Life — March 14, 1912 — page 30: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Father of Family: von't pe pESPOND! Marniep! The Shaming of the Shrewd (Continued from page 546) Pettyman looked, and caught her breath. What she read was this: “Mr. Bulstrode Pettyman, importer and representative of the house of Bur- den & Burden, of London, England, hereby gives notice to all whom it may concern that he will not be responsible for any debts contracted by his wife, save upon his written order. Burstrove PettyMa: For a moment Mrs. Pettyman did not speak. “I am sorry, but you drove me to it——" began Mr. Pettyman, but his wife rose, cutting him skort. “Drove you to it!” she repeated quietly, but with a strange emphasis— “humph 1” Without a word further she left, Mr. Pettyman gazing after her, open- mouthed. He had looked for protest, for tears, followed by contrition, but this—— “Oh, well!” he exclaimed, with a shrug, “women are unaccountable crea- tures, But they always come round in the end—if one is firm.’ There was no doubt in Mr. Petty- man’s mind as to the wisdom of his course, and he fully expected to find, on his return for dinner, a wife repentant and desirous for forgiveness. Instead, he found his apartment empty, desolate. On his bureau lay a note in her writing, which, like herself, seemed to have taken on a new firmness and decision. You have insulted me in the eyes of all New York,” began the note, without preamble, “and I am leaving your roof for my mother's. I shall return when you have made amends as public as your insult—not before. You may yet find that I am not without means of self- defense. “Linty.” There was something ludicrously in- congruous in the name of Lilly at- tached to this bellicose document, and Mr. Pettyman stood staring at it in speechless. wonder, breathing like a geyser. “Well, I'll be—”" He did not specify what he'd “ be.” Striding to the clectric bell, he pressed the button long and emphatically. “Noral” he roared fiercely, then waited. “Nora!” There was no reply. A premonition of the truth flashed over him, and a hur- ried inspection of the maid’s room turned suspicion into. certainty—Nora had left! For a moment Mr. Pettyman stood gazing helplessly around the deserted apartment, then with a click his jaws came together and he squared his shoul- ders. His wife should learn—— The restaurant dinner caten that evening by Mr. Pettyman disagreed with him, and as, in addition, a sudden fall in temperature made itself felt, and he could not find the blankets, he passed an unhappy night. The floor rug to which finally he had recourse proved dusty and incredibly heavy. Morning, however, found him even more firmly fixed in his determination not to change his course of action. His wife should find that he was adamant when it came to preservation of that sacred institution, the home. It was considerable satisfac- tion as he sat over a cup of badly made restaurant coffee to peruse again the advertisement regarding non-payment of his wife's debts. “ Mr. Bulstrode Petty- man hereby gives notice "—Yes, and he would continue to give notice until she should come to him and sue for forgive- ness. He had made payment for only three insertions—on the way down- town he would stop and order the no- tice continued until countermanded. On the platform of the subway Mr. Pettyman encountered a business ac- quaintance. “Ah, good-morning, Mr. Pettyman,” exclaimed the man genially, too genially to suit the indignant Englishman, “Morning,” replied Mr. Pettyman, curtly, The smile was still on the other's face. “Getting into the newspapers, I sce, heigh? “What?” snapped Mr. Pettyman, threateningly. “I—I was just reading your wife's notice- ” “My wife’s notice?” “Why, yes—haven't you seen it? Here it is,” and the man held out the same paper in which Mr. Pettyman’s own notice was printed. The sudden intaking of Mr. Petty- man’s breath was like the ripping of starched muslin. This is what he read: “Mrs. Bulstrode Pettyman, wife of Bulstrode Pettyman, importer and rep- resentative of Burden & Burden, of Lon- don, England, hereby gives notice to all whom it may concern that she will not be responsible for any debts contracted by her husband, save upon her written order. Litty Bisnor Perryman. To judge by Mr. Pettyman’s face he was about to have a stroke of apoplexy. “1T—I——” he began, but the rumble of the incoming train drowned his voice. “Humph!” he grunted at the back of his companion, in lieu of farewell, and he slipped into the adjoining car. His wife had defied him; proclaimed that she would not pay his debts. His debts! Had he not been so far gone in wrath he would have shrieked with laughter. It was too ridiculous! Had she forgotten the poverty from which he had taken her, and the narrow, provincial surroundings? Mr, Pettyman pinched himself to see if he was really awake. What was that woman opposite staring at him for? Quickly he elevated the newspaper—had she identified him as the man whose wife refused to pay his debts? It seemed to him that the whole car was on a broad grin. Tt was a relief to find himself in the open air again, with a definite course of comicbooks.com