The herald., 1893-07-14
A SLIGHT MISTAKE.

Lillian Axton was silly little affec-
tionate woman who loved her husband
and whose husband loved her. They
were recently married, but not so re.
Gently that Tom Axton had not time 10
find out that his wife had absolutely NO
head at all for finance. She could not
keep accounts. They bewildered her
and always ended in a hopeless middle.
She was like the woman who, being
urged to keep some account Of her ex-
penditure, triumphantly showed her
husband her book with the two entries
on the debtor and creditor side, ERE
ceived, $780," and "Spent. $780," and who
was exceedingly pleased to see that the
$50 on the one side balanced the $50 oz
the other.
Lillian had the most vague idea aborfs
checks. 1t seemed to her that if book
was filed with unused checks their bank
account therefore was unlimited.
Now, there are two things for man
to do when he finds himself in such sit
uation as Tom Axton found himself.
One Of the things is wise, and one of the
things is foolish. If he is foolish man,
he will endeavor to teach his wife how
to keep accounts. If he is a wise man,
he will simply make up his mind to earn
more money and let the accounts go. So
Tom Axton, being wise, bothered his
wife very little about accounts, but set
tied the bills when they came in as well
as he was able and bent his energies to-
ward the accommodating of good and re-
liable balance at the bank.
And SO things went on very comforta-
bly, and pleasantly until winter set in.
One night when Tom came home Mrs.
Lillian, who was most transparent
kind of woman, began conversation on
the subject of sealskin Jackets. She said
that they were the most economical gar
ments; that o woman with sealskin
coat was always well dressed; that the
apparent costliness of the garment was
q delusion; that a woman who had be-
slowed upon her sealskin sack at the
beginning Of hard winter had little
else to ask for until the spring.
Tom listened gravely and finally said:
"There is nothing personal in all this
talk, is there?"
Lillian averred that there was not and
Indignantly repudiated the insinuation
that she was thinking about herself at
all. She was merely interested in the
subject in general way. And Tom said
quietly:
LILLIAN, my dear, what is the price Of
the particular garment you have been
looking att"
At this point in the conversation she
came over and sat upon his knee, and at
last Tom received the information that
a perfectly lovely sealskin coat could be
had for 5000, which was worth, at the
very lowest figure, $500.
I'm that case," said Tom, sit is rather
a pity not to buy it," and she admitted
with some reluctance that it was a
shame to let such chance go by.
Tom did some figuring and found that
a check for 5000 would be honored at his
bank and leave still little credit re-
manning.
His overcoat was on next morning and
he was just about to depart for his Office
when he opened the drawer Of the table
in his room, took out his checkbook and
wrote check to the order of his wife
for 5000.
Mrs. Lillian was overjoyed, but Tom
was away before she could thank him.
She looked at the check with the ink
still wet upon it, waved it for moment
in the air to dry it and then held it
lightly with it's face toward the open
fire that was blazing on the hearth.
How it happened she never knew, but
the check gave little curl at the corner
and burst into fame in her hand. She
dropped it, tried to snatch it again, but
the charred remnants escaped up the
chimney.
Mrs. Lillians face became as white as
the ashes on the hearth, and she sank
into the armchair beside the fire, cover
ing her face with her hands.
Tom Axton was somewhat stolid,
quiet, industrious, unsuspicious man.
He frequently thought his wife trife
frivolous; but, on the whole, he rather
likedit
When he came home that night, the
door was opened to him by the servant
girl instead of by his wife, which was
unusual. There was panic in her face.
"Oh, sir!" she said, shave you seen
the missis%
"The missis?" said Tom. "No. Isn't
she here"
"No, sir" said the girl, looking as if
she were going to cry. "After you left
this morning, sir, she took on awful, and
then she went away. Thought perhaps
she had gone to you, SIR"
Tom stood in the hallway without re-
moving his coat, ,thunderstruck. Through
his unsuspicious mind flashed the cir
cumstances of the case. The check for
5000, the ''taking on" and the depar-
ture.
Tom threw himself down, with his
overcoat still on, in the armchair by the
fire and tried to think over the situa-
ton. The absolute uselessness of start
ing out in the night and trying to find
her was the first thing that impressed
itself upon him. He shrank from giving
notice to the police. The ticket seller at
the railroad station knew his wife and
would perhaps remember if she bought
a ticket for any place. The first thing
evidently to do was to find out If she left
the suburb and, if possible, where she
had gone to.
Once more he called up the servant