The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-04-02

= and once more put 1t Ii her hand.
It She simply and in good faith handed j
q silver half dollar, and then we Went in
/ carto the depot. | looked in her relieve
+ satisfied, and pretty face, and really4d
not regret my sleepiess night and estr
ride. AS for tile inexorab1e future to
} met upon my return, I simply ignored
I put her in the train and charged the oo1
t ductor to see to her, and then came the IN
page of my only romance, ready to I
closed. She looked into my face with f1t
!, open, candid eyes.
on have been more than kind, = ST
said, "and I hardly know what to say,
am 50 grateful. / was very much alarrle
on the cars, for my mother, who lives i
! Baldwin, in Maine, you know, did not epE
slider that there might be detention on th
road, and only sent me money enough
buy my ticket and leave me two dollars 70
travelling expenses. | paid fifty cents
get to the depot in Washington, and 70
were kind enough to have my bill made gu
as cheaply as possible at the hotel. This
| too was the reason that asked you to tax
me there in the cars; | was afraid that IN,
money would not last if / had to pay hac]
/ hire. [ have Just dollar left she con
tinued, while the clear lovely color mount
ed to the roots Of her hair, stand I sIlal
not want anything more till / reach home
1t is only a very small tri1e; but please
sir, won't you accept it for your trouble?'
| Thunder-struck, speeches., with tht
bill lying on my extended hand which
had offered to say goodbye, and where
she had placed it, [ stood for second
hardly understanding what she meant
when, with, S@All hands aboard-you'll be
carried of, my good sir" the conductor
good-naturedly took me by the shoulders,
and / found myself at once standing On the
platforn-the cars half noile distant al
ready.
ItWas some time before recovered my
full senses, and then I turned homeward.
Half dozen times before ] reached there
[ took that dollar bill out Of my pocket
and incredulously inspected it. Circum-
stances certainly forbade my attaching any
very romantic associations to it, but it vet
had mysterious fascination for me. What
was her name? just remembered that /
never had asked it, but had told the clerk
at the hotel to leave Il blank, and that [
would inquire, and then had forgotten to
do so. Who was she? What a strange
idea for her to have chosen a dollar bill as
remembrance between us! and what
could be the value Of our currency in Bal
don, thather mother should calculate that
couple Of dollars above and beyond the
cost Of her ticket could defray her casual
expenses from Washington to Maine? NV
mind was not equal to finding out the
meaning of it all.
kept my secret for week, and then [
weakly told it. q hope you do not think
we are trying to make pun.) MY wife
had been good wife to me, although she
may not have been very attractive, SO ina
moment Of confidence I revealed it all
Need | say that my Openncss was not re-
spected, and that in after years the very
slightest attention that / might have felt
that l was compelled to pay to any young
OF attractive girl would bring that dollar
bill down on my devoted head, in many
ingenious ways OH my wife's part, though
i'll exasperating annoyances to
me? ..
Hoay I came to confess the whole story
may require a few explanations-to un-
married people particularly. That hotel
clerk was a bachelor, and owing to this and
also to an absurd and almost exploded idea
he seemed to entertain that he was bound
to attend to the interests of his employer,
and not let him be defrauded out of his
Just dues (oblivious of how many unjust
he may have extorted which would have
more than restored the balance), had in
terDreted the hint | had given him, the
had arranged the girls bill, in
to permission to him to charge the de-
ficit to me. Now | dare say this was all
fair, and | had no objection to the obliga-
ton, for, as you know, J. had the equiva-
lent in my pocket; or even without it
would have been willing to bear the loss,
for had my mouths allowance in my
purse at the time; so if our weekly bill
had borne any itemized charge such as
washing or t'baths," or fEdistrict mes
sages," or even ''oysters on the half she'll"
it would, perhaps, have passed unnoticed,
or at least without comment; but the
fellow had fixed up the deficit
ii this way with one fell swoop Of his pen:
is Dec. Drinks
Now, Mrs. Witherton always slept on
he outside Of her couch on Sunday night,
20 that she could secure the weekly bill
early Monday morning, although generally
,imid about robbers; and as her fatherEand
grandfathers on both sides, her only
brother, as we'll as her Immediate kindred,
lad been leaders in every temperance
ever instituted, and had always
oeen teetotally teetotal men, she naturally
received asevere shock.
SIR. Witherton," she cried, suddenly
awakening me, s'what has been your OBJ
ect III treating bar-room loafers to drinks
Do you intend to run for the office of Al
lerman of this city?n
[ was so startled at first thatI could not
.oilect my senses, but | was perfectly GER
ain that could positively deny with en-
ire truth this charge. Il had not yet no.
iced the bill in her handy "My dear,
solemnly said, 81 have never offered a
nan drink, or paid for one for him, in
he whole course of my life.''
She slowly turned toward me, and $ittl-
tied as was with a pEastered wall oR one
;ide and no escape except over my wife on
he other, felt the might and majesty Of
If woman. "8Ir. Witherton,' she again
aid and-and she was wearing at the time
ter triple-frilled night-cap, and her black
.immed spectacles to assist her eyes III de |
:iphering the document she held iI her
1and-sssam to understand that yoH, land
foa alone, imbibed one dollar and fifty
.ents, worth OF drinks on the 18th of De
,ember? Then, If 50, | thank Heaven that
here are such places as inebriate asylurhs.
I, too, then rose up from my PILLOW, as
he nature Of the charge began TO dawn
lpon me. I took the bill from her HAND
md pretended to inspect it, although [
Knew but too well all about its nature ;Eand
hen what could I do but. make clean
oreast Of it, and confess a1zp and I really
cit happier when that was done. MY
tory was rather hard e tell You Wpuld
understand how difficult if you knew hrs
VitIerton personally but still my Maria
istened compose1Iy, only breaking the
ilence once, and that was W5aen came 10
he part where ! had fnsinuated 10 the Ilo-
II