The Portland daily press., 1871-06-03

4
Nor just at present You can advise
me, perhaps?"
You don'nt know the street, you say. DO
you know the expressman"
"Never saw OF heard Of him." l answered.
"Wiie got any friends here-brothers, SIS
ters aunts, uncles, etc?'
eNo intimate friends or relative. We're
comparative strangers in the city,"
"Well, well! | don't know what to do.
Perhaps we might fiud oul something in the
course of three or four days." meditativey
rubbing his chin.
No sooner?" in an appealing voice.
Cant say. Several thousand families |
move ON the first of May. Perhaps Sc me of
our men may pick up the family or news OF
1T; they wouldn't know about 1t unless APP
pealed to.
Well! thank you," 1 said, turning away
in misery Of heart.
"By The way" continued the captain, fol,
lowing me to the door, "does your wife lead
the papers ?"
"S0melimes--not of1en.'
"Woudn't she be likely to buy them, under |
the circumstances?
perhaps"
swat Bit"
He stepped to a desk and wrote ior.two or
three minutes. Suppose you put this in one
of the daily papers.
TSFoRMAa ION WANTED-of the re, idenee of Mrs.
Timothy Dordv. Cali at at tie store OF Cruteh
.S Armies, ?29 Water street.
"She'd know what was wanted. Nobody
else would mind it, you know"
Excellent. Thank you again, sir. If any
| body comes here for me, you'll know where TO
| send them. Good night"
Alter going to the office of the principal
daily paper, and losing the excitement of hav-
ing something to do to employ my thoughts
| there came upon mt, as L walked the almost
silent streets, loneliness and desolaticn that
was appalling. was impeIled by these leel
| lhSs To contemplate without a shudder the
eternal rest TO follow self-imposed death.
1t was terrible frenzy, lasting only a few
| seconds, but it enabled me to comprehend
how easily men and women are tortured by
circumstances into the insanity that leads to
suicide. However, shook off those feelings
| and went to hotel. EEa
What miserable, unhappy night that was
Nearly the whole time was passed in a chair
| by the window l couldn't sleep. II my
| eyes closed in drowsineSs, | was Immediately
| beset by terrible dreams about my wife and
child Awake, my thoughts were conjectures
and apprehensions about their safety. L pic
| tnred them sick, alone, in a strange neighbour
hood, with no one to appeal to tor assistance.
| imagined robbers working at the doors, or
rufflans making night hideous with their bias
phemy. No evil seemed impossible of success
against those detenseless two, now was
| away. AS drOwsed, now and then. would
be aroused by what seemed to be tie plant
i've, beseeching call of my wife as if she were
| IN the room. An alarm of fire was sounded,
| and pictured to myself the burning of nv
house. Such night l hope l may never
agian be forced to endure, so filed was every
minute and hour with the most horrible of
fances.
When the gray light of the morning spread
fhn ctr TO 4 l.
about, tottered out of that dismal hotel, and
went shiyering and weary, iuto the half-night,
halliday, SO that l might walk away from the
| thoughts that had tormented my soul in the
| darkness. Where was the hearth stone on
which the Goals were red for my coming?
Where were the loving wife and child Tor
whom yearned with an affection never be-
lore tested? Why hadn't they come for me?
| Sometimes l laughed aloud at nv position.
which would be so ludicrous when we were
again united. AS the sun rose, so rose my
spirits, and stepped off brisky, wandering
here and there in regions to me heretofore
unknown. The panorama of high life and
low low life at five o'clock in the morning is
unique, but unattractive. Finally settled
down IN restaurant for my breakfast, and
unfolded my morning paper There was my
advertisement. What an odd thing it was, TO
be sure? How we would laugh over it some
day--perhaps to-day or O.morrow-wite
and l.
"Eh!? What's this?" l cried out to myself
as my eyes rested upon this paragraph i'm a
| prominent place:
| M IssING.Mr Timothy Doray has been missing
| VI from his home since the night Of April 80. No
reason Is known for his mysterious disappearance
ANY information LETT this off as to his wherea-
| ,us will be tbapkuly receivad hu ,,;s of,l;.t.,
/ wife.
| In all my life ] never knew of ANYTHING
| extraOrHnarU-a hush x,,;f,
ost IN city, and each advertising the other.
could hear my heart beat with JOY as l re-
| ahzed that, at last, there was a clue to nv
home Not mouthfu of breakfast had been
eaten. was feasting on the joy of my dis
coVery. l contemplated for Jew minutes,
IN an eplcurean way, this dejeune of discov-
| cry, then started for the office of that excel
lent morning paper, that valuable journal
whose circulation was limited only by undis-
covered and unexplored lands, etc. ETC. That
| edltor was an angel, seen through my eyes,
Just then, and his assistants, printers, all of
them were cherubs of mammoth develop
ment. Glory! I'd have wife and baby within
an hour, sure.
was walking briskly, nv ewes fixed on the
pavement, my thoughts hours ahead ,anticipat-
ing, when suddenly some one caught my arm
roughly, exclaiming. "Here. you! Can't
you stop? lady has been running after
you for halt a block. You're worse than
horse car to STOP" and then, without waiting,
ne passed ahead. As looked at him with
angry establishment, little hand grasped my
arm; there was the rustic of dress and
quickly drawn breaths.
Tim, what is the matter?" said the figure.
and she followed the question right on the
street. by kiss.
OF course it was my wife.
WHATS the matter?" she asked again.
why haven't you come home? Where do
you liver . shame to desert poor fodder
and me" laughing Historically and clutching
my arm hrmly. felt like catching her up in
my arms, so great was my delight, but a due
regard for the public restrained that excess of
emotion. AS it was, l looked at her with nv
hungry eyes, and with my heart humping up
into my throat, and my tongue tangled with a
confusion OF words l wanted to utter ali AT
once. L presented statue of glad SURPRISE
| motonlesS as if in stone
| why don't you speak, Tim, to yonr poor
| Whe Tell her what has kept you away so
| long! Let us not stand still here with people
| staring So"
I'm happy now, wife, to begin with. Put
| that down as credit mark-as long as from
here to the North Pole. l didn't go home
because didn't know where to Co."
"Ddn't know where to go! she echoed.
| mo! lost the location out OF my head
and your memorandum of it out of nv pock.
ct. have had to wait until YOU found me
as you have, thank you. Why didn't you GO
| to the store ?"
| 80 did-the old one. No one was there
not an lnanimate thing to say where the new
store was; and yoa never informed me-
| SO didn't. | forgot it. Why didn't YOU
| go to the police?'
Il forgot it-Gever entered my head. You
see am not nsed to a missing husband. O!
I've been SO miserable and. Tim, there's
| gentleman reckoning to YOU"
1t was Mr.. Armless in his carriage. "Seen
the morning paper, Doray?" he asked as |
| came up.
Yes, sir! Ibis is my wife, Mr.. A1mless-
We've just found each other by accident.
II am very glad to know this, and yourself.
| madam" he said, bowling, 81 was lust On nv
way to the ne wspaper office to give nv testi
| mony." He bowed, touched up his horses.
| then stopped them.
by the way, Doray," he began as we came
up, take couple of days leave You are
entitled to it. 1t III be all right at the store"
and with that he was away without waiting
to hear our thanks.
After that we walked homeward. like low.
ers. The distance seemed very short. I
looked at the streets as we came be fore our
house, and made mental calculation.
Lefty, Lefty" l cried, in self reproacb.
this house is only five blocks from our new
store"
1T has been thousand miles away for two
days" she replied, softly.
looked into the yard of the mansion,-
Bless his dear little heart there was Toddler,
Siding down the cellar door, under the super
into IL.