The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-01-10
IN A BAD pREDrcAMENr.
Husband Forgot to Post His wifs's
Letter bad the Conseqaences
Were Something Awful.

i 49, s@t- AoChth6 man ia thC u0l
coach of the suburban train was star
ing with unheeding eyes at the rap
I idly passing landscape. If he was a
| all conscious of his surroundings hi.
countenance failed to show it. Wo,
was evident in every feature-the sol
emn gloom of man who knows thai
fate had been conspiring against him
The conductor had to lean over and
prod him gently before he gave up his
communication ticket, and the friend
who shared his seat spoke to him
twice before getting an answer
Then the sad-looking man gave q
sigh and sank back into his seat
relates the Chicago Daily News.
beg pardon, but what were you
saying?" he asked, with a dismal as.
sumption of interest.
Say, but you're cheerful to-day!"
said his companion. "You look like
q man headed for the high bridge at
Lincoln park. What's worrying you
anyhow? Have you lost your last
friend, or have you just received the
bill for the winters coal--of is it
just plain dyspepsia? Cheer up and
relate your troubles"
The sad-looking man eyed him re-
proachfully for moment and shift
ed uneasily in his seat.
Looks like case of guilty con-
science" continued his companion.
-cheerfully. "What have you been do
ing? Trying to dodge your taxes,
or did you forget to do your wife's
shopping, or mail the letter she gave
you, or"
There" broke in the sad-looking
man, suddenly. For wonder you've
hit it. How did you ever guess? I'll
tell you about it, though 1 know
you won't understand, You see, it's
this way"
you don't mean to say that it's
a case of unmaiied letter that is
causing all the bother, do you?
Pshaw! You might know that if it
had been important you wife would
never have given it to you. She
might have turned it over to the
neighbours small boy, or intrusted it
to the cook, or maybe just dropped it
out of the window unstamped, but
can't believe she'd give it to you.
You said she really wanted it mailed,
didn't your"
"I,ll tell you," said the sad-looking
man. I'm about to be exposed, and
my punishment will be cruel and
lasting. In the first place, you must
understand that / haven't anything
in the world against my wife's rela-
tives, but, of course, her mother has
her off days, like the rest of us. Well,
she wrote about ten days ago to say
that she was coming to town. /
suppose something 1 said made my
wife think / wasn't pleased at the
prospect. So there was a little-not
exactly unpleasantness-b my
wife and myself, but a little-we
avoided the subject, don't you know?
"A day or two after, just as 1
was starting for the train, she gave
me letter, and told me to be sure
TO mail it. / told her / would, and
put the letter in my pocket.
~ meant to mail it, but I did
really forget it until two days ago,
and then my wife asked me if I had
mailed it, and / let her think had.
thought would go out to the mail
box after dinner and mail it then,
SO it would be just the same thing.
l did so that evening. couldn't read
the direction because there was no
light, but knew the letter, because
it was in one of my wife's big,
square envelopes.
well, last night she asked me
again if / was quite sure had
mailed the letter, and I was able to
say that I had.
at was to mother she said; L
wrote to tell her to put of COM
ing.'
II didn't say anything, because
wanted to think hard. 1 anticipated
the worst, and sure enough, she ar
rived this morning. was luckily at
the station when the train came IN,
md / hid behind pillar while she
loaded her two trunks into hack.
Two trunks-and that letter still to
lear from! haven't been home
yet"
"Have you any definite plan?" in
luired the friend, alphabetically.
-Four or fve," replied the sad
faced man, "but they all seem pretty
weak in the legs, and I haven't de-
,ided which one to USE"
The sad-looking man relapsed into
silence and continued to gaze de-
ectedly at the chaos of lumber yards,
'oundries and gas works through
which the suburban train was swift
" passing.
II suppose you'll have to SQUARE it
with her somehow" ventured his
friend, gently, by way of consolation.
"With her?" repeated his compan-
ON, weakly. with them, you mean,
ion't you? There's my wife, too, re-
Afr