Litchfield enquirer., 1880-04-01

without it would have been willing to bear the loss, for had my months allowance in my purse at the time; so if our weekly bill had borne any itemized charge such as ''wash- ing" or "baths," or ''district messages" or even ''oysters on the half shell," it would, perhaps, have passed unnoticed, or at least without comment; but the thoughtless fellow had flxed up the deficit in this way with one fell swoop of his pen:
 IS Dec. Drinks $1 50. Now Mrs. Witherton always slept on the outside of her couch on Sunday night, so that she could secure the weekly bill early Mon- day morning, although generally timid about robbers; and as her fother, her grandfathers on both sides, her only brother, as we'll as all her immediate kindred, had been leaders in every temperance movement ever instituted, and had always been teetotally teetotal men she naturally received a severe shock. ,. s.. "Mr. 'Witherton," sine cried suddenly awakening me, ''what has been your object in treating bar-room loafers to drinksp Do you intend to run for the office of alderman of this city"
 was, so startled at first that I could not collect my senses, but was perfectly certain that 1 could positively dent with entire truth this charge. q had not yet noticed the bill in hef. hand.) 'My dear," solemnly said, 'I 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-rimmed spectacles to assist her eyes in deciphering the document she held in her hand-.'am I to understand that you, and yoat alone imbibed one dollar and fifty cents worth of drinks on the 18th December Then, if so, thank Heaven that there are such places as inebriate asylums"
 I then rose up from my pillow, as the nature of the charge began to dawn upon me. took the bill from her hand and pretended to inspect it, although knew but too we'll all about it's nature and then what could I do but make clean breast of it.. and confess a1s and 1 really felt happier when that was done. My story was rather hard to tell You would understand how difficult if you knew Mrs. Witherton personally but still my Maria listened composedly, only breaking the silence once, and that was when l came to the part where had insinuated the hotel clerk that I was willing to make up any deficiency in his charge on the girls bill with nag own money. Then she said something unpleasant, condens- ed into two words. It is true that have for
 
 since; but 1 suppose that to complete my story they ought to be recorded. can not give her emphasis, though, which, after all, was the most objectionable part of their nature. Your money?' she cried, with a wonderful pro- longation of sound, and all the force was strongly laid on the possessive pronoun
 But too have at last a story to tell and though the fellows all laugh at it, I do not mind them, for she was just as pretty and nice as any girl they ever saw. They can not doubt the truth of what I say because have the dollar bill to show.
 have tried in vain since we parted to learn somethingo of my travelling companion but not knowing her name or aught save that she liv- ed in Baldon, and the subject, also, being un- pleasant to my wife, 1 have labored under difficulties impossible to snrmount but one of my reasons for writing this narrative is the hope of it's meeting her eye, and, as Jones says, ''weaving one more link in the frail ctain that binds us," suppose he means the dollar bill.