Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-06-30

slve bore unpleasant news to her hus
band. The stamp showed it to be {
city letter. A few times of late, sucf
letters had come to his address and she
had noticed that he had read them hur
riedly, thrust them WITHOUT remark int,
his pocket, and became silent and sober
faced.
She went to the mentle-pieee, tool
up the letter and examined the super
scription 1t gave her no light. Stead
lily it kept growing upon her that its
contents were of nature otrouble hel
husband.
If the thought of Mrs. Whitman re-
CURED, as was natural, 20, the elegant
silk dress of which she was to become
the owner that day, she did not feel the
proud satisfaction her vain heart expe
rienced little while before. Something
of its beauty had faded.
eff | only knew what that letter con
tained," she said half an hour after i,
had come in, her mind still feeling the
pressure which had come down upon il
so strangely as it seemed to her.
Mrs. Whitman turned the letter ovel
and over again in her hand, in a
thoughtful way, and as she did SO the
image of her nd-sober-faced and
silent as he had become for most of the
time of late, presented itself with unus
ual vividness. Sympathy stole into hel
heart
"Poor Charles p' she said, as the
feeling increased 81 am afraid some.
thing is going wrong with him."
Placing the letter on the mantle
piece where he could see it when he
came in, Mrs. Whitman entered upon
some household duties, but strange
impression, as of weight, lay upon her
heart-a sense of impending evil-a
vague, troubled disturbance Of her usu
al inward self-satisfaction.
"He has been little mysterious Of
late," she said to herself. The idea af
fected her very unpleasantly "He
grows more silent and reserved" she
added, as thought, under kind Of
feverish excitement, became active in
a new direction. "More indrawn, as
1t were, and less interested in what goes
on around him. His eoldness chills me
at times, and his irritation hurts me- y
She drew a long, deep sigh. Then,
with en- almost startling yiyidness came
before her mind in contrast, her tender
loving, cheerful husband of three yerrs
before, and her quiet, silent, sober-faced
husband of to- day.
Something has gone wrong with
him p she said, as the feeling grew
stronger. "What can it be?"
The letter was in her hand.
"This may give me ligat.'' And
with careful fingers she opened the en-
velope, not breaking the paper, so thai
she could seal it again if she desired to
do so. There was bill of sixty dollars
and a communication from the person
sending the bill. He was a jeweller
eff this is not settled at once" he
wrote, 81 shall put the account in suit.
1t has been standing for over a year
and am tired of getting excuses in
stead of my money"
The bill was for lady's watch which
Mrs. Whitman had almost compelled
her husband to purchase. Not paid for
Is it possible p exclaimed the little
woman, in blank astonishment, as the
blood mounted to her forehead.
Then she sat down to think. Light
began to come into her mind. AS she
sat thus thinking second letter for hel
husband came in from the penny-post
man. She opened it without hesitation
Another bill, and another dunning let.
ter!
"Not paid Is it possible ?" She
repeated the ejaculation: 1t was bill
of twenty-five dollars for CATERS and
slippers, which had been standing fol
three months.
"This will never do p' said the awak
ened wife-''never-no, never J! And
she thrust the two letters into her rpock.
ct in resolute way. From that hour
until the return of her husband at. din.
ner time, Mrs. Whitman did an unusu.
al amount of thinking for her little
brain. She saw, the moment he enter.
ed, that the morning cloud had moi
passed from his brow.
"Here is the money for that new
Dress" he said, taking = small roll Of
bills from his vest pocket and handing
them to Ada as he came in. He did
not kiss her, nor smile in the old bright
way. But his voice was calm if not
cheerful. A kiss and smile just then
would have been more precious to the
young wife than hundred silk dresses.
She took the money, saying
"Thank you, dear! 1t is kind of you
to regard my wishes"
Something in Ada's voice and manner
cased Mr.. Whitman to lifthis eyes with
a look of inquiry to her face. But she
turned aside, so that he could not read
its expression
He was graver and more silent than
usual, and ate with scarcely an appear
ance of appetite.
"Come home early, dear" said Mrs.
W, as she walked to the door with her
husband after dinner.
4" Are you impatient to have me ad-
mire your now silk dress ?" he replied
with faint effort to smile.
" Yes, it will be something splendid,
she answered"
He turned off from her quickly, and
left the house. A few moments she
stood, with thoughtful face, her mind
indrawn, and her whole manner chang
II Thoo ebo uook-k~ 1nr ~,ov,, opd