The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-04-24

she said, "and hardly know what to
say, am so grateful. 1 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. 1 paid fifty cents to get to the
depot in Washington, and you were
kind enough to have my bill made out
as cheaply as possible at the hotel
This, too, is the reason asked you to
take me there in the cars; was afraid
that my money would not last if 1 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. 1t is only a
very small trife; but please, sir, won't
you accept it for your troubled"
Thunder-struck, speeches., with the
bill lying on my extended hand which 1
had offered to say good-by, and where
she had placed it, [ stood for a second,
hardly understanding what she meant,
when, with, "All hands aboard-you'll
be carried off, my good SIR" the con-
ductor good-naturedly took me by the
shoulders, and found myself at once
standing on the platform-the cars half
mile distant already.
1t was some time before L 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 a
kind of mysterious fascination for me.
What was her name? l Just remem-
bered that l never had asked it, but
had told the clerk at the hotel to leave
blank, and that 1 would inquire, and
then | had forgotten to do SO. Who
was sheP What strange idea for her
to have chosen dollar bill as remem-
brance between us! and what could
be the value of our currency
in Balloon, that her mother
should calculate that couple of dollars
above and beyond the cost of her ticket
could defray her casual expenses from
Washington to MaineP My 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 that am trying to make a pun.)
My wife had been a good wife to me,
although she may not have been very
attractive, so in moment of confidence
l revealed it all. Need 1 say that my
openness was not respected, and that in
after-years the very slightest attention
that L might have felt that was compell-
ed 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. L came to confess the whole
story may require few explanations
to unmarried people particularly. That
hotel clerk was 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 him
be defrauded of his Just dues (oblivi-
Gus of how many unjust ones he may
have extorted which would have more
than restored the balance), had
interpreted - the hint had given
girls bill, into permission to him to
charge the deficit to me. Now, l dare
say this was all fair, and had no OBJ
lection to the obligation, for, as you
know, l had the equivalent in my pock-
et; or even without it would have been
willing to bear the loss, for l had my
months allowance in my purse at the
y1u
any itemized charge such as "wash-
ing" or "baths," or "district mes
sages," or even "oysters on the half
SHE'LL" it would, perhaps, have passed
unnoticed, or at least without comment;
but the thoughtless fellow had fixed up
the deficit in this way with one fell swoop
of his pen:
Now, Mrs. Witherton always slept on
the outside of her couch on Sunday
night, so that she could secure the
weekly bill early Monday morning, al
though generally timid about robbers;
and as her father, her grandfathers on
both sides, her only brother, as well as
all her immediate kindred, had been
leaders in every temperance movement
ever instituted, and had always been
teetotally teetotal men, she naturally re-
ceived severe shock.
"Mr. Witherton," she cried, sudden
ly awakening me, "what has heen your
object in treating bar-room loafers to
drinksp Do you intend to run for the
office of Alderman of this cityP'
was so startled at first that l could
not collect my senses, but / was perfect
ly certain that l could positively deny
with entire truth this charge. q had
not yet noticed the bill in her hand.)
"My DEAR" l solemnly said, 81 have
never offered man drink, or paid for
one for him, in the whole course of my
life."
She turned slowly toward me, and
situated as / was with plastered wall
on the one side, and no escape except
over my wife on the other, | felt the
might and majesty of woman. :" Mr..
Witherton," she again said-and she
was wearing at the time her triple
frilled night-cap, and her black trimmed
spectacles to assist her eyes in decipher-
ing the document she held in her hand
-H am l to understand that you, and
YOU alone, imbibed one dollar and fifty