The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-04-14

| myself ! couldnot bring myself to ccm.
mand my wiEen TO SEQ him, without
single reason, 20 I took ny satisfaction in
behaving Ike a bear, aud making her
miserable for week.
Some days had passed away when one
evening party of merry friends came in
and James bridal array became the sub.
ject of conversation. A lady Of the party
| expressed wish to see some article Of
ornament belonging TO the bridal dress.
Jane endeavorcd TO change the conyersa-
ton. saw the. she was troubled, but
repeated the lady's request. She replied
the article was not at home. / INQUIRED
of her whom she had lent IL TO. She re.
piled that she had not lent IL; and her
lips trembled, and her checks burned as
sho said il. The ladies saw that come.
thing was wrong, and Immediately turned
attention from the subject.
But / was aroused. In my excited
and suspicious state Of mind, fancied
hundred things, and somehow thoy were
| associated with Benton. 1 determined
to ascertain where .he article had gone.
First, took occasion, during my wifes
absence from the house one afternoon TO
| ascertain that there was not single arti-
| Gle of her bridal attire in the house. 1
knew that the whole would make FORM
iidable package, which, she could never,
or would never, have carried away.
Who did car.y it? Somebody, probably,
| who belonged in the house. / called the
gil whom you met ut the door, and asked
whether she carried from the house lately
q package or bandbox belonging TO
Mrs. Kennedy. She colorcd deeply, and
acknowledged that she had. inquired
as TO where she had carried it. She was
yeryi humble, and deprecated my dis
plea'urc, but very positively declined to
tell me. coaxed her. undertook to
bribe her and threatened, her, but all to
no purpose. Not If were TO cut her In
pieces would she tell me-
My suspicious were thoroughly aroused
and l believed from the bottom of my
soul that the detestable Benton somehow
was connected with the matter. It now
became me 10 put on smooth and af-
fectionate exterior, for had rrcret to
fathom. | received Jane, on he. return,
with tho old fondness. and wo passed an
evening full Of misery to me, but over
flowing with happiness to her. Where
to begin Investigations, | could not tell
was afraid the servant would toll Jane
of our conversation; but, us sho thor
oughly loved her mistress, she promised
that il ] made no difficulty about it she
would not tell her.
| l had no resource now but to watch.
The next day, instead of going to my
office, took cigar in the reading room
of the - hotel, and seating myself by
q window that gave me view Of my resi-.
dence, kept my eye on the door. had
sat there perhaps half an hour, when
I Ion ;r>ft l,I, g.: 4
Kate Stephcns) went tripping down thc
minutes passed away when she and Jane
cloakcd. l slipped out and followed
streets, until at last they turned III at an
open doorway. marked the number
and then went to my Office. I was in a
fever of excitement. That was evidently
no place for ladies to call Thnt door
| opened into blind looking stairway.
There was no nnmo on The door.
The next thing for mo to ascertain W,
the name and character of the persons
occupying the rooms above. / 1entto
my dinner as usual, and played the care
less and happy to the best Of my ability.
My wife was in gay mood, and seemed
almost hatefully charming and brilliant.
] kissed her aud bade her good evening.
pleading business az my excuse for leav.
| ing her alone. My steps almost involun-
tarily took the dir ,tion of the morning
4 walk. WAS moving brskly along, when
| discovered familiar figure before mo-
l knew It was Benton the moment fixed
/ eyes upon it. / uncousciously took his
pace, keeping at safe distance, and fol-
lowed street over street by that same path
upon which / had followed my wife. AS
we approached tho suspected door fair
| ly held my breath. My blood curdled,
| and every hair on my head seemed to rise
with apprehension. was not mistaken.
He mounted the steps, and turning on
his heel, coolly paused to pick his teeth
as ground mine together and passed by.
could not yet bring myself to tho hu-
initiation of doubling my wife's truth to
me. The fact that her friend nccompn-
nied her certainly did not tend TO this
conclusion; but the consciousness that
she still retained warm respect for Ben
ton, and that she had met him in an OBJ
scure room for any purpose, distracted
me. But had prudence enough to de-
termine to wait for tho denouement, and in
tho meantime to maintain as strict sur
veilance Of both parties as was possible
without endangering detection.
ThEee days. passed away md nothing
occurred to prove that the yiait had
been repeated. In the meantime Jane
was as happy rs lark. / watched her
sometimes while she sat at her needle
work, and frequently saw peculiar smile
on her face. On one of these occasions
l abruptly asked her what she was think
Ing. OF, and though I importuned her
with some degree of severity, ] could get
no satisfactory reply.
The matter very soon began to wear
upon my spirits. Twas frightened by my
haggard aspect whenever I looked In q
mirror. Jane noticed tho fact and became
extremely anxious for me. Her affee.
tionate attentions were moro assiduous
than ever, and / was made ashamed of
my suspicious, for could not doubt the
genuineness of her solicitous apprehen-
g 'ons. Still the facts would recur, and 1
passed many sleepless. nights revolving
them.
One day, while sitting in my office, my
perplexing thoughts overcam0 mo, and +
penned the letter which you received
from me. could keep still no longer
without telling some ono Of the weight
that oppressed me. took the letter to
the Office myself; and as folt that soli-
tude would only render me more miser-
able, | did not return, but kept along
through the streeta. lnvoluntarily, al.
most, 80 directed my steps as 10 take the
street which. contained the secret that
was tormenting me. feelected the door
at the distance of block and my heart
sank within me MS I saw gentleman