The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-11-07

the train and handed over her ticket,
Il want you to be sure and write to
me every day, and tell me everything
you think, how much you miss me,
and all about the way the servant get
along-Gon't omit any Of the details,
thinking that shall not be interest
cd, for every word that you write,
dear, will be precious to ME. Put
plenty of local color in your letters"
ooh, III keep you posted" he re-
piled. "You have good time and
don't worry about me. III get along
somehow. OF course, it'll be lonely
and all that, but I'll manage to pass
the time. It'll be. rather dismal for
me to sit in the garden alone. when
it begins to get dark, thinking Of you
in the gay crowd having good time,
and never giving. a thought to
Arthur" his pretty wife interrupt
ed, IF you continue to talk that way,
1 just shan't CO. You know 1 shall
think Of you every minute I'm away,
and if the doctor hadn't SAID the sea
air would be good for me L wouldn't
have thought Of accepting Aunt
Laura's invitation. Please don't fret
me, love, will you? Remember that.
wherever may be, and no matter
how gay my surroundings, l shall be
thinking Of you." -
They threw kisses at each other cs
the train moved away. Then Barring
ton went to his Office and began writ:
ing letters. They were to his wife.
He wrote fourteen of them-enough t;
last for two weeks. y, T.
In general outline the letters were
about the same. He started each by
filling sheet with endearing words
and declarations that he was very
lonely without his darling. Then fol-.
lowed the local color she wanted, II
the form Of comments on occurrences
of the day in and about their home. I
The letters were not dated, but he
sealed and addressed them, and ar
ranged them in pile SO that his lady
clerk could take off the top one day
after day and drop it into the letter.
box. ..... +. =, t.2.... .,.,.,.>.
Then he went off with a male COM
panion, determined to have good
time for ten or twelve days. ..
He had been gone nearly week
when there came telegram for him.
OF course, kilograms had to be
opened, and when Miss Wildreth, the
lady clerk, read tile message, she turn
ed pale.
why don't you answer my ques-
tions about the housemaid's ankle and
your liver? Am awfully worried"
That was what Elizabeth Darlington
had telegraphed. =. ''
After studying the matter for a
Willie, Miss Wildreth decided that it
was necessary for her to act. She was
clever enough to hold Il position that
not more than one man out Of fifty
could have filed, and she had the hab-
it of keeping her eyes and ears open.
Still, she said to herself:
THE housemaid's ankle? I can see
how he might know something about
his own liver, but-and why should
his wife, Of all people, want him to
see about it? Well, if 1 ever get mar
ried-" -...
But instead of finishing what she
mad started to say, she wrote the fol-
lowing dispatch: ..
Leg and liver o. X. Don't worry"
1t was about ten O'Clock the next
day when another telegram for Arthur
Darlington was received. 1t read:
yesterdays letter contradicts tele-
gram. Why are you deceiving me!
Are you better today? Shall I come
homer
The lady clerks reply was as fol-
lows:
Am. true as steel. Don't think OF
coming home"
Miss Wilrcth had just begun to feel
that she had succeeded in settling the
disagreeable business. when q mess
enger boy arrived with another tele-
gram, in which her employers wife
said:
Don't understand. What do you
mean by being true as steel? Some
thing tells me you are, worse. Wire
Immediately"
Never mind reference to steel. An
all right
Mrs. Darlington watched eagerly
for the postman on the following day,
and when he handed her Arthur's let
ter she opened it with trembling
fingers. Eagerly she scanned the first
page and was about half through the
local color when she jumped UP and
ran to her aunt, crying:
"Nlerciful goodness! what can this
mean? Three days ago Arthur wrote
that the housemaid was still laid up
with her lame ankle which 1 have
tried in vain to get him to tell me
about, and that he was not feeling
we'll, and the doctor had told him that
his liver was out of order. Yet here
into-day's letter, he tells me that the
lousemaid has just fallen downstairs
spraining her ankle, ard that he made
made himelf a Welsh rarebit the night
before last. and ate so much of it his
liver is all upsai11 erth did