Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-06-10
Johns Mistake.
ny J. H

lived together much after the
manner OF turtle doves John
was n mechanic OF some sort, and
he had invented something or
other applicable to ships that he
was quite certain would make
him a sudden millionaire This
was his hobby, and whether or
no. il was sound one does not
affect this story.
John was one day suddenly
called away from Liverpool,
where he dwoit. Before going,
he kissed his pretty wife, as all
men with pretty wives usually do,
and placed in her hands an ad-
dressed letter.
"Iiouise," he said, "here is q
letter for our friend, Mr.. Batter
son-he is in tho Admiralty, you
know. He will be at tho "Queen's
Hotel, Tomorrow evening. Send
it over to him, and be very GER
tain that he gets it, for the sue
cess of my invention depends
upon it,"
On the following evening Lou
ise sent the note as directed, but
it Immediately came back. with
the information that Mr.. Batter
son had gone to a masquerade
ball at tho Concert Hal, and
would leave Liverpool early in
the morning The wife was puz
zled Her husbands hobby was
quite naturally her own, and she
feared the result OF the bother
somc letter not being delivered
She was not the woman, how
ever, to "give it up 80" without
an effort. Ordering a cab, she
drove to the Concert Hall, pro-
cured q domino, and sought for
Mr.. Patterson among the mas
queraders. 1t was no easy mat
ter to identify him, and half the
night was spent before she had
delivered the letter. Then she
hurried home.
Broad daylight found her in
her room, holding in her hand
scrap of paper, upon which her
eyes had been vacantly fixed for
hours How changed she looked
"a pale, careworn, miserable
woman, whose wretched smiles
were a sad mockery to the gayety
of her ball costume, put on few
hours ago with so much hope and
pleasure, taken off to be trampled
under foot as the curse of her
life. What she had intended for
servive to her husband had been
miserable failure, bringing dis
grace upon herself, enshrouding
her existence in misery, and
driving her husband, perhaps, to
desperation; and wherefore was
all thisp The tiny slip of paper in
her hand was her only solution
to what had befallen her. 1t was
written in the dearly beloved
hand of her husband, but the
words must have been dictated
by blind jealousy. They were
simply
LOUISE, l Unexpectedly return
ed last night, just in time to see
you enter a carriage. l followed
you to disreputable masked
ball, where you remained for
hours associating with shameless
ones. have proved you false,
and you will never sec me again.
Your insulted husband,
JOHN MORTON"
After persuing the cruel lines
for at least the hundredth time,
Louise threw herself upon the
floor in agonized grief, which
continued for some minutes.
Then she reflected as to what
to do. True she had gone to the
ball in the absence and without
the knowledge of her husband,
but it was~to serve him; and on
her return she, of course, intend
cd to tell him all. Now, she
would bury her secret in her
heart, letting her husband mis-
Judge her to the end of her life,
she cared not He would, she
knew, reap the benefit of her visit
to the masked bail She would
know him happy and prosperous,
and if he hated her, she would
love him.
At first, her thoughts wandered
to her happy marriage four years
ago-the love that had prompted
ito the happiness that had fol-
lowed it-happiness she thought
wonld continue forever. The
thought that it had all suddenly
ended, caused her such q shock
that for some moments she feared
her reason would desert her; and
from that moment she never al
lowed her mind to dwell on her.
self. She forgot she had once
been n dearly loved wife, and she
also strove to forget she was de-
serted wife.
Two years went quietly by,
Louise never hearing of or from
her husband. He might be dead
for aught she knew. If living
he was still her husband, and
time might lead him back to her
not that she could ever again love
him as she had. but she would
forgive him for his child's sake,
Being of II lively disposition, two
years seclusion proved sufficient
for Louise. In that time she had
satisfied her love, regained hel
happiness, and longed for society