The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-04-15


fire and then passed into the sitting
room to find Mrs. Dolby lying on the
floor on her back with her eyes rolled
back In her head. Some husbands
would have picked her up and placed
her on the lounge at least, but he sat
down to the table and picked up a pho
tograph of Niagara falls and began
studying 1t. He had just finished a
mental calculation, Of the number of
quarts of water going to waste when
Mrs. Dolby fetched long drawn groan.
No use.
Three minutes passed. and the groan
was longer and more lugubrious.
The deacon paid no attention.
| Then Mrs. Dolby sat up and looked
around In seeming establishment and
said:
'That you, Samuel? thought | had
died and gone to heaven. | must have
been In faint for the last half hour"
He made no reply, and she struggled
up and dragged herself to the lounge
and began to shuttle. Three or four
minutes passed before sheSsaid:
Samuel. about three minutes after
you left heard dog howl and knew
that something dreadful was going to
happen. It happened. Mrs. Britt came
In to see IL could give her little
sage. She wanted to make some tea
for her little girl. She got the sage,
and then she told me ALL Yes, Samuel,
she told me all. said to myself that
wouldn't faint away over 1t. but don't
think she had got to the gate when
reeled and staggered, and my senses
left me. The last thing remember
was hoping you'd give me decent fu-
neral and weep few tears as was
lowered into my last resting place."
The deacon had read that the falls
had worn away one-sixteenth OF an
inch In the last 500 years and was try
Ing to figure out how many million
years 1t would take to wear the brink
back seven feet and II is possible he
didn't hear his wifes words. Her eyes
overfowed, and she sobbed few
times, then continued:
Samuel and the Hogs.
"She told me all, Samuel. down to
the last thing. Two years ago you said
one day that you had to GO up to Da-
visburg to see about some hogs |
trusted you. Samuel, and waved you
goodby. When you got home, you said
you wouldn't buy the hogs because
they hadn't got twists In their tails,
but now know the true reason. You
never-you never even saw 'em. You
went up there to 60 to a circus, and
you got seat down In front. Mrs.
Britt was there and saw you. She saw
you grin and laugh. and she saw you
wink at one of the female bareback
riders. Yes. wink, Samuel-wink at q
circus woman Look me in the face
and deny it If you can"
Mr.. Dolby didn't look her In the face.
On the contrary, he continued to look
at the photo and to wonder Ii he
would 20 to the falls IL he had another
bridal tour.
"And a year ago" said Mrs. Dolby
after trying to wipe her weeping eyes
on piece Of string, "you went down
to the store one day after a pound OF
nails. You had dollar In your pock-
| ct. You were gone two hours. and
when you came back you didn't have
cent. believe you told me they
had had an earthquake In Italy or
something of that sort It wasn't no
earthquake that detained you, Samuel.
There was a man there with a guess
ing hog. 1t was 10 cents to guess,
and the one that guessed the critters
weight was to have dollar. You
paid for nine guesses and didn't come
within twspty pounds Of It II was