The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-17

She found her father seated at his desk
engaged In writing book whose object
was TO prove that the Eskim2s were part
of the lost tribes of Israel
"Why, Barbara, her father said, rising.
How are your"
well, physically, thank you, father,
she answered II have come TO give you
news that will astonish you My husband
is going to eloper'
The microbe chuckled
Great heaveni" the old gentleman ex-
claimed. sinking into his chair Can it
be possibleg Such a high toned man, a
graduate Of Harvard and churchwarden /
can't believe itr'
ut Is true, father, nevertheless have
proof of IL and have come to consult with
you about the best way to prevent it.
LET me call your mother She must
not be kept in ignorance of this
"Wcll, II you think so, father; but L
thought might spare her the pain for the
present. of knowing how / am situated
DIR. Bookanbcl rang the bell and re-
quested the servant to ask Mrs. Bookan-
bell to come to the library. Mrs Bookan-
bell duly appeared and affcctionately em-
braccd her daughter. She was n strong
minded woman and listened calmly to her
husbands recital of what their daughter
had said
MY dear child" she said, what are
the grounds of your suspicion"
Barbara told about seeing her husband
flirting with the handsome typewriter and
the trouble which followed; of his dis
charging the girl and his remarkable
demonstration of affection for his vito
afterward. She told of her going to the
office, hiding in the closet playfully to sur
prise her husband and of the conversation
over the telephone which aroused her sus-
picions.
when was this?" her mother asked
"Only about an hour or so ago" Bar
bara replied.
And what did he say2"
First, he said it was just tho thing;
asked whether the trunks were packed;
said the steamer sailed at noon
Here Mrs Bookanbell had fit of cough
ing and arose and took drink of water.
go on, dear" she said whsn the par
oxysm was over.
"Then he said it would be much better
to have a double berth and that it would
be a great surprise to me, but l would get
over it, He said he would be punctual
and that So, 900 wouldn't be enough and
he would make it $4,000 and go out at
once and get the money; then he went
out
SIS that allY" asked Mrs Bookanbell?
isn't that enough, mother, DEAR" Bar
bara said.
The microbe cooked its ear.
"My dear wife, said DIR. BookanbeIl
sit seems to me that 1t was quite liable to
arouse Barbara's suspicious after the type
writer incident.
"My dear, keep STILL" said the wife,
laying her hand on her husband arm.
II don't want him to keep still, said
Barbara, rousing herself and in indignant
tones.
"You silly goose" her mother said
"you have made an awful mistake, and it
is well you came to us before you said
anything to your husband. Your sister
Ruth has passed through q severe ordeal
at Vassar and is quite run down, so your
father and l arranged that l should take
her to Europe for trip. / kept it quiet
until the last moment, as l t want
you to know, for thought it m make
you restless and excite desire t go with
us, which l knew your husband wouldn t
like. The conversation you heard over
the telephone was all about our journey.
Inere, now, 10 you unuersttnu!
"Well, but, you know, mother, 1t was
enough to make me jealous, though see
now that it might be as you say.
The microbe had a spasm.
Just then the doorbell rang, and few
seconds later Mr.. Multiply entered the
study.
what you here?" he said, kissing his
wife. You see, Mrs. Bookanbell, we
can't get ahead of Barbara. Here's the
money, for / suppose the murder is out. ."
The microbe swooned
Barbara flung her arms around her hus-
bands neck and confessed how she had
heard him over the telephone arranging,
as she believed. for an elopement with the
typewriter, and had come to her father to
get his help and circumvent the plot. Her
husband laughed heartily, and then they
al went over the scene again and all
laughed heartily, and it was agreed that
it was great joke ON Barbara.
my dear children" said DIR. Bookan-
bell, with clerical gestures and in minis
terial tones, you see the evil that may
arise from hearing only one side of a case, "
The microbe gave gasp and died.-A
Beckwith in Brooklyn Citizen.