The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-05
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(: Observation-Disclosures
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as her husband put three handbags in
handed over six baggage checEs, II want |
and tell me everything you think, just
how much you miss me and all about the
way the servants get along-don't omit
not be interested, for every word that
Put plenty of local color in your letters"
You go ahead and have good time and
don't worry about me. IN 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 be-
gins to get dark, thinking Of you in the
gay crowd having good time and never
giving 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-
tation. Please don't fret me, love, will
you? Remember that, wherever may
be and no matter how gag my surround
ings, 1 shall be thinking of you, and,
lowering her voice to 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. He wrote
IA of them-enough to last for two
weeks. In general outline the letters
were about the same. He started each
by filling q 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 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 bunch, so
that the 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 housemaid's ankle and your
liver? Am awfully worried"
That was what Elizabeth Darlington
had telegraphed. After studying the
matter for awhile Miss Wildreth decided
that it was necessary for her to act. She
was clever enough to hold position that
not more than one man out Of so could
have filled. and she had the habit 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 ever get married.
But instead Of finishing what she had
started to say she wrote the following
dispatch:
LEG and liver o. K. Don't worry
1t was about 10 o'clock the next day
when another telegram for Arthur Bar
rington was received. It read:
Yesterdays letter contradicts tele-
gram. Why are you deceiving me? Are
you better today? Shall come homer"
The stenographer's reply was as fol-
| lows:
i cam true as steel. Don't think of
coming home"
Miss Wildreth had just begun to feel
that she had succeeded in settling the
! disagreeable business when messenger
! boy arrived with another telegram, in
which her employers wife. said:
Don't understand. What do you
mean by being true alb steel? Something
tells me you are worse. Wire immedi-
ately."
The stenographer replied:
Never mind reference to steel. Am
all right
Mrs. Darlington watched eagerly for
the postman on the following day, and
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 The local color when
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 up
with her lame ankle which have tried
In vain to get him to tell me about, and
that he was not feeling well and the doc
tor had told him his liver was out of or
der. Yet here in today's letter he tells
me that the housemaid has just fallen
out of cherry tree, spraining her ankle,
and that he made himself Welsh rab-
| bit night before last and ate SO much of it
that his liver is all upset. Why on earth
did the housemaid climb cherry tree
when she had lame ankle, and what
ever possessed Arthur to eat Wesh rab-
bit when the doctor had just warned him
about his liver?'
Her aunt was trying to figure it out,
when Elizabeth Darlington happened to
think Of the kilograms she had received
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 to his
head. My poor darling has lost his rea-
son. He writes thing and then denies
1t by telegraph. By starting tonight /
] can be with him tomorrow forenoon. Oh
how shall pass the weary hours?"
i
Miss Wildreth broke down and made a
full confession when Mrs. Darlington
rushed, wild eyed and pale, into her hus-
bands Office. Then the two young WON
en- sat together in the private room and
/. wept.
IF hadn't accidentally knocked over
the pile Of letters he left to be Mailed
the stenographer sobbed, 'they would