New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-08-18

lou Know shall remain at this house
for some time, and you can always
make it up-fx it, you know. ANY
thing that Mrs. Witherton won't object
ton our bill. You understand
IL see, I see," he said. can right.
Let me see; nights lodging and
breakfast and dackp"
"Oh, no." l cried hastily. ST will
take her in the street-cars. They will
soon be running, SUPPOSED"
"Oh, yes. Well, then, a nights
lodging and breakfast. Do you
think" Che spoke judicially) "that a
dollar and half is too much?''
6 Not at ALL" l answered. "Give
me the bill, and will take it to her."
He handed it over, and again made
the five.stOry ascent, and found her
seated at her door waiting for me.
Here it isl handing it over. s'Look
over it, and if you are not satisfied, l
can have it altered. They are very
obliging in this house,
She looked long and uneasily.
"Say whatever you think, y urged.
81 think it is very, very high," she
answered, simply.
Then give it to me-" and again
I made the descent to the Office, tiptoe-
ing carefully past my wife's door,
although l knew the utter impossibility
of her hearing, or, if she heard, detect
ing, my footstep among the many that
passed.
There, just where I left him, stood
the Datient Slpenv clerk
"She thinks it is too much" l whis-
pered.
"Too much?" with raised eyebrows.
eyes! Take off that dollar" (still in
a whisper), "and make it fifty cents.
All right, you see. Fix it afterward.'
tapped my hand on my rather empty
pocket, and winked.
"Oh! Ah!- Welt" he said. "Thas
will be oil right. Have it just as you
please" He gave broad dash through
the one dollar, leaving the fifty cents
charged; and again toiled up with my
diminished bill, and once more put it in
her hand.
She simply and in good faith handed
me silver half dollar, and then we
went in car to the depot. looked in
her relieved, satisfied, and pretty face,
and really did not regret my sleepless
night and early ride. As for the mex
orable future to be met upon
my return, 1 simply ignored
it. l put her in the train, and
charged the conductor to see to her,
and then came the last page of my only
romance, ready to be closed. She
looked in my face with her open, candid
eyes.
You have been more than kind
she said, "and l hardly know what to
say, am so grateful. l was very much
alarmed on the cars, for mother, who
lives in Balloon, Maine, you know, did
not consider that there might be deten-
ton on the road, and only sent me
money enough to buy my ticket and
leave me two dollars for travelling ex.
penses. l paid fifty cents to get to the
depot in Washington, and you were
kind enough to have my bill made out
as cheaply rs possible at the hotel.
This, too, is the reason l asked you to
take nc there in the cars; / was afraid
that my money would not last if had
to pay hack hire. ! have just dollar
left,' she continued, while the clear,
lovely color mounted to the roots of her
hair, "and | shall not want any thing
more till / reach home. It is only a
very small trine; but please, sir, won't
you accept it for your troubled"
Thunder-struck, speeches., with the
bill lying on my extended hand which
had offered to say good-by, and where
she had placed it, stood for a second,
hardly understanding what she meant,
when, with, can hands aboard-you'll
he carried off, my good SIR" the con-
ductor good-naturedIy took me by the
shoulders, and found myself at once
standing on the platform-th cars half
mile distant already.
1t was some time before 1 recovered
my full senses, and then turned home
ward. Half a dozen times before
reached there took that dollar bill out
of my pocket and incredulously in
spected it. Circumstances certainly
forbade my attaching any very roman
tic associations to it, but it yet had q
kind of mysterious fascination for me.
What was her name? 1 just remem-
bered that l never had asked it, but
had told the clerk at the hotel to leave
blank, and that would inquire, and
then l had forgotten to do so. Who
was she? What strange idea for her
to have chosen a dollar bill az a remem-
brancc between us! and what could
be the value of our currency
in Baldon, that her mother
should calculate that a couple of dollars
above and beyond the cost of her ticket
could defray her casual expenses from
Washington to Maine? My mind was
OF 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 that am trying to make pun.
My wife had been a good wife to me,
although she may not have been very
attractive, so in a moment of confidence
[ revealed it all. Need l say that my
'penness was not respected, and that in
after-years the very slightest attention
that L mig ht have felt that l was compell-
sd to pay to any young or attractive girl
would bring that dollar bill down on my
devoted head, in many ingenious ways
on my wife's part, though resulting in
exasperating annoyances to me?
Hon. I came to confess the whole
story may require a few explanations
to unmarried 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 in.
terests of his employer, and not let hin
be defrauded of his just dues (obGvi
GUS of how many unjust ones he may
have extorted which would have more
than restored the balance), hat
interpreted the hint I had giver
him, the morning I had arranged thu
girls bill, into permission to him t.
charge the deficit to me. Now, dare
say this was all fair, and had no OBJ
lection to the obligation, for, as yor
know, l had the equivalent in my peck
ct; or even without it I would have beer
willing to bear the loss, for Il had my
months allowance in my purse at tn
time; SO if our weekly bill had borne
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