The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-07-03
They Became Mixed and His Wife at the
Seaside Had Hard Time.

They Became Mixed and His Wife at the
Seaside Had Hard Time.
From the Chicago Tmes-Herald
Now, Arthur" said Mrs. harrington.
as her husband put three handbags in the
seat beside her in the sleeper and handed
over six baggage checks. II 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 ] shall rot be
interested, for every word that YOU write.
dear, will be precious to me. Put plenty
OF local color In your letters"
oh, I'll keep you posted" he replied.
You go ahead and have a good time and
don't worry about me. I'll get along some
way. or course it'll be lonely and ali that
but I'll manage to pass the time. It'i be
rather dismal for me TO sit on the front
porch alone when il begins 20 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
tGrrupted, "if you continue to talk that
way / just sha'n't 20. You know ] shall,
think of you every minute I'm away, and
IL the doctor hadn't said the sea air would
be good for me j wouldn't have thought OF
accepting Aunt Laura's invitation. Please
don't fret me love. will YOU? Remember
that, wherever l may be. and no mat q
how gay my surroundings. / shall be
thinking Of you ana" lowering her voice
10 a Whisper my soul Will still be COM
muning with your soul"
They threw kisses at each other as the
train moved away. Then harrington 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 filing a
sheet with endearing words and declara-
tons that he was very lonely without his
darling Then followed the local color she
wanted In the form Of comments ON oc-
currences of the day in and around their
home. The letters were not dated. but he
sealed and addressed them. and arranged
them in bunch, so that his stenographer
could take off the top one day after day
and drop ii into the mail box
He had been gore nearly a week when
there came a telegram for him. Of course
kilograms had TO be opened, and. when
Miss Widreth, the stenographer, read
why don1 you answer my questions
about the ho1semz;ds ankle ard your
liver? Am awfully worried"
That was what Elizabeth HARRINGTON
had telegraphed. After studying the mat
ter Cor while Miss Wildreth decided thar
Il was necessary sor her to act. She was
clever enough to hole position that not
more than one man Gut of fifty could have
filled and 81 haA Ri ban
her eyes and ears open. Still. she said 10
herself:
THE housemaid's ankle? I can see how
ne might know something about his own
liver, but-and why should his wife. of AL
people, want Eim TO see about it? We'll
Il ever get married.
But instead Of finishing what she had
started 10 say she wiote the following ais
Patch:
leg ard liver o. X. Don't WORRY
1t was about 10 o'clock the next day
when another Telegram for Arthur Bar
rington was received. - read:
Yesterdays letter contradic;s tele-
gram. Why are you deceiving ne? Are
you better To-Day? Shall / come homer"
The stenographer's reply was as follows:
Am true as steel Don't thisk of com
ing home"
Miss Wildreth had just begun to feel
that she had succeeded in settling the dis
agreeable business when messenger boy
arrived with anothS- 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. harrington watched eagerly for the
postman on the following cay, and when
he handed her ArthLr's letter she Openad
In uyfrh HiirU fnUaFC Eauysefrr Oh
scanned the first page and was about half
through the local color when she Jumped
Up and ran 10 her aunt. crying.
"MeTciful goodness, what n this mean?
Three days ago Arthur wrote that the
housemaid was 's,ill laid ~ with her
lame ankle which have tried In vain TO
get him 10 tell me about, and that he was
not feeling well and the doctor had told
him his liver was out OF order Yet here
in to-day's letter he tells me that the
houssmaid has just fallen out OF cherry
tree. soraining her ankle. and that he
made himself a Welsh rarebit night be-
fore last and ate so much OF II that his
liver Is all upset. Why on earth did the
housemaid climb d cherry tree when she
had a lame ankle. and whatever POSSESS
ed Arthur 10 eat Welsh rarebit when
the doctor had just garned him about his
liver4"
Her aunt was trying TO figure # out,
when Elizabeth harrington happened to
N44illh VI Aar l44E 4A1L ACNCAsEL
the day before.
This letter must have been written
about the time they were sent" she said.
I'm going home. Something's wrong.
Arthur's liver trouble has gone 20 his
head. Ny poor darling has lost his rea-
son. He writes a thing and then denies
Il by telegraph. By starting tonight /
can be with him tomorrow forenoon. Oh.
how shah ! pas: the weary hours"
Miss Wildreth broke down a.l1 made q
full! confession when Mrs. harrington
rushed, wild-eyed and pale. into her hus-
bands Office. Then the two young Wom-
en- sat together in the private room and
wept.
IF I hadn't accidentally knocked over
the pile OF letters ne left 10 be mailed -
the stenoerapher sobbed, they would not
have been mixed up; there would have
been no reference 10 the spraining Of the
housemaid's ankle before IL happened
and his liver would not have troubled him
until after he ate the rarebIt How shall
I / ever be able 10 explain II TO him?''
you needn't Try" Mrs. Darlington an
swered. I'm explain TO him when he
comes out OF the woods. Dear old fell
lowi I'm so glad ne doesn't know any
thing about this. He mightn't be having
j -. - az