The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-05
LILY LISLE.

| Mrs. Joseph Ferry-an Grant though
| guileless little dirt-was naturally jealous
and had at least on one occasion natural
grounds for jealousy. Having seen her
husband sound asleep (apparently) by her
| side at 11:30 p. NJ, she was awakened at
| 4:50 a. m. by his knocking over chair In
a nervous attempt to steal into the room
without disturbing her. He very much
disturbed her Starting up, she struck a
| light and lit the candle by her bed. Hold
| ing it up over her head, she surveyed her
conscience stricken spouse from head to
foot. He had on his overcoat, and it was
wet, while his boots were stained guiltily
| with moist mud.
Joseph, what is it? What has hap
pened?"
Nothing, DEAR
| sNothingl Where have you been?"
CT thought heard burglars about"
he faltered.
s'About where? About the streets2 You
your overcoat, and it is soaking wet, and
your boots-look at your bootsl They are
| a mass of wet mud
ell went to look for policeman,
stammered Joseph, for heSwas not yet
enough hardened in iniqufty to lie like
truth.
Leaving the burglars in the housed
That was very considerate for the burglars
and for me- she cried, with biting
scorn.
''They escaped, and I followed them,
but couldn t come up with them or meet
policeman, he said desperately.
Il see You got up when you heard the
burglars, and then they heard you and ran
away, and then you came back here and
dressed and put on your overcoat and boots
and ran after them, yet you couldn't over
take them''
eff you mean I am not telling the
truth''-
II do" she retorted promptly. ''Not
single word of truth. never heard such
ridiculous story, and you are ashamed Of
it yourselfl''
Very well, Ellen. If you don't choose
to believe me, there is no more to be said, "
he replied, with an affectation of sullen of
Tense, under cover of which he hoped to
escape, as a cuttlefish under an inky cloud
of its own generation.
There is a great deal more to be said,
and mean to say it," she cried vehement
ly. You are ashamed to tell the truth be-
cause it is shameful, because you have
been spending the night shamefully and
shamelessly. Because-because'
Here she broke down into passion of
furious tears from which it took her more
than a minute to recover and to continue,
But go your own way, and I shall go
mine, and you'll have only yourself to
blame if follow your example,
The more he attempted to conciliate her
the more she was convinced of his guilty
consciousness of some incapable offense,
and he had at last to desist in despair and
disgust also.
But for the ever lively Jim Perry-a
nephew of Joseph's, though but four years
his Junior-breakfast next morning would
have been as dismal meal as that of
Wordsworth's ''party in a parlor.'' Jim
had come up to grind for Sandhurst, but
the intensity of his application to his stud
les did not appreciably depress his spirits.
He was always ready to rally his uncle,
whom he patronized gracefully, upon his
ignorance of life" and to f1irt with his
lively little aunt as with child who made
believe prettily to be grown up.
II say, Nunc, don't forget your appoint
ment this morning, eh?'' he said, winking
significantly at his uncle, who simply
gasped his horror at the indiscreet re-
minder
Mrs Perry, noting both the wink and
the gasp of horror, turned suddenly to ask
Jim sharply, Where were you last night2'
SAT what hour, little Nell? Nine to 10,
was in Gaul with Caesar; 10 to II, I was
retreating with 10000; IL to IL, was in
the peninsula with Sir William Napier
and 10 to l I was in paradise-asleep,
dreaming Of you, little Nell.'
She scrutinized his face for some seconds
without diseoncerting him in the least
AS he helped himself to buttered toast he
asked:
'But where did you think was, little
Nell? You surely didn't suspect me of
such vicious excuses as Maskelyne and
Cook or Corney Grain?"
FOh, where you were doesn't NATTER
she answered contemporary and incon-
sistently.
Jim glanced over at his uncle with up
raised eyebrows of perplexed inquiry, but
Joseph kept his eyes fastened doggedly to
his plate, looking as much the picture Of
troubled guilt as Jim did of bewildered in
nocence. In fact, Joseph's face would
have suggested, not to say confirmed, sus-
picion in the mind of far less jealous
woman than his wife.
Jim did all he could to thaw the black
fsostwhich now set in with grim severity,
but even he had at last to give up the at
tempt in despair. Since it was hard to
conquer, he had to fly, for at last he felt
as though he were in an exhausted air
chamber. As he rose to quit the table and
the room, Joseph rose with him, and poor
Mrs. Perry was left alone with her con-
suming jealousy. Presently she hurried
up to her room, where, for over an hour
she gave herself up to the fortunes OF jeal
ousy-now trying to fix on a rival, and
now devisinS revenge upon her and upon
her fai6hless Spouse. Then she went down
stairs to give some household direction,
but was arrested i'll the hall by hearing
colloquy between the maid and boy mes
senger, which promised to have for her an
agonizing interest.