The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-11-28
ONE KEY FOR AN ENTIRE Bi0cK.
An Embarrassing Situation into which a
Mans Wife Stumbled.

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fronts which is so noticeable in the
streets between Madison and 9Th
avenue said a lawyer, will prevent
such m awkward accident as happen
ed to my wife fen years ago.
don t ever mention it to her now be-
cause she got very tired of being
guycd about it. Moreover, the con
sequences might have been scandal
which it would have been hard to
overcome. We lived in those days in
one Of a row Of brownstonc fronts be-
tween 9th and 9th avenues, which were
built on exactly the same plans. You
could not distinguish one house from
the other except by the number, and
even the window drapcrics looked very
much alike. Another point of simi.
larlty which was unsuspected until
my wife's accident was that our kew
would unlock every front door on our
side Of the block. This was fact
that caused lot Of comment in the
newspapers when it became known.
You may remember it. It never had
occurred to any man to try his latch
key on his neigbbor's door, and hence
it remained for my wife to discover it.
ut happened that on the night of
wedding which my wife was very anxi-
GUS to attend | was i'll and could not
accompany her. Her brother acted as
her escort.
"'You will probably be asleep when
l return, said my wife, and am
going to come in SO quietly that will
not wake you up
"Tll hear you, sure enough an
swered, and away she went. It was
nearly midnight when her brother
drove up in front of our house. He
took my wife's latch key and unlock
ed the front door. Owing to my i'll
ness he declined to come in. My wife
closed the door carefully and silently
crept upstairs. She was determined
not to awake lie. The light in our
bed room was very low and my wife
slipped over to her dressing table to
prepare to retire. She took off her
jcwelry and placed it on the table.
Then she slipped off her waist and
loosencd 'hcr hair. This was all done
very quietly and without turning up
the gas. \ snoro from the bed star
tied my wife, because she has always
said that did not snore. Ccnclud
Ing that L was not resting easily, she
stepped over to the bed and then
stopped short. Why she did not
scream or faint, or both, l have never
understood. Her eyes first fell on
woman with very blond hair, who was
asleep where she soon expected to be.
She has said since that even with this
evidence of my perfdy she did not
lose confidence in mo. 1 would like
to know, however, just what did pass
through her mind at that moment.
Turning her eyes over to my side of
the bed, she was Mortified to see sleep
ing.there man with very black whis-
kers. I was smoothly shaven in those
days and the contrast could not have
been stronger.
"She stood there for length of
time that she was never able to esti-
mate. A suspicion Of the truth dawn
ed on her and as she looked closely
around the room the suspicion became
certainty. She was in the wrong
house. The bed room was exactly
like ours. Itwas furnished much the
same. If the slcepers awoke and
found her standing there she knew
they would raise row before asking
explanations. Her nerve in tho cir
cumstances was good. She grabbed
her waist and wraps and backed slow
Is out Of the room, keeping her eyes
on the bed so that in case either
sleeper showed signs of awakening
sho might run
"The man with the beard tossed un-
easily. The wife held her breath.
Then he settled back to his snoring.
When she reached the stairs she hur--
ried down, opened the front door and
closed it after her. Then she looked
at the number. She had entered the
house next to ours. She was in the
street with her waist and her wraps
in her hands and her hair hanging
down her back. She ran up our steps
and found that in her haste to leave
the strange bed room she had left be-
hind her latohkey and her jewels.
was awakened by our bell ringing
loudly and, slipping into bath robe,