The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-01-16

NO
train to Eastbourne, as though nothing
had happened. feeling tolerably easy
in their minds. Sam Newell certainly
did, but then he was the more hardened
sinner, being a member of the Stock
Exchange. Mr.. Battledore's mlsgivings
we're chiefly attributable 10 e blister Oh
his nose caused by exposure to the sun,
and this troubled him a good deal, es-
pecially as they approached their des-
! tinatlOn.
what shall / say if my wife notices
it?" he Inquired, gazing apprehensive-
ly at himself in the polished case Of his
watch.
ooh she won't notice it," said Sam
in his off-hand way.
But supposing she does" insisted
Mr.. Battledore a little irritably. "Tell
her you've been smelling a fiat iron to
cure a cold" suggested Sam.
This was all the assistance Mr.. Battle
dore received from his companion, and
he worked himself up into quite anerv-
Gus state lest his blistered nose
should give rise to awkward
questions. Fortunately, however,
Sans opinion turned out to be
correct, for the truth was that the
Disagreement was really very trifing.
Mrs. Battledore MAIDEN comment upon
her husbands appearance, and was so
entirely unsuspiciOus of what had hap
pened that she hardly referred to his
supported s"ojourn in town. Sam Newell's
wife made no suspicious inquiries either
and the conspirators took an early OPP
portunity of secretly congratulating
one another upon their happy escape
from detection.
Somewhere toward the small hours
of the night, however, Mr.. Battledore
was aroused from his first doze by an
ominous question from his wife, who
inquired rather meaningly, as he i'm
agined, whether he had received Il let
ter from her.
"A letter. What letter." he asked,
taken aback.
THE letter | wrote to your office on
Tuesday, " said Mrs. Battledore.
1t would have been perfectly simple,
and also perfectly true, for Mr.. Battle
dore to have answered in the negative.
The next moment he bitterly repented
not having done so. But somehow or
other, when the question was asked, he
vas seized with ALI uu~reasOning panic.
arising from a guilty conscience, and
the idea flashed across his mind that if
he said he had not received the letter
his wife would instantly suspect he had
been absent from the Office. An in
ctontfc rnAaOfIpn ryO7,1I 1nr,o ooo,oz1
him of the foolishness of such a notion,
but he replied hastily and thoughtless-
~, inspired by secret uneasiness and
his evil genius.
ooh! the letter. Oh, yes. Certain
ly," he said, burying his face in the
pillow again.
"Well?" said his wife, interrogative-
"What?" mumbled Mr.. Battledore.
"You ordered it 1 suppose?
pretending to be doing off again.
Ordered it! Eli! What? Oh! of
course, of counsel" answered Mr..
Battledore. What on earth made you
write to the office?" he added, by the
way of changing the conversation.
II thought it would be more conven-
lent. You would only have to step
round to the shop" replied his wife.
What the deuce does this all mean ?"
thought Mr.. Battledore, with a groan.
II hope it will be ready in time. Jo-
seph! Jeseph" cried his wife, emphati-
cally, as he feigned to slumber. "Will
it be ready in timer
0nf nonpua ~ call Nj. DoILIolz-o
shortly, trembling with apprehension.
What color did you choose, Joseph?"
demanded his persistent spouse, little
suspecting his mental perturbation.
"Color?" murmured Mr.. Battledore
family.
Eyes, | left that entirely to YOU
II think it was a sort of blush
green" said Mr.. Battledore with des-
peration.
To his unutterable relief his wife APP
peared satisfied with this answer, or,
more probably, she became drowsy her
self at this juncture. At all events, she
asked no more, and Mr.. Battledore was
left to reflect upon the conversation.
BY this time he had realized that he had
made q fatal mistake in pretending to
have received the letter, and q greater
mistake still in feigning to have execut-
ed some mysterious commission. He
tossed about restlessly as he perceived
how foolishly he had walked into q
dangerous trap. Should his wife now
discover that he knew nothing of the
letter, and had answered her at random,
her suspicious of something wrong
would be Immediately aroused; and Mr..
Battledore was haunted by a dismal
foreboding that the smallest clue would
lead to the discovery of his recent es-
capade. He dared not anticipate the
scene that would ensue when his wick,
edness and deceit stood revealed, fol
the truth was that he was afraid of his
wife, and though pompous and self-im
portant In the world he was pretty So
yernlv hanpacked at home.