The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1902-04-10
The Weakness
50 Of Mary
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

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-
peaTances. To her, OF course, 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 first few months Mary slept
little until Tom had reached home in
the gray of the early morning She
tried her best to conceal it from Tom,
for she didn't want him to be worried
and she didn I want to make him think
her a ttcovard4y 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 wen-meant remonstrances
OF Mrs. Elliott, the fat woman who
lived in the fat 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 I have, you'll see
how foolish it is. Of course people do
| get sIugged and murdered and run over
| by street cars, but worrying about it
| won't do bit of good Brace up, my
dear and stop crying. You'll find
plenty of real things to cry about
| Don't be such little coward
I'm not a coward said Mary. I'm
not a bit afraid of anything [ can see
| or of anything 1 can't see either, if
| it's only 1 who is in danger. But when
/ Toms away and I can't help him and
| I don't know what might have hap
| pened to him, am afraid, and I can't
| help it,
| One night about a week later Tom
| was kept downtown hour later
| than usual When he got off the ele-
! waited and started to walk to the fat
| building, over through the snow drifts
| it was 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 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, scantiFy 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
80, Tom. Tom she gasped, throw
ing her arms about his neck Il
thought you were killed 1 woke up
dreaming that you had been robbed
and thrown into a snowdrIfr, and I
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 unmercifu1 fun OF
such a fool trick again no matter
what happened
Tom went out for few minutes
during the afternoon and almost in
| stant1y Mrs. Elliott came downstairs
and rang the bell Mary had begun tic
hate the woman There was some
thing uncanny about her. How else
should she know all about what had
happened the night before Of course
the janitor or somebody might have
seen part and guessed the rest, but
at any rate it was enough to make
anybody mad She could stand Tom.
fun, though she thought it rather
heart1ess, but it was too much to have
| this strange woman continually pryInE
into her private affairs And Mrs Ell
lot was SO persistent and so free witt
| her unasked advice that when sh.
went away Mary was crying again.
She told Tom when he came back
| but he was not bit sympathetic
Mrs. Elliot means all right m,
| DEAR he said 81 wish you'd try to b.
a little more like her IN some WAYS
Why her husband is a travelling man
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 no
to be so foolish. I am sure notflIn
D he 1F~=
pieces like you do
That made Mary angry that sh