The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-09-07
HIS WIFE'S ALARM.
It Was Caused by the Lies Of q
Rascally Janitor.


81 tell you, boys" said, "if I was
not married man, should go to the
races on Monday and put all I'm worth
on Razzle Dazzle
"Why don't you?" asked Tom Muir
ply.
"whyp" said I. "Oh, I'm a married
man, and my wife has horror of the
races. I've promised her to keep away
from them, A promise is a promise"
"And good enough you've made it.,
SIR" said our old porter. Honest Jim
we called him. MANY a man has gone
down to ruin and degradation on ac-
count of them races. The lady is wise.
She is wise. I'm telling you what l
name. Obey the lady, and you'll never
see yourself in difficulties"
Honest Jim was fond of giving ad-
vice, and he broke up our chat with
these words. Murphy and Virgins
went away to get glass of beer before
they parted, and / took the train home.
! A brooding storm broke just as |
reached my cottage, and glad enough
was to escape it. We had supper to-
gether and went into the parlor as
usual. What a night it was, to be surel
A wild night, bitter night, a night
when there seemed to be strange voices
in the wind, and those within the house
were likely to fancy knocks upon their
doors and unbar and unbolt them and
cry: ''Who is THEREOF when it was only
the blast that had caused them to rat
tie. Yet it was on this night that my
wife, my little, delicate. beau tiful wife
Fleda arose from the freside and tell
ing me that she would return shortly,
left the room.
To leave the room was nothing, but
! when l heard her leave the house /
could scarcely believe my senses. She,
who was so timid-she who Why,
no, it could not be. went about the
house calling her. Igrew alarmed, and,
fearing to find her lying in a swoon
somewhere, carried the lamp low and
looked in the garret, the cellar, the lit
tie kitchen where cooking was done in
summer-everywhere, in fact.
She was gone, and so was the cloak,
that usually hung in a certain place,
and hood she wore about the grounds
on cold days. What could have taken
her out? Had she heard our pony
fidgeting in'hls stall or the peep of some
stray chicken? Was she anxious about
the day-old calf? We had all these
! rural belongings in the small boundary
of our little summcr-home.
If so, why did she not mention it to
me? 1t was, no doubt, that cold of
mine, which had made too much fuss
about. She went herself rather than
to expose me. l tossed on my water
proof coat, pulled an old hat over my
ears and went out upon the porch.
The lantern was gone.
/ "Flcda!" | cried, lifting my voice,
"Fleda, I say! Where are you, Fleda?"
heard no sound, but shortly, far
along the road. sped yellow blur
waving near the ground, and knew,
when / had watched it for some time,
that it was lantern carried by some
one to light her steps along the irregu
lar foot-path. l say Cher" because
shortly l could see the drapery of a
woman's dress 1t was my wife, re,
turning home. I was certain of that
now, and called to her at once:
''Fleda, why on earth are you strag.
Cling about in the storm? Why didn't
you send me to do what you wanted
done? The wind is strong enough to
carry you over the hills I've been wild
about you"
81 did not know the wind was SC
strong"
And / asked no more questions. My
anxiety for Fleda swallowed up every
other thought. However, she was per-
fectly well next day, though curiously
depressed and distracted.
have not yet introduced myself.
am Henry Darlington. My business
was that of cashier with the Dayton
Brothers. My wife and i lived simply
in Tiny .out-of-town cottage in sum
mer; in timer fat in winter. l had
never been extrayagant, and my only
great folly had been to risk certain
sum of money, left me as legacy, a,
the races. backed the favorite and
lost every dollar Fleda was very
much distressed when told her the
news
Mot at the loss of the money
Henry" she said, ''but that you should
risk it at the races. My uncle once EN-.
ployed a young man who became dis.
honest and was finally arrested because
of going to the races and betting and
all that Pray, pray, be careful"
The week passed quietly. Pay night
came again. 1t often happens that the
same night is stormy for several sue
ceeding weeks. This night, however,
was not as bad as the one on which my
story opens. However, it was much
more comfortable indoors than out.
And yet, just as was in the middle of
paragraph 4 was reading to her from
the evening paper, looked up and saw
that Fleda had vanished. Again /
searched the house Again l found
that she had Left it. Again the yellow
light of the lantern told me of her re-
turn. She was not ont of breath this
time, but she was pale and trembled
a little. She shook her head when 1
asked her where she had been. and said.
| "NOwhere The bousa falt c1osa 7