Connecticut western news., 1893-08-17
A SLIGHT MISTAKE.

and whose husband loved her. They were recently married, but not so re- gently that Tom Axton had not time to 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 muddle. 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, "Re- ceived, $50." and Spent, $50," and who was exceedingly pleased to see that the $50 on the one side balanced the $50 on the other.
 Lillian had the most vague idea about checks. It seemed to her that if book was filled with unused checks their bank account therefore was unlimited.
 Now, there are two things for a man to do when he finds himself in such sit nation 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 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 we'll 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 comforts ply ard 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 a woman with a sealskin coat was always well dressed; that the apparent costliness of the garment was 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 thereY'
 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:
 Gillian, my dear, what is the price of the particular garment you have been looking at?"
 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 $200, which was worth, at the very lowest figure, $500.
 "In that case" said Tom, Git is rather pity not to buy it, and she admitted with some reluctance that it was shame to let such a chance go by.
 Tom did some figuring and found that a check for $200 would be honored athis bank and leave still a little credit re- maining.
 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 $200.
 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 flame in her hand. She dropped it, tried to snatch it again, but the charred remnants escaped up the chimney.
 Mrs. Lillian's 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 liked it.
 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, sirr' she said, ''have 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 let 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 $200, 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- tion. 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 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 girl
 ssDid-did Mrs. Axton leave the house alone?' he asked with some hesitation.
 '1 think SO" said the girl, "but don't know. I heard the front door close, and awhile after found that she was gone, and when she did not come back to lunch did not know what to do."
 ''Oh, it is all right" said Tom, with a confidence he himself was far from feel ing. 'sI think I know where she has gone. A friend of hers is ill. She has very likely been detained. will go and bring her home."
 And so, putting on his hat, he resolved to go down and see the man at the rail road station When he closed the front door behind him and went down the steps toward the gate, he saw in the | darkness the figure of woman who