Middletown transcript., 1891-08-27
turbed. If there is anything I can
1o-i, and ba ,,o,,o1 oru..s.4l

Now the office.boy scarcely kney
what to do. He did not exactly car,
to 60 up stairs on an errand like that
it would ruin his dignity, after tn,
remarks he had already made. Be
sides, the editor was in nasty TEN.
per, and might throw an ink bottle a
him, or something, if disturbed. Th,
speaking-tube there was his saliva
tion ! He jumped from the high stoo
and yelled the message up. There
was no reply, but it. answered every
purpose, and he turned to the lady
and said: " Very good i; he will see
you when he is not busy but you may
have to wait"
"This was the first time that Swipe.
sey had seen the lady face to face, and
he started little, and looked at her
again. Then he put his hands be-
| hind him and stared at the floor for a
moment. " / know who you are." he
said, presently. You are his wife y
The woman looked up quickly, and
raised one of her hands to her fore
head. She seemed bit dazed, and
asked, in way that convinced Swipe.
sey that she scarcely knew what she
said. How did you know?'
knew I guessed I put two
and two together, and I know more
about the old man than the rest of the
people; and do you know, if you will
let me say it, | think you haven't
treated him right"
The woman flushed, and looked at
the boy angrily.
E" Don't get mad about it, he ad.
yised her, in fatherly way. "I
mind my own business What you
two people want to do is to make up
and stop all this" He paused, with
a judicial air.
How did you know this ?" the
wornan asked. Does Mr. Griswold
make confidant of an office.boy ?"
Swipesey was all dignity then.
You are mistaken there. He never
said word to me about it, only /
have put two and two together. l re-
member about six months ago, when
he bought the paper, that one day
someone was in the Office and asked
him about you. He all at once be-
came very cool, and said, in an un,
easy way, that you we're in Californy
for your health. And one day was
cleaning up his desk, and | found a
picture there--your picture. | put it
back where found it and one night
when I had to come back to the Office
with some copy for the compositors to
begin on in the morning, | found him
in the dark at his desk, sitting there
and crying, with the picture in his
hand. He didn't know I saw him,
but did just the same. And that's
why I'm sorry for him {; I had never
seen man cry before. And when
he's cross and hard with US people
about the Office, l know he amt real
ly that way, but that the pain drives
him to it, and he is trying to forget
about everything"
The ofice-boy told all this in
grave manner, and his quietness evil
IDENTIFY impressed itself on the woman
in his favor, for she said nothing, and
allowed him to 60 on.
Sometimes / would see in the
other papers that Mrs. Griswold of
the Briggsville Bugle, is in Santa
Barbara for her health, and then you
would be in Tacoma and all sorts of
places; but he never spoke Of you in
his paper, and you never came here.
| have heard talk, too, of a quarrel
you two had, and--of course l have
have s1rmised that something was
wrong. l don't know what separated
you. or why you left him, or be you,
and it isn't any Of my business; but
now you have come back to him, ]
hope you will stay with him."
The woman looked at Swipesey's
intelligent freckled face, and saw the
brig ightness of his small gray eyes.
She was impressed with his red hair
and his snub nose. And she humored
him BY asking, Is that what you
would advise me to do ?"
Certainly" answered the boy,
without hesitation. "That's what |
would advise you to do"
But suppose he wants me to come
more than half way? Suppose. after
all, he doesn't want me to stay ?"
"That's all right I'll fix that. II
can manage it. He's been waiting for
you a long time, I guess, but he's too
proud to tell you to come back to
him. He's upstairs now, writing
letter, and here Swipesey looked at
her brightly" l think it is to you. |
Sometimes he has started letters,
which | have found in the waste
basket torn or partly burned, begin
ming, My dearest wife, but l don't
think he has ever sent them. How
ever, that it is none of my business.
But to-day what do you think he
did? He sent everybody home in
order to be alone that he might
write. 1t was nothing connected
with the paper. I know, for the copy
is all in. l think he is writing to you
upstairs, to come back, and he doesn't
know you are here already"
" If he will only say he is wrong,
and ask my forgiveness" the woman
muttered, looking out Of the window
at the pattering rain. Then she start.
ed up, seemingly unaware of the boys
presence But l mustn't ask too
much. ! was in the wrong as much
as he.'
" Now | tell you what to do" said
Swipesey, with eagerness. If you
put this into my hands, we'll fix it up
all right" His eyes shone, and he
took few steps forward, with his
small hands clasped together and his
face raised hopefully toward the
woman. " You let me go up stairs
and sort of prepare him. I'll not say
who wants to see him, but I'll Just
give him hint. And then you 90
nm and anrnriaa him md ;f xo, 1oolr |