The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1909-01-21
howheMet HiSFate

Three friends dining at cafe were
chatting on the subject why certain
people fail to fulfill law Of nature il
mating. One OF them, married man
after listening to all the others had tt
say, spoke up:
i Marriage is a matter which strikes
/ people the same as lightning does
Some are thrown together, some are
kept apart, some go into it thoughtful
ly, some toboggan into it,
How did you happen to embark il
| matrimony:" asked one of the party
"You speak as If you had had one OF
| these experiences yourself
My own case is peculiar Like other
| young men, if they will admit it, l ex.
| perienced longing for some woman
who would be all in all to me. But, in
the first place, | didn't think l could
| afford wife. and. in the second, moth
Ing occurred TO attach me to any wo-
man. The day when l would get my
! affairs in shape and make marriage a
| prime object was always few years
| ahead of me-
Il had reached the age of thirty-five
| without getting any nearer to settling
down in home when one night, while
| on journey. l found myself in bed
| In hotel One can't conceive of any
| probability OF more uniting place
for that inexorable fate we have been
| speaking of to start one Of it's matri-
ntA lr-Sr
awake. did not know person in the
city where | was. and 1t was mid
night.
Il had been counting the strokes of a
city clock when heard the door open
and the rustic Of dress approaching
my bed. There were several matters
which would naturally have occurred
to me if there had been time. In the
first place. had forgotten to lock my
door: in the second, whoever had en-
tered was not likely to be robber,
nor even thief. for there was moth
ing stealthy in the entrance nor the
approach. 1t was pitch dark, and
could See nothing. l could only hear.
a womans voice-it was sweet and
sounded sweeter in the loneliness of
n1idnight-said:
Sorry I've been so long. l could
not help it. had to wake them up to
get into the Kitchen
Il naturally waited for develop
ments A hand was slipped under the
bedclothes and something warm placed
ON my stomach Then the hand was
wfthdra wn. and the voice said:
"'Tll light the gas
Now, there was something pleasant
In all this that knew must cease un-
der the light 1t was plain that I had
been mistaken for sick man, and II
was In no hurry to disa buse the ownerh
OF the voice who had made the mis-
take
Don't l said in q sort of invalid
moan. Come and hold my handr
Il heard her feeling for a chair,
which she drew to my bedside and,
sitting down, took my hand with one
Of hers while she passed the other
over my forehead. Not only were the
hands soft. but | was quite aware 4
that so long as it was dark 1 had a y
soft thing I wanted to say some
thing, but feared my voice would give
me away. SO I contented myself with
an occasional moan just to let her \
know that | was not in talking
mood. She encouraged me to believe
that | would soon be better and by
several things she said | inferred that 1
she was nursing some one. /
Il was thus luxuriating blissfully
when the thing she had put on my /
stomach began to burn. 1 presume if 4
my face could at that moment have l
been seen it would have been wildly \
expressive. Once the thing began to 4
burn 1t grew apace, and it was not
long before 1t felt as il a redhot iron n
was being pushed about among mygf
Z
did you ever hear of the boy whoa
with one hand shoveled ice cream intosI
his mouth and with the other held theI
made painful, crying all the while "A
Well. I was like that boy had never1
before held womans soft hand attn
night anywhere, certainly not in a.
lonely hotel. and l couldn't make upE
my mind to let go. / knew l had
some sort Of a plaster on and might
take it off with my loose hand, but she
would hear me and the situation would
De closed. The thing kept burning and
burning until / could stand 1t no
onger
Great Scott" l cried at last, start
ng up. This is the fire of purgatory.'
Il heard the scratch of match, and
II an instant gas jet illumined the
Dom.
There stood a girl in dishabille-a
wrapper and u pigtal. She looked at
ne with a holy horror, then exclaimed:
Good gracious!
You must have got into the wrong
Oom,' | remarked
IL should think So
Who is the patient you are caring
or:
Ny brother l went down to get q
mustard plaster and coming back got