The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-05-06

us until the mystery of this photograph
is solved and until know who has been
sni !gering and soldering over it.
My dear, don't be silly" said her
husband.
est recollection Of having given my
photo to anybody. male or female. cN-
cept yourself and our friends, il ought
to be enough. You've no right 10 doubt
my honor and fidelity on account If Il
| trumpery discovery like this and If my
assurance cannot satisfy you you must
remain nnsatistied. It's unwarranted.
| its cruel and it absurd
OF course, Mrs. Cornwall fell 10 sob
bing at this unexpected display Of .pir-
| it and whined out something from
Byron TO the effect that love was thing
apart from mans life, but that it was
| womans sole existence. In which
frame OF mind the cold FLOODED Charlie
left her, glad at the success SO far OF
| the attitude he had taken up, but by no
means SO sure of innocence as he made
himself out TO be. So for two or three
| days the relationship between man and
wife was what in political lang uage
| would be termed strained
About week afterwards Charlie
came in from shooting and said:
MY dear, met X r. r. today for
the first time. He il very anxious to
know ii we are quite comfortable here
and said that be hoped very shortly to
do hinselfthe honor Of paying ns 4
visit.
HIM! Perhaps the lady whom you
so signally favored will come with
| him. said Mrs. Cornwall, with sarcas-
tic emphasis.
I'VE shall see.' replied her husband.
He didn't say any thing about bring
ing lady with him. Shall l ask him
top
..Oh. dear, yes, of course. replied
Mrs. Cornwall You must be anxious
to see one to whom you are ever true
aud aflectionate after all this time
Oh. yes, ask her by all means. II
would be such delicate act Of cour-
tesy towards me. What is X. Y. Is
name?'
"Fordyce- Richard Fordycc," re-
piled Charlie.
The mention Of this name produced
a strange effect upon Mrs. Cornwall.
which Charlie could not fail to note:
the color left her cheeks. her breathing
came hard and fast and her fingers be-
gan 10 witch nervously.
well. my dear, what's the matterp'
| he asked.
.sOh nothing replied Lucy. I'll
don I feel very well. think this
Scotch air is rather too strong for me.
l would like to 90 south again.
Such sudden indisposliion of one
who had been, up to a few seconds pre-
viously. in robust health made Char
lie Cornwall ponder, Why should the
name of Richard Fordyce produce
such strange aud immediate effect?
Evidently there was something below
the surface, aud as he had during he
| last few days undergone an intOlerable
persecution at the hands Of his wife. he
was in no mood to leave any stone un-
turned by which he could turn the
tables on her. So he replied:
Nonsense! Lucy, nonsense! You
haven been here long enough to get
| accustomed to the air. 50 don I talk al
| ready Of going south when we've got
| two months to run. Besides, my dear.
I'm curious about this affair Of the
photograph, and when Fordyce comes
/ III ask him if he knows anything
about it. Remember You have made a
very grave accusation against nle, and
although have not said much, it has
been a source of great annoyance aud
grief to me. :
.Oh, never mind about that, Char
lie, said his wife; Il haven't been
very well for some days, and when one
isn't well one is apt to be irritable at
trifles. Consider it all as unsaid and
let us get away from this damp. dreary
place.
But Charlie, whose turn it was to be
suspicious. insisted that she should
give the place trial of a few days
longer, aud SO, in spite Of all her sob
bing and intreaties. Mrs. Cornwall had
to yield with the best grace she could.
On the very next morning Charlie,
rs he was smoking his after breakfast
pipe. saw Fordyce coming up the gar
den, but, for reasons of his own, he did
not allow himself 10 be seen and did
not 90 ont to greet his visitor. He lis
tened. however, attentively and after
hearing his wife run hastily down
stairs. he heard Mr.. Fordyce's CHEEKY
voice ring out:
why, Lucy! who would have
thought of meeting you in this out. Of
the-way corner! We haven't seen
each other since
said: "Hush, Dick. hush! I'm Mrs.
T.
were to each other, for il my husband
were to know that we were acquainted
can t think what he would do. As it
il. / m in a dreadful fix on account OF
a photograph Of his which | found up
stairs and which,
At that moment Charlie, who had in
tcnily followed the little chap up to this
point and who feared that further alb
sence on his parl would prevent the
truth about the photograph becoming
known to him appeared.
'.Glad to see you, Mr.. FOrdyce.' he
said. extending his hand. II don I
think you know Mrs. COrnwall-but
I-i'
1t was difficult to say who looked the
more uncomfortable, Lucy Cornwall or
Richard Fordyce, and Charlie who now
saw a chance of being able to pay of
long arrears of jealous persecution, en-
joyed their embarrassment thoroughly
aud continues:
but perhaps you have met before?''
.l-yes. Mr. Cornwall, think once
had the pleasure, sheepishly murmnr-
ed Fordyce.
.Egad!' thought Charlie, "he must
have made jolly good use Of thai
once. rather think there is some.
thing more to come out.
But he only said:
That's al right, then; ncedn't in.
troduce YOU And 70 his wife's relief
he went on talking generally about thu
house and the prospects Of the season
and of one thing and another, until she
was almost lulled into sense Of secu.
rity and began to think that after all he
was not SO Very anxious to solve the
mystery of the photographs. She wa.