The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-06-06
I'm the Nick of
Time
A Well Managed Scheme to
Effect a Reunion
BY F. A. mitchell


One day. passing a furniture store
with q sign In the window This Stock
Must Be Closed Out at Once" went
in to look for bargains. i bought a
lady's writing desk for my wife, little
thinking that fate was using me for
one of its strange freaks.
The desk was sent home and placed
in a little room my wife used for a
boudoir. While she was putting 1t in
order, busting out the drawers and
pigeonholes. she espied the corner of
an envelope exposed and pulled out a
letter. 1t was sealed, addressed and
stamped ready for the post. When 1
came in from business in the evening
she told me of her find and asked what
she had better do about the matter Of
its delivery to the person for whom it
was intended.
1t was addressed to a hotel. where
the occupants are constantly changing.
told my wife that there would be no
more harm in our opening 1t than a
government official at the dead letter
office doing so and we would then
know better what to do. But first !
would telephone to the hotel where the
letter was addressed to see If John
Ridgewood. the addressee. was staying
there.
An answer came that the gentleman
had been there not long before. but
was not there then, and the hotel man.
agement did not know where he was to
be found Having, as | thought, done
my part Of the work. ! settled down to
read the evening newspaper. while
my wife opened and read the letter.
Presently she came to me, her eyes
wet with tears.
"Henry, this is the saddest case i
have ever known she said. "a wife
writes her husband. from whom she
has been separated, telling him that
she and their children are in sore dis
tress To get money for their necessa-
ries she has been obliged to sell piece
meal their furniture. including many
of the presents given them when they
were married. She begs him to re-
turn to her and all will be forgiven"
"Well. my dear" | said to her. zone
would suppose from your distress that
you were the deserted wife"
IL feel keenly for this poor woman"
she said, land j am going to try to
find her husband and send him back
to her. Why will men act so brutally?"
"You are indulging feminine trait
in condemning him unheard, Ethel"
i replied However, Will aid you in
any effort you choose to make to unite
a divided family. My opinion is that
instead of hunting up the husband you
had better communicate with the wife
and tell her that her letter has not
reached its destination. Then you will
know better how to act, If indeed you
act at all. You must remember that
persons who mix themselves up in 9th
er persons affairs are liable to bring
trouble upon themselves"
81 don't care" was the reply to this
caution. 1T Is perfectly plain from
what this woman says that her huS-
band has trea ted her shamefully, and
she must be an angel to Offer to for
give him."
Gust So" remarked and returned
to my newspaper.
Later my wife showed me the letter
she had written the deserted wife-a
letter exhibiting q great deal Of SYM
patty and assuring the poor woman
that she must have very forgiving
spirit to offer to take back such an IN
feeling man. / forbade Ethel to send
the letter. telling her that the only
missive / would consent to was one
simply announcing that a letter had
been found and asking for instructions
in the matter. Ethel did as l suggest
ed, and in due time q reply came which
she read to me.
The trouble between the pair was
that the husband insisted in treating
the wife's mother outrageously. "A
case Of mother-in-law! l exclaimed
when my wife read this. The wife
had written the letter to her husband
without her mothers knowledge or
consent and left 1t on the desk to be
posted. The mother, finding 1t there.
had put 1t in drawer. The desk had
soon after been sold to get money to
pay bills. The letter must have slipped
down behind the drawer. Its writer
acquiesced with her mother that it
should never have been written. Ethel
was requested to burn 1t.
There is one little matter that is not
stated" said to my wife when she
had finished reading the letter-''the
mother-in-law, finding the letter on the
desk, hid It between the drawer and
the back Of the desk and gave her
daughter reason to suppose that 1t had
been posted"
How do you know thatr
IT don't. I surmise It."
well. what shall dor
IF you wish to confer a blessing on
this family would recommend your
sending an internal machine to the
mother-in-law."
Don't be ridiculous. This Is a seri-
GUS matter. The letter may have provi-
dentially fallen into our hands to re-
unite divided family"
"And to divide a united one"
What do you mean by thatT
What ] said before about mixing
ourselves up In other peoples Affairs.