The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-23
!. THE THEFT OF MRS. brown
BY Frederick r. Burton.

nut Il rev months when they had theil
first serious tiff. Mr.. Brown went to
business and Mrs. Brown smothcred hel
tears. then went about doing the break.
fast dishes. After that she proceeded tc
clean the refrigerator. Suddenly there
were heavy steps. and then two strange
rough looking men striding toward her
Before she could utter so much as q
scream a coarse hand had been clapped
Violently over her mouth
few minutes later the butchers boy
came in and found the kitchen unoccu.
pied. He placed roast on the table. 4
! number of other things We're there
butter. can of milk, dish of fruit. half
pie and small canvas bag partly filled
with silverware. The boy looked around
vacantly and went away again
Meantime. Harry Brown could not find
business duties cngrossing enough to shut
out from his thoughts the vision OF a
fearful face. and he heard unhappy sobs
that went straight to his heart At first
be told himself severely that the expert
ence would be Il good lesson for her, but
before long he FLUSHED with shame that
ne should think of presuming 10 teach
such sweet little woman, whose frail
aNlStcnce-there We're scarcely a hundred
/ pounds of her altogether-it was his duty
! to cherish and protect from discomfort
! of every kind.
/ The luncheon hour was long in coming.
/ and during the interval Harry suffered
! unutterabe torments at the thought of
+ how she must be suffering on account
| of his stupid cruelty. He tried to get
away early, but fate was against him
there, for matters came up that had to
be attended to and which nobody could
handle properly save himself Therefore
/ it came about that when at last he start
ed home it was fully a half hour later
than his usual departure
He was ill agony as he hurried along
the street. wondering how she would in
terpret his delay and feeling sure that
she would believe that he still treasured
{ the ugly feelings of the morning If she
could only know that he had been re-
/ morseful ali the time.
Thus thinking, he dashed into the front
door of his home. 1t gave him added an
SulSh and further self condemnation that
she was not there to greet him 1t WAS
not possible that she still treasured the
resentment Of the morning. il must be,
| then. that she believed he was angry as
ever. Poor little woman. He would
soon show her how repentant he could be
| ped into the dining room.
There was no answer. 1t did not take
long to explore every portion of the mod
est house, and, with more fears than he
/ could count At his throat, Harry returned
TO the ground floor. going to the kitchen.
cherishing lingering but faint hope that
his wife had gone into the garden
No. she was not there. and the convic-
ton grew upon him that she had put
into execution that oft made threat of
young wives and gone back to her moth
! ers. The condition of things in the kitch-
4 EN- seemed to Justify that theory; nothing
! put away, housework dropped as if the
little hands could not do one more stroke
| FOR an ungratefal husband. OF a sudden
| Harry's fears took quite another turn
Tor lie saw the canvas bag partly filled
| with silverware lie knew the signs
| Thieves had been at work. They had left
| their plumber. But what had they done
with his wife? Frightened her away?
! Harry ran to the nearest neighbours.
/ The good woman of the house there told
him that she had seen two men approach
! ing and Il little later the butchers boy
! call Then her attention had been alb
sorbed elsewhere. She had heard and
/ seen nothing of Mrs Brown Then"
SAID Harry in an awful despair. they
have stolen her" 1t was only too clear
| If his wife had been alarmed by the
thieves, she would have screamed or run
away. 1t was evident that she had not
| run away. and she was not in the house
Therefore she was out of it, and equally
therefore the thieves had kidnapped her.
Appalled, and so unnerved that he could
hardly walk, Harry returned to his own
! hon, Nl,,
Together they made a new exploration
| and came at last to the Kitchen where
they stood looking around in dreadful be-
wilderment. The woman's methodcal
! housewifely habits asserted themselves
even under the stress of misery
The meat and vegetables will spoil"
she said drearily. Better put them in
| the icebox, Mr. Brown"
Smiling bitterly at the thought of con-
sidering such trihes, Harry picked up
the roast and carried it to the refrigcra-
tor No sooner had he pulled the door
open than he dropped his burden and
gave loud Cry. There. curled up in the
storage chamber of the refrigerator was
his little Wife. sound asleep. He seized
her hand and pulled gently, but she was
too closely wedged iii to bulge without
greater effort The touch awakened her
and. opening her eyes drowsily. she said
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come, Harry
Have those dreadful men gomez"
With many an Ouch and "Oh. N.Y.
on her part, Harry withdrew her from
the box. She had been curled up there
so long that she seemed to be asleep in
every joint, and the warm weather and
the close air had stupefed her, but sht
recovered quickly and, all memory of the
morning tiff dissipated by her adventure
told how it came about.
She was standing in front Of the refrig
orator when the thieves came in They
had pushed her inside and closed tho
door, threatening to shoot il she cried
ont. Too frightened to scream then. sh,
had kept still until a moment later sh,
thought she heard them depart hurried
~, But there was another footstep i,
the kitchen. and she dared not make /;
noise, suppoSing that the thieves had re
turned After Il long interval of silnnc,
she realized that there was no way t,
get the door open from the inside, anl
she resigned herself to waiting for he,
husband.
Ii was evident that the thieves hoi