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The Married Man
by
“She did not come again for a month, and then she appeared with the blackest eye I had ever seen on a woman. She was seedier than ever, and looked hungry. I was deeply sorry for her, believing her clothing a sure index of an honest woman’s struggle to remain honest. Partly from the delicacy of feeling due to this belief, and partly because I had but thirty-five cents in my pocket, I made no offer of pecuniary assistance. But, after giving me a conventional explanation of the cause of the black eye, she hinted plainly that, unless she could raise ten dollars before night, she would be turned out of her room. This was serious, and I took thought.
“It was Friday, and a holiday. I knew that there was no one in the building but Bunker and myself, and Bunker was one of those rollicking souls who are in a continuous condition of cheerful impecuniosity. There was not a place open in the neighborhood except the saloons, and there I was not known. Clearly, I could not raise any money for her that day; but I promised her the use of my studio for the two following nights, when I should be home in the country, and I agreed to induce Bunker, who slept in his boarding-house, to put her up in his place for that night. This would provide sleeping quarters and the use of my gas-stove and ice-box for three nights and two days, by which time something might turn up. She expressed herself as satisfied, and I went out to interview Bunker.
“‘No,’ he declared, vehemently, ‘I can’t take any woman to my place.’ ‘Bunker,’ I interrupted, solemnly, ‘you brought this young woman here, you have pretended to be her friend, and her claim upon you is enough to warrant her in expecting help at this critical moment. Remember, Bunker, this is a crisis with her. If she is helped, she may pull through; if not, she may lose heart and courage, and go to ruin.’
“My words impressed him. ‘All right,’ he said; ‘I don’t know much about her lately–knew her family well, out West–that’s all. I’ll give you my key, before I go home–want to lock myself in and work for a while now. Have a drink. Got some good stuff here.’
“I declined, and went back to my visitor, picking up on the way a telegraph messenger, who had arrived with a dispatch for me.
“Unwearied in well-doing, glad that I was an instrument in helping this worthy young woman, I assured her of the success of my mission–before opening the telegram. And she thanked me, with tears–genuine again. Then, slightly affected myself, I broke the envelope, and read:
“‘Meet me 5.30 Pennsylvania ferry. If miss you will come to your office.
“‘MAUD MILNER.’
“Now, Maud Milner was the wife of an old friend of mine; and, too, she was my wife’s old school chum. She had never been in New York, and she did not know that my ‘office’ was a bachelor’s apartment. But her visit had been prearranged, and I had written the invitation on my studio stationery, so that her response was quite innocent; yet, I had peculiar reasons–aside from the presence there of my penniless and interesting protegee–for not wishing her to visit my place in town.
“I had paid her fully as much attention before her marriage as I had my wife; in fact, I courted them both at once, in order to arouse their sense of pique. Not a strictly honorable thing to do, had either of them cared for me, initially; but neither did care, and I might not have won my wife by any other plan. The two were bad friends for a while, and, to this day, my wife cannot rid herself of a very slight jealousy. So, you see the reason for my anxiety to avoid any possibility of complications.