The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-12-12


wounds and as Barron gave bis wife
q hasty kiss and hurried down the
stairs be told himself that be would
send a locksmith around to attend to
the matter at once.
OF course the janitor was there to
make repairs for the tenants. but be
was a surly fellow whose breath
smelied strongly Of drink, and Nsttie
Barron was afraid to admit him TO
the cOzy little apartment they called
home.
For more than q week they bad been
having trouble with the lock that Bar
ron had added to the fastenlngs pro-
vided by the landlord. There was =
burglar scare IN the city, and apart.
ment houses were the favorite points
of attack.
Jimmie felt that. having spent the
better part Of Sunday afternoon put
ting the lock on, Nettie could not very
well expect him to keep II In repair.
Thus had started the first quarrel
they had had since their marriage, and
Barron took the car downtown feeling
anything but At ease with all the
world.
The Chllyers interview was satisfac
tory In the extreme. IL was late In the
afternoon when the details were con
eluded, and Jimmie had entered upon
q contract which meant the successful
outcome Of the business venture In
which he had engaged.
To cap the climax 1t had been ar
ranged that Chilvers, who was an out
Of town man, should spend the evening
at the club with Jimmie, so II was past
midnight when Barron reached home.
The elevator stopped running at II
o'clock, and Jimmie toiled up the three
flights Of stairs to his apartment.
Pinned to the door was a sheet OF pa
per and on il the words, II have gone
to mothers"
Jimmie felt the cold perspiratIon be.
dew his forehead. 1t had come, then.
He always had thought that going to
mothers" was merely creation Of the
newspaper humorist. but II was true.
Nettie had probably grleved over his
refusal 10 fix the lock and had ended
by going home to her mother.
Mechanically he turned and descend
ed the stairs He did not want to en-
ter the deserted apartment. 1t was
home no longer. with Nettie gone. He
did not know just where he wanted to
go or what be wanted to do. but he
wanted to get away from the place
where they had been SO happy togeth-
er; be wanted to walk in the cool night
afr and to realize what 1t all meant to
him. He was passionateIy attached to
Nettie, and he had not dreamed that
they ever could be separated.
He thought dumbly Of the dark, ST.
lent apartment and shuddered. He
would have to move from there and go
TO a hotel to live. He never could en-
ter the deserted home again. 1t would
be like violating the tomb Of their
dead happiness.
He did not blame Nettie. but he bit
terly reproached himself He knew
how timid Nettie was. She had feared
the surly looking janltor. and she
could not even speak Of burglars with
out a little shudder, aud her husband
had brutally told her that he would be
darned II be would Ok the door and
had flung away, leaving her with only
the Insecure protection Of the dimsy
lock provided by the landlord. And
this was a lock that even a child could
open with the blade Of q knife when
the Yale lock would not work.
Perhaps the burglars had come. he
rather hoped they had. He hoped that
they had taken everything ItSwould
be horrible to have to give directions