Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-07-24
Echoes From the PhOnograh.

Echoes From the PhOnOgrah.
1t happened that Mrs. Barsting
low was going down to Keokuk fo
few days, and Mr.. Barstinglov
was inconsolable. At one time h
protested that she should not go
he could not endure the lonesom,
house during her absence. Ant
then again he declared that if sh,
must go, he would neglect his of
flee and let his business 60 to th,
bowwows, and he would 60 will
her. At length, however, she per
suaded him to be reasonable, anC
on her repeated assurance that she
would not remain away longer thar
three days, he consented to let hel
go. He even bought her ticket
and ordered the carriage and paid
for it two days ahead, lest his res.
olution should give away, and he
should forget her going from him.
And from that time till the morn
ing of her departure, Mr.. Bars
tinglow spoke with the air Of a
man whose heart was buried under
mountains of grief.
Before she left the house, Mrs.
Barstinglow set the phonograph in
the sitting-room, behind the clock.
Then she kissed her disconsolate
husba nd, and begged him to pre-
serve his precious life for her sake
while she was gone.
Every day during her three days
visit in the Gate City, she received
a letter from her mourning bus-
band begging her to come back
and telling her how lonesome he
was without her, and how like a
grave the empty house seemed,
and how the hours dragged over
his aching heart with leaden feet.
And in three days she came home,
and filled the solemn house with
sunlight and laughter again.
The evening after her return to
Burlington, she took down the
phonograph.
81 WONDER" she said, "what we
said last in its hearing! 1t must
have been something while we were
discussing my visit. Or may be it
has caught some of your poor,
longing meanings while / was
away"
And then she turped the crank.
"Lord, no." croaked the phono-
graph in tones of hearty reassur-
ance; "no danger of that; she's
safe in Keokuk for three days;
saw her safely off myself this morn
ing. Light yonr cigar while /
light another lamp and make the
room look cheerful"
"Why," exclaimed Mrs. Bar
stinglow with a countenance of
amazement, "what on earth is it
saying :"
"Ob, some nonsense some of
your visitors have talked into it
some time or other" replied her
husband nervously, "people talk
all kinds of stuff into a phono-
graph, you know. They say any
thing for talk
Mrs. Barstinglow, looking only
half convinced, gave the crank
another turn.
"This is develish good whisky,
Barsty," calculated the machine,
very earnestly. "You don't get it
In Burlington, do you?"
Mrs. Barstinglow gave a little
shrek.
"My DEAR" said her husband,
looking now quite as worried as he
had looked when he was begging
her not to go to Keokuk," put 1t
away; /; somebody has had 1t out in
the stable. and 1t might say some
thing perfectly shocking, you know.
Put it away"
But Mrs. Barstinglow, upon whom
the spirit of investigation had de-
scended with great power, ground
away, and the phonograph, in a
voice marvelously like her hus-
bands, went remorsely on.
mot much; they don't make
this kind now. It's some old Mo-
nongahela, copper distilled, that
Mrs. Barstinglow's mother gave
her for medicinal purposes three
years ago. Fill up, there's plenty
of 1t, and I can replace IT with any
kind of beverage when it's gone.
The old girl won't know the diff
ference