The evening world., 1893-10-11
HONEST JIM'S GAME.
Il Wifc's DerOtiOn Which maze Her. an
Easy Tictim.

I moro comfortable indoors than out
And %e'. jIst as I was In the middle Of
/ par igraph | was reading to her from
IN" e,oning paper, ! looked UP and saw
that Fltda had vanished. Again ]
scarCned the house. Again I found
! that she had left It. Again the yellow
! light OF the lantern told me of her re-
| turn She Was not out uf breath this
| lid". but sh" was pHlr and irembled
! littlc. She shook her head when aske ed
| her wnorc she had been. and said
Nowhere. The house felt close. ]
wanted n little air. THAT Is all"
! "Yuu did not md what ! vas reading
interesting" said I.
! II assure YOU. sho began, then
broke m suddenly. Don't talk about
Ut" sh" cried. Don't! Don't! | pray.
du1't talk about IT,"
did not talk. but thought good
deal aud had reason to think. Day
by day noticod that f'lcda was grad.
ually Lr'"ing thinner and pnlcr. Her
spirits wet" deserving hcr And when
tn" sam" day of tho week came around
she loft the house AZ mystcriously as
before. Tho presence Of a guest pre-
vented inc from following her. but 7
discovered that. in order to keep the
know ledge of her absence from the
house from me she entered the store.
room. climbed cut Of tho window AT
IN" ri'k of her neck and returned in tho
Same manner. Moreover, ! discovered
IN III" sill u few scattered coins a ten
cent piece aud two pennies which told
III" tat she had dropped portion of
some money that she had taken with
hcr An this made INC very unhappy.
I dstcstcd mysteries. aud 1t Was evident
that one uf the sort which I had always
thought unnatural WHOM introduced into
the pages Of novels had arisen in my
quiet nth" home.
remembered that ! had met my wife
by chance: that our introduction was
brought ABOUT by a chance acquaintance.
who really knew nothing OF either of
us; that she WAS alone in the world,
without any living relative. or claimed
to he SO; music Of teacher. with few
pupils. making Il hard struggle for life.
Very possibly a disrcputable father or
brother had turned W, to whom she
was obliged to give assistance. ard
whom she dill not wish me to know. 1t
was pity. but l would have no
more Of this, / would get at the truth
and help her II / could. Then terrible
thought occurred to me. What II /;
should prove that she had married carly
in lie that worthless husband had
returned. and that she was trying TO
get rid of him? In that case what
goose | would he to mcddle and force
upon myself a terrible knowledge which
! might avoid.
II was cowardly. perhaps. but I loved
Fleda so dearly that / had rather be
| deceived in such a wny--I never doubted
/ her utter truth for one moment-than
to be unieceived to my misery. And.
! hoping against hope, permitted
two more weeks to pass by withcu' = |
Ing anything whatever. Then 'a4
hour when graver doubts possessed me.
I My wife had sold the diamond earrings
which my sister had given her upon
/ her wedding day. came by this
, knowledge while examining her desk
7 Tor letters, and | believed that she in
tended to give the money thus raised to
/ the mysterious person who had the
power to call her from her freside when
! he pleased.
The night on which l followed her
]
air WAS warm and full OF the breath Of
| flowers. My wife wore a white dress
ana pretty hat with daisies around
the hrim. She had told me a deliberate
falschOod, asking me to stay at home
to .cceive friend who might call
while she went TO the dressmakcr's
| house
= Wild hope that she had only been
TO this DR. 'ssmaker before, and that the
jewels were sold to pay some cxtrava-
cant bill, filed my heart. but it van
ished as ! followed her and saw her
leave the road after going a few PAGES,
and take by-path which ran back
into our own orchard. 1t was small
place fun of old apple trees. The moon
light failed to ill II, but saw amidst
the shadows OF the foliage the darker
shadow of a mans figure.
"N"'Ne kept me waiting" he whls-
pcrcd
II could not help It," my wife re-
piled.
The man gave "A Growl
we've got the mpncr?' he said For
your own interest. you've got the
money. the five hundred dollars?'
> Where had ! heard that voice before.
NO my wife faltercd, mot so much
the ieweller would only give me three
hundred, but | have that"
! 'ie must raise the other two" grouiec