Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-03-08
him where MS wife is? l don't under

him where MS wife is? don't under
stand"
Wall, it pears 'sif yer wuz speakin'
ther truth. But yer'd better be hilin'
when Hank comes tell kin tell him
whit yer said. Jes' read this" and
she thrust piece of note-paper into
my hands. Before l could read it We
heard Hank coming up the road, mutt.
tering curses on some one, and alter
nately blessing and cursing his wife
and calling down imprecations on his
own head for being blind to something
OF other. could not comprehend any
more than did what it was all about.
His mother snatched the paper from
me and thrust me into the other room
and shut the door just as he came in. -
"Wall I coulden fin ther white-liv'
cred cuss, an tole yer tibet all Yer
talk fur him WIZ in favor of sneakin'
wolf, mother" he said, as soon as he
came in and saw no one but his mother
there.
90, ef could jes' get bead on him,
I'd show him how ter steal inter a
mans house like tibet. Poor Iittle
jimmy. God knows l meant we'll by
her, mother; al wuz fool not ter
see tibet she WIZ pinin' fur somthin'
whut could never give hur. Eff she
had only told me tibet she wanted ter
go way, an tibet she coulden love mo
as she should, I'd hev sent hur any
whur. But ter leave like this, an with
n man whit"
1 could hear no more saw it all
now. His pretty, inGocent-looking wife
had .eloped, and he though. was the
scoundrel. I burst into the room, and
exclaimed, before he could say word
in his establishment:
"Mr. Adams, I have just learned
what all this trouble is about. 1 am
innocent of this, in thought, word, or
deed. AS God is my judge, and as I
hope to receive mercy above, 1 have
not seen nor heard of your wife since
she left here for church this morning.
You may be mistaken. Why do you
think she has left you? Let me see
that paper your mother had Just now"
For answer he gave his mother a
terrible look, and she covered before
his gaze as if in terror. He then
reached for his gun, and said, in
voice so low and calm as to be more
terrible than cyclone of wrath:
Back! Don't yer dare ter touch
anything whut she has writ with Yer
vile serpent paws. I will give yer jes'
two minutes ter tell whut yer done with
her, an then I'm goin' ter make yer
swar ter keep her always. An eff
ever hear thes yer hev le5 her want fur
anything, or tibet yer hev got tired of
her, I shall kill yer on sight jes' as I
would a miserable, cowardly cyote tibet
yer are. Whur is she?"
"My dear sir, you must be mad. I
swear to you hev not"
With quick motion he brought his
gun to his shoulder, when his mother
caught it and held on to it with a
death-grip.
Don't, Hank; not tibet way. Give
ther stranger time ter pray. Give him
chance. Let him read ther letter.
Don't yer see his bosses an buggy air
in the lot. Don't yer put blood on yer
soul whut yer can't ever wash off.
Hank, my son, wait ies' little. His
comm back shows hs might be inner.
cent"
His bosses an buggy amt no sign,
nor his bein' back hear, nuther, cause
he'd be sharp enough ter try an bin
us that way. But Ill let yer hev yer
way, mother, seein' as We air all hev
leP ter me row."
He handed me the parer, and 1 read,
in clear, feminine hand, these terri
bly, plain words, the outraged husband
watching me closely as 1 read:
Dear Hank-I thought loved you
once, but find I do not. I ought tc
have told you before, but could not
bear to do so, as you seemed so happy.
/ cannot longer bear the loneliness
and the drudgery, and the desolation
of life here. If staid longer L hould
hate you for bringing me here. o, how
can I sign my name to this terrible let
ter? I so away with one you do not
know, but do not try to find me. 1t
will be useless. will not sign my
name, because want you to forget it.
Forgive me, rs hope God will"
That was all. But trembled as
read it, and staggered, and would have
fallen, had not his strong arms caught
me-
"Mr. Adams" / managed to say.
"this is, indeed, terrible. How you
ever came to imagine was. concerned