Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-07-28

Where sha was at work getting rlnnsf
and surprise her with the flowers apt ,
kiss.
Softly | opened the kitchen door
There was no sign Of any preparation
for dinncr-everytlling was in ordor.
Perhaps Nora has cried herself sick. /
said to rea sure myself. went to the
bofroom--eyerything in order there, but
the roo1 was empty Norvously hur.
ried through every room, looked into
every closet, went down cellar, out to
the coal shed, up to the attic. didn't
expect to find her in any of these places.
J was sure she had gone away, but
must LOOK for her somewhere
II won't back to the bedroom again
and there found the note she had left
for me pinned to my pillow.
Poor little ar stained letter! Here
it is, Worn in the folds and yellow with
age-this is what she wrote:
| Don't think it is because | am angry nj
what you did this morning that go. ] cannot
| stay, because cannot make YOU happy. You
! VIII at least live in peace without me. love
you' my husband, and always will. Think Of
| me sometimes ard of how much loved you
But, no; if 1t makes you sad to think of me, for
get me. God bless you. love you. NORA.
'That was all. 1t gave no clew. Was
she living or dead?
IF living, | was determined to find
her. l searched for her everywhere, ad,
| yortised, traveled-all in vain Nearly
three years passed. and not a word had
heard from her. had almost come to
| n l,DE -l,
ing that time it was that my hair turned
white
II was working as a reporter on q
New York morning paper, gathering
Iews and searching for my wife.
Zone bitter cold night the last week
i'll January was sent to report fire
that had broken out in a large tenement
house i'll one of the poorest quarters of
the city. The greater part of the build
ing was in flames when l arrived The
iiremen saw that it would be useless to
try to save it and were directing their
efforts to getting out the frightened in
mates did what could to assist them
in rescuing the poor wretches
''At last when we thought they were
all out the smoke cleared away from
part Of the building, and by the light of
the flames that leaped up we saw the
figures of two women in window. One
Of them had a bundle in her arms and
was preparing to leap to the ground. |
motiOned her back. In a moment fire
man moved a ladder to the place ascend
ed and returned with one of the women,
a little hunchbacl1 The other, the one
with the bundle, clasped it convulsive-
ly, tottered and would have fallen to the
ground but for the fireman who had
just reached her. Quickly he descended,
bearing her unconscious form.
Guess she's about gone. Get a
place ready for her, quickl Let me lay
her DOWN. he shouted.
"Off came my overcoat, and the fire.
man laid her on it.
II stopped to see if she was badly
burned and also to see what was i'll the
bundle. A little child about 2 years old,
round eyed and frightened, looked at me
from the wet, steaming blanket that
was wrapped around it. A pretty little
thing, / thought as l disengaged it from
the blistered arms that clasped it. The
woman was badly burned about the
body. drew away the towel that she
had around her head and saw-my wife!
pale and worn, but still the same fea-
lures, the same clustering brown curls on
her forehead. My wife, given back to
me like this! Frantically called for
help, for doctor. There happened to be
one in the crowd.
"He looked at Nora's burns and shook
his head There was no hope. She
would probably never open her eyes
again, but she did The great dark eyes
looked up at me, and the lips murmured'
'Maudie-baby
81 held the baby over her. She smiled
family and said:
" acknowledgements
Tell him-I s-loved-I'-
"But her eyes closed, and her head
fell against my breast She was dead
"Did she recognize me in those few
moments? God only knows Icould not
tell.
"The crippled girl who was with her
in the window, and whom she insisted
on the fireman rescuing first, told me
how she had met Nora in the hospital
over two years before, when Maudie
was born, of Morals kindness to her and
of her weary struggle for bread, and she
it was who found and gave to me her
wedding ring and tiny locket with my
picture in it that was fastened around
her neck when she died She had never
parted with them, no matter how great
her poverty. was. New York Adver-
tiser.
A False Maxim.
Tho 1Ounuprs arOund tha only store in