The herald., 1894-07-04


Forthwith he was anxious TO execute
his design, but his heart beat little
faster at the thought of it. With diff
Guilty he wrote few lines in an al
tered handwriting, which interpreted
in pitiable way the accusation of the
wife whom he adored and loved. And
in order to make the deception more
complete he added thereto tho initials
of the name of her supposed lover and
traducer. !
For this purpose he selected the name
of the young apothecary who had only
a few minutes before come to his house
ON visit.
''It is true. I know, that my wife
cannot endure him" he said to himself,
''but what of that? The scene will DO
all the more natural and powerful. "
Yet somehow as he wrote the adj
dress on the encyclopedias own address
"a sad feeling stole over him.
"Some things cause pain even in
JOKE" he murmured to himself "How
thankful l am for my wife's stainless
character"
And with trembling fingers he finish
ed the writing. Then he weighed care
fully in his mind what the next step
should be and finally carried it to the
postoffice himself
All was going splendidly. In the
evening they intended to go to the the
alter, so that she would find this letter,
on which so much depended, among her
other papers and letters when they got
home again. The whole scene would be
acted at night just as in real novel. 1t
was splendid.
When they came out of the theater, it
was already late.
"After midnight, remarked Frank
as they passed the tall clock in the hall.
He asked the maidservant who OPEN
ed the door for them if there were any
letters, and she gave him those that had
come while they had been at the the
alter.
While his wife sank with a tired sigh
into an armchair and united her veil he
remained standing and ran his eye over
the addresses.
Suddenly something seemed to strike
him. He raised his eyebrows slightly,
and casting stern glance in the direc-
ton of his wife tucked the correspond
ence under his arm, babe her good
night and went abruptly into his study.
The young wife observed him mar
rowly, drew deep breath as her Gus
tom was and shook her head. She did
not ask him whether there were any let
ters among his own, and he of course
did not tell her.
Then she took her candle from the
servant girl and walked slowly toward
her bedchamber.
Once in his workroom Frank INDUCED
in contented little laugh. At last the
goal was in sight. In few moments
he would know all he wanted to knowl
Yes, all, and he laughed again. Then
it would be easy for him to describe the
scene from beginning to end in a mas
terly manner.
just little more patience, and her
maid will have left her. Going up and
down in his room, he calculates what
effect will be produced on the world by
his novel, drawn i'll the most realistic
manner from nature itself.
81 wonder what makes her so slow
tonight?'' he said to himself
In the stiffness of the night he could
hear the sounds of their voices. Then
he heard her lay down her rings on the
marble slab of the dressing table.
Thereupon the clear sounds of her merry
laughter foated through the air to his
ears.
'"Today of all days she seems to take
SO long," he murmured to himself.
A little while longer he walked up
and down the room with excited BRAIN
Then he heard the opening and shutting
of the door and steps dying away in the
distance.
cat last!" he exclaimed, with sigh.
Softly and with great caution he
pressed the door handle, walked lightly
through the toilet room into the Sleep
ing room and entered with such sudden
ness and violence that the young wife
cried aloud with fear and establishment.
''How you frightened me! Have you
gone crazy?"
He made no answer, but stood in 81
lence, watching carefully every gesture
that she made and every change of ex-
preston that crossed her face.
Then in measured steps and with
pale, earnest face he approached her.
Tho fair young wife sat bolt upright
in bed
The night candle burned brightly on
the table beside her.
With trembling, feverish hands he
held out the terrible letter to her.
"There Read thatP' he cried in an
angry, panied tone of the outraged, in
jured husband.
The woman turned suddenly to a
deathly pallor She seized the letter
hastily and cast rapid glance over it.
For moment she raised her eyes to
her husbands face, but only for a mo-
ment, for she Immediately again read
over the letter that she held in her
trembling hand.
81 know allp' he added quietly,
watching every movement she made.
II know it allP' he repeated louder and
in sullen anger.
She made no reply Her mouth twitoh
ed nervously, her eyelids dropped, and
with wild cry of hysterical anguish
she slipped out of the bed and flung her.
self at his feet. The amazed husband
looked on with dull sensation of hor-
ror i'll his heart, while she chung to his