,
crotchety and I am proud of It I"
"Oh. ArthurUl Mrs. Bain, under
attack, was revlvf.g, was rallying te
her own defense at powers of coherent "
speech returned tc her.
"Don't 'Oh. Arthur' me," he
snapped, "but llsttnj and you, tee, sir,
if you will be se geed. We quarreled
frequently In these years of our married
life. She complained of my brusque
ways, of my fits et Inltablllty, of my
refusal te Ilk many e. the people that
she persisted in liking, of my tastes and
my habits and lncllna Jens. Bhe didn't
care for some of my friends; I didn't
care for soma of hers. I objected te
any number of things about her and
rarely refralned from saying se. She
has told you that between us there wis
never a cress word. Bah I There were
tens of thousand of cress words. When
we get en each ether's nerves, which
was often, neither of us hesitated te let
It be kn'ewn. When we disagreed ever,
something or anything we argued It
out. We loved each ether, but merely
loving did net make cither of us angelic.
We. quarreled and made up and quar
reled some mere. We fell out and ws
fell back together again. There were
times when we were like a pair of coo
ing devs and again there were times
when the proverbial monkey and parrot
had little If anything en us. In short,
and In fine, sir, we behaved just as the
average reasonably well-mated married
couples de behave.'' And for my own
sake, and Incidentally for yours, sir, 1
would net have you believe differently.
"Thnt, I believe, is pratlcally ull
I had te nay te you. Having said it, I
wish te add a final wordte our wife,
here. Evelyn, speaking with such au
thority as Is befitting a first husband,
I wish te state that, -be far as my ob
servations from another sphere have
gene, your present husband is a (lrt (lrt
rnte fellow. I like te think of blm as
my successor. And I intend te see thai,
he has a fair deal from you, I trust
this visit from me has been a lessen te
you. Hereafter, in your dealings uitli
hira you will please be se geed a te
stand en your own merits. Yeu will
kindly refrain from dragging me into
your arguments as nn advocate en your
side. My stock of patience is no greater
than it was before I became a memory
remember that. I sincerely trust ft
will net be necessary for me te ad
monish you personally a second time.
Because I warn you here and new that
next time I shall return under circum
stances that will be most embarrassing
te you. Next time '.'uere will be no
privacy about my appearance; I shall
come te you in public. You'll be a
tnlked-abeut woman, Evelyn. There'll
be pieces about you in tire paper and
spiritualists nnd trance mediums ana
drivers Inte the occult a meddlesome,
uesy let, tee, I may add will make
your life a burden for you. Se hare
a care, Evelyn I
"Sir. te you I extend my best wishes,
I'm sorry we didn't meet before. But,
some of these days we'll make up for
lest time when you Jein me en tht
plnne where I am at present resldlnf.
Well I guess that will be about all,
Oh, if you don't mind, I'll just dissi
pate into air und float up the chimney
it's mere convenient." Out of a noth neth
ingQcss near tbe fireplace came a velet
growing thinner and fainter: "Geed
y, Bain, old chap. Geed-by, Evelyn
and don't forget."
It was at this juncture that Mrs,
Bain went off Inte a swoon. It also
should be noted that even as he sprang
te her side te revlve her Mr. Bain wert
en bis face a leek of husbandly solici
tude and concern, but his feet twittered
In a danccTmeasure.
, Personally. I de net believe la
ghosts. I assume, readers, that ynu de
net believe In ghosts either. But Mrs.
Bain docs, and as for Mr. Bnin he deel
tee, firmly and, as a happily married
man be is every day renewing and
strengthening bis belief In them.
prohibited.
. The Treasure Hunt
BLAKE
tain Kldd, for example, are about ent
In a million. Yet the romance of treat treat
ure bunting sets people seeking it anew
every three or four years, when soma
new document purporting te be a nup
of the hldlug place is found.
TREASURE hunts make delightful
fiction tales, but that Is all the psrt
they ought te play in the sensible hu
man being's existence.
Such trensure us is certain te be
found usually lies in the uncharted but
restricted nren between his ears, and
can be dug out by hard but unremantle
work.
Here the chances nre about even, for
the treasure, in some amount or ether,
'" w'?re, u,.,mit "nK ' time.
If It isn't there, the work of hunting
It will nt least result In a better mlndi
which is something,
"NLY the student of psychology
"get much romance from sucl
can
'emniiee from SUCH "
treasure Ininr nu II, lu II. .t ll... ki'eYrt
"he pels the treasure cuu afford te W
the romance, re.
Enough of that le supply the want'
of the most excitable can be found "
the books that have been written about
expeditions that went out after plrWl
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