Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-01-27
ENOCH ARDEN, AGENT.
BY JAY EDGARE.

1t was Christmas eve. As twilight
fell over the city Of C, Mrs. Arden
4 beautiful woman of twenty-six, sat by
the sitting room window of small cot
tage gazing lis;iessly out ut the passers
by.
She had just returned from a hard
days work canvassing for new book
on which she was dependent for the
support of herself and two small chill
dren. As she sat gazing out into the
dusk, her thoughts went back to the
time two years ago, when, with a low
ing husband and three children she
had lived as happy as a mortal could
wish for. But soon the Black Hills
gold fever broke out and her husband,
dividing his savings and leaving her
one-half, departed for Deadwood to
make his fortune Three months
passed during which the wife received
frequent letters speaking of good pros
poets, and then came sileEce, followed
soon after by the news Of his murder
and robbery; and the light went out Of
the wifes life. Sickness-death of the
little pet Of the family -redueed the
widows funds, and she was at last
reused from her sorrow to make a
living for the two little ones left to her.
1t was new and bitter trial for the sor
rowing wife to 90 ont in the cold selfish
world and earn her bread, but the love
of her little ones gave her strength.
Many ways and means she tried
shirt making at six cents Il piece, and
other plain sewing as unremuneratlye.
At last she tried the agency business
and, after trying different articles with
varied success, finally secured the
agency for a popular subscription book,
in which her education was II great
help to her,
As the holidays approached, Mrs.
Arden had hoped to sell enough books
to enable her not only to pay up her
rent and grocery bills, which were con-
siderably III arrears, but also to pro
vide for her little ones, who were clam
orous TO know if Santa Claus was going
to bring them anything. But the peo-
pie pleaded hard times, and the disap-
pointed mother found her little fund
barely sufficient to settle her rent and
grocery bill; and her eyes dimmed
with tears rs she now sat in the twilight
of Christmas eve and carresscd the two
little heads that lay in her lap, and
listened to the childish voices asking if
she had seen anything of Santa Claus,
Suddenly II knock at the door started
her. Mrs. Arden opened it and adj
mitted her landlord, the rich Senator
Gordon After the usual salutatlOns
she said MIR. Gordon | shall have to
ask YOU to wait for the rent
until next week, as some of my sub
scribers will not be able to pay until
them
"Aheml that's all right Mrs Arden"
said the landlord pompously. 'Smt
Yourself about that Then after Il
long pause, during which Mrs. Arden
thanked him for his forbearance, he
said nervously. Fact is Mrs. Arden
did not call for that tonight, Il
that is-you know it's Christmas eve
and that is to say | wanted to speak
about another matter
Here the senator paused, and wiped
his troubled brow with his silk handker-
chief while Mrs Arden waited IN sur
prised silence
At last the senator looked far away
from her and said-"Iour husband
has been dead now-how long,
Nearly two years sir, said Mrs. Ar
den, depressing her tears. and the great
throb that welled up from her heart mt
the thoughts NJ her husband.
"And you've never believed anything
else than that he was-dead. That Is,
no news lately that would make YOU
think.
MIR. Gordon exclaimed Mrs. Ar,
den, excitedly. as she sprnng up and
took step towards him. What do
you mean? For heavens sake tell
me, is he's he
no, no, Mrs Arden exclaimed
the Senator. Il didn't mean to hint
that he was alive We AL know he is
not. only wanted to know II you teIt
certain of it,
yes, yes, too certain Of it, sighed
Mrs. Arden, sinking to her seat with q
sigh.
II was too dark for the Senator to see
the widows egitation, or perhaps he
would have postponed what else he
had to say till i more fitting opportun-
ity. 50 lie said, Mrs Arden, two
years is rather long time, and you
have had rather hard time to get
along. You must often feel lonely,
Don't you think that, ahem under