Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-07-15

ever, an God knows eff I'd ever see
yer ag'iu or not. You don't mean
ihct. My wife don't want me TO go
on ihct-nc married man, with "a
with a-homc. Why, the young
fcllcrs wont 90 on thct. Why, yer
don't w ut INC TO go on tlei, Jane,
surely"
ats work." sIit said again, coldly.
He sat stupeiicd and silent for
long time. 1t was the first time he
had ever attempted TO adjust his own
ideas to those of his wife. Naturally,
the only way by which the adjust
ment could be accomplished was the
total substitution of his wife's ideas
for his own.
"l'll gol " he said suddenly. "They
start tomorry, an ef Tin to git the
job I've got ter go now"
lie rather expected her 10 cry. lie
hoped that at the last moment she
would protest. She did neither. lie
wanted to say something more. lie
did not know how TO say goodbye;
Ing had never done it before.
akin yer take care of ycrsclf?7 he
asked.
"l'vc done it rctty near ever since
we wuz married." she answered.
"l amt got much to leave YER" he
continued.
81 know it," she answered.
'IIerc's this ycrc pocket book" lie
went on, drawing from a capacious
pocket an article of that description,
that was quito large enough to hold
a. .any ono time all tho money he
9suld ever make in his life. at
'won't he no use to inc. Maybe it won't
be much TO you, but yer might as well
have it," lie threw it down on the
table. "Fact is," he continued, 81
don't want anylliin' but what got on.
Yer might as well keep tho revolver.
Maybe some man'll como trampin'
round yere," Che did not see her
wincc) "am yen need it TO defend
ycrself. 'Tany rate, ye kin sell it, eff
yer get hard up
He stood over her. He wanted to
kiss her but she did not move.
"Good-bye," he said again, as lie
closd the door quickly, SO that he could
believe that she had replied, after all.
Then he began the winding descent of
hill.
Size was molionless for a minute
after he had gone. Then she rose and
looked for mere moment triumph
ant She drew from the bosom
of her dress lintype and looked at
il smiingly. She kissed it, and then
she sat again at the table and looked
at it iniently in the light of the wood
fire, repeating monotonously a dozen
times the words: ''I won't have TO
work. won't have 10 work-I won't
have TO work"
Suddenly her eyes fell on tho great
pocket book lying on the table. She
laughed aloud. What could have pos
sesscd him 10 leave such thing as
that? Had there ever been any money
in it' She could not remember the
time. She opened it curiously and
looked through all the compartments.
Empiy-cmpty-empty-every one of
them, until the last. There was a
piece of soiled paper in that. She
drew it forth and saw that it was a
letter. 1t took her quite a minute to
realize that the letter was in her own
handwriting, and that it was the only
letter she had ever written 10 him. II
was written in reply to his proposal
of marriage. "Dear Pcte," it began,
and it ended; ~ will love you al
ways"
She felt as though some one had
struck her terrible blow, as she read
the words. She could hardly breathe.
Ii seemed as though her heart had
stopped beating. She picked up the
tIntype with her right hand and plac vi
il beside the letter. For moment
she looked at them with a steady
glance. Thcn the tears came. Brush
ing them aside with her arm, she
threw the tiutypea into the blazing
fire. Half blinded by those that fol-
lowed, she ran to the door and rushed
out. In the moonlight she could sec
the road he had just gone down to the
camp. He was out of sight and out
of hcaring-out of sight and out of
hearing, but she sank down on rock
and beat on it with her hands.
"Pele--Pctc-" she cried, "comc
backbone back!"
She did not know how it happened
but it seemed 10 her as though he
must have flown back 10 her straight
through the air from the prospecior's
camp down in the valley, for mo-
ment later she felt herself lifted in hi;
strong arms and carried into the
house. lie placed her in chair and