Evening journal., 1909-12-21
MY WIFE'S ROMANCE
nx I. nE wlrr BOWMAN.

Copyright. 1909 by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
When Jennie and were In Wash
ngton on our bridal trip one Of those
periodical sales was announced where
It the dead letter Office disposes at
luction Of the accumulated uncalled
Tor packages. They are sold without
any knowledge Of their contents either
on the part Of the buyer or seller.
"oh. let's go" said Jennie. "and buy
a parcel. We may get fortune for a
few cents or few dollars"
"More likely a pincushion or a bun
die OF soiled clothes" ! replied.
But Jennie was making a beginning /
at having her own way. habit that |
grows stronger with her every day, !
and we attended the auction. l pro-
posed TO bid on several articles. but
Jennie stopped me. saying that she
could tell by the shape OF them what
was inside. That" she said. ''is half
a dozen stockings" The package was
bought by man standing near us.
and. sure enough. when be opened 1t
there were the stockings. ! looked at
Jennie. thunderstruck. but she did not
seem to consider that she had done
anything remarkable.
The articles opened by purchasers
were Of no value. and my wife soon
gave up bidding for fortune. Present.
ly a small. rectangular. boxlike affair
was put up. buy IT," said Jennie.
"Its a photograph of some one. and
I'd like to know Of whom" ! bid the
thing in. and Jennie and J retired to a
corner to open H. AS she predicted,
there was a photograph. When |. as
tonished. asked her how she knew
what the box contained she replied:
ANY one would know by the size and
shape. oh. how lovely" We turned
the picture over, aud on the back was
written:
To Ny Dear Love:
we shall triumph and be united at last.
OCCIE.
Vindale. Jan. is, 1900.
"Ben." said my wife. providence
has sent us here to unite two separat-
ed lovers. Look at those eyes. If ever
eyes spoke those eyes speak"
"W-what do they sayY"
"What do they say? Oh. Ben. how
can you ask? They say: Help. Take
me TO Wilfred.'" Wilfred was the
name on the package Wilfred Brown.
do they say where ne iss"
''No. but the writing says where she
is. We must find her and tell her that
he never got her picture"
Thus far / had fallen under my
wife's influence. Now there welled up
within me an incipient rebellion.
explained that the picture had been
sent FIVE years before aud the couple
had by this time several children &c
get the stomach ache eating green ap
pies and keep their parents awake
nights. The look Jennie gave rye pre-
vented my going further.
Well. when we got home I was sci
to work to unite two hypothetical lov
ers with nothing more 20 guide M
than the inscription l have mentioned
and the address on the package. a smal
town in Michigan. / am a practical
hardworking man aud thought ha
all should have 20 do TO make a li'
ing for my wife aud myself. She sul
gested my visiting the place OF th
address and the place 10 which On
package had been sent. To this | oil
jected. aud we compromised on NJ
writing TO the postmaster in Michlga
making inquiries for Wilfred Brown
A reply came back that no such pei
son had ever lived there. He nigh
have passed through or spent fe'
days in the town.
next wrote a letter. which my VIII
signed. TO the postmaster Of Vinlan
asking IL letters ever passed throug
his office 10 any woman whose frs
name was Octavia. Ny wife agree
with me that since the inquiry wa
about a woman she had better undel
take the correspondence.
After the mailing Of this second le
ter noticed that Jennie took pains
anticipate me az the door when th
postman came with the mail wee
after my wifes letter bad been poste
l suggested that time for a reply ha
expired aud she would get none. II
stead Of receiving my statement wit
an expression Of disappointment sh
turned the subject | wondered thi
she had so suddenly lost interest IN h'
romance. She did not speak to N
again about II. and refrained frol
speaking 10 her on the subject
One day was rummaging In n
wlfe's desk trying to tind a receipte
bill for goods that knew had bee
paid for when | came upon an e.
velope postmarked "Vinland" The e
velope was addressed in a woman
hand. but beyond this I could get l
further information without readir
the inclosed letter. and never res
my wife's letters without being askt
70 do so. Fearing that Jennie's r
nance bad not "ended well'' and u
wishing to add 10 her disappolntmen
said nothing TO her about the ma
ter. One morning after the arrival
a large express package she rueful
confded the whole matter to me. III
postmaster at Vinland had referr'
her inquiry 20 the only woman nam'
Octayia IN the town-a Mrs. Striker
who opened a correspondence wi
Jennie. and Jennie returned the ri
ture. Mr.. Brown had been a trayeliI
man who had found another ma
about the same time Occie had fouI
a man "far more suited TO her tas
than Mr.. Brown" II seemed. ho'
ever. TO have been a case Of inabili
- .r,vfda On tho porf of Striker nj