The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-28
BY Strickland w. Gillian.

turer. THE other day, when | was
waiting for a train at st. Joe, l got
TO thinking real seriously, and t save
my neck l could remember hardly
any woman I'd met for a long time
that l thought as much of as l do my
wife.
MY family consists of a wife and
two no, three; no, by gracious, that's
right; there are only VI of the chill
dren. Well, two or three, anyway. l
remember distinctly hat one time
When | was hOme-I al remember
that just as we'll as if it were last
year, saw three children playing in
the yard, and | asked my wife if they
were all ours, and | forgot what she
said. 1t was yes or no, and spoken
with a good deal Of what seemed to
me unnecessary indignation, but |
forget which.
Some time ago | met a man who
knew my wife when she was a little
girl. He had gone TO school with her.
| was mighty glad to meet that man,
and l nearly pumped him to death
about that little girl schoolmate Of
his who is now my faraway wife. 1t
WAS almost like meeting her again
to have him tell me about her. He
said that she was Il nice little girl,
which confirmed exactly the impress
ion my few visits with her had given
me. | was glad TO know that those
who had known her better had the
same opinion. Also | met d lady in
The iSding, WyO., who has seen my
with my better half than I'M, having
and who was with her once for we
whole days at d convention. That vas
genuine luxury. This lady was con-
siderably more intimately acquainted
with m better half than lam, having
seen her a great deal more, and 1t
pleased me very much to have her
confirm also the good opinion | have
been on the verge of forming on
corning her for years and years.
"One time about three years ago
l was hooked in a town where things
had a decidedly hOmelike air.
Everything about the burg was
strangely familiar. Even the tufts of
dead fennel growing between the
planks in the sidewalk seemed to nod
pleasantly and with an air Of camarad-
erie as | tugged my suit cases over
their heads. | went to the hotel. That
alone, of all the places in the town,
appeared unfamiliar. Yet it struck me
as passing strange that if | had once
visited this place | did not know every
crack in every STOP jar in the house
Yet | didn't.
AT the lecture that night | particu-
larly noticed a carewOrn sit
ting near the front row of seats. Some"
thing familiar in her face caught and
held me all through the evening. |
tried to lecture TO the usual leaden-
faced mummy who sat back by the
third row of posts, but my mind, ac-
cOmpanied by my eyes, would invOlun-
tarily turn back to the tired, patient.
lonely looking woman in the faded
coat.
"On the woman's face | saw a re-
Election of my OWn perpleXity. AS
plainly as print ever said anything.
her eyes and the little quicker between
them kept repeating Where have l
seen that man before. Certainly /
have known him somewhere and some
time There was just the most deli
cate mixture of pleasedness in the
half-reCOllecting look, as if the faint
and elusive association of ideas had
been in some way tinged with pleasant
things. The same feeling was CON-
mingled with my own quandary.
AT the close Of the lecture a num-
Der of persons, as is the kind custom
Of audiences, came about me to shake
hands. thank me. and extend congrat-
ulatiOns on what they called my ex-
cellent work. The little lady with the
nice eyes and the puzzled look stayed
just a tiny bit in the background, hest
liant, blushing, yet wistful.
FINALLY, feeling that We might both
feel better if we relieved the suspense
and embarrassment by speaking, |
pushed through the circle and extend
ed my hand, which she seized eagerly.
yet timidly.
No sooner had she done so than.
with a cry of JOY. she flung both arms
around my neck, buried that tired lit
tie head on my rumpled fuli-dress
shirt bosom, and cried out:
Jim. my Jim, my jim! l know
that wart on your knuckle,'
And, would YOU believe it? That
woman was my wife, and the reason
vi nv 81 oh-C vi lis
i'll that town was the fact that it WIS
my home town. This fact also clear
ed up the mystery Of my ignorance
regarding the h3Iel interior
When the committee found this Gu
they were highly amused, and one of
the older members. after scratching
bald head for Il little bit, slapped
leg and declared he remembered
when l used 10 be there, and that If
thy had known l was only Jim jones
used to sweep out Hankins' gro
Gerry he would never have thought Of
having me try to make 4 lecture right
at home. Fortunately l already
lad my fee.
"Cn returning TO the hotel 10 pack
my grips, / noted again the town
name. on the letterheads l mad been
and | remembered Tery clearly
it was the same place where my
IiIeged home was located.
1T was a shame not + 90 home with