Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-07-21
IF ENOCH HAD
BEEN A WOMAN.
BY S. E. KISER.

Has III! his wife replied. WHAT'S
neeny carbon? | never heard of one
before Is it anything like a cyclone?"
We'll, yes once in awhile it devel-
ops cyclonic tendencies. | have heard
of cases in which it killed people and
ripped things up very badly; but for
tunately it doesn't always act that way.
Sometimes however the Enoch Arden
is very mild and after making its APP
pearance suddenly and mysteriously
goes away, leaving everything lovely,
where it might easily have caused
havoc"
ITS funny | never heard of such a.
thing before. Is it something new"
"Oh, no! 1t probably began to figure
in the affairs of men shortly after Ad-
ans time, although nothing is said
about one having been In the ark. The
fact is, my dear, that an Enoch Arden
is a man. You never read Tennysons
poem about him, did your"
mo. But once knew Come Into the
Garden Maude,' by heart"
Il suppose so. That, no doubt, was
when that bow-legged boy from Cincin-
natl was keeping company with you.
But there, my dear, | beg your pardon.
Let's let bygones be by-gones. III read
it to you and then you'll know just what
an Enoch Arden is, in case anybody ever
happens in the future to bring up the
subject in your presence"
After he had finished the poem, Hen
rietta Jenkins sat with clasped hands
and pensive look.
We'll" he asked, what do you think
Of it?"
What a noble man he was, she said
with little sigh.
Yes; it was rather decent of him to
go away and die instead of hanging
around making trouble for his wife and
the other man"
Decent? Why, it was the only thing
he could do"
81 suppose if | were to get ship
wrecked on a desert isle and came back
after four or five years to find you mar
ried again. you'd want me to skip out
without letting you know l was still
alive?"
Henry! | wish you wouldn't sug
gest such a horrible possibility. But if
any such thing did ever happen, it would,
of course, be your duty to go right away
without letting yourself be known"
yes. dear; that's the way | look at
it. There could be only one course for
gentleman to pursue in a case of that
kind. Now. let's look OF it from the
other side. Let us suppose that you
started away to visit your aunt or cousin
or something in Australia and that the
ship went down and you and few of the
passengers succeeded in reaching an
island away out of the regular line of
traffic. Wreckage from the ship on
which you sailed would be picked up
from time TO time and at last it would
be decided that everybody on board
had persisted. Well, we'll suppose that
mourned very hard for you a year or
So and then met sweet, innocent girl
and won her love and married her, and
in, say. about five or six years a steam
ship that had been driven out of her
course picked up you and your compan
ions and brought you back to civiliza-
ton.
Now. picture to yourself me sitting
in that chair over there, and her, with
happy smile on her face, sitting where
you are now. Hist! You quietly come
up the front steps and, standing on the
porch, peer through yonder window.
You see us sitting here filled with sweet
contentment, and with tears in your
eyes you turn away never to"
Henry jenkins, do you think I'm a
| Go hot
I'd go away and leave that-that thing
here to run my house and my husband?
If you have any such an idea your sense
is good deal less than I've always given
you credit for having. I'd chase the
brazen thing out of the house so quick
she wouldn't have time to find out what
was wrong. and I'd throw her miserable
old clothes out the door after her"
But wait. my dear. You haven't
heard all about it. We will suppose that
as she sits there contentedly rocking to
and fro she holds golden haired child
against her breast-her child and mine.
you know. Surely, for the sake of the
little one, you would turn away and
never"
What! Do you mean TO say that
you would expect me to give up every
! thing for the sake of IA"
Now, Henrietta, don't call harsh
names. Remember that we'd all be in
nocent You surely wouldn't, knowing
what it would mean TO the child, think OF
intruding. You surely"
"Intruding! l like that! Intruding
in my own home! HIM! | suppose
may be intruding now Perhaps be-
fore ever knew you some other woman
went away to Australia or somewhere
and may come back at any minute to
! to"
Her feelings overcame her and she
put her hands over her face
There. dear" said Henry Jenkins,
don't be afraid. Nobody is ever COM
ing back to crowd you out"
"R- hut she SOhhed "Iu afraid 7