Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-18

What bright baby it wasl Oh, wha. an in
terminable age it had been since he had seen
them How could he have staid away so long /!
| "Oh, yesr' he told himself. bewilderedly.
TT is because Rose does not love me any longer.
She loves somebody else and perhaps she has
| gone to live with him."
"Whatr' cried an awakened voice within
him; Rose live with somebody else! You in
suit her. Rose is good girl. She 10 married
to you and she will stick to you."
why" he asked of this voice, "do You think
| that she loves me now?''
| "Of course she does, answered the awakened
voice. She Is true and good. She promised
| to love, honor and obey. Rose isn't the girl to
go back on her promise. She isn't like some Of
those creatures who live on the edge Of Bashan
them by every honest man and woman. You
| wrong her cruelty
"But she did not laugh and talk with me for
many long day as she laughed and talked with
and talked with him for weeks nearly every
day."
"Oh, she is young and light hearted" ad-
mitted the awakened voice. perhaps you were
not quite tender enough toward her, and per-
haps she liked to see how jealous she could
make you. Perhaps you were really morose
| and ugly to her. Didn't she keep your little
house beautifully neat for your Wasn't she q
dutiful wife to you? Couldn't you have over
looked little folly on her part, and wouldn't
/
shown her that you trusted her fully7 What q
brute you were to 60 Of and leave her to shift
| fer herselfr'
This involuntary interview had the effect
upon Tomlin Dresser of q vivid, awful dream.
He had come to himself at last. 1t is said
that overweening love unhinges q man;
| Tonlin Dresser had perhaps loved his wife
too intensely. At any rate, he felt now az
though he were just regaining his common
sense, after having been without it for q long
| time In n If AGITATION he ruahad q
| once to throw up his place and two
train.
He skulked of from his car on the side op-
posits the station, leaped fence and was al
most out Of sight before the train passed on. A
little way from his home he overlook two men
in wagon-old neighbors Of his. Their talk
sounded loud in the calm moonlit night. Tom
lin hurried to come nearer, though he
kept close in the shade Of the bushes BY the
rosdside.
II never could understand Tomlin
Dresssrs going OF so," remarked one of
them, an elderly man. 'soms think he was
Il don't know" reioined the other. a Young
fellow, shaking his head. "Some think there
was foul play there"
'Oh, but he wrote his wife a letter.
DO you know that he wrote his wife . let
"Know? know I've heard it all around"
u IN,
She's that proud she won't tell anything, and
nobody knows anything for sure. I've heard
that she thinks he was little mite off his
head"
maybe. Anyhow she showed pluck, If ever
| "Well, she had to. 1t was pretty mean in
Tomlin Dresser to go off 80 if he did know what
he was about She didn't have any home to 90
| to, as some women have, SO she just made up
her mind to keep this one. They say she is out
L II a NaQfh nro nvxI
ing. and what not; takes care of the horse and
COW pretty much herself; nobody to help her
most of the time but that great hulking boy,
that cousin of hers from Vine Lake. and he's no
good simpleton If ever there was one. She
does all Of the headwork and q good share Of
| the hand work. Rose is clever, but it's hard on
| her. She looks a sight older than she did q
year ago. They say she's running down all the
time The doctor says, I've heard, that she 8
going into decline if something doesn't hap
pen pretty quick. They say she expects him
home again some time"
| ''Sho Just like woman. II Tomlin
Dresser'd been a-coming he'd have come long
| before this time. 1 don't believe he'll ever
| show his face in this part of the country nor
anywhere else. believe he dead"
The other man began to rake up remarkable
instances of which he had heard of men who
had returned after mysterious disappearance,
| and Tomlin gradually fell away behind them
About half q mile from his home he left the
~
In Ia few moments he was beside the little
house.
| 1t was about $50. The curtain of the kitchen
| window was up and Tomlin looked in.
The "hulking boy was mending farm tool
on one side of the table. and Rose, with her
lap full of sewing was sitting on the other side.
She had dropped her work and her head was
resting upon her arms on the table. With a
little stamp and shuttle upon the mat outside
the door, such as he always used to give he
lifted the latch and Walka6 uuafaadily In
| started up with little shrek and her work
| fell in a heap to the floor.
"Oh, Lin p she cried, and then she threw her
self into the strong arms which he opened to
receive her.
He raised her from her feet as though she had
been child-his heart smote him afresh when
he felt her weight to be 30 highland bore her
into the little bed room, laid her gently on the
bed. covering her face with kisses.
''Oh, Linz she began, fast and pleadingly;
II want to tell you that am ashamed l Just
| talked with Gale Truax, first, because I didn t
think, and then to tease you. / ought to have
known better. l wouldn't do such thing now.
m older, you see, and wiser than used to be-
haven't spoken to him since you went away.
l couldn't bear to see him any more. Oh, Lin,
| WASH it that that made you go off so? haven t
used all the money. tried to make it 60 as far
as could. was a fraid you would not come
back. Oh, Lin, it has nearly killed mey'
| Il guess l was sorter crazy-like," answered
Tomlin Dresser, swallowing hard. 81 thong ht
| you didn like me any more. and it made me
| feel-queer. Don't say anything more about
| it, Rose. Well act as if 1t hadn't ever hap
| pened."
Well" she agreed, still clinging to him
fondly, repentantiy.
Tomlin Dresser went to the closet, hung up
his coat there, and took down an old one which
he used to wear. 1t was hanging in its old
place. He put it on. He seemed to hang away
| the ice and the lumber Of Maine with his coat.
Il see, he said, speaking to Rose, who was
STOPPING over the boy, pink and beautiful as
hill patch amt ploughed yet. I'll 60 right to
work on it in the morning"
Emperor Williams Rambles in Disruise
From the Philadelphia Times.
People who imagine that his imperial majesty
passes all his time in christening newborn sons,
| meditating on the wickedness Of Prince Bis