The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-18

Sally must be in the bedroom, sick nc
doubt.
With an anxious heart Will opened
the door into it. Nobody was there
the room was in its usual cherries
order the bed white and smooth as
the outer drifts; the white.curtained
windows shutting out even that wintry
sunshine.
Probably Sally had put on her Sunday
cloak and bonnet, the same dark-red
velvet tur ban and jaunty, jet-trimmed
sack she had looked so well in when
they were married. Almost as if he
were afraid of seeing a ghost, Will
opened the closet door to see; there the
things hung against the wall, straight
and smooth, sack and shawl too, and
the toque was on the shelf above.
Then he opened the tiny parlor, with
awful misgivings. The andirons shone
in the open fireplace; the wax fruit was
under its glass shade, between the glass
candlesticks on the shelf; and the big
Bible, the photograph album, the copy of
Tupper's Proverbial PHILOSOPHICAL all
wedding presents-occupied the small
round table in the middle of the room,
and took a ghastly tint from the green
paper shades and the wan light of dying
day.
Everything was as prim, as dull and
as musty as ever. Sally was not there.
There was but one room upstairs.
and either side of it dark attic; he lit
his lantern and searched there, but
found nothing.
Then he took bee-line for the near
est neighbor's house, but though the
family were iull of pity and astonish-
ment and suggestion, he did not find
his wife.
"Hev We s'arched the barn ?" oueried
old Grandsir Phelps from the chimney
corner.
Will had not thought of that; so
Royal Phelps went back with him and
peered into every corner of the bin,
NOV, harness-shed and cellar.
They found the eggs she had left in
the hay, but they did not find Sally.
Then the two men went over the house
again, peered shudderingly down into
the well, and weighing the bucket with
heavy stones and lenghtening the rope,
let it down till they heard the wood
strike hard against the rocky bottom
from whence bubbled up that living
spring. Nobody was there.
"You haint tramped around the lots
any, hev YEP" inquired Royal Phelps.
"Nowhere only tow'rds your house."
answered Will.
"Well, then, when mornin' comes
we kin track her; for it showed about
an hour arter breakfast, and there haint
ben no passin' onto the road sence, for
I've ben a-choppin' long side ont the
hull time to-day and L took O bite
along SOS not to stop; I was boun' to
finish up to-day"
But would that morning ever Gomez
tt seemed not to Will; he walked the
house while Royal snored in the rocker,
and recalled with despair and distress
how he and Sally had parted in the
morning in anger (; parted now, it
seemed, for the last time.
He had not much Imagination, but
he had enough to conjure dreadful
things about his wife's fate. All alone
there in the farmhouse what might
not have happened? Or, moro proba-
bly,, had she not fled from him forever.
afraid of his temper and his tongue?
He blessed the shower of snow that
had fallen in his absence and must tell
the story of her flight ; and he made a
few but very earnest resolutions as to
his future conduct toward her-if, in |
deed, any future found them once more
together.
But morning came and on no field |
Or road, not even on the railway track |
n either direction, was there foot |
tnnGn Df
md the two men.
hat yielding service; nobody had been
here.
Then Will broke down without food
IL sleep, oppressed by the awful mys-
cry of his loss, as well as by the loss
tself, he grew half-crazy, sobbed, raved
md tramp ed the house till Royal Phelp
It last went over to fetch his wife. with
he sage remark.
"He's past my handlin'; I guess
women folks'd know better how to fetch
him to now."
So Mrs. Phelps came over, made some
lot coffee and persuaded him to drink
t, set things to rights little, and pre-
pared to get dinner; but Will still Law
nd hopeless as man could be.
Suddenly horses hoofs beat on the
rusted snow up to the back door.
Will Jumped up and rushed out, and
man handed him telegram; he did
lot hear, while he was opening it, the
'earer's explanation
:" 1t come to Taunton deepott for We,
nd the operator said was real import
MT, en- you'd Civ me doller to fetch
Will did not answer; his brain reeled
8 he read:
civilian Gray, Taunton. Your wife
J at Seyms Station very ILL.,"
"Can / go back to Taunton with
ou ?" he said to the man, handing the
elegram to Mrs. Phelps, with light
1 his eyes that told the relief he was
oarcely conscious of as yet
Reckon you kin, for another dol.
IT." and with a nod to the astonished
Irs. Phelps Will was off, and in an
our was seated in the train for Seyms
tation.
The story is strange but true; when
ally slammed the barn-door behind
er, she pulled her apron over her
cad, and ran across the road, safe in
he knowledge that the morning ex-
ress had passed. The light fall of
now dulled the sound of special
eight train slowly rounding the corner
lst at that moment, and Sally was
truck by the cow-catcher as she
topped on the track, and was thrown
lolently to one side.
Stunned by the blow, she lay on the