Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-04-09

floor, and she sank BACK lnto chair wiz
sfifed moan. The following Personal
had caught her eye:
&C. T. Meet me at the old place on
Saturday, two p. IN.
The sickening horror that had at frs
overwhelmed her now gave way to q verJ
different emotion-that Of jealous indig
nation.
Saturday, two p. MI Not If ! car
prevent itr' She procured pair OF scis-
sors and cut the paragraph out.
Then she proceeded TO her own room
opened her escritoire, and lifted anumbel
! Of papers. AS she stood gazing at THESE
her bearing was changed again. Sadness
took the place OF violence.
Perhaps this blow is a judgment on
me, after all, for having kept my secre'
| from him" she unused, half aloud.
| ought not 10 have done II after our mutual
understanding; but the temptation was
great. IL is too late 10 retreat now, how
ever; will finish what / have begun
though my heart break"
With this she took her seat at the desk
and worked steadily for several hours
stopping only once to partake OF Ugh,
| lunch. She was still busily writing when
! she heard her husbands footstep In the
entry. She rose hurriedly, and tried 70
close and lock the folding leaf, but
had not succeeded In doing so when
Cadwaladcr entered the room. He no
ticed her agitation, but stopped TO pick up
a torn piece of note.papcr which had fallen
10 the floor, and stood twirling 1t In his
| fingers as he inquired:
"Well, Cynthia, what's the matter
Aren't you going TO bid me welcome
came home early on purpose TO please
you"
Standing there In that quiet, expectan'
attitude, doubt whether the most criti.
cal physiognomist would have detected
In his appearance an indication OF craft
or guile In his cool, passionless gray
eye lurked no suspicious CLEAN; and the
lines about his large mouth were drawn
as evenly as In preraphaelite picture.
Mrs. Tapscott advanced mechanically and
kissed him.
as anything wrong, my lover" he
asked anxiously.
Cynthia's heart was beating wildly, but
she endeayorcd to control her voice, and
answered with as much unconcern as
possible:
Nothing, thank you"
Now IL was Cadwsllader's turn to be
mystifed He repaired to his dressing
room, and began to arrange his toilet for
the evening. What had come over his
wifeS Why did she cram those papers
into the desk as he entered the room
Why, In fact, had she acted 30 strangely
of late in everything affecting that escri'
toire2 and why was she to-day so dis
traught and absentminded as 10 forget
her customary salutationY 1t was unac-
conntable.
All al once his eye fell on the twisted
bit of paper in his hand, and he uniolded
it. IL proved to be the blank side of a
note-sheet. such as his wife used to jot
down memoranda before entering them In
her journal. On " was the inscription
Mem.--Ed writes me, requesting In.
terview at his office, Saturday, 10th. He
wants proofs. Have answered, promising
compliance.n
Mr.. Tapscott did not sink into a chair
he did not utter stifled moan he did not
allow the paper TO fall 10 the floor. He
simply looked dazed, and said something.
What he said Is neither here nor there;
am sure the reader would not wish me to
record it.
Then he read the words a second time.
"And who the dickens Is Ed 70 he de-
manded, directing the question partly to
his shaving glass and partly 10 vacancy
" lie wants proofs, does her by the pow.
ers, he shall have theml I'll give him all
the proofs he wants of one fact--that it's
not safe TO cultivate the acquaintance OF
Mrs. Cadwallader Tapscott without the
cognizance and consent Of her husband"
He folded the paper carefully and put
II In his porte-monnaie.
"No wonder she's acted 30 oddly, car
rying this thing on under my very nose"
he added, as he resumed his dressing.
Saturday, chr The very day of my APP
pointment Well, this being OF primary
importance, the other can wait The
first instinct In married man, by Jovc,
Is elfpreservationi"
No sooner had her husband left her
apartment than Mrs. Tapscott burst into
tears They were the first she had been
able to shed, and brought her world OF
relief Suddenly she started up, bathed
her eyes in cold water, and FASTENED to
the floor below.
II am wasting valuable time," she
soliloquized "He carries tablets In his
ovcrcoat. Who knows but they may con.
tain the very information wantS"
so saying, she went TO the hat rack and
began rifling the pockets OF Cadwallader's
surtout The tablets were soon forthcom.
ing, and under the head of Saturday was
the inscription:
afternoon Miss Isabel Whitney, %
Marcelin place"
Every lingel ing hope of her husbands
innocence now vanished; every doubt
was dispelled. She must face the dread
reality and make the best Of It,
Returning the tablets to their proper
pocket, Cynthia adjourned to the dining.
room, and employed the ensuing interval
In giving orders TO the servants and look.
ing after the dinner. When husband and
wife next met both were as calm as usual,
and the evening meal was eaten as
though nothing had happened, or was
about to happen, TO destroy their domes-
tic peace. Ii anything, they were more
twin-like than ever.
The following morning, when Mr.. Tap
scott entered the library, he beheld his
wife engaged in reading the advertise
ment columns Of the Messenger. IA soon
as she saw him she made some excuse to
lay the newspaper aside and leave the
room. His curiosity was now on the
alert, and he was fortified against any
surpriSa aftar tina dpyelonmanfa of veetar-