The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-12

bering intellect, but picture so vivid, SO
satisfying, that at once on waking up
wrote description of her in my memo
randum book. Bless her! she must be
so.new here in the world, or she could not
have come to me with vividness that
waking cannot destroy. She is some
where in the world waiting for me. lag
gard that L am, and l ain going in search
OF her. | am going to find her. No
round-table knight ever pursued his
search for the Holy Grail more tenderly,
more Loyalty than l shall search for my
dream wife. In cold black and white,
this may read like the rawlings Of iu-
matte. / never was more delightfully."-
composed in my life. You see is is an
out 81 the perplexed realm of choosing.
have no choice 10 make. My wife is
waiting for me somewhere. | must be
up anu searching.
Have you friends curiosity to know
what she looks like? For the present
you will have to put up with this poor
pen picture. Some day you shall have q
better.
''She is little thing, not more than
five feet three inches in hight. Round
WASTED, supple, graceful. Her complex
ion has that shell-like purity that goes
with certain shade of red hair. Her
hair is Enthusiastically red, very dark and
very glossy. Her eyebrows and lashes
match It. The heaviness of her brows
would mar a less pure face; as it is, they
lend shadowy depth to her dear eyes.
deep, truthful eyes as fearless as little
chlld's. Her nose Is tip-tilted, which
always gives an air of decision to q
woman's face. She can look as serious
as judge on the bench, and smile as
cheeriully as pleased baby. Her voice
Is like music at a distance.
Il have written TO you very fully, for
am making preparations for an immedl-
ate departure from town. The environ
ment of my dream wife was rural.
have been promising TO visit a friend in
the Mohawk Valley for some years. l
must select an objective point, and so l
select him. If my search occupies years,
or if l never come back, there will be just
that much less left for Ralston to squan-
der. Perhaps you think 1 might have
come to you with all this, instead of bor-
ing you to read such an Internally long
letter, but this is the easier way. l es-
cape the laughing devil in your eye.
Good-by till we meet again. When?
Who knows? 1t all depends on my
Wife"
Mr.. Reuben Hyde and his wife had no
secrets between themselves. At least so
he solemnly averred and so did she. He
promptly passed this letter over 10 her
Tor perusal and comment. Her perusal
was deliberate, her comment severe.
HAS there ever before been lunatic
in the Johnston family?"
None that L ever heard OFF,"
"And | had so set my heart on his
meeting Rubie Reynolds! She is a per-
feet little angel"
Angels keep, l believe" said Hyde,
folding up Johnston letter, land l give
/ an JVQQlyu fo of
ing"
Mrs. Reuben shook her head with irri-
tation.
"Oh, don't care if l never see him
again. 1t would have been nice for
kubie, for LIE does know how TO buy
flowers and things. but [ should ieel
dread. ully ii any girl friend of mine
should throw herself away on a man ca
pabIe Of careering wildly over the lace Of
the giobe il search OF a d-hared girl
born of tough beefsteak."
This view OF his friend called for a de-
Tense.
II hope, my dear, you will not hold
Johnston up Tor ridioule to any one but
me-"
81 shall not give him another thought"
Mrs. Reuben answered loftily, and
straightway fell TO wondering, where
on earth the goose would go first"
The goose" with some such sense OF
aimlessness as must have oppressed the
Wandering Jew, was at that moment
making his Mohawk Valley friend
believe that life without glimpse OF
him could not have been borne much
longer. And the Mohawk Valley friend.
smiling iatuously al the nice compli-
ment, was inwardly torturing himself
to decide what he could do with his
guest
Now. you're not TO worry over ME
Marten. l am simply out Tor a prowl.
You're 10 let me come in and go out il
my own fashion. Otherwise we'll come
to grief"
They did not come to grief Johnston
endured the dull routine of the farm.
house just long enough to satisfy himself
that under no one OF the several SNUG
viue-sheltered farm roofs within a radius
OF tofl miles was size 10 be found, before
he babe his old school-fellow an aztec.
tionate farewell and resumed his pill
grimage.
ut is a tramp Pm taking. you know"
be wrote to Hyde. Il do not expect to
fiud her at a resort. She's not a summer
girl, my dear with the shadowy eyesl
Just stop wherever the fancy seiZes me.
That means when | am dead tired. | am
writing tins on my knees. l am sitting
on tue roots of tree. 1t is nearly dark.
! shall sleep under the only roof visi Die
TO the naked eye. / shall not be lonely.
i nave already bespoken board and lodg-
ing. Five small tow-headed and bare.
foot brats chung to the faded calico skirls
OF my landlady while | was bespeaking
it. She ID one of those stunned farmers
wives that one hears about, but never
quite realizes until chance throws you in
their way. | ain TO have bacon for my
supper, and l am to sleep in loft with
bow many members OF this interesting
family for company l shall tell you III
my next / do not think | shall find her
in this stOuy-gTound ueighborhOod. II
she had been born here she would long
ago have tiplifted that little nose of hers
and He'd.
How long do you suppose this senu-
mental journey viii last?" Mrs. Hyde
a.Ier reading This asked her husband,
with an OBJECT in view.
OF course lie i'm beetle would never find
his dream wife, and would eventually be
quite glad to fall back upon the actuality
she was holding III reserve FOR him.
Rubie Res aolds should not come on thai
visit until johnston was restored to his
friends sound in his mind. She would
like leu hen 10 express some sort Of opin-
ion on this point. Mr.. Hyde was dis
posed - be eXasperaGug. He twisted
his watch-chain reiiectively.
~ ell, there is really no saying. my
dear. When a man starts out in pursuit
OF an ignis Jatuus, without guide or com
pass il is difficult to predict when ano
where he will bllu, up"
1T is, indeed" Mrs. Reuben assented
dolOrously, and selected another topic.
III.
June bad trodden tlowery path along
the highway of the months. She left tC
July the less gracious task of parching
the earth and scattering the petals. More
and more the deep grove shadows be-
came grateful; less and less the dusty
country roads endurable. Visions OF
civilization, a. expressed in fashionable
nepilee in seaside resorts, turned allur-
LII