Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1895-11-15
4. r. AND MIS-. . IN ED.

it wns first announced. and then after her
husband had con, iucCd her both Of the
urgency of his orrnnd and the reluctance
with which he left her, she resigned her
self us best she could to the prospect Of
such Il separation But in spite of all her
furttude she found herself subbiug aud
snuhiing surreptitiously when 1t came TO
packing his vnlisc which probably ac-
counted for her putting his socks into his
collar box aud leaving out his collars en-
tirely.
Luckily Mr. Nuwed, who was himself
wandering around in detected style, re
taned sufficient presence of mind to slip
In a couple Of clean shirts otherwise the
yulisu would have contained little besides
slippers lunch and tceIs. This was an
other evidence of his state of mind, for
mono other than newly married man
would submit to Juggling a valise full of
lunch ON road where dining cars and
restaurant stations abuunded AS 1t was,
the tears evapnrated, but the lunch re-
muinud with him until the trip honeward,
when he providentially throw 1t out.
Then husband and wife proceeded to bid
each other guOdby. The process was too
extended to he lies, ribed in detail. 1t COM
menced in the early morning and cuntin-
ued until iho train carried Mr.. Nuwed out
OI Ills WHO : lNtIlNl NlNlOn vi tOuISt nb
promised to think Of her every minute and
write every day, while she assured him
that her life would be howling wilder
ness until his return. Her last words,
which had been frequently reiterated be-
fore, were, Telegraph me, John, dear, If
anything happens"
And SO they parted, Mrs Nuwed re
turned homo to solitude and tears, and for
once i'm her life she did not in the least en-
joy IA real good cry" Neither was Mr..
Nuwud feeling so chipper as was his wont.
He curled himself up In corner of tho
smoking cabaret, smoked vicipusly and
thought long, deliriuus thoughts, in which
all the horrible caamities which could
possibly or impossibly happen to the wife
Of his bosom marshaled themselves before
his excited Imagination.
But by and by a good dinner, followed
by II smoke and II friendly game of cards
with some cungenial fellows on the train,
coupled with the fact that he quit winner
enough to put him ON the good side of the
porter and secure "nightcnp," served to
divert his mind from these gloomful fore
bodings aud send him to bed to rest AS
well as one ever does in sleeping car
bunk. After that his business absorbed
him most of the time, and although he
wrote regularly every day he did not, truth
to tell, think of Mrs Nuwed every minute.
Twas ever thus-in the excitement Of
! business battle or the chase man may di-
! vert his mind from gloomy thoughts, but
| woman left alone at home can only think
of her lost lover. Her very household du-
ties are painfully reminiscent since it was
for him that she used to perform them
| Now that he is gone they seem hollow
mockorios. Left to hersolf-fOr she is lonth
! to cOntido her woes to her friends for fear
/ of their laughter-terrors multiply them
selves in her mind, and 1t is small wonder
! that she is reduced to the verge of hysteria
All these things are cited in explanation
and to some extenuatiun of the state Of
mind in which Mrs. Nuwed found herself
about the third day after her husbands
departure. OF course the chief fund for
alarm, which increased by constant BROOD
ing over 1t, was the possibility of rail
road wreck which might involve her be-
loved husband The fact that he carried
large life insurance did not occur to her
once as n consolation, which goes to prove
that she was young and truly loved him.
Night after night sho would lie awake,
recalling all the horrible disasters she had
ever heard Of and conjuring up in imng-
| inHtion fresh terrors to add to them. Then
she would fall into an uneasy sleep, only
TO dream of crashing timbers, kissing
steam, loaping flames, cries shrieks and
grOans from poor, mangled passengers,
among whom Mr.. Nuwed was the first to
meet her sight. BY day these grim visions
faded away, and after she had perused the
morning paper with fear and trembling
she could almost afford to laugh at them,
but at night, under the cover of darkness,
these ghosts of tho Imagination returned
with redoubled vigor.
just at this time it happened that the
mail missed connection or Mr.. Nuwed
neglected to post his daily letter in time
although he strenuously insists that he did
and Mrs. Nuwed went whole day
without hearing from him. The last pre-
ccding letter had announced that he was
going to make short side trip up in the
country, and she remembered that it must
bo over ramshacllle little road where
wrecks were not an uncommon occurrence.
To cap the climax, one Of her friends
called in the afternoon, apparently TO re-
late terrible dream she had had about
Mr.. Nuwod the night before. 1t Is aston
ishing how far friends will travel and
what trouble they will take to relate such
things. A bit of real cheerful news may
remain locked in their bosoms for ages,
but when anything uncomfortable occurs
it must be communicated at once to the
one it will disturb most. That is part of
a friends duty.
As night approached Mrs. Nuwed was al
most on the verge of Mysteries. Sho could
eat no supper and cried herself into a
state of exhaustion. Then came an omi-
nous ring at the doorbell. There was col
loquy with the maidservant in the hall
below.
Telegram for Mrs. Nuwed," she heard
some one say.
Rising hurriedly, she rushed out to re-
roive it.
The yellow envelope fairly burned her
fingers, which trembled SO that she could
scarcely tear 1t open.
The crumpled yellow slip seemed tan
gled up i'm hard knots when she tried to
unfold it.
At last--it seemed ages-the ink stained
page lay open before her. She read;
"EXpress'-
A blur came before her eyes, but by In
tuition she anew the rest, Express train
wrecked" Was he dangerously injuredY
She tried To read the rest, but the stair
ease swan away from under her hand,
iIe walls reoeded, the lights grew dim,
she tainted.
When she came to, she found herself ly-
ing on the couch in her own room. She
did not wait to say, "Whcre am II" She
did not care She wanted to know where
her husband was
Mary, give me the telegram" she
managed to gasp.
Then she read:
Express my overcoat and heavy trou-
sers. Cold wave here. "-Exohange,