The Springdale news., 1906-10-12
Poor Mir. Archibald
lOrisin1l

. Mir and Mrs Archibald, and they were entering the most dangerous period for married people-the portal between TO- nance and practical wedlock. The first ripple came one evening at din her. when the husband announced that he had an engagement in the city with q party of his old cronies The wife said nothing. but her husband saw that she was doing Il great deal of thinking He therefore spoke with all the intonation of affection of which he was capable. emphasizing the dear" and going around behind her and put ting his arms about her II was all of no avail Had he not dreaded the chaff of his bachelor friends he would have broken the engagement and stay ed at home As 1t WIS. he kissed his wife several times. not eliciting the slightest response, and with much mis- giving went out.
 Mrs. Archibald had never before been compelled 10 pass an evening alone. \ member of I large family, with hosts of friends of her own age. her life had been one delightful holiday. Now among strangers. in a strange place. sitting alone listening to the ticking of the elock-it ticked loud enough to wake the dead-a very natural revul- sion came over her Before her mar riage she had thought she would die without her lover. Now she thought chn fn ha,. .I all who were in it. 1t occurred to her with sudden and overwhelming force that she had exchanged everything for nothing. No, for life of loneliness. And her crown of sorrow was that aft CT all the billing and eooing the man for whom she had made the sacrifice would not give up the society of his old chums for hers. She threw her self on a sofa. buried her face in pill low and moaned:
 "Mother.'
 The young husband had voluntarily told his wife that he would return by the 10 o'clock train. reaching home at II. This necessitated his leaving his friends by half past 3. and when he proposed to do so there was n shout of derision
 ,.Shes got him under aireadyr' cried one
 Come, old man said another, put up a good fight in the beginning and you'll have an easy life. If you don't slavery is yours forever
 And so MT. Archibald. rallied by his friends, put off his going from train to train till the last. which left at 12 midnight But some one had borrowed his watch on pretense of doing q slefght of hand trick with it and had set it back. Therefore when Archie, as they called him. rose to go there was q shout of laughter. and he was informed that the train had been gone ten min utes.
 All this puts Mir. Archibald's friends in somewhat bad light. But they were not so bad as they appeared. After badgering their victim for awhile they told him that he needn't worry. One of them had an automobile wait ing. and they would all see him home to make sure his wife didn't abuse him. Unfortunately they were long while getting away, and at o'clock in the morning. when they were spinning over a road through lonely wood. there was report, the automobile turned sidewise against telegraph pole, and the party was spilled in the road \ tire had exploded. The only injury to any one of them was q scratch on Archies hand
 It was d. m when the party rode up to the Archibald domicilc. and all alghted 1t his invitation for break fast Leaving them i'll the library. he mounted the stairs to find his wife. She was not in her room nor had her bed been occupied He rang for q servant who informed him that Mrs. Archibald had taken the | o'clock train for her mothers home. Going down stairs, he excitedly announced to the party theresult of their escapade The news temporarily threw damper over them. Then some one proposed to take Archibald to his wife's refuge, fifty miles distant. and bring her back. But one of the party. widower, made suggestion.
 "It wouldn't do. fellows" he said, to go there without something to work on There has been q terrible automo- bile accident Archie has been injured. Put him to bed Two of us will stay with him while the rest go and break the news as delicateiy as possible to his wife"
 The proposition was accepted Archie was carried by two stout fellows to his room and his hand wound ip bandages The automobile da shed away.
 About noon the machine came puff Ing up to the house at lawbreaking speed Mrs Archibald would not wait to be handed out and. rushing into the house. threw her arms wildly about her husband.
 Forgive me. darling" she cried.
 Be careful of his hand" exclaimed one of his masculine nurses. We have done the best we could for the poor fellow since you were not here to nurse him.
 T shall never forgive myself"
 \ few days later an automobile of the latest pattern came. belated we'd ding present from tue friends who had caused the rupture, to Mrs. Archibald,
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