The Washington times., 1894-05-13

and gave himself up 10 a big, big think. Pres
emily ut No. Z, Just opposite to him. the door
opened and q servant girl came out. She had
in her hand several letters which she was evi-
IDENTIFY going to take to the pillar box at the
corner. She crossed the road, and as she did
so Tom noticed that she dropped one of the
letters. He called out, ''Hi. Missr' but the
girl took no notice and went on. He thought
it strange, so he went into the roadway and
picked up the letter. thinking he would go
after the girl and give it to her at the pillar
box. She was evidently deaf or she hadn't
heard him shout.
Just as he picked the letter up and put it in
the side pocket Of his overcoat a man came
along the square, looked at him, and ex-
claimed, .'Hullo. Enifer! Who the dickens
would have expected 10 see you here!'' 1t
was an old racing friend Tom hadn't seen for
a long time. They began to converse together
the friend had good thing, stable secret.
n moral for the big race the following week.
Tom forgot all about the letter in his pocket
took his friends arm, walked with him into
Oxford street. and. absorbed in the wonderful
''good thing" that was such moral, forgot
the letter completely. and never remembered
it till that night when he got home and was
turning out his pockets he found 1t.
And then for the first time he noticed that
1t had been securely fastened and had come
open in his pocket.
He looked at the envelope; it had two and
half pence stamp on it. and it was directed
to John Fairclough, ESQ.,, postoffice Port
Elizabeth South Africa.
An irresistible impulse prompted Tom
Enifer TO take the letter out and read it. 1t
was a mere curiosity and the sort of thing
that some men would have resisted and
others would have yielded to readily. Tom
Enifer yielded and this is what he rcad:-
My DEAR HUsBAND:-It is nearly year
since heard from you, which is very strange,
and caused me to be naturally anxious. NV
position is n very trying one. People are
continually asking me about You and where
you are, and all can say is that when last
heard from you, you were in Kimberley
don't like to say that was twelve months ago,
it would lool, so odd and people would think
things. Ii you get this letter / want you to
tell me plainly what you mean. Are you
coming back or are you not? You cannot
expect me to go on living like this forever
Up to the present / have respected you in
every way, but your silence, always presum.
ing you are alive and well, is very like ieser-
ton, and 1 don't know what to think. I have
written twice to your brother and once to
your married sister. and both tell me that
they have not heard from you since did a
year ago.
II will wait six months longer. and then il
do not hear from you shall consider that
owe you no further allegiance, and am prac-
tically, ifnot legally, IL free woman. do not
wish to say any more now, but you cannot
expect me to go on caring for and loving a
man who does not think it even worth while
to write to me. l feel it very keenly. Imake
every possible excuse but will not live as 1
| am now living much longer. 1 will risk
everything, and will conclude myself to be q
widow and will marry again. Think of the
position you have left me in, and if you re-
ceive this wire me at the first opportunity. 1
suppose there Is a telegraph station some
where within hundred miles or 30 OF where
you are. Your affection wife. ALICE"
swell, exclaimed Tom, as he put the letter
back in the envelope. .'that's queer epistle,
any way So Mrs Fairclough lives at No, q,
IS square, and her husbands in Kimberle,
and II he does not write within six months to
say he is alive, she'll marry again. There's
evidently a gentleman in the case already.
He's got a fair start. wonder II the husband
will come with wet sail at the finish and
ust beat him on the post. By jove, its an odd
affair altogether, and I'm in the secret and
nobody knows it. wonder whether the gen.
tleman she thinks of marrying knows It. I
wonder if he's sharp or a fat, and what the
grass widows playing at; suppose she's
young and pretty; there's y suggestion Of