The sun., 1901-07-05
IN HIS HANDW RITING

i
postman who has plodded a route in the
northwest section for good many years,
II met a married man on my beat-mar
Of 40 or so-carrying suit case and broad
grin.
"Gong away? / asked him-I've beer
CARRYING his mail for 10 years or so.
"'Yep,' he replied Took little hack
at the market yesterday, beat it, and In
going to take short run over TO Ne"
York-just want to order couple 0 suit
Of clothes and so on and he gave me sly
little look out of the slants OF his eyes. 'Onis
be gone about three days and then he
jumped his car.
"He had that look about him that mar
wears when he's just embarking on littlt
whizz, and | sort of envied him, you know
"On the following morning ! delivered q
letter in his well-known handwriting to hi'
wife. The envelope contained the name o
A top.notch New York hotel. His wife
looked pleased to receive the letter, and
had a line of thinks about the devotion OF
| a man, married 20 years or so, who'd sli
right down Immediately upon his arrlva
| at A New York hotel and write his wife
nice, fat letter.
'.But there was no letter on the following
| day,
t'On the next morning there was letter
from him from the same hotel. The writ
ing was bit wabbly. figured it out wher
| | saw that writing that he must be enjoying
himself quite little. His wife must have
thought 30, too, for there was still harder
compression of her lips when she took the
letter and glanced at the superscription.
s"There was no letter from him on the
following morning, but the wife was wait
ing in the front door for me. knew from
| 4 4 - lao hut 1ns a q
something, [ inquired of her, pleasantly;
MIR. So-and-So back yeti?
"'No, he's not!' she snapped back at me,
.. her ewes quite heap fiery, and didn
|, pursue the topic, but went my little way.
: "On the morning after that there was Q
letter for her from him, The address was
all to the bad--pretty nigh undecipherable
'"rhere was no letter from him on the
following morning, nor was the wife wait
ing for me at the front door, which caused
n me to conclude that he'd got back an'
q that he was probably at that moment en-
gagged In making few little explanation
that couldn't possibly explain.
:, :, "Great, therefore, was my surprise Whe'
y / found letter from him for his wiie u
2 my bunch on the following morning: b.
u this time he was away overdue on ms rs
turn from that three-day expedition. Thi
:. style of penmanship of the man in Ne'
0 York. 1t looked like 1t had been write
D with the aid of but one eye, while tn
j. other eve was closed to prevent too man
hieroglyphs from bobbing up ON the ei
yeIope. Worse than that, however, the el
b. yelope bore the picture and the name
O one of New York's big Turkish baths. II
oil wife barely nodded her head in response t
O. nv 'Good-mornng If ! was responslb
for her husbands continued absence!-an
when she saw that picture of the Turks
r, bath there was again light IN her eN
y. .hat caused me to desire to go right
oU about my business. That feeling of en>
80 I'd experienced when he started oil was
~ ~ gone
3S .Then there was letterless interval
~ two DAYS, followed by letter address
III ON an envelope of one of the famous a
'S6 NIGHT broadway restaurants OF New lor
w The superscription was hash and no M
take. Along the lower edge OF the enyelo
el- for about an inch was a damp, reddi
ral mark that smelled heap like Manhatt
me cocktail. and | was pleased to unburd
myself of this letter to the servant IN
basement area.
to "Hereupon ensued another break,
ore three days this time. and then there cal
a letter from his original New York hot
pretty well addressed, but showing unn
n taxable signs of nervousness. Inc wile
AA' ceiyed this letter at the front door,
there was look of settled wrath on
face.
"On the following morning, when !
setting off on my route from the post ON
| met him on the Fourteenth street car /,
q ;s was lust rampantly shaved and shined q
rue polished and brushed up, but it would
= do for n minute--not with me, particular
'se- that had traced out the little history
the Ills absence from that bunch OF supersc
tbs tions. He looked piqued and nervous.
2, is ,Mornin',, said |, taking the seat ale
half side of him. Have good time
mes "eBully,' said he, not looking as II II
a. ouite knew whether he had or not. /
I'M. he gave me look out OF the tan OF
,or. eye.
'ors GAN of my letters home got through
ohs right?' he asked me. :, ;.
"sYes,' / replied, and ] couldn't
first prinnng to save myself. Ihls caused
to- to look alarmed
ycry "sWell. what's the matter" he al
,.ad me. solemnly as if he didn't know
.Oh. nothing said /, leaning owe
'S'A' b;m 1only if we're you | wouldn't go h'
rom If | were you Id never go home any II
arse IA remain away from home indefln
IS to or permanently. I'd go up to Cape y
nand or Join one Of those punches that
IT be to make clash for the pole, or $
care thing like that. But I'D never go II
p TO- for fact
. sa,d 1T was painful to see how gloom
looked. m :,
"'Well, guess that's right, all n
oned he said; 'hut I've got to face the
S the some time, gaven't II
,lum- "He bravely got off at his street,
ed to when l got around to his house l !
), a., him in his front yard in his SHIRT 81
ns putting up bluff at fixing the geraniu
ine "'Sh-sh!' he whispered, when EN-
tnliy the front yard. Never touched me;
) sea her the salt air of New York caused
yrow- suffer all the time | was there with
10000 er's cramp! How's that? !,
W be- "I made some comforting reply
{ Of came away wondering over how
married men take their wives Tor II
or laws. ."-Washington Star.
as the For all sporting news see M
found official score card.