Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-06-19


Milton Ross. What then?"
Nothing in particular; only it strike
me that perhaps you have missed you
vocation. You seem to be doing pros
porous dry goods business here; bu
from the manner in which you have facet
me down for the last half hour SHOULD
say you would make capital actor"
His cool bravado vanished in an in
slant; the strain had been to great ant
his break down was complete. He drop
ped helplessly into, chair and looked
pitifully at me.
"For the last half an hour, John,
have been suffering the torments of thu
damned. You are the first person from
s. or anywhere east, who has come
across me since I disappeared have
been schooling myself for years to play
the part that have been trying to play
off on you, and you have seen my fail
ure. John, you used to be my friend
now what will you do? Denounce me!
Have me arrested? Give me up to the
law"
'Mr. Ross, this masquerading out Of
the grave, where you properly belong, is
mere matter of curiosity to me. I'm
not aware that you've committed any
crime unless it is punishable for a dead
man to pretend to be alive"
'For Heavens sake, John, don't jest
with me now! What will my-Mrs
Ross say if you betray me?'
looked at him curious!y.
81 should Judge that you hadn't
heard lately from S"
Il have never heard from there.
did not dare name the place or make an
inquiry"
'Then you will be interested to know
that she died three years ago."
The man jumped to his feet and paced
the room like crazy person, and actu
ally shed tears of joy at the announce
ment.
"May she be happier in heaven thar
she ever was with me on EARTH" he saiC
when his excitement had somewhat
Gained. "Three years ago, do you say
1t is not two years since met here the
only woman that I ever loved. The love
and disappointment of twenty years age
came back too powerfully to be resisted
Rash as it was, wrong as 1 believed it,
married her. And now you tell me had
a perfect right to do so.'
$50 it appears. But you haven't told
me vet how you came to life"
"Tl do it. First, though, how die
things-my affairs-go on at s.
after-after-"
"You mean after your death? Very
properly, indeed. Your funeral was g
particularly fine one, very well attended
and your old pastor preached an excel.
lent discourse. I think that on my re-
turn I'll have to look up some of the
newspaper obituaries and send them to
you. They would be interesting reading
AS for your business affairs, you prob
ably don't need to have me tell you that
they were found in excellent shape. Your
estate was valued at $4,000, if remem-
Der rightly, with but little debt. To tell
the truth, your wife didn't seem to take
your loss very much to heart, and"
81 see," said Ross, with broad smile
"She found consolation elsewhere"
"She married in barely year after
your funeral"
"Well-all right; but curiosity leads
me to ask who the happy man was?'
"You couldn't guess"
''Of course not"
ut was Squire Braden."
"What That insignificant little
whiffet Well, what won't woman do?'
The tension and stress under which
Milton Ross had suffered were now gone
and he was able to Join in the laugh that
his last remark provoked. Then he pro-
ceeded to give me brief account of the
cause and manner Of his disappearance
from s.. With the disguise that is
here given to the names Of persons and
places, the whole episode is committed
to print as illustrating phase of on.
social life, which, if unpleasant to con-
template is none the less an existing fact
Milton Ross, as we knew him in s.,
was prosperous and popular man OF
business, and fortunate in all the rela-
tons of life. Years of wedlock had
brought him no children, but it was new
er suspected that the pair did not enjoy
an average share of marital felicity.
The secret truth, decorously yelled from
the world in the skillful American fash
ion, was that these two, whom God was
supposed to have joined together, bore
the yoke of matrimony as an insupporta-
BILE burden. A strange combination of
presented to the husband
the opportunity of releasing himself
from his hateful bonds at the price of the
sacrifice of property, name, and lifelong
associations. He promptly seized it.
Being in New York on a brief business
visit, he had occasion to be absent from
his hotel over night. The paper of the
next morning brought to him in Brook
Ign an account of the destruction of this
house by fire. Several guests had lost
their lives; one of the bodies recovered
had not been positively identified, and
probably could not be, from its condi-
ton; but it was thought to be that of a
Mr.. Ross, of s.. For twenty-four
hours thereafter that individual secluded
himself and waited events. The press of
the next morning stated that the body
had been sent to s., as unquestiona-
bly, that of its unfortunate citizen. Con-
fident that he had left no clue in or about
the metropolis by which the truth could
be known. Ross accepted the fate as
signed him, and became practically dead
and buried to his past life.
Neither my interest in this drama of
real lie, nor its own unities, would have