The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-12-29
What Brought
Her Home
By ETHEL HOLMES

years, during which time, eXcept the
nrst few months after the wedding, he
nad never been away from his wife for
more than few days at time. But
after ten years living together there
came brief separation. They had not
peen able to go to the country during
the summers, for Johns income would
hoC admit of an outing. But all of n
sudden his business sprang up, and
when August came around it was de
c1ded that Mrs. Cook and the children
mad better spend a few weeks in some
rural district where there was pure air.
John could not leave his business.
which was increasing every day, 50 he
packed them off without him.
Mrs. Cook had exacted 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 hope you and the children
arrived safely. It's very hot here but |
presume you are rejoicing in cool breezes.
dined in hurry last night at a restau-
rant and went back to the office, where
remained till II O'clock | am Obliged
10 work nights in 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. Ia ta Kiss
Tommy and Nellie for their
"a AFFECTIONATE FATHER.
81 80
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 af-
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 a
week after the arrival of the first let
ter that another came This one was
as over1owing with affection as the
first was devoid of it. Its beginning
was as follows:
Dearest Nell-It is three days since |
have seen your dear face or kissed your
sweet lips. 1t seems three years-no, not
years, ages. If ever l get back to you |
vow / will never consent to be separated
from you again. Last night / wrote you
twelve pages, which, l presume, you have
by this time received and digested. Yours
written yesterday is here, and l have read
1t dozen times already l 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 hov-
cred around 90 degrees and the humid |
ty varied between 80 and 100 degrees |
There had been many cases of sun
stroke, and several persons had been
made insane by the heat. Could it be
hat her husband has been thus affect
I'd?
The letter trembled in her hands as
she read on. Skimming over a lot
more of this "incoherent nonsense" as
,he called it, the letter closed:
With a million kisses. your own true
owe, JACK.
What caused the greatest fear in
Mrs, Cooks breast was the fact that
here was not word about the chill
lren. In this epistle there was surely
10 reason to be jealous of them. But
f he had forgotten them his delirium
must surely be terrible. What should
hr yn1 inn TO Sly lnJ
,een sunstruck? That, of course,
would be absurd. She might inquire
# others. but when she came to think
,ver her husbands intimate friends
he remembered every one of them
vas out of town. Besides Supposing
here was nothing the matter with
rohn or suppoSe-She wiltcd at the
he had written another
yoman while writing his wife and got
he letters IN the wrong envelope? No
Whatever she did she must keep the
natter from the world There was but
ne thing for her to do-gO home.
In IN hour after this decision she
ad left her children in care Of the
lndlady and taken a train. She ar
ived in the city before dark and drove
irectly to her house She found the
ront door unlatched and entered The
able was set for dinner for one in the
lining room. She ran upstairs and
aw her husband in his bedroom tying
is cravat before mirror He turned
nd looked at her in astonishment
Great heavens. What brought you
ONE? Anything the matter with the
Mrs. Cook. by this time convinced
hat the letter she had received had
cen written to another woman than
erself drew 1t from her bag and
anded it to her husband He looked
t it. and a singular, shamefaced ex-
reSsion appeared on his countenance.
"Who is the woman?" cried Mrs.
ohm.
"My dear. did this bring you home?"
at did"
'SThank heaven"
"What do yCu..pcaAT'