Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-05-05


to be enough. You've no right to doubt
my honor and fidelity on account of q
trumpery discovery like this and if my
assurance cannot satisfy you you must
remain unsatisfed. It's unwarranted,
it's cruel and it's absurd.''
Of course, Mrs. Cornwall fell to Sob
bing at this unexpected display of spir-
it and whined out something from
Byron to the effect that love was a thing
apart from mans life, but that it was
woman's sole existence. In which
frame of mind the 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 language
would be termed ''strained.
About week afterwards Charlie
came in from shooting and said:
"My dear, Imet * Y. H. today for
the first time. He is very anxious to
know if we are quite comfortable here
and said that he hoped very shortly to
do himself the honor of paying us a
VISIT
Him! Perhaps the lady whom you
so signally favored will come with
him." said Mrs Cornwall, with sarcas-
tic emphasis.
"We shall see. replied her husband.
''He didn't say anything about bring
ing Ing; a lady with him: Shall I ask him
''Oh, dear, yes, of course replied
Mrs. Cornwall. ''You must be anxious
to see one to whom you are ever true
and affectionate after all this time.
Oh, yes, ask her by all means. 1t
would be such delicate act of cour-
tesy towards me. What is x. Y. rs
name?'
"Fordyce-Richard Fordyce,' re-
piled Charlie.
The mention of this name produced
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 to twitch nervously.
"Well, my dear, what's the matterp''
he asked.
"Oh nothing" replied Lucy. Ill
don't feel very well. l think this
Scotch air is rather too strong for me.
1 would like to 90 south again.
Such sudden indisposition of one
who had been, up to few seconds pre-
viously, in robust health made Char
lie Cornwall ponder, Why should the
name of Richard Fordyce produce
such strange and immediate effect?
Evidently there was something below
the surface, and as he had during the
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't been here long enough to get
accustomed to the air, so don't 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
although | have not said much, it has
been source of great annoyance and
grief to me-
ooh, never mind about that, Char
lie,'' said his wife; Il haven't been
very we'll for some days, and when one
isn't well one is apt to be irritable at
tritles. 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, and so, in spite of all her Sob
bling and intreaties, Mrs. Cornwall had
to yield with the best grace she could.
On the very next morning Charlie,
as 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 to be seen and did
not 90 out 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
Here Mrs Cornwall, in terrupting
said: ''Hush, Dick, hush! I'm Mrs.
Cornwall now. We must not be as we
were to each other, for if my husband
were to know that we were acquainted
l can t think what he would do. AS it
is. I'm in dreadful fix on account of
a photograph of his which 1 found up
stairs and which,
| At that moment Charlie, who had in
tcntly followed the little chap up to this
point and who feared that further alb
sence on his part would prevent the
truth about the photograph becoming
known to him. appeared.
"Glad to see you, MIR. Fordyce,' he
said, extending his hand. II don't
think you know Mrs. Cornwall-but
It was difficult to say who looked the
more uncomfortable, Lucy Corn wall OF
Richard Fordy ce, and Charlie who now
saw chance of being able to pay of
long arrears of jealous persecution, en-
joyed their embarrassment thoroughly
and continued:
"But perhaps you have met before?'
'Y-yes, Mr.. Cornwall, l think once
had the pleasure, ~ sheepishly murmur:
ed Fordyce.
'Egad!' thought Charlie, "he must
have made a jolly good use of that
once l rather think there is some.
thing more to come out.
But be only said:
THAT'S all right, then; needn't in
troduce you And to his wife's relief
he went on talking generally about the
house and the prospects of the season
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 photograph. She was
not SO well pleased, however, when
Charlie insisted that Fordyce should
come back to dinner after the day
shooting, for she knew very we'll that
men wax very much more eloquent up