The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-10-15
Daily Short Story
A Great Schem.

funeral will take piac. tomorrow.
and i have ordered handsome
Poor fellow, As he passed away
he clasped my hand and said that /
sad Goodby. with a thousand
mother E He%em nSs me 70 YOU
-oh. this Is not to be borne" .x-
canned Mrs. Mason. wringing her hands
mere ne SAYS that this johnson died
Last night. while In hts letter OF yester-
Gay ne wrote that he was already buried
re must be losing his reason-that IS
All can make out Of it,
She decided TO return home at once.
OF her haste she persuaded her TO re
main another day.
The next Afternoon A third letter
came. and mother and daughter read:
Poor johnson is rapidly sinking.
The doctor says he will scarcely live
ull morning. shall remain and sit
up with him all night. lie Is deliri-
Gus at times and needs every atten-
ton This helps TO keep me from
missing you. but I think OF YOU all
the time Dick and TriSy and the.
Major are quite well Good by. my
from Henrv
Il must 20 home. rno,he-.~ cried Mrs
MASON Why. he wrote three DAYS aro
that he had buried this friend. and the
DAY before yesterday that he had died.
yet here he writes that he is nursing
MIN, expecting his TO pass away to-
II would seem that there Is some
thlng wrong" said the elder woman.
BUT men can act mighty queer some
times without being crazy. Just wait
TIL tomorrow. dear and maybe YOU viii
rest -
with the morrow came a fourth letter
Tor Mrs Mason. bearing the Boston
pastmark
Read ~, T.. she begged: can't" .
Your pets are all well. but seem
10 miss you very much ! am tired
out tonight Yesterday. just after
YOU went away. I received mes
sage stating that friend OF mine
mad taken suddenly sick and askinl.
n ! could come and sit up with
MIN His name Is Fred johnson
You never met him. but he ana
J used 20 be pretty well acquainted
before my marriage. ! sat up with
.lm All night. and did all / could
YOU arrived safely and found vour
mother well Remember me 10 her
ana here are thousand kisses for
You. Henry.
Don't you see now that there - some
thing wrong with him. cried Mrs Ma
son Why. ~ has got time all turned
buried several days ago and vet no
writes her that be is lust taken sick.
ana he hopes that arrived safely yes
t'rldN on mother. ? must 20 nome
Let me soc his other letters de-
mandcd the elder woman
me letters were brought and Mrs Ma
sons mother scrutinIzed them closely.
Just as ] thourhf"' she reclaimed
LOOK here he has numbered tho en-
Ne!opes on tho back iu pencil-one-two
three four. That means he wrote
them all the day YOU left You sGouig
have received the last letter rrat and
the FIRST letter last"
Mrs Mason stared at the figures
Then ne must have written them so
ne could leave the city during my All
"Exactly"
Mother shall 20 home now. and no,
wait TN tomorrow. and you must come
Ahn spend the rest OF the month with
Very well" smiled the elder woman
Mason hurried directly home from his
80. tS,", ana was me 'is door by the
f'ri ~ nat the he had ie charge.
told YOU to- was his first question
think so" grinned tho girl
Good cried Mason. Here's SIC
MI, Now put ON YOUR hat and 70 back
TO the employment office NV vic v,i,i
Ice home tomorrow"
lie hurried the girl off and afterwarI
sffac'd every sign ~ her brief stay. As
ne was hanging the parrot cure ont 81
the window he sow his wife and her
mother coming down the street with
their travelling things
Great Scott Do exclaimed L got
back Just iu time. ] thought she was To-
stay until tomorrow Her mother. too.
lie hurried down 20 meet tho women
folk
must look all worn out as n had
hccn rittniE ap with "a sick man" he
hu' killed.. But this COMPOUNDED sun
burn huw'N explain that An. I'Il say
] got 10 standing bare-headed Mt the
grave or poor Johnson. They'll never
suspicion that little fishing trip"
lie chucklcd again. then settling "a
solemn funeral look upon his face. d.
opened the front door and hts wife and
came quickly up the walk