The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-11-10
FINLAYSON'S OPERA-GLASSES


Mrs. Finlayson felt aggrieved on re-
turning to the domestic hearth in Bry-
anstone square one evening, from
short visit 10 some friends in the coun-
try, at finding that her husband was not
at home TO receive her. If he would
not take the trouble TO meet her Mt the
station, she thought he might at least
have made point of welcoming her on
the threshold of his house. She sub
sequentlv ascertained that her lord and
master had started on journey TO
Liverpool early in the morning, and
was not expected back till late. This
information, however, did not soothe
the good lady's rufhed spirit, though
she had been married long enough to
realize the eXigencies of business. The
truth was, that old Mat Finlayson, as
his friends called him, after prolonged
and jovial bachelor existence, had de-
veloped into such docile and attentive
husband that he reaped the reward of
his excellence in the shape of domestic
tyranny and oppression.
When the truant at length made his
appearance he was greeted by the wife
vi SilN bOoOih III blIt Clllllltpb HldllutI.
The lady was tired and sleepy, or she
might have had a good deal to say on
the subject of his alleged neglect. She
contented herself, however, with
haughtily repelling his friendly adj
vances and answering his questions in
monosyllables. Mr.. Finlayson seemed
much less tenderly affected by this be
havior than usual a circumstance which
did not escape his wife's notice. He
was evidently in a nervous and preoccu-
pied frame of mind, which he explained
by saying that he had had a long and
disagreeable days business. Mrs Fin
layson was so struck ley his demeanor
that she began to wonder what he had
been doing, an uncomfortable suspicion
which frequently occurred to her,
though it originated entirely in her
naturally exacting and jealous DISPOSE
ton.
Next morning Mr.. Finlayson had TO
start very early for the city TO keep an
appointment, and took his departure
with remarkable alacrity, as though
glad to escape from his wife's presence.
That lady had arrived at the firm con-
viction, as the result of close observa-
ton and watchfulness since his return
the preceding evening, that her lord
was oppressed by some guilty secret.
She knew the outward and visible signs
of business worries, and felt sure that
the cause of his present uneasiness
was a troubled conscience arising from
some serious misdemeanor No doubt
the demon of jealousy helped her to an
rive at this conclusion, but il is certain
that for some reason or other Mr.. Fin
layson did not appear to regard the
homecoming of his wife on this occa-
sion with unmiXed satisfaction.
The mornings post did not arrive I'M
til after he had left, and consequently
Mrs. Finlayson assumed the wifely
function of opening her husbands let
tiers. 1t seemed rs though there was
nothing i'll the correspondence TO salts
fly the uneasy curiosity which prompted
her to examine every letter with in
creased attention. But when she came
TO the last of the batch-a blue, official
Cooking envelope, which she had put
aside as eminently uninteresting
was seized with mild mystification. 1t
was formal communication from the
Director of the Lost Property Office, at
Scotland Yard, stating that pair of
field-glasses, bearing the name and adj
dress of Mr.. Finlayson, had been found
In public conveyance the day before,
and would he restored on payment of a
small percentage upon the declared
value.
What struck Mrs Finlayson as strange
upon reading this intimation was that
her husbands feld-glasses stood at the
present moment on the mantel-shelf in
noticed them just before, but to make
sure she Immediately went upstairs to
satisfy herself upon the point The
glasses were beyond a doubt in their
accustomed place. With vague curios-
ity Mrs. Finlayson took them out of the
case, inside which was glued one of her
husbands visiting cards, inscribed with
his name and address. She knew they
were the only glasses he possessed, and
consequently they must be the identical
ones referred to in the communication
from the police.
A few moments reflection suggested
the probable explanation of what had
happened with regard to them. Evil
IDENTIFY they had been claimed at the
Lost Property Office after the police
had dispatched TO her husband formal
intimation of their recovery. This, how
ever, was very small part of the mys-
terry The serious question was, what
had her husband wanted to take the
glasses to Liverpool for, and why had
he made no mention of his singular
good luck in recovering a valuable ar
ticle left in cab? The obvious answer
seemed TO be that he had not gone TO
Liverpool at all, but had attended some
race meeting, under the prctense of ba-
ing away on business.