Evening star., 1900-06-28
HIS CONSECUTIVE LETTERS.


They Became Mixed and His Wife at
the Seaside Had n Hard Time.
From the Chiragt Times Herald.
Now. Arthur" said Mrs. Darlington, as
her husband put three handbags in the
seat beside her in the sleeper and handed
over six baggage checks, 81 want you to be
sure and write to me every day. and tell
me everything you think, Just how much
you miss me, and all about the way the
servants get along-don't omit any of the
details. thinking that I shall not be inter-
ested. for every word that you write. dear,
will be precious to me. Put plenty Of local
color in your letters
"Oh. Ill keep you posted" he replied.
you go ahead and have good time and
don't worry about me. Ill get along some
way. 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 on the front
porch alone when it begins to get dark.
thinking Of you in the gay crowd having a
good time, and never giving a thought
To-
Arthur Darlington" his pretty wife in
terrupted. 'if you continue to talk that
way just shan't go. You know I shall
think Of you every minute I'm away, and
If the doctor hadn't said the sea air would
be good for me 1 wouldn't have thought
VI oSSSpAH6 <AoHl lHNlldllou
Please don't fret me. love, will you? Re-
member that, wherever l may be. and no
matter how gay my surroundings, shall
be thinking of you and lowering her voice
to a whisper) my soul will still be COM
;nuning with your SOUL"
They threw kisses at each other as the
train moved away. Then Darlington went
to his office and began writing letters. They
were to his wife. He wrote fourteen Of
them-enough to last for two weeks In
general outline the letters were about the
same. He started each by filling a sheet
with endearing words and declarations that
he was very lonely without his darling.
Then followed the local color she wanted in
the form Of comments on occurrences Of
the day in and around their home. The
letters were not dated. but he sealed and
addressed them. and arranged them in a.
bunch. so that his stenographer could take
off the top one day after day and drop it
into the mail box.
He had been gone nearly week when
there came telegram for him. OF course
kilograms had to be opened. and when
Miss Wildreth. the stenographer. read the
message she turned pale:
why don't you answer my questions
about the housemaids ankle and your liver?
Am awfully worried"
That was what Elizabeth Darlington had
telegraphed. After studying the matter
for a while Miss Wildreth decided that 1t
clever enough to hold a position that not
more than one man out of fifty could have
filed and she had the habit OF keeping her
eyes and ears open. Still, she said to her
self:
1.-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 it7 Well, II
I ever get married."
But Instead of finishing what she had
started to say she wrote the following dis
patch:
Leg and liver O. K. Don't worry
1t was about 10 o'clock the next day when
another telegram for Arthur Darlington
was received. 1t read:
Yesterdays letter contradicts -elegram.
Why are you deceiving me? Are you bet
ter today? Shall come homer"
The stenographer's reply was as follows:
Am true as steel. Don't think of COM
ing home"
Miss Wildreth had just begun to feel that
she had succeeded in settling the disagree.
able business when messenger boy ar
rived with another telegram, in which her
employers wife said:
Don't understand. What do you mean
by being true as steel? Something tells me
you are worse. Wire immediately"
The stenographer replied:
Never mind reference to steel. Am all
right
Mrs. Darlington watched eagerly for the