Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-03-11

corner and watched the cars drive
past, five, ten, twenty of them.
Then it struck him that she might
have returned another way, and
he hurried home. The nurse was
holding the baby at the door. Hei
knew by her face that she had not
yet arrived.
1t was half past seven. The
play must be given up. 1t is to
late for that. She had stayed
somewhere to dine. Mr.. Jones
grew angry.
"Send up the dinner, Biddy,"
he said, and the dinner was served
but before he had eaten ten mouth
fuls, an account that he had read
that very morning of a lady who
had been drugged and carried off
to New Jersey swamp, where
she was robbed of her jewels and
money, and left for dead, occurred
to him.
Maggie he called to the girl
chow was your mistress dressedp
"Shure, an' she had on her black
silk, and them Elegant barceletts
and earrings she had for Christ
mas" said Maggie. "Och, mebbe
she's been robbed ov 'em-who
knows ?"
Mr.. Jones put down his fork, he
could eat 10 more.
He wandered to the door again
and tried to think what could be
done. When the clock struck
nine he was in despair. When ten
o'clock came and no wife, he be-
thought him of certain friends who
might have urged her to spend
the evening, and made the best
way first to one residence and
then another, with no success.
1t was now plain to him that
Mrs. Jones had met with some
accident. Had she been able tc
walk or ride, he argued, that she
would have gained her home in
some way.
Thoughts of the morguc filled
him with terror. Was she lying
5 dead there with her long hair al
f about her shoulders? Was she il
, some hospital? Where was She
where?
Mr.. Jones by this time, was pale
as a ghost and terror had absolute
ly followed his cheeks. With
, rumpled hair, limp collar and dis.
ordered cravat, he walked into the
, station house, as the clock strucl
! twelve, and announced the terrible
, fact that his wife was missing
The inquiry which followed start.
/. led him as the explosion of bomb.
, shell might.
"Who's she gone with What;
the name y
"Sir!" yelled Mr.. Jones, "My
wife !"
"They are all alike, them missing
ladies'" said the official, ''generally
turns ont the same. You'd have
heard if any accident had happen
ed. Common sense tells you that
, However we'll keep lookout"
The Mortified Jones flew away
again and d reporter, who had beer
listening with open ears to al
that had been said, flew to the
office of his paper made up
, paragraph headed: "ELofEMEN,
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. DE
; sERTs HER LITTLE CHILD" etc.
On the way home Mr.. Jone
stopped at q telegraph office anC
sent dispatches to Mrs. Jones
parents worded thus:
Wyoue M once. Lavina Is mis-
sing"
, AS he gave the message he burs
/ into tears and awakened the sym
pathy of the whole establishment
, Two young men even came t.
I the door to look after him as h,
hurried down the street which wa
a great deal for telegraph peopl
who arc generally the most apathet
ic in the world but they shool
!. their heads and expressed the po
| lice officers opinion when he wa
out of hearing.
Poor Mr.. Jones (! he had neve
!, been frightened before, and a
!. that he could do seemed to hav
: been done. He reached his doc
a dripping with perspiration, an
with icy cold hands he opened il
e staggered into the parlor, AM
there-yes, there sat Mrs. Jones
:. serenely tanning herself.
n "Lavina y screamed Mr.. Jones
I and tumblinp i'm heap on the sofa