Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1902-04-24
The Weakness
"a of Mary


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When Mary Phillips married Tom
Dawkins and moved to Chicago from
her village home in Iowa it was the
first time in her life that she had been
in a city larger than Des Moines.
Tom was a telegraph operator and his
work kept him out almost all night.
That was hard on Mary, for almost
every day she read in the papers
stories of highway robberies, mystic
rious murders and terrifying disap-
pearances. To her, of cource, Tom
was easily the most important man in
Chicago and she lived in constant fear
lest the criminals who love a shining
mark might pick Tom out for a vic
tim.
For the irst few months Mary slept
little until Tom had reached home in
the gray of the early morning. She
tried her best to conceal 1t from Tom,
for she didn't want him to be worried
and she didn't want to make him think
her a "cowardly cat" But she wasn't
a good actress and Tom knew how
she worried and sat up for him. He
used to talk to her and even make fun
Of her fears.
But that wasn't as hard to stand
as were the well-meant remonstrances
Of Mrs. Elliott, the fat oma who
lived in the fiat above and who, in
some mysterious way, had become
aware that Mary was a young girl
from an Iowa village and that she was
frightened by the mysterious dangers
of the huge city.
20, my dear" Mrs. Elliott would
say in her ~patronizing way. you
mustn't take on so. After you've lived
her for ten years, as have, you'll see
how foolish it is. OF course people do
get slugged and murdered and run over
by street cars, but worrying about it
won't do a bit Of good. Brace up my
dear and stop crying. You'll find
plenty of real things to cry about.
Don't be such a little coward"
I'm not a coward" said Mary. Pm
not a bit afraid of anything 1 can see
or of anything l can't see either, if
it's only 1 who is in danger. But when
Toms away and l can't help him and
1 don't know what might have hap
pened to him, 1 am afraid, and l can't
help it."
One night about a weak later Tom
was kept downtown an hour later
than usual. When he got off the ele-
waited and started to walk to the fiat
building, I'VE through the snow drifts,
it was 8 o'clock in the morning. The
air was full of fog from the lake and
he was tired. He had walked two Of
the four blocks which lay before him,
when he saw somebody with a Ian
tern poking around in a snowdrift a
few rods ahead. AS he grew nearer
he made out that it was a woman, a
forlorn little figure, scantily wrapped
up with some kind of a shawl tied
over her head. Then she shrunk aside
to let him pass and as she raised
the lantern Tom saw that it was his
wife.
Mary" he cried.
90, Tom, Tom" she gasped, throw
ing her arms about his neck. q
thought you were killed. I woke up
dreaming that you had been robbed
and thrown into a snowdrift, and
just had to try and find you"
She was crying and Tom put his big
arms about her and half carried her
the remainder Of the way home.
Poor little girl" he said as he
soothed her into quiet.
But next morning at their IL O'Clock
breakfast he made unmerciful fun OF
her and declared she must never dc
such a fool trick" again no matter
what happened.
Tom went out for a few minutes
during the afternoon and almost in.
stantly Mrs. Elliott came downstairs
and rang the bell. Mary had begun t
hate the woman. There was some
thing uncanny about her. How elsI
should she know all about what haC
happened the night before. OF cours,
the ~janitOr or somebody might haVl
seen a part and guessed the rest, bu
At any rate 1t was enough to "makI
anybody mad" She could stand Tom
fun, though she thought 1t rattle
heartless, but 1t was too much to hav
this strange woman continually pryinI
into her private affairs. And Mrs. El
hot wal so persistent and so free wit
her unasked advice that when sh
went away Mary was crying again.
She told Tom when he came bach
but he was not a bit sympathetic.
"Mrs. Elliot means all right, m.
dear" he said. II wish you'd try to b
a little more like her IN some ways
Why her husband is a travelling mar
and she doesn't see him for weeks a
a time, yet you never hear her carry
ing on like you do. You must try nc
to be 80 foolish. | am sure nothin
would make Mrs. Elliott 60 all I
pieces like you do"
That made Mary so angry that sh