Daily Yellowstone Journal

Filkins' Family.

The troubled look has not yet gone from Filkins' face. A new trouble now lies like a leaden weight on Filkins' heart. After considerable trouble one of his friends succeeded in getting a hint of the following facts as to the cause of his unrest, which we spread before the public as near as may be in Filkins' own words: "It's just here," said he, "Mrs. F., finding the garden project a failure, naturally enough felt lonesome and wanted to get into society, and having heard me speak familiarly of my acquaintances, began to suggest that introductions would be in order. One day she was with me on the street when one of our boys drove by with a fine rig and a well dressed woman beside him, and was having a good time generally after having been on the range for some time and made a stake big enough to have a little racket in town. As he passed he very politely raised his hat and gave me a sly wink. He didn't know there was a Mrs. F.; how should he? for I have not been put on oath to tell all about my domestic affairs. Besides that is not the way we men do. Very likely he might have thought Mrs. F. was of the same kind as the woman by his side.

"As I was saying, Mrs. F. noticed the salute and inquired, 'Who is that; A friend of yours, I wish you would Introduce him? That is his wife, of course; how beautifully she is dressed; I do hope they will call on us.' And so she rattled on, poor, innocent soul, till I was on the point of giving the whole thing away. But I didn't, I just said nothing and bore It all. Since then she has talked all the time about my rich and fashionable friends and about millinery and dresses and new furniture and wondering when they will call. She has had a new door bell, is talking of having a name plate on the door, and a thousand other things that have nearly driven me crazy.

Now I haven't been a model of good morals myself since I came to. Montana. I confess to having given them a stand off and done about the same as others, but I didn't want to tell Mrs F. all of this since I didn't have to, In fact it would not be pleasant for her to know it. It might not be pleasant for me to have her know it. She is a decent, respectable woman, and thinks I am a decent and respectable man and accepts my statements without question when I tell her why I haven't got rich enough to ride in as fine carriages as my friends. But I've just these two things to distract me; fears that she will find me out; what I've been at and the company I've kept on hand: and that she will be fascinated with the kind of women who wear Mother Hubbard dresses. Only the other day she said with such real innocence, 'My dear why do you eat so many cloves? They are not considered healthy.' Almost the next sentence was, 'Don't you think these red curtains are very stylish that seem so popular in Miles?' This condition of things is enough to drive any man to distraction."

A tremor was in his voice and a tear in his eye as Filkins turned sadly away and a moment after he disappeared behind a screen.