The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-06-26

JOHN PERKINS READ 1T AND WAS ANGRY.
for. who, after giving tho child ether,
set the arm, and made him as comfort
able as he could. Then the mother, who
had held the child during the opera
ton. tainted from the excitement
When John Perkins returned that
evening he found still more surpris-
ing state of affairs than upon the pre-
vious evening.
One child had broken arm, the
mother lying down beside him, partly to
keep him quiet and partly because she
herself felt too i'll to get up; the other
child in the arms Of a kind neighb Dor,
who was trying, in vain, to soothe and
comfort it-Nora, the maid. all excite.
ment, talking with two other girls out
at the gate, and no sign Of any supper.
''Oh. John, dear, what will you say to
me to think let such trouble come to
| US? Oh. how can l ever forgive myself?
Poor little Fred! What shall do?"
John tried in some way to quiet his
wife and find out what had happened;
| the neighbor explained. so far as she
knew; and little May helped by telling
her papa that Freddy failed down of
the ladder and boxed his arm. and the
doctor mended it with sticks"
That night, after the little ones were
asleep and the household restored to
some sort of order, Mrs. Perkins thought
she would tell her husband what she
was doing, and how guilty she felt for
neglecting her children in such a way.
But. in order to do it. she must tell the
whole circumstance, and she could not
bear the idea Of hearing him blame her,
for she was miserable enough now in
blaming herself. Little Fred passed a
| very restless night, had high fever
and croupy cough; he had taken cold
playing on the wet grass; SO the mother
was up the greater part of the night, adj
ministering Group medicines and send
ing for the doctor. How she blamed
herself we may leave to the mothers
who read this to imagine.
After many sleeplcss night and
weary day, Fred began to improve, and
by the time he was we'll his arm was al
most we'll, too, but the mother was
| nearly worn out with anxiety and want
OF sleep; SO when Fred was able to be
up and play little about the room, she
was really i'll with nervous prostration.
Her experiment at story-writing had
almost escaped her memory. obliterated
| by the trying time she had. One day
when her husband wished to refer TO Z
receipted bill, she sent him to her desk
to find it, and, alas. unlucky moment
/ he found the papers all in disorder. and
/ the unfortunate love-letter, almost thu
first, in sight
| OF course John Perkins read it, anl
:, was angry and jealous; he determined
not to tell her, but to wait and let il
come out some time If he had onl,
gone right then to his wife and asked
for an explanation, it would have beer
all made right. But he said nothin.
about it: yet how could he hell
acting just little different when thi
was on his mind?
Mrs. Perkins noticed that he SCENE,
more quiet than he used to be, ant
thought, perhaps, he had been worries
about her not being we'll; and when sh'
could be about the house again he woult
feel better; but instead of that. Johl
really became quite moody, and occa
sionally gave a quick answer or a sar
castle remark to the patient, loving wife
who was wondering what could be tn
| matter.
At last she could bear it no longer, s
she ventured to ask If no had an,
trouble with his business, or il he di,
not feel we'll, and begged him to tel
her what did trouble or annoy him.