The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-01-21

Senteu uer handsome, anxious lace Az
the window.
When he handed out the post to her
and she found not the letter she longed
for, an angry face it was that peered
in at him, and n s~tern-albeit well
bred-voicc that demanded of him to
hunt through every box. lest perchance
he had made some error in distribut.
ing.
The deserted, neglected wife must
blame somebody, aad she would not
blame her husband. She did not at
first even dream of blaming Joseph.
By the middle OF the week her whole
mood changed. She felt hurt, deeply
hurt. There seemed to be no reason,
no excuse for such neglect. To thi nix
that this. their first separation in 60
many years, should be unLridged by .
word!
She could not have the consolation
OF writing to him, for he had left no
address, there being m uncertainty
about the very part of London in
which that troublesome Perley was
was living.
1t was the way of men, and he, it
seems, was not better than the
rest Of them. Once out of her sight
he forgot-forgot all the love and
daily devotion of forty-two years.
By Saturday morning Mrs. Allestree
was Hill enough to go to bed.
Jimmy had to fetch both posts, and,
after delivering in person the first
one, he vowed to Molly that he would
not approach Mrs. Allestree again
while Mr.. Allestree was away.
All day Sunday Mrs. Allestree lay
silent in u dark chamber. Molly could
not get a word from her, nor would
she eat. 1t was almost restful to be
SO weak. True, she was in despair.
She had given up all expectation of
seeing Joseph again, but compared
with the bewildering tossings of vain
conjecture, her present state was one
of quietude and peace.
But by Monday morning she was
suffering torments once moro. She
felt that if Jimmy returned without
either Joseph or a letter she would
surely die. and, indeed, she nearly
died as it was.
When the wheels sounded again
upon the gravel Mrs. A.llestree sat up
in bed. She was whittier than her hair.
No voices were heard below. She
clutched her heart and gasped. But
presently a door opened and q step
came up the stairs. 1t was tho step
of Joseph. AS he entered the room
she fell back among the pillows.
"My dear Henrietta, what's all
this?' He looked around almost &C.
cusingly upon the two frightened
women, as if he had caught them IN
the act Of assassinating their mistress.
Didn't Jimmy tell you?" she muir.
INJURED.
you know Jimmy never tells any
thing. Ho did say You weren't well.
But have you been very i'll, DEAR"
The women had withdrawn, and ho
seated himself upon the bed.
"Joseph, You might have sent MT
one little Incl"
"Wh-what? L don't quite compre-
bend. A Incl"
eyes, it wouldn't have hurt you to
write q line"
"Henrietta, I wrote to you every
day, and sometimes twice a day"
They stared at each other.
"But | never got a solitary letter."
she said presently. 81 sent to every
delivery-went myself until I became
ill. Mr.. Framwell said there was
nothing from you. 1t nearly killed
me, Joseph"
However," he muttered, "they
couldn't have All decentralization
rietta! l have it! Wait I'll be back
In twenty minutes" and the gentle.
man fairly ran out CT the room.
He laughed I'LL the way down stairs,
and she heard his hs, ha, has between
his shouts for Jimmy to bring back
the trap. In n few minutes they rat.
tied out OF the grounds, and within
the time mentioned they ratified back
again.
Mr.. Allestree tore breathless up the
stairs, bursting boy.fashion into his
wife's room. He carried n package OF
letters, which he spread out in u cir.
Gle on the bed. There we're fourteen
of them, and every n was addressed
to Miss Henrietta Shower.
For n short space nothing was said,
and then the two aged lovers began to
laugh, and they laughed until they
cried.
"~Joseph," she said. cts very funny,
very, but was almost the death of me.
How did you come to do it?"
"WhY, Henrietta, love, when I once
got out of your dear, familiar presence,
the old days came back completely.
You were little Retta Shower, and"
Joseph Allestree blushed; he did
not often quote poetry
And our two and forty years
Seemed q mist that rolled away.
Parsons Weekly.
:, Hardware Raillery.