Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-06-28

NIGHT.
1t is often neat little scheme put up by
deep wives, whose husbands stay out later
at night than Is deemed proper.to so thor
oughly scare them when they return that
they will ever after stay at home. Some
times it is successful. More often it is not.
Generally either the man or the woman
gains wisdom. The story of similar ex-
perience unwittingly enforced upon two
lovely people not far from Boston is al
most pathetic in the lacksof dignity it tenn
pnrarily enforced. The husband and wife,
both of whom are. middle-aged, were in
vited to one of the choicest parties OF the
season. The gentleman, who is promi-
nent edncationalist and literateur, was in
disposed, and so the invitation was de-
clined for him and accepted tor the lady.
At about 10 O'Clock the carriage was an
nounced and Mrs. E. said good night to
Mr.. +. in his library. bidding him not to
sit up for her, as it would probably be
very late when she returned Mr.. E.
said, all right. he would not. 1t was late
when Mrs E. drove up in her private
carriage to her own door. 1t was after 2
O'Clock, so she dismissed the impatient
Patrick telling him to drive at once to the
stable.
She gathered her long skirts about her
as she stood on the steps for moment en-
| loving the absolute stiffness of the desert
ed street, then unlocked the outer door.
passed into the vestibule. and attempted
to unlock the inner door. In vain she
tried. Not only was the latch down, but
the heavy lock was turned. She rang the
bell. and rang and rang again. MIR. E.,
she knew, was very sound sleeper, and
there was evidently nothing on the con-
sciences of any of the servants. Opening
the outer door again, she looked tor Pat
rick. He had gladly availed himself of
her permission and was we'll on his way
to the stables. Then she knew something
desperate must be done. She took off her
long dress skirt and laid it in the vestibule.
locked the outer door upon it. and ran for
dear lite the length OF the block and half
the width to the alley, which is between
each two streets in that city. Down here
she sped, breathless and frightened half
to death, she afterwards acknowledged.
until she came to her own back fence.
Over this she climbed with considerable
difficulty, the worst of it being not the
getting up but the getting down on the
other side.
When at last she reached the back door
and tested it, and the windows, it was to
find these locked as well. She took off
her velvet cloak. wrapped it around her
hand, drew off and smashed the glass in
the door, drew the lock, and at last stood
in her own kitchen.
Tired and nervous she then stopped a
moment to prepare some ice-water, and
then started on to 90 up stairs. Worse
and worse and more of it! The timid
servants had cautiously locked the door at
the foot of the stairs, and the poor woman
was once more prisoner at her own por-
tails. Having done 80 much for liberty
she was surely not to be daunted now.
II she had known how to "break and en-
ter" she would certainly have done it, but
not knowing how, she did the next best
thing and "created disturbance" She
rolled the kitchen table across the floor
two or three times, then took the broom.
and standing on the table, swept back and
forth, not the cobwebs from the sky, but
the chamber bells in the corner. This
she continued until her tired arms refused
their labor, and she stopped to rest. The
servants heard the din and thought it was
"spirits," and hid their frightened heads
beneath the clothes and prayed.
Mrs. E. began again, and by some mir
acle Mr.. E. heard it and awakened
Hastily dressing, he was on his way
down stairs when Mrs. f. stopped to
rest He thought of course it was
the front door, so he fastened to draw
the bolt he had thoughtlessly turned down
before. He opened the door and in the
sweep of red satin thought he saw the
PROSTATE form of his dear wife. He threw
himself upon it only to find her dress
alone. Visions of murder and every other
horrd thing flew through his brain on the
wings OF fire. Hank the bells. He
rushed below, opened the door into the
kitchen sottly-there he saw his wife
She did not see the door open, and
screamed when he spoke to her.
"In heavens name, Eleanor, what are
you doingp'
She turned around, saw the door of her
deliverance open, and then, in her little
white pet.icoat, at half past two in the
morning she sat down in the middle of