Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-01-23

picions about his wife which would, in
spite of all he could do. obtrude them
selves upon him. To get the better of them
he bet heavily and drank copiously. But
! in the pre-occupation of his mind he
/ forgot discretion in his betting and lost
i more than man in his position could
! well afford; and the champagne instead OF
making him gay made him quarrelsome.
| Over one bet he had bitter and prolonged
| dispute with his oldest and dearest friend,
Mat Owen. which seemed likely to end in
a complete breach, and which was only
settled with much trouble by the strenu-
GUS exertions of their common friends, At
last the races were over, and John was
heartily glad Of 1t, for he had never spent
more miserable day in his existence.
He returned with the others to town
and although all day his gloomy spirits and
bad temper had made him little less than
an intolerable nuisance tQA thesresE VI the
company, they expected he would be him
self once again at supper, since there was
no place where, as a rule. John Gamble
showed with such advantage as at the
table. But they were doomed to disap-
pointment. At supper j ohm behaved much
as he had done on the course. He re-
NAMED silent and gloomy, never opening
his mouth except to take brandy or cham
payne, or to contradict some of the neigh
bors. When at length, late in the evening,
he announced that as he did not feel we'll
he thought he would return home at once,
they were all greatly relieved. He accord
| ingly left the supper-room and drove to
the railway station, reaching it just in
time to catch the last train to Burgewos-
town.
When the train arrived at the "beaut1-
full and aristocrat1c suburb of Burgew os-
town las the local paper described it) it
was midnight; and by the time John
reached Montmorency Terrace it was close
upon 1 O'Clock. At the station he had
been unable to procure cab, and so had
to walk. The distance to those who had
confined their peregrinaJions to the side
path, was only about half a mile; but as
John felt impelled probably on account
of its not being properly lighted) to cross
the street at least hundred times in the
course of the Journey it was not strange
that it seemed to him at least three times
that distance. When at length he came
to his own house he saw how just his sus-
his wife's usual time for retiring, the
drawing-room on the first floor was lighted
up. What could she be doing at that
hour of the night ? What did she mean
by talking about sitting up for him if she
did not intend to be in bed at O'Clock in
the morning? He felt sure there was
something wrong, and was walking for
ward to knock at the door when it occur
J red to him that if he knocked she would let
out of the house any person there might
be in lG before he could effect an entrance.
To discover really what she was doing he
must surprise her; but how was he to do
that :? He had no latch-key-even if he
had, most probably the door was bolted
inside He tried the windows on the
ground floor; they were all fastened. He
felt fairly nonplussed. AS last resource,
he resolved to 60 to the back of the house
get over the garden wall, and see if he
could not gain admittance through some of
the back windows.
He went to the back. The terrace,
though not very long one-there were
only twenty houses in all-was all built
on the one plan. and so. from tie rear at
least, it was rather difficult to distinguish
| the houses from each other. But, as John
Gamble lived at No. 4, he was able to dis
cover his house by counting the fourth
from the end. Having in this way ident-
flied it, he scaled the garden wall. AS it
was only about five feet high, he contriv-
| ed to do this without much difficulty
| Once over he made his way through the
| garden to the back of the house. He began
| trying all the windows to see if any OF
! them had been left unfastened To his
delight, the kitchen one was Unattached
| He raised it cautiously. Scrambling up
| the sill-the house had no basement story
| he sat there for moment wondering
| aLoOOeSoJ
| condition, he could get in without letting
the window drop or making any other dis
! turbance, when he recoliected that there
was table just below the window. He
| put in his feet and felt it, Considering
himself now secure, he slipped down upon
| it. AS he did 50 the table went from be-
meath him. and he fell heavily and with a
| terrible clatter on the floor. The table had
not been exactly underneath the window
and his weight coming upon it sideways
had upturned it. Considerably shaken
and confused by the fall, he arose listened
to hear if the noise had disturbed the in
inmates. Apparently it had not, for he
could hear no footsteps. To make sure
that no one should leave the house before
he got out of the kitchen, he hurriedly
CROPPED his way through the kitchen to the
door, and through the door to the bottom
of the stairs. The fall seemed to have in
creased the effect of the drinks he had taken
| for in spite of all his efforts to 60 quietly
and cautiously. at every step he collided
against something or other. Getting up
stairs gave him still more difficulty.
At length he reached the lobby of the
,srst floor. He stole as noiselessly as pos
sit.le to tbs drawing-room door and lis
tene,z earnest''s il he could hear any
sound within. There was none; but the
rom W IS still lighted He felt now in an
awkw ward position. He began to doubt if
his suspicious were, after all, wall found
ed If they were he would know how to
act. but if, as now seemed likely they were
ao,,ld he eYnlain to his wife