Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-10-27
A GRAVE MISTAKE.

Al 1Okl ' Ia u1AO
When the body Of Henderson Hesslerigg
was found dangling from a cellar beam,
his neck encircled by a self adjusted moose,
his eyes turned ceilingward and his life
extinct, those whom he had numbered
among his acquaintance were amazed ex-
ceedingly. And when Mrs. Henderson
Hesslerigg, who had always paused to look
in a mirror when she remembered for how
many years she had been the faithful wife
Of the deceased, listened to their words of
consolation with undiminished cheerful
ness and gave no indication of approach
ing hysteria or a desire to faint away,
they stood aghast. In all the long time
Mr.. Hesslerigg had dwelt among them he
had never said or done anything to lead
them to believe that he would endure,
even for a few brief moments, the physical
discomfort which taking ones life entails.
By profession an inventor, he had slum-
bered on through the multiplying years
with a minimum of exertion, ~contentedly
eating the three meals Il day which were
the result Of Mrs. Hesslerigg's fruitful
toll, and philosophical enough to yearn for
none Of the things which were beyond his
reach.
As for Mrs. Hesslerigg, the very fact
that she earned and cooked three meals q
day for her amiably indolent husband was
an indication, so thought her neighbors,
Of a character the reverse Of firm. They
knew she had always been unresenting, if
not accomplishing, and were disappointed
and disposed to gossip when their proffer-
ed sympathy made no impression Oh her
as a widow. She appeared to them mar
velously changed, but it was apparent
that grief had nothing to do with the
transformation, for she seemed as uncon-
cerned as though the suicide of q husband
was a very trivial matter. Conjecture, Of
course, wa rife, but the suicide had al
most been forgotten when the true story
became known.
One day, while his mind was as yet I'M
tainted by a suicidal thought, Mr.. Hessle-
rigg might have been seen in a recumbent
attitude on q much worn sofa which Or
namented the sunniest room in the house,
smoking and thinking. 1t was while he
was thus engaged that Mrs. Hesslerigg
entered the room, sank YEARLY into a
chair, covered her face with her apron
and announced almost tearfully:
II just haven't the heart to work any
more"
"Ha!" exclaimed Mr.. Hesslerigg
%thoughtfully, taking the pipe from between
his teeth. "You have no heart for work"
He pondered more deeply than usually for
a moment and then said, "My dear, that
remark of yours has given me the germ of
. great idea"
"Oh, you and your ideas will drive me
crazy" declared Door Mrs. Hesslerigg,
bursting into tears. "If YOU had fewer
ideas and would do enough work to sup
port your children, I could keep them out
Of the streets and teach them something
and not be forever bending over the tubs
and other peoples washings." and Mrs.
Hesslerieg sobbed in a manner that was
really heartbreaking.
For 1t wal a fact pretty well known
among the neighbors that Mrs. Hessleriee
took in washing, the proceeds whereof she
devoted to the liquidation Of her weekly
grocery bill, and In view Of the circum-
stances Of Mr., Hesslerigg's not having
contributed anything material to the fam
lily board for a space of several years it