The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-08-04
BRINGING IT HOME
On What She Told Her Very DutifuI
Spouse.

On What She Told Her Very Dutiful
Spouse.
"1 see," said Henry Jenkins, that
Iowa has recently had an Enoch Ar
den case"
Has it," his wife replied. What
is a neeny Gordon? | have never heard
of one before Is it anything like a
cycloneg'
Well, yes, once in a while it deyei-
ops cyclonic tendencies. | have heard
of cases in which it killed people ami
ripped up things very badly, but, for
~tunately it doesn't always act that
way. Sometimes, however, the Enoch
Arden is very mild, and after making
its appearance suddenly and mys;eri-
ously goes away, leaving everything
lovely, where it might easily have caus-
ed havoc"
Its funny, | eve heard of such a
thing before. It's something new
"Oh, no. 1t probably began to fig
| ure in the affairs of men shortly after
Adams time, although nothing is said
about one having been in the ark.
l. lit ldtL I'D, Il. oS"AS @A~S ~A
| Arden is a man. You never read Ten
n~yson's poems about him, did you::"
mo, but | one knew Come Into the
Garden, Maud by heart"
IL D so. That no doubt was
when the bow-legged boy from Cincin-
natl was keeping company with you
But there, my dear, beg your pardon.
I'll read it to you and then you will
l 1-~-- :--+ r-L-% on Enooh f6nn y
N case anybody ever happens in The
future to bring up the subject in your
presence"
After he had finished the poem
| Henrietta Jenkins sat with clasped
hands and a pensive look.
We'll" he asked, what do you
think of it,"
What a noble man he was" she
said with a little Sigh.
Eyes, it was rather decent OF him TO
20 away and die instead of hanging
around making trouble for his wife ard
the other man"
Decent? Why. it was the only
thing he could do"
II suppose if ] were to get snip
wrecked on a desert isle and come
back after four CT five years to find
YOU married again you'd want me to
| skip out without letting you know l
was still alive"
Eyes. dear that's the way | look at
it. There could be only one course
for a gentleman TO pursue in a case 81
. that kind. Now, let's look at it from
| the other SIDE. Let us suppose that You
started away TO visit your aun- OF
cousin or something in Australia an;
that the ship went down and you ane
a few other passengers succeeded IL
reaching an island away out OF the reg
uIar line of traffic. Wreckage from the
ship on which yOu sailed would ~
| picked up from time to time and a
last it would be decided that everybody
| on board had been lost. Well, e
suppose that I mourned very hard TO-
a year or so and then met a sweet limo
, cent girl and won her love and married
81 her. And in, say, about four or nv
wears a steamship that had been dr1v
;. en- out of her course picked you up an
brought YOU back to civilization.
Fl "Now picture to yourself me s1ttln;
! in that chair over there, and her, Will
:. a happy smile on her face, slttln;
} where you are now. Hist! You quieti
/ come I'D the front steps and standln
on the porch peer through the windoV
l yonder. You see us sitting here file
5 with sweet contentment and with tear
in your eyes you turn away never to
Henry Jenkins do you think I'm
r fool? Do you suppose for a momcn
that I'd go away and leave that-tha
thing here to run my house and m
t husband. If you have any such lie
2 your sense is a good deal less than Nv
+ always given o credit for haVms
I'd chase the brazen thing out OF tn
house so quick she wouldn't have tim
to find out what was wrong and L
e throw her miserable old clothes out
n the door after her."
c But, wait, my dear, you haven
h heard all about it. We will suppos
that as she sits there ~contentedly looF
ing to and fro she holds a golden nal:
ed child against her breast-her chill
and mine, you know. Surely for IL
IS sake of the little one you would tur
Il away and never"
What? Do @ mean to say IN;
you would expect me to give up ever
thing for the sake of a-a-'
.CNTour Honriotta don't call narS