Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-06

mt
Seemed . Mysterious Matter.
From the Minneapolis Journal
There 10 one Minneapolis lady who = sur
rounded with mystery abe has never been
able TO unravel, and which, no doubt, has
caused her an Uncomfortable amount OF spccu-
Iation. She is one Of ths Oldest residents in
the city and her name is not unknown in social
circles, nevertheless this occurrence has only
leaked out among q very few Of her friends
But those who are in the secret are enjoying .
laugh at her expense.
Quite recently her husband, who IL . we'll
known politician, was called TO Chicago and the
east by business. His departure was rather
hasty, and he did not have time 70 60 up 70 his
house and prepare for the journey, but started
on without going home. He sent G district
telegraph messenger to his home with a message
FOR his wife, stating his reason for leaving SO
hurriedy. and that he did not expect to return
Tor at least two weeks. This was not an IN
common occurrence. and his wife thought moth
Ing OF 1t, but she was somewhat surprised TO
receive from her husband at about II O'Clock
on the evening on which he left Minneapolis q
telegram. and 1t was with some fear che opened
the message when it was handed her. Thoughts
OF all sorts of accidents that could have hap
pened to her husband flashed across her mind
as she broke open the envelope. She was some
what relieved when she read the heading.
Dear Wife, but as she read down the page her
terror became horror, for she saw:
VI have arrived at Chicago and am ct the
Palmer House. having q - Of good time"
The thought never dawned upon her that six
hours was rnpid time between Minneapolis and
Chicago but it did strike her that for her hus-
band to have such time as he expressed him
self as having was unprecedented. aud she read
the telegram with alarm.
The next morning, just AZ she was telling her
son OF the occurrence Of the night before, an
other messenger arrived with a second te!e-
gram. With considerable fear she opened It.
and was again relieved to and that it began
Dear Wife" Casting her eye over the page
she read:
~ am in Cincinnati this morning and expect
to remain here today. Address all mail to me
transient"
She was relieved that her husband was not
In the same condition on the evening before
but was certain he must be crazy to be travel
ing around the country in that way. Her son,
young man of twenty-one, did not say that he
thought twelve hours between Minneapolis and
Cincinnati was good time even for railroads,
but attributed his fathers change in location
to business reasons. At noon another telegram
came, and the head of the family was in WASH
ingtoA. At 6 o'clock he was back in Chicago
Forebodings began to fill the mind of the
good woman. and she recounted various in
stances where husbands had suddenly left home
on account Of temporary insanity, and had
wandered from city to city until some friend
had taken them in hand, restoring them to
friends or relatives
Her husband was to her a parallel case. and
she began to be much disturbed about him.
That night she sat up until her son returned,
and then expressed her fears to him He con-
soled her, telling her that his father had bust
ness to transact and must necessarily make
rapid time. Only half relieved, she assented TO
the explanation. In fact, she never Questioned
H. 20 nm ,har -,
band had ever made in which he had Jumped
from place to place in such a strange manner
The next day not a telegram was received and
she began TO feel calmer. On the fourth dav of
her husbands absence. however, she received a
telegram dated San Francisco. The next day
another came from New York. Things were
beginning TO take n serious turn again and she
talked about the m tier to such an extent that
her son had to use oil of his persuasive powers
to keep her from bringing il to the attention of
the police and the newspapers. Tho kilograms
suddenly stopped coming and il WIS not until
the day on which her husband was expected
home that another arrived. He was expected
to reach the city at O'Clock and about 5 OF clock
his spouse received q telegram. dated at San
Francisco again, stating that he would leave for
the Honolulu Islands at once. In half an hour
another was received informing her that he
would at once leave the pier at San Francisco
and that he was bound on n five months vow
age. His wife was frantic and expressed her
grief in various ways. She sure her hus-
band had gone crazy and no amount of conso-
lation could make her believe otherwise. Her
son exhausted every endeavor to console her
All at once familiar step WAS heard on the
walk below. and in her husband came with his
customary Good evening" as If nothing had
ever happened Surprise and CONSERVATION
were the only emotions depicted on her face
and it was some minutes before she could real
ize what had happened. Suddenly it had
1,x- al n
carefully looking him over she tremblingly in
quired:
John, are You all rght?''
He looked at her in astonishment and then
answered:
"An right! Why, of course I'm all right.
never felt better in my life
"You are not crazy, them" incurred his
wife.
"Crazy! Why. no." and he looked as aston
ished az did his better half a few minutes be-
fore. Cray. No; nor any possibility of il. as
far as ! know. What made You think of such
thing?"
II didn't know but that your business cares
had unsettled your mind" was the fearful an
swer. and there the conversation dropped
How did it happen is easily answered. This
mystery was like good many mysteries-it was
no mystery at ALL The son and a friend. who
was telegraph operator in the Western Union
Office. had been sending bogus kilograms IN to
the house. Bv a judicious expenditure of
money among the messenger boys they had Sc
cured the delivery of the missiyes. The son
knew his mother was credllous in certain di-
rections and had cieTerly imposed upon her.
Soon after his fathers home coming he was
told OF the affair. but the mother does not know
of it to this dav. nor will she unless she reads
this The affair was intended as a harmless
joke, and succeeded better than either of the
jokers anticipated.