The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-10-21
What Brought
Her Home
By ETHEL HOLMES

had never been away from his wife for
more than a few days at a time. But
after ten years living together there
came a brief separation. They had not
been able to 60 to the country during
the summers. for Johns income would
not admit of an outing. But all of a
sudden his business sprang up, and
when August came around it was de
cided that Mrs. Cook and the children
had better spend IL few weeks in some
John could not leave his business.
which was increasing every day. SO he
packed them off without him.
Mrs. Cook had exacted a promise
from her husband that he would write
every day. The first day after her de
parture he kept his promise. He wrote
the following brief letter:
Dear Ellen-I nope you and the children
arrived safely. It's very hot here, but |
presume you are rejoicing in cool breezes.
/ dined in a hurry last night at a restau-
rant and went back to the office, where
| remained till II o'clock. | am obliged
to work nights I'm order to keep up with
the rush, so YOU see that | haven't much
time to spend writing any letters that
don't pertain to business. TIA ia. Kiss
Tommy and Nellie for their
AFFECTIONATE FATHER.
That said Mrs. Cook. looks as if
he were very busy and that the chill
dren are the only ones who can draw
from him any expression of affection.
The next day Mrs. Cook looked for
another letter from her husband, hop
ing that it would be signed your al
fectionate husband instead of the
children's affectionate father" But to
her surprise no letter came, nor did she
receive one the day following or the
neXt or the next. 1t was not till Il
week after the arrival of the first let
ter that another came. This n was
as overlooking with affection as the
first was devoid of it. Its beginning
was as follows:
Dearest Nell-lt is three days since |
have seen your dear face or kissed your
sweet lips. 1t seems three years-no. not
years, ages. If ever | get back to you !
vow will never consent to be separated
from you again. Last night ] wrote You
twelve pages. which, | presume. you have
by this time received and digested. Yours
written yesterday is here. and | have read
ii a dozen times already. | woke up in
the middle of the night and got up to read
it again.
Mrs. Cook had read thus far when
she stopped and shuddered. What did
this remarkable burst of affection
mean? The newspapers had noted that
the thermometer in the city had hoy
cred around 9S degrees and the humid
ity varied between 30 and 100 degrees.
There had been many cases of sun
stroke. and several persons had been
made insane by the heat. Could it be
that her husband has been thus affect
ed?
The letter trembled in her hands as
she read on. Swimming over "A lot
more of this "incoherent nonsense" as
she called it, the letter closed:
With a million kisses. your own true
love, JACK.
What caused the greatest fear in
Mrs. Cooks breast was the fact thai
there was not a word about the chill
dren. In this epistle there was surely
no reason to be Jealous of them. But
If he had forgotten them his delirium
must surely be terrible. What should
she do-telegraph him to ask il he had
been sunstruck? That, of curse,
would be absurd. She might inquire
of others. but when she came to think
over her husbands intimate friends
she remembered every one of them
was out of town. Besides supposing
there was nothing the matter with
John or suppoSe-She wiltcd ut the
thought-that he had written another
woman while writing his wife and got
the letters in the wrong envelope? No.
Whatever she did she must keep the
matter from the world. There was but
one thing for her to dO-go home.
In an hour after this decision she
had left her children in care Of the
landlady and taken n train. She ar
rived in the city before dark and drove
directly to her house. She found the
front door unlatched and entered The
table was set for dinner for one in the
dining room. She ran upstairs and
saw her husband in his bedroom tying
his cravat before II mirror. He turned
and looked at her in establishment.
Great heavens, What brought you
home? Anything the matter with the
childrcn?"
Mrs. Cook, by this time convinced
that the letter she had received had
been written to another woman than
herself, drew it from her bag and
handed it ~ her husband. He looked
at it, and Il singular, shamefaced eX-
preston appeared on his countenance.
"Nho is the woman?" cried Mrs.
John.
my dear, did this bring you home?'
ut did"
THANK heaven!"
"What do you meanf"
"Why I was SO crowded with bust
ness that | have no time to write. /
found I'm your desk n bundle of my old