The Van Buren press., 1896-12-26
again, but at length he opened the door,


the lady, now quite hysterieal. your
house is warm; do leu NE in!
The doctor was of course astenisheu
to see his fashionable neighbor, but hos.
pitable and helpful.
"Will you go up and knock at the
PARTITION wall in yonr front room, doc
Tor. and try to wake Mr.. Dayenport2'
said Mrs. D, now in tears.
YES, madam, if you say SO. But had
you not better spend the night here.
quietly2'
What. next door to SO? Oh, MOI |
couldn't l must go home. Please, doc
tor, if it will not disturb Mrs. Mont
gomery, do go up and make dreadful
noise at the head of Mr.. Bavenport's
bed; it leans up against your parlor;
for he always hears your piano"
The doctor obeyed, and knocked
loudly OH the wall. Mr.. Davenport
heard a distant thunder in his dreams,
turned over, with his deaf ear up, and
slept again.
After a half hours fruitless knock
Ing. Mrs. Davenport consented to allow
the sleepy doctor to retire to his we'll
earned repose, whilst she declared thai
she would rest as we'll as she could in an
easy-chair down in his consulting room,
Nos. 81, 80 and Il were at peace at
last, and Mrs. Davenport, wrapped in
her cloak, and in a warm room in the
house of a neiehbor and friend, grew
composed, and finally laughed at her
adventure. 1t would be good joke
next morning; but as for Orlando, her
colored waiter, there was a lookout for
him of the blacklist. Then poor Mr..
Davenport, how alarmed he would bel
but she would watch and see the serv-
ants begin to open the house, and steal
in before he was awake. So saying, she
fell sound asleep in her chair.
At length Mr.. Davenport, like all
heavy sleepers, woke up suddenly and
entirely. He did not know why, but il
seemed to him that he had had a dis
turbed night. As he lay trying to col
lect his faculties, he heard the clock
strike four.
How quiet Coralie ISL said Mr.. Day.
EXPORT; tired after her ball, | sup
pose"
Mr.. Davenport listened to hear,
through the opened door and curtained
recess, the quiet breathing of his wife
in the next room.
She was strangely still, and Mr. Day-
export arose softly and erept in to see
what could be the matter.
"Heayens!' said he, nobody in bed!
Coralie not at home at four o'clock"
Mr.. Davenport paused moment.
Could the horses have run away? Could
the eoaehman have been drunk? That
had happened before. Could his poor
wife have been thrown, dragged-no,
the idea was too horrible. Could she
have been locked out?
Mr.. Davenport felt the cold perspira-
ton start or Ills bruK. He rang every
bell in the house. He proceeded to
dress himself He danced in his agony
and agitation.
Then, as his sleepy servants began to
appear, and one after the other began to
diselaim any knowledge of their mis-
tress, he descended to the front door.
There lay Mrs. Davenport's fan, hand
llerchief and gloves. Then Mr. Daven-
port tore his hair. She had been there,
to her own home; she had failed to gain
admittance; she had either been ruth
lessly carried off, or she had committed
suicide. Mr.. Davenport lost his head.
''She may have gone to her sisters,
or to some hotel,' suggested her maid.
'What, at three in the morning, you
vretched sleepy head" said Mr. Daven-
port, wildly. To discharge Orlando, to
go to the police, to rouse the world,
these were Mr.. Davenport's first ideas.
He rang up every signal officer in
town. The whole machinery of the pub
lie was set to work to find the missing
lady.
Mr.. Davenport went after his coach
man. The man, though fully testifyiug
to the fact that he had been very drunk,
could swear that he Lad left the lady
at her own door at hulf-past two in
the morning.
In the meantime Mrs. Davenport slept
sweetly in the doctors armchair until
the housemaid, coming in. uttered a
loud shrek and called "robbers!" To
pacify her, 10 rouse herself, to step
calmly out of the Doctors front door
and into her own house was the work
Of moment,
Mrs. Davenport found all of her peo-
pie at home and thoroughly awake,
but where was Mr.. Davenport?
He had left no tidings of himself. lie
was wildly searching for her. Know
ing his temperament, Mrs. Davenport
felt sure that he would not return UNI
til he had dragged the East river. She
was at home all right, and proceeded,
like a calm woman, to get off her ball
dress, and satin shoes, and silllen hose,
and to put on dressing-gown and lambs
wool, and TO take a cup of tea. to get
warm, and then to reflect upon what
should be done with Mr.. Davenport's
case.
ut win be all in the papers," said
her president soul, this evening, at
farthest!"
/ will telegraph everywhere said
she, ringing for messenger boy.
"lIullo!" said man at the signal sta
ton, "this is queer Here is a man try
ing 10 find his wife, and here comes u
woman who is trying to find her hus-
band: and they are both named Daven-
patti"
- dare say-nothing- to-eaeh other
common coincidence" said
In t,1,r,..,,,h n,,n,,f,- Ia