The Press., 1890-08-14
Issued Every Thursday Evening.
wouldn't climb it-for farm"
 "You know what mean," she said.

did.
 When we reached the boarding house, Mir. Jacobus took me aside.
 "You know" he began his discourse, 'smy wife, she used to live N York !'
 ''I didn't know but I said yes.
 s'She says the numbers on the streets runs criss cross like. Thirty -four s on one side O the street and thirty-f five on t'other. How's that ?"
 "That is the invariable rule, believe. 7"
 "Then-I say-these here new folks that you n your wife seem so mighty taken up with-d'Je know anything about 'em P
 Fl know nothing about the character of your boarders, Mir. Jacobus," replied, conscious of some irritability. "If I choose to associate with any of them"
 'Jess so--jess sop broke in Jacobus "I hain't nothin' to say ag'inst yer sosher- bil'ty. But do ye k,sov them ?'
 "Why, certainly not, replied.
 "Well-that was all I wuz askin' ye Ye see, when he comes here to take the rooms-yoa wasn't here then-he told my wife that he lived at number thirty. four in his street. An yistiddy he told her that he lived at number thirty five. He said there can't be no apartment house on two oAeASC oA aa1O onAAO ooAOOts AAh
 "What street was it P inquired, wear lily.
 "Hundred n twenty -first-st."
 May be-" replied, still more wearily. That's Harlem. Nobody knows what peo- pie will do in Harlem"
 I went up to my wife's room.
 Don't you think its qneer?'' she asked me.
 "I think I'll have talk with that young man tonight, said, ''and see if he can give some account of himself"
 "But, my dear" my wife said, gravely, ''she doesn't know whether they've had the measles or not"
 "Why, great Scott l" exclaimed, "they must have had them when they were chil- dren."
 'Please don't be stupid" said my wife. "I meant their children"
 When I went upstairs that evening l found my wife putting her hair to bed-I don't know how can better describe an operation familiar to every married man. waited until the last tress was coiled up, and then I. spoke.
 'I've talked with Brede," said, "and l didn't have to catechize him. He seemed to feel that some sort of an explanation was looked for, and he was very outspoken. You were right about the children-that is, I must have misunderstood him. There are only two. But the Matterhorn cpl sode was simple enough. He din't realize how dangerous it was until he had got so far into it that he couldn't back out; and he didn't tell her because he'd left her here, you see, and under the circum- stances"
 Cleft here!" cried my wife. aI've been sitting with her the whole afternoon, sewing, and she told me that he left her al Geneva, and came back and took her to Basic. and the baby was born there-now I'm sure, dear, because I asked her."
 Perhaps was mistaken when thoug6> he said she was on this side," suggested with bitter, biting irony.
 "You poor dear, did l abuse you? said my wife. "But do you know, Mrs. Tabb said that she didn't know how many Jumps of sugar he took in his coffee. Now that seems queer, doesn't it2"
 It did. It was queer thing. But il looked queer. Very queer. The next morning, it was clear that wal was declared against the Bredes. They came down to breakfast somewhat late and as soon as they arrived the Biggleses swooped up the last fragments that re mained on their plates, and made stately march out of the room. Then Miss Hoogencamp arose and departed. leaving z whole fish ball on her plate. Evan as At alanta might have dropped an apple be hind her to tempt her pursuer to check his speed, so Miss Hoogencamp left tha fish ball behind her, and between hel maiden self and contamination. We had finished our breakfast, my wife r M, talked it over and agreed that we wer. sides upon such insufficient testimony. l After breakfast it was the custom of tn, male half of the Jacobus hous ehold to gt around the corner of the building ant smoke their pipes and cigars where they der trellis covered with grapevine tha had borne no grapes in the memory O man. This vine, however, bore leaves and these, on that pleasant summer morn ing, shielded from us two persons wht were in earnest conversation in the strag gling, half-dead flower garden at the sid of the house.
 ''I don't want" we heard MT. Jacobu say, "to enter into no mans 20,y-vacy but I do want to know who it may be like, that hev in my house. Now what I ask of you, and don't want you to talk it in no ways personal, is-hev you you merridge license with you?" :"
 "No," we heard the voice of MT. Bred reply. "Have you yours ?" l think it was a chance shot; but it tolt all the same. The major Che was widow er) and Mr. Biggles and looked at eacl other; and Mir. Jacobus, on the other sid of the grape trellis, looked at-I don know what-and was as silent as we were
 Where is your marriage license, mar l ried reader? Do you know? Four men not including MT. Brede, stood or sate ol one side or the other of that grape-trellis and not ono of them knew where his mar riage license was Each of us had ha, one-the major had had three. But wher were they? Where is yourss Tucke' in your best mans pocket; deposited il his desk, or washed to pulp in his whit waistcoat (if white waistcoats be the fash I ion of the hour, washed out of existenc can you tell where it is? Gan you-uu less you are one of those people who fram that interesting document and hang 1t u on their drawing room walls? I Mir. Brede's voice arose, after an awfu stiffness of what seemed like five minutes and was, probably, 30 seconds.
 "Mr. Jacobus, will you make out you bill at once, and let me pay it shal leave by the 6 o'clock train. And will yo also send the wagon for my trunks" l s'I hain't said wanted to hev ye leav