Nevada County picayune., 1889-11-20

ner of woman was she to appoint : rendezvous like this? It was nasty slippery, unpleacant place. Thcr' was a drinking-saloon hard by, whic' seemed to be full of rough men. Sh, drew so near to her husband that sh, could have touched his coat as they passed this place, but he did-looE around. And now it began to rair in earnest, and the road they hao turned into seemed to be two fec deep with mud. and still MT. Elliot marched on. She wore upon her feet a pair of patentleather ties, anC with all this climbing and straining ot the shoes the ribbons had come un done. Suddenly the mud caught at them with that curious power oi suction which mud seems to have at times, and the shoes came off. Ir vain she felt around for them, they seemed to have vanished. Just then
 "Halloo." said voice near her "what's the matter with you, young woman!'
 'I-nothing!" gasped Mrs. Elliot.
 A large policeman stood before her.
 This ain't no place for young woman to be kiting around alone, ' said the policeman. Its danger ous If you're decent girl. What < happened? Lost yourself:"
 "No," said Mrs. Elliott, "Fm not alone; there's my husband. Frank Frank, Frank :"
 Mir. Elliot turned and walked back
 "Left you behind, did l, Lizzie? he said.
 "You're a mighty careful hus- band, said the policeman, Fl dc think" and strode away.
 Then MT. Elliot, who was Il large man, simply picked his little wife up in his arms and carried her back to the grounds that encircled the tav- ern. Here he set her down on | wooden platform. Then for q moment he vanished, and returned with a glass of wine which he made Mrs. Elliott drink.
 "Tve hired cab" he said well drive back to the ferry. It's too stormy night to go looking fol Clara; besides. she's thousands of miles away"
 "Clara." cried Mrs. Elliott. Dc not speak of Clara-how can you?'
 "She very nearly ruined me, my dear l threw away lots of money on her." said Mir. Elliot, "but she is looking up now. My dear, l know you've been rumnaging my pockets and reading my letters for two years but l only found out what you sus- pected when my mother told me that you had asked her if 1 had ever known lady named Clara before met you."
 "Oh, Frank, don't try to deceive me :" oobbcd Lizzlc. Il read the note the woman left to-night-I-"
 "Oh, l knew it." said Mir. Elliot, it was fixed for you to read. l wrote it to myself, and my mother left it at the door at dinner-time. l gave her a signal from the window that she might know when you were coming downstairs, and Ive kept an eye on you-Iye watched you ever since you left the door. My dear child, never knew a Clara in my life 1 never had a doubtful love af- fair even as boy. The note you saw was about an oil we'll in which had shares, She was lickle creat- ure, 1 admit, and made me anxious, but since you were bound to be jealous"
 Carriage, sir" said the driver.
 Mir. Elliot lifted his shoeless wife into the vehicle. And halfway home she vowed that she would never for give him, but the other half she wept upon his vest" 7"
 "I felt so helpless without my shoes" she declared, that my spirit was fairly broken. :"
 But at all events she was never jealous of Clara again, ,- Preside Companion.
 There is nothing so elastic as the