Evening star., 1900-10-11
ONE KEY FOR AN ENTIRE BLOCK.
An Embarrassing Situation Into
Which n Mans Wife Stumbled.


From the New York Sun
1.-The reconstruction of brownstone fronts
which Is so noticeable in the streets between
Madison and 9th avenue" said a lawyer,
will prevent such an awkward accident as
happened to my wife few years ago.
don't ever mention it to her now because
she got very tired of being guyed about it.
Moreover, the consequences might have
been a scandal which it would have been
hard to overcome. We lived in those days
in one of a row of brownStOne fronts be-
tween 5th and 9th avenues, which We're built
on exactly the same plans You could not
distinguish one house from the other except
by the number, and even the window dra-
peries looked very much alike. Another
point of similarity which was unsupported
until my wifes accident was that our key
would unlock every front door on our side
OF the block. This was fact that caused
lot of comment In the newspapers, when IL
became known. You may remember 1t. 1t
never had occurred to any man to try his
latch key on his neighbor's door. and hence
1t remained for my wife to discover it.
1t happened that on the night Of a we'd
ding which my wife was very anxious to
attend I was Ill and could not accompany
her. Her brother acted as her escort.
Yo ou will probably be asleep when I re-
turn said my wife. and 1 am going to
come in SO quietly that 1 will not wake you
up
"'Tl hear you. sure enough answered
and away she went. 1t was nearly midnight
when her brother drove up in front of our
house. He took my wife's latchkey and un-
locked the front door Owing to my illness
he declined TO come In. My wife closed the
door carefully and silently crept upstairs.
She was determined not to awake me. 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 jewel
ry and placed it on the table. Then she
slipped off her waist and loosened her hair.
This was all done very quietly and without
turning up the gas. A snore from the bed
startled my wife. because she has always
said that l did not snore. Concluding 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,
nave never understood, Her eyes first fell
or a 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 perfidy she did not lose confidence
In me- | 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
sleeping there a man with very black whis-
kers. l 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 estimate. suspi-
cIon OF the truth dawned on her and as she
locked closely around the room the suspi-
cion became certainty. She was in the
wrong house. The bed room was exactly
ike ours 1t was furnished much the same
lf the sleepers awoke and found her stand
ing there she knew that they would raise
row before asking explanations. Her nerve
In the circumstances was good. She grabbed
her waist and wraps and backed slowly out
OF the room. keeping her eyes on the bed
SD that In case either sleeper showed signs
OF awakening she might run.
The man with the beard tossed uneasly.
The wife held her breath. Then he settled
back to his snoring. When she reached the