Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-06-19

have been suffering the tormenis Of the
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 1 have been trying to play
OF on you, and YOU have seen my fail
ure. John, you used to be my friend; ;
now what VIII you dor DenOunce me?
Have me arrested? Give me mp to the
lawF'
'sAIr Ross, this masquerading out Of
the grave, where yOu properly belong, IL
a mere matter OF curiosity to me. Pm
not aware that you've committed any
crime-unless it is punishable for dead
man to pretend to be alive"
"For Heavens sake, John, don't jest
with me nowi What VIII my-Mra.
Ross say If you betray me?'
/ looked at him curiOusly.
al should Judge that you hadn't
heard lately from g."
Il have never heard from there.
did not dare name the place or make an
inquiry"
dThen you Will be interested to know
that she died three years ago"
The man jumped to his feet and paced
/ the room like a crazy person, and actu-
ally shed tears Of Joy at the announce
ment
MAY she be happier in heaven than
she ever was with me on earth, ;" he said
when his excitement had somewhat
| Gained. ''Ihree years ago, do you say
/ 1t Is not two years since met here the
only woman that / ever loved. The love
and disappointment Of twenty years ago
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 yet how You came to life"
'rn do it. First, though, how did
things-my afairs-go on at s.
after after"
'fYou mean after your death? Very
properly, indeed. Your funeral was q
particularly fine one, very well attended
and your old pastor preached an excel
lent discourse. L think that on my re-
turn rll have to look up some of the
newspaper obituaries and send them to
Won. 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. YOul
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"
~ see" said Ross, with a broad smile
''She found consolation elsewhere"
'She married in barely a year aftel
your funeral"
''Weu-an right; but curiosity leads
me to ask who the happy man was p
''You couldn't guess"
taOf course not"
SIT was Squire Braden."
.'What That insignificant ittl,
whiffet Well, what won't woman do p
The tension and stress under which
Milton Ross had suffered were now gone
and he was able to Join in the laugh tina
his last remark provoked. Then he pro
ceeded to give me a brief account Of the
cause and manner OF his Disappearance,
from s. With the disguise that il
here given to the names of persons anC
places, the whole episode is committed
to print as illustrating a phase of on
social life, which, if unpleasant to con
template is none the less an existing fact
4L444AlL4 LllH1f % w e AA41M 4AALAA III
was a prosperous and popular man o
business, and fortunate in all the rela
tiOns of life. Years of wedlock haC
brought him no children, but it was new
er suspected that the pair did not enio,
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 wa
supposed to have joined together, Dor
the yoke Of matrimOny as an insuppOrta
bic burden. A strange combination @
circumstances presented to the HUSBAND
the opportunity Of releasing himsel
from his hateful bonds at the price OF tn
sacrifice Of property, name, and lifelong
associations. He promptly seized il
Being IN New York on a brief bushes
visit, he had occasion to be absent frOI
his hotel over night. The paper Of tn
next morning brought to him IN Brook
/, lyn an account of the destruction of thi
house. by fire. Several guests had los
/ their lives; one of the bodies recOvere
had not been positively identified, an
, probably could not be, from its condi
ton; but it was thought to be that of
, Mr.. Ross, of s.. For twenty fOu
hours thereafter that individual seclude
himself and waited events. The press c
the next morning stated that the bod
had been sent to S., as unquestiOna
bly, that of its unfortunate citizen. Con
fident that he had left no clue in or abOu
the metropolis by which the truth eoul
I be known, Ross accepted the fate as
I signed him, and became practically dea
? and buried to his past life.
Neither my interest IN this drama {
real life, nor its own unities, would hav
I been satisfied without my intrOductio
to the present Mrs. Robbins, and 1 di
( not hesitate to accept ALilton's invitatio
, to dine with him. He took me to
I beautiful home, and introduced me to
, charming woman. i am pointing II
morals nor drawing any lessons; ye
I truth compels me to say that here wa
a positive welded happiness, if the thin
I ever existed. But 1 wonder what th
lady thought when L inadvertentl
, called her husband Mr.. Ross.
@Note-So much of this wonderful narra
tive is actual fact that it is best to suppress
. the real names.
3 Arkansas City TraUeIer: NJ. P. John
{ son reports stock to be doing we'll on hi
ranch He intends tn be1iD abirtr,in