Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-10

to freshen and with great gasp OF relief
and exultation drew my companion into a
decent thoroughfare, and with anxious
glauces sought for some sign which would
lead me to what ! most needed.
| would give connected account OF the
next hours work were the thing possible,
but so confused are the real events in my
mind with certain vague imaginings that l
dare not vouch for what might be called the
plain facts. We walked, | should say, a
great number of miles, though they have
been reduced by some to barely as many
blocks and stopped at several houses, whore
people men mostly, in nghtcaps, ] think,
though l will not insist on the nightcaps,
came and peered at us through cracks IN
doors and swore at us first and then talked
more mildly, and at most of the houses |
kept telling my name until they stopped me
and had me sign 1t to papers, which l did
with pens as large as walking sticks.
know for a certainty that I kept paying
out money, but probably not in the guam
titles it seemed, for my bankers tell me l
had drawn no thousand dollar bank notes
nor bags of silver dollars, and then walked
again, and more men in nightcaps came and
looked at us and l told my story to some
and to some didn't, until suddenly ! came
to myself in dusty little parlor before a
man in dress coat and felt, boots, who
was saying to me as well as he could with
bad cold in his head 81 pronounce you
man and wife" was standing holding
fast to Miss BrandCns hand and the knowl-
edge that she was no longer Miss Brandon
was tingling through my senses. My wife
for she was my wife in the eyes of the men
who stood staring wonderingly at me-gave
a frightened little cry, tottered for an in
stant and then fell faiting into my arms, so
white, so wan, so childlike that l thought
we had killed her somehow with our clumsy
doings Snatching her up l dashed out into
the hall with her, where my sudden entrance
scared up a covey of half-dressed women,
who made a rush for the stairs, but, finding
they couldn't make it, turned and defiantly
faced me.
"Show me room"I shouted, and they
fed before me like rats until, following their
scant skirts, found myself standing before
a clean, but tumbed bed, from which the
scared occupant had just sprung to secrete
herself behind half-open closet door. Here
tenderly placed my charge and with one
more look at her wan face l fled from the
apartment, shutting the door upon her and
the women, and then crouched close beside
II, WIN "llu ltdI lSSL Il cry vi HOTTOT TedCl
me at any moment to tell me that life had
fed.
Nor from that lowly post could be up
rooted though the hole was dark and the
women, running in and out, stumbled against
me as they ran, spilling things over them
selves and me. At last one of the lot came
and stood before me, with arms akimbo, her
face shining with good -natured scorn. "Six
months from now you'll take things more
easy" she said.
"And the lady, how is she?" I cried
"The lady?" she repeated, wonderingly.
Your wife, you mean" and then for | red
dened furiously beneath my bandages, she
laughed and cried: "Why the man is blush
ing. You better go and shave yourself" she
cried, jocosely. you are no fit sight for so
pretty little runaway. Leave her to me
and brush up or she'll be more than ready
to run back with papa when he gets here"