be disappointed there are some people to whose minds the distribution of scandal is as great a delight as the sweetest morsel is to the tongue besides there was one person who had a reason for spreading the report had returned and was doing his best to give it circulation received in his mail one morning a thin letter over which a frown clouded his brow the address was in a he had received a letter in the same handwriting not long an letter it related to his wife and to one whom he had held in high esteem he had torn it up furiously in little bits and had dashed them into the waste basket as he had dashed the matter from his mind he was near tearing this letter up without reading it but after a moment he opened the envelope a society notice in a paper the day before had contained the name of his wife and that of mr and this was not the only time he had seen the two names together as his eye glanced over the single page of disguised writing a deeper frown grew on his brow it was only a few lines but it contained a arrow that struck and when the cat s away the will play if you have cut your wisdom teeth you ll know your mouse his name is � it was signed true crushed the paper in his hand in a rage for having read it but it was too late he could not banish it from his mind so many things with it he had heard that was there a great deal why had he ceased speaking of it of late when next met there was a change in the latter he was cold and almost answered and after a little while rose and left him rather when this had occurred once or twice determined to see and have a full explanation accordingly a misunderstanding one day he went his office mr was ont but said he would wait for him in his private office on the table lay a newspaper picked it up to glance over it his eye fell on a marked passage it was a notice of a dinner to which he had been a few evenings before mrs s name was marked with a blue pencil and a line or two below it was his own name marked felt the hot blood into his then a grip came about his throat could this be the cause f could this be the reason for s could have this opinion of after ail these years he rose and walked from the office and out into the street it was a blow such as he had not had in years the friendship of a lifetime seemed to have down in a moment walked home in deep reflection that could treat him so was impossible except on one theory that he believed the story which concerned him and mrs that he could believe such a story seemed absolutely impossible he passed through every phase of regret wounded pride and anger then it came to him clearly enough that if were laboring under any such it was his duty to it he should go to him and clear his mind the next morning he went again to s office to his sorrow he learned that he had left town the evening before for the west to see about some business matters he would be gone some days to see him as soon as he returned had little difficulty in the scandalous story to its true source though he did an injustice in laying the whole blame on him meantime determined that he would not go to mrs s again until after he had seen even though it deprived him of the chance of seeing it was easier to him as he was very busy now pushing through the final steps of his deal with the english this he was the more in as his last visit south had shown him that old mr was beginning to fail i am just now to hear about said the old man � and to settle with that man he added his deep eyes burning under his shaggy brows had little idea that the old man would ever live to hear of her again and he had told him so as gently as he could then i shall kill him said the old man quietly was in his office one morning when his attention was arrested by a heavy step outside his door it had something familiar in it then he heard his name spoken in a loud voice some one was asking for him and the next moment the door opened and squire stood on the threshold he looked worn but his face was serene s told him why he had come and the old man did not leave it in any doubt his greeting was brief he had gotten to new york only that morning and had already been to s office but the office was shut i have come to find her he said and i ll find her or i ll drag him through this town by his neck he took out a pistol and laid it by him on the table was aghast he knew the old man s resolution his face showed that he was not to be moved from it began to argue with him they did not do things that way in new york he said the police would arrest him or if he should shoot a man he would be tried and it would go hard with him he had better give up his pistol let me keep it for you he urged the old man took up the pistol and felt for his pocket i ll find her or i ll kill him he said i have come to do 