The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-08-23
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"Now, Mithur," said Mrs Darlington
as her husband put three handbags ia
the scat beside her in the sleeper and
handed over six baggage checks, 81 wnnt
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 | shall
not be interested, for every word that
you write, dear, will be precious to me.
Put plenty of local color in your letters"
ooh, I'll keep you posted" he replied.
"You go ahead aud have n good time and
don't worry about me. I'll get along
some way. OF course, it'll be lonely and
all that, but III manage to pass the
time. lt'll be rather dismal for me to
sit on the front porch alone WHOM IL be
gins to get dark thinking of you In the
gay crowd having good time and never
giving a thought to-
arthur Darlington" his pretty wife
interrupted, "if you continue to talk that
way just shan't go. You know | shall
think Of you every minute I'm away, and
If the doctor hadn't said the sea air
would be good for me | wouldn't have
thought of accepting Aunt Laura's invi-
tntion. Please don't fret me, love, will
you? Remember that, wherever ! may
be and no matter how gay my surround
ings, ! shall be thinking of you, and"
lowering her voice TO a whisper "my soul
will still be communing with your soul"
They threw kisses at each other as the
train moved away. Then Darlington
went to his Office and began writing let
ters They were to his wife. lie wrote
II nf thatt1-nuAttuh 70 for
weeks. In general outline the letters
were about the same. He started each
by filling n sheet with endearing words
and declarations that he was very lone
ly without his darling. Then followed
the local color she wanted in the form Of
comments Oh occurrences of the day in
and around their home. The letters were
not dated, but he sealed aud addressed
them and arranged them ia bunch, 80
that the stenogrnphor could take OFF the
top one day after day and drop it into the
mail box.
He had been gone nearly n 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 housemaid's ankle and your
liver? Am awfully worried"
That was what Elizabeth harrington
had telegraphed. After studying the
matter for awhile Miss Wildreth decide
that 1t was necessary for her to act. She
was clever enough to hold position that
not more than one man out of 80 could
have filled. and she had the habit Of
keeping her eyes and ears open. Still she
said to herself:
"rhe 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 | ever get married'-
But instead of finishing what she had
started to say she wrote the followin :
dispatch:
LEG and liver o. X. Don't worry"
1t was about 10 o'clock the next day
when another telegram for Arthur Bar
rington was received. 1t read;
yesterdays letter contradicts tele-
gram. Why are you deceivng me? Are
you better today? Shall come home"
The stenOgrapher's reply was as fol
lows:
"Am true as steel. Don't think OF
coming home"
Miss Wildreth had just begun 70 fee
that she had succeeded in settling the
disagrecablc business when messenger
boy arrived 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 immedi
ntely."
The stenographer lrplied:
"Never mind reference to steel. Am
all right"
Mrs harrington watched eagerly for
the postman on the following day, ant
when he handed her Arthur's letter she
opened it with trembling fingers Eager
! ly she scanned the first page and was
about half through ihe local color wher
she jumped up and ran to her aunt, cry
ing:
"Merciful goodness, what can this
mean? Three days ago Arthur wrote
that the housemaid was still laid VI
with her lame ankle which have tried
in vain to get him to tell me about, anC
that he was not feeling well and the doc
tor had told him his liver was out Of or
der. Yet here in todays letter he tells
me that the housemaid has just faler
out of cherry tree, spraining her ankle
and that he made himself n Welsh rab
bit night before last and ate so much of II
that his liver is all upset. Why on eartt
did the housemGd climb a cherry tree
when she had lame ankle, and what
ever possessed Arthur to eat n Wesh rab
bit when the doctor had just warned hin
about his liverT
Her aunt was trying to figure it out
when Elizabeth harrington happened tC
think of the kilograms she had received
the day before.
'"This letter must have been writer
about the time they were sent" she said
"I'm going home. Something's wrong
Arthur's liver trouble has gone to his
head My poor darling has lost his rea
son. lie writes thing and then denie,
it by telegraph. BY starting tonight
can be with him tomorrow forenoon. Oh
how shall | pass the weary hoursW
Miss Wildreth broke down and made
full confession when Mrs. harrington
rushed, wild eyed and pale, into her hus
bands office Then the two young won
en- sat together in the private room nnC
wept.
''lf | hadn't accidentally knocked owe
the pile of letters he left to be mailed,
the stenographer sobbed, they would
not have been mixed up; there would
have been no reference TO the sprainnl
of the housemnids ankle before il hap
pened and his liver would not have trou
| blpd him mill after he ate the rnbbit