THE HESPERIAN .4- . I 'A A Vision of Whist. BEING THK MEDITATITIONS OF A MARRIED MAN IN LOVE WITH HIS WIFE. We lmd not boon married long Con stance and I. She had conic to visit our neighbor Mrs. Dr. Henderson I mean three years before. Henderson and his cousin, McVickor, aro habitual card shufllers and with Jjawyer llopeworthy and myself wo had played many an exciting rubber. But at the time of Constance's arrival we had not met for many a week on account of the loss of the lawyer. llopeworthy had moved further west where divorces are more fre quent. One night as I was lounging over the evening paper with a long Meerschaum pipe in my mouth, Henderson's office boy came in and asked me to go over, "Just to fill out a whist hand," he said. 1 did not hnvo the least idea that 1 would bo expoctcd to play with a woman. If such a thought had entered my head this tale would never have been written. "What! a woman play whist! Preposterous!" wou'd have been my exclamation. "What man can play whist with a woman? I'vo tried it, I guess I know. First it is 'Well now, what is trumps? Oh, yes, clubs; I forgot.' Then, 'Well, isn't it jolly to truly bo playing whist?' Then, 'Is it really my turn so quick?' Then, 'Did you honestly play that? How funny!' Then, 'Why, did I trump your king? "Really, I thought she might hold the ace. Ton my word it is too bad."' Yes, I had played whist with ladies and my decision was formulated: Women canH play cardfi. What fools wo men aro! I settled down for a dry and tedious ovoning. I soon discovered that pleasure was in store for mo. My, but couldn't she play. Who? Constance, you idiot, of course, didn't I say that she was my partner? Ah, how beauti ful she looked sitting there in the parlor! How her eyes gleamed when her hand was full of trumps! How sho schomed when her suit was good that sho might get it in! How doggedly wo worked when wo iiad neither rumps nor" suit! Often of an evening did I whilo away the time in this friendly manner. Wo nearly always won. Dr. Henderson declared our cards fitted togothor. A thought our cards fit together. Why not our lives? Why not our lives? Happy, blessed thought! That night hearts were trumps five times in suc cession. I couldn't help noticing it. I glanced across the table. Our eyes mot a moment that was all. She blushed. Oh, ye saints, how my blood boiled that night! I trumped her ace; I played king on her queen I, well As I said before, we had not been married long Constanco and I. Often since1 the wedding march our wedding march had roverberated through the little, ivy-grown church, had we amused ourselves with our favorite game. That Constanco loved mo I had abundant proof in the manner sho pro vided for my comfort. A poor struggling lawyer, when through my own bungling, I lost the Moat1 case, she railed about the stupidity of tho average juror. When I won tho Franklin suit, sho vowed 1 was tho princo of speakers. And foolish fellow that I was I bclioved her. In short, Constanco was no misnomer. Sho was constant always. But tonight I was sad and disheartened. This morning I noticed that Constanco was somewhat feverish. Sho put on her gloves, then took them off, then put thorn on again I had observed her closely., Tho wedding ring was lying on tho dresser. Why had sho taken it off? Did she scorn my gift? Had sho forgotten her plighted troth? I asked if her if sho felt ill? "No, only a little nervous." "Lot's not go to church thon." "Yes, 1 want to go." Never before had Constanco opposed my slightest wish. Somewhat surprised at her perversity I assented. Who can contond against a pouting woman? During tho entire service I watched her closely. I thought sho smiled at some one on the other side of tho aisle whilo tho priest was opening tho spcred ritual: "Tho Lord is in his Holy temple; let all tho earth keep silence boforo Him." Con stanco was moro feverish than boforo. Sho