The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-02-04
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
THE COTTAGE OUT OF TOWN.
By B. P. sHrLLABEa.

y" iLLaBt
Inc nrm OF Wilkins & Watkins were very smart
and enterprising-none better in the town where
'hey were located. They were both fine Yellowstone
,o"'reu ana one single. They were very much alike
in size, and in taste REGARDING dress one was the
counterpart OF the other. They had been together so
'ong' TOO, that their manners assimilated. Did q
customer come in and address Watkins as Wilkins, or
as "atsins, the answer was an exact fac
stmHe OF what the one for whom the question was
intended would have given. And so things were
Then the scene to which our story relates transn;reJ.
IL was a chilly October afternoon that wilkins &
aAn haV1ng transacted a good forenoon's work,
went their respective ways to their respectiv dinrer
WILKINS 20 his hotel, and Watkins to the bosom of
ms family Watkins was n happy man in this re-
garu- ne had a pretty little wife and everything
aroun MN rs snug as snug could be. He was as
sure OF a warm welcome as he was of a warm dinner
winch ne had ordered of the provision man az he
came along. He knew az well az he wan,ad 10 ,h,t
= PAIR OF white arms would he thrown around his
s OK : ne opened the front door, and, perhaps, he
tnougnt, JuiIa's-that was his wife-s namaFsstar
might De there to take dinner with them or n.-h.ns
yana ; Iatner and mother had dropped in to take not
,oek Win them. IN either case a great pleasure 50
NC went along ~hummiug TO himself the new air
rthe dearest spo. On earth u ne
Mr.. wilkins was a single man, and rather nr;dad
nnnse.I on oeing so. He went TO his hotel With a
swinging gait, lowing occasionally rs some familiar
sn. I met nus view and smiling very sweetly upon
1IADt 1S ne cn1nGl6 4 n
KNOW lie was a very gallant Young msn. and had
.e sepa'aton OF being a very great Havorite among
.ne iair young ladies' Of the place, by vhom he wos
.es.lueo as a very eligible match. He INDUCED in
welcome beyond that which a land
FORA extends to his boarders, no comfort bevond his
Aiter dinner cigar. But he thought he was bo,nv
anu VINO eise mad a right to say anything about Il,
"aIAins was not disappointed. On arriving nj the
n ns was singing about, he was met at the door
oy the bright face that had met him for the wear that
nao transpIred since their housekeeping dsvs and
tne warm arms enclosed his neck Ike a parentbesis.
-. 'he warm hps-well the warm lips had some
E.s'ty "oru OF welcome TO give him that had n necu-
iiar smack to il in the little dark en,rv - -
hung his top-coat. ""eie he
Ihey were alone, and she told him all the little
oomestic incidents that had transpired durinr the
NOME OF which there are always so many
ABOUT the maiden aunt who had come into town TO
10 some shopping, and what q grand laugb She had
ABOUT ner beating down the shopk eeper. and o;vino
MN twice as much, after all, as the purchase was
., ~ nov a puma oeegar woman came TO the
u"o -. n little girl leading her, poor and cold. and
no" she couldn't help crying over the little she had
gwen ner' ana now the poor woman invoked n bless
ing on her, which she really believed had been
IN the happiness she had received, and
= the organ grinder, and the little De idIar girl
Win ,ne buttons, and the new servant nj the narson-
rSs VINO threw the potato parings into the we'll.
u story there was to tell about everything: and
y pieassnty watkins sat and listened, ali the
"hlie the dinner was being eaten. with the kaones,
relish Watkins never had achieved a meaI ,ho, VS.
more cheerIul, and after dinner, as he kissed his lit
te rosy wife for n dessert, he averred that he did no,
oei'e'e a happier dog than himself existed within a
2ocd many days journey. He ventured to saw that
he thought wilkins was standing faarfuIIv IN Ii -
nght' IN not getting married, and limited rravelv that
ne must give him a talking 10.
Juiia,' said he, one of my gloves has a rent in
u which wish you would repair; you don't want
your husband to look shabby, YOU know. You will
"pd II IN the right pocket of my coat"
me- hke q very dutiful, beautiful, sweet little wife
- she was went to the coat as it hung on its peg in
the entry, and reaching down in to the pocket 10 find
the glove. she touched something of n naner kind
mat decidedly to her touch resembled a letter. She
took It out with the glove. and as her work basket
was upstairs, she thought she would mend the rent
there, while Watkins was enjoying his newspaper
Ii was curiosity passion that has clunp aronnd
poor humanity with n pertinacious strength from the
peginning-tha prompted her TO take the letter. but
when alone by herself she reflected before she opened
u, and laid it on the table. She proceeded 10 mend
the glove, still thinking Of the letter, asking herself
SHOULD she open it:-fearing j. would be wrong to do
20. and at last determining that she would. II was
. letter OF which the envelope had been DESTROYED.
ana a glance nc the first page assured her il was in a
iemale nand- At that instant her husbands foot was
heard upon the stair, and placing the letter under
her basket, she gave him his glove, and he went
away, bidding her good bye.
"He IS a dear, good soul,'' said she. and it is
ike doubling him TO read his letter. But of
ronrse it can't be anything he would not want me to
see-of course not and with this reflection she took
The letter in her hand again.
The first glance caused her to turn deadly pale,
md In an instant the mere suggestion of idle curiosi-
y had become transformed into intense anxiety.
Her lips were apart, her eyes were fixed with n stony
glare upon the paper, her form trembled violently.
md the poor little thing came nigh swooning under
The pressure of feeling that overpowered her. There
vas a letter, written in e female hand to her hus-
band, beginning with My dear, dear, dear W."
md ending, yours, alone, Anna" The letter was
81 the most tender character, burning all up with its
OWN fervor, glowing with loving intensity, and pro-
posing a meeting at a little cottage just outside of the
,own, the next day-the evening of the day following
that on which she had made the discovery. She was
With the passion the discovery awakened.
patted her little foot on the carpet, She crumpled
The letter in her hand, she cried ike n child, and
would have screamed, probobly, had she not been
restrained by a latent idea OF the absurdity of such a
course. She clenched her little hands till the nails
almost cut her palms, and at length resolved, as any
'ther woman Of spirit would have done, to be n third
party ut the interview in the cottage, whose location
.he well knew, from the fact that Mr.. Watkins had
admired it once as they were riding by it.
Mr.. Watkins walked back to the store in n mood of
mind the most compliment, little dreaming OF the
that was raging around his pleasant home,
smashing his household gods into irremediable ruin.
Insatiate Watkins, would not one ~sufice:' Will
kins came back to the store, and. after idling around
Tor about an hour, said he had an engagement, and
vent away again. The afternoon passed, and Wat
kins left an hour earlier than usual, giving the clerk
% understand that he was going home. All, Wat
kins perhaps, II we were to look into that heart,
beneath its encasement of broadcloth, we
'hould find it black with duplicity-perhaps, Wat
rims, vows and protestations thou hast made to that
pretty little wife at home may be ut this time as far
,elow par as Pewabic shares or Ogdensburg second
mortgage bonds-perhaps. even now the object near
st thy heart is this ~peridious meeting with s'yours
in the little cottage outside the town-and
,erhaps not.
Mr.. Watkins went out.
Towards the close of the afternoon, a little women,
NODDED and vpiip1 mryht have been soon hastily
walking through the streets of the town where the
,ouse of Wilkins & Watkins was located, and her
teps were evidently directed towards the outer limits
Il the town. Could the disguise which concealed her
been penetrated, and the purpose which filled
he brain of that hooded little figure been read, n
,ertain pretty cottage in the outskirts would have
found to be its ssimulant, and a certain James
whose ears were to ring With the voice of