The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-24

envelope SUCKING out Oi my ppckeIi
. II Was Julia's hist letter that / hid
Received that Morning, and had not
sven Opened. She gave it q little
| ieFk and pulled it out: Julia writes
lthe Eastlakey tiltra, fepiihine hand. of
len Years ago: And the thick letter
lay proclainling itself from a lady,
|, Nelly looked at it and then she
:, Hooked at me, and there was the saf:.
] easin Of inexperience in her eye and
voice. "You have no sisters, | be-
leve she said icily.
"This-" / said in my qdietest tone
-"is from the wife OF a friend effaiiie.
i A lady 30 years old and the mother
Of two children. She writes To me
sometimes and gives me good advice
and tells The little anecdotes about
The children: / will read you some OF
Il IT. you like"
Bless her hearth she turned and
kissed me on the cheek and said pity
! ingly:
| aP6or boyI How you do let your
! GOOD nature make a martyr of you:
Don't you find them awful bores?"
eyes," said candidly: ,''When the
advice IL, extra good d." :.
niAhd d6 YOU answer them?"
+, "Well," l said, this is the tenth l
have had since / answeredone." Which
was the truth. / don't call q tele-
gram that is sent by beek-keepei'
an answer to letter.
Going home across the fields We
came to a ditch.
III don't seem to remember this
ditch here" Nelly said. Sand how are
we ever going to CROSSE"
''I'n jump it" | said, ''and lift you
| ever"
"Oh, but Dick, dearest, you can't, u
she said. II am too heavy"
"Heavyl' said |. "Yes, you are.
Why, my boy Johnny could jump
this With you in his arms"
"Your boy Johnny? Who are you
talking about? You do say some Of
the funniest thingsl"
"Oh," I saik, airly, 81 mean the lit
tie son of the lady whose letter | was
showing you. He is a great pet of
NINE"
We walked along silently for lit
tie while after tn ditch was jumped
and then Nelly said in dreamy sort
ofa way:
"Dick, sometimes you seem differ
ent. You don't laugh as much as
you used last Summer" Dear hearth
Last summer was eleven years odd
"And you seem more brus.
que some way. am afraid
you are working too hard, dear
Dick. And-some way you seem fond
of me In a different way. You don't"
and the clear red of sweet young
girls blush went all over her cheeks
and brow-'kiss me as often as you
used-and you act like you thought
| ! was going away presently"
She finished the sentence with her
head on my breast and I kissed her
often enough to make up for any lack
that had gone before, and cursed my
self in my heart for q black scoundrel,
and doubly cursed Marsh, who had
got me into this scrape.
AS / went home that night l made
up my mind to end it one way or an
other. She would have to be told
sooner or latter that was 35 years
old. That had been deceiving her,
that / had wife and two children.
The sweat stood out on my face as l
thought of it. Julia would be coming
home in few weeks, and felt that
l would rather drown myself than
face poor Nelly with my wife, in her
present state of mind. AS entered
my own door John met met me. !
was conscious that he looked with
much disfavor upon my youthful APP
pearance and dress and judged that
my habitual absences were for no
good.
He handed me card on his tray
and told me that the gentleman was
in the library.
The card read:
"John William Alternately,
Andover."
John William Alternately knew as
q professor of mental philosophy at
noted seat of learning. could not
imagine what he could want with me.
AS l entered my pretty little library
tall. gaunt, grizzled gentleman in a
long tailed coat rose to meet me. His
forehead was bald and shiny, and his
small eyes glimmered behind glasses.
He evidently was surprised to find
80 youthful a host. Some of my in
novations in the factory have been
talked about, and may have even
penetrated mental philosophy circles.
He began at once to tell me his
business. He wanted to ask after my
cousin Nelly ("Miss Helen" he called
herr; if she had sufficiently recovered
to see her friends. Mrs. Sailor had
written him several weeks before that
her daughters health was still in a
very precarious state, and she could
not be disturbed by letters or visits,
but Professor Alternately had heard
in some way that she had been out,
and before he attempted to seek her
he would like to know her true state.
And then he smiled a little and gave
me to understand that "Miss Helen
had given him the hope that she
would eventually give her life, in sick
ness or health, into his keeping.
In the most polite manner could
muster / told him that thought he
had better wait until Mrs. Sailor
signified her willingness to allow her
daughter. AS yet she had seen no
one but her physician and myself.
After promising to ask Mrs. Sal
tors permission for the elderly love
to see her daughter 1 bowed the pro-
lessor out, and; sitting down in my
hands and groaned aloud. And then
l walked the floor.
In the midst of my agony there
was q ring at the door bell. / CON-
posed my face as much as possible
and sat down.
My visitor was Mr.. Smith, the
bookkeeper at the factory; and he
had a telegram in his hand. 1t only
needed that to make my position
past endurance, it seemed to me, for
the telegram was from my wife, and