Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-05-05


Except really did forget
My baby brother.
-Youth's Companion
CURED BY A PHOTO.
Charlie Cornwall and his wife en-
joyed, during the first year or so of
their marriage the blisful belief that
each had been the others first love.
Still, although Charlie was fully per-
suaded that his Lucy had never seen
anything lovable in man before she
met him, and although Lucy was con-
vinced that her husband loved her with
true and unauthorized affection. Mrs
Cornwall could not entirely throw off
the distrust of the opposite sex which
is always to some extent innate in
woman, and being aware that there is
very popular code of ethics which
makes marriage equivalent to license,
she kept jealous eve upon her hus
band. Nothing, however,. happened
to interfere with the harmony and hap
piness of their life together until Char
lie, having answered very tempting
advertisement in the Field, anent a
shooting-box in lverness-shire which
was to be let on application to GER
tain TX. Y. H." and having concluded
the necessary arrangements, had trans
ported himself and wife thither.
Upon the first day after their arri-
val, while Charlie went round with the
keeper over the ground which it was
proposed to break on the morrow,
Mrs. Cornwall was pretty fully occu-
pied in arranging the little house to
their requirements. Experience of
country house visits and seaside ap-
partments had taught Lucy Cornwall.
among other things, that the drawers
of wash-hand stands are very often
the receptacles of the most extraordi-
| nary rubbish and odds and ends, but
during all this experience she had
never met with such shock as await
ed her during her explorations of this
little remote Highland shooting-box.
In one of the aforesaid drawers she
found photograph of her Charlie, one
of set which she remembered he had
taken when their billing and cooling
was in full swing. upon which was
written in his handwriting: From
your ever true and affectionate Char
lie.''
But for this writing she would have
regarded this discovery as being mere
ly an extraordinary coincidence, but
the inscription was damning fact
and when she put two and two togeth-
er, and recalled his ardent professions
of fidelity to and affection for her at
the time the photograph was taken, at
one fell swoop was shattered the pleas
ant belief into which she had lulled
herself as to her husbands immaculate
behavior before his marriage to her.
|
stance conceivable. The photograph
had certainly not been given to man,
or such an inscription would not have
graced it; but had without doubt been
given to some woman, who, finding
herself deceived, had thrown it away
in disgust.
|
So she waited the arrival of the un-
conscious Charlie with that stern Joy
which woman, as we'll as warriors,
sometimes feel, determined, no matter
at what cost, to find out to whom..he had
been sever true and affectiOnate' at a
time when he was continually swear
ing that she was his only idol on earth.
Her beat quick when a well-known
step and a careless whistle down stairs
proclaimed the approach of the victim,
and she made no answer to his 'Lucy!
Lucy! Where are you? Here's a
Highland welcome for a fellow who
has been tramping about since break
fast time, and who is tired. wet and
hungry! Hullo!'
This last ejaculation was the result
of his first glimpse of his wife's face.
He saw at once that something had
happened during his absence and
therefore composed his features to a
suitable gravity.
"Why what's the matter, Lucy?' he
continued. "You look as if
Mrs. Cornwall cut him short with
magisterial severity.
"Charles Cornwall she said, hold
ing up the photograph, "explain this
if you please!'
The unfortunate man gazed at his
own counterfeit presentment and the
color fled from his cheeks
explain what? Explain this photo?
he stammered. ''Why, my angel,
wonder you're not ashamed to keep
such a hideous work of art. 1t was
done whilst we were sweethearting
before I grew my beard. There's a
coat!> There's head of hair! Ha! ha!
I never did come out well-never.
''Charles Cornwall continued his
wife, still keeping her relentless gaze
fixed on the unhappy mans guilty
face, / found this photograph in a
drawer upstairs. Now, how did it get
there?"
MY dear, good soul, how on earth
am to knowP' replied Charlie. 81
gave it to some fellow, suppose, and
| he
mo, Charles said his wife, not to
some fellow. When one man gives his
carte to another, he does not as a rule
describe himself as ever true and aztec
tomato Women may be fools,
Charles, but your wife is no fool,
There's a mystery here which must
and will have cleared up. O Charles,
Charles! How often you have sworn
to me that l was your first and only
love!'
$50 you were," said Charlie; land
| you can't prove anything to the con-