Dodge City times., 1877-09-08
nothing about the embellishments she
laid on in the course of her story.

nothing about the embellishments she
laid on in the course of her story.
Mrs. Mallory was astonished, of fcourse
And as soon as her visitor had with.
drawn, she donned her bonnet and
shawl, and whips across to Mrs. .Dinks's
There the story was repeated with vari-
ations and considerable additions.
Then Mrs. Dinks took it up. And
then Mrs. Murray got interested
in it, and Mrs. Filpot, and so on, till
every body had got hold of it, and has
talked it up, and had passed judgment
on the man who was guilty of such
gross malpractice toward his family.
If it had stopped right there, perhaps it
would have answered; but it didn't 1t
spread like circle in the water, till in
the end Mrs. Jones herself heard of it;
and heard, of course, that the author of
the story was the minister's own self.
The next thing to be done was for
Mr.. Jones and his family TO leave Mr..
Caper's church, and go somewhere else.
The clergyman was greatly troubled
about it, and sent his wife over to see if
she could discover the cause. Mrs
Jones received her with a great deal of
coldness, and seemed hardly civil. I'm
able to endure it any longer, Mrs. Ca
pers asked the aggrieved lady frankly
what the trouble was. Mrs. Jones as
frankly told her; that was well, for now
the latter knew exactly what the matter
was, and what was necessary to do.
Going home and imparting the intelli-
gence to her husband, he manifested
quite as much astonishment as she. He
sat and thought it over a while, in order
the better to collect hismelf before taking
a single step, and then started off direct
for Mr.. Jones himself. He told Mr..
Jones what he had just heard, and de-
clared the whole of it an untruth from
beginning to end. Mr.. Jones went on
with the minutest particulars connected
with the affair, and making the most of
the case in his power against the minis
ter. Still the latter positively
denied his guilt, and declared his deter
mination to ferret out the author of so
base SANDER, if it was within human
possibility. And he hurried back and
set about it.
For some weeks it was mystery still;
he could get no clew to any thing. 1t
perplexed him beyond conception.
Finally his wife came running down
stairs one day, her face flushed and ex-
cited; and said to him under her un-
steady breath:
"Mr. Capers, have you ever noticed
that knot-hOle in your study floor?'
"Why, no." said he. "Where is it
and what of it?''
"Come up stairs and sect"
And up they went together. She point
ed to the tell-tale spot, and remarked in
a whisper:
81 caught Mrs. jenkins with her ear
to that very hOle!"
That was the first step toward the un-
ravelment of the mystery. In few days
more the whole of it began to come out.
He had sent his wife out to make further
inquiries, and she brought back just
such intelligence as he expected and re-
quired. And putting this and that to-
gether, and recalling certain ideas that
up to that time had passed out of his
mind altogether, he thought the matter
was all explained at last. So he went
over to MIR. Jones once more.
"Come," said he, "if you will con-
sent to go home with me for a short. time |
| think can explain some things that
have hitherto stood in the way of our
friendship"
Mr.. Jones did not happen to love
malice well enough to refuse, and ac-
cordingly took walk with the minister
over to his residence. The latter at |
once took him up into his study, and
shut the door.
"In the first place. said he, 81 sup
pose you know that Mrs. jenkins lives
in the L?'
"Yes."
"Well, and you observe that knot
hole?''