The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-03-02
HER GUILTY SECRET


 charming. and Joshua was as proud and happy as 1t was possible for him to be.
 At the end of that time Joshua's sus- picious disposition received a morsel to feed on. One day Mrs. Hurd was miss ing from the house. and nobody knew where she was.
 High and low Joshua sought her. questioning every one he met, but re celving no satisfaction. He went In frantic haste around to all the neigh bors. asking for his wife.
 He felt sure that she had eloped. just as the wives do In story books. When he reached home, Mrs. Hurd was work ing in the parlor as easy and contented as usual
 Jushua overwhelmed her with tor rent of questions. but she gave him only laughing replies.
 A week went by. and the mysterious absence occurred again. This time it extended over nearly all the afternoon. and Joshua's indignation reached white heat.
 He searched the premises very thor oughly, he cross questioned the serv- ants and made himself obnoxious to everybody he encountered by a relation of his difficulties. but he got no light on the subject of Mrs. Hurd's mys- teriOus absence.
 At dinner time she appeared. quiet and serene as ever. and to all JoShua's indignant entreaties that she would tell him where she had been she only laughed and declared he was the sil- Hest old noodle she ever saw.
 Then Joshua took refuge In dignihed silence. and his wife kissed him and called him bear and went on to ride with Katie Evans. young girl favor lte of hers.
 At the end of another week the mys- terious absence was repeated. and as time passed on strange things occur red with wonderful regularity.
 Joshua grew nearly Insane with the wild and dreadful suspicious which had crept Into his mind. He felt him self fully justified In watching his wife closely.
 And after two weeks of the most persevering surveillance he was able 10 trace her to an unoccuplcd chamber over the coachhOuse. The door was always locked. and the wooden shut ters of the windows always closed.
 He sald nothing to hls wife of his discovery. but he resolved to be quiet and relentless as the grave the next time she indulgcd In one of her secret sessions In the chamber of the coach house.
 That time soon arrived. Joshua had made conddants of two gentleman friends. old bachelors. who had warn cd him of the evil to come when he had married the Widow Bedford.
 There was no method of getting Into that chamber Of secrets except through the chimney. Mir. Hurd did not want to effect forclble entrance. because he feared in that event he should not ind out his wife's secret.
 Mrs. Hurd had been closeted In her secret chamber not more than half an hour when Mir. Hurd's friends planted themselves in the passage outside the locked door. while Mir. Hurd climbed on long ladder to the roof of the coachhouse and made preparations 10 descend the chimney.
 The chimney was rather small. and Mir. Turd was not the leanest man in the yO Orld. and the consequence was that after des' ,nding about eight or ten feet the aperture narrowed. and Mir. Hurd stuck fast.
 Frightened half out of his senses lest he should be obliged to remain there and perish. Mir. Hurd made vio- lent efforts to extricate himself, but he was very soon convinced that lt was useless to wrlggle in the expectation of getting any further down the chim' ney. SO he directed all his enortS Go the aim of going up.
 On the top of the house he dlSrohed himself of all apparel except bis under clothes and again esSayod the descent. This time he was more successful than be had hoped for or even desired. for the chimney grew suddenly wider just below the narrow place. and Joshua shot down the opening like the last kernel of corn through the hopper or a gristmlll
 There was a small Are on the hearth, and the frantic leap given by our hero to avoid scorching his feet scattered the coals in every direction.
 At sight of the sparsely clad. sooty apparition thus suddenly launched up on her notice Mrs. Hurd uttered piercing scream and ded to the door, which she unlocked in mad haste and preclpltated herself into the very arms of Mir. Hurd's sentinel friends.
 Don't kill mep cried Mrs. Hurd. too much beside herself with terror to recognize her husband. 'I did all to please Joshua. I wanted to keep his love. It was getting gray-and. oh. dear. dear dear. dearr And she burst into a it ot passionate sobbing.
 Getting gray~ cried Joshua. My love getting grayi The woman Is in- sane~
 My halrg screamed she. Tt was my hair i'iat was gray. and I'm a young woman yet. And dyed lt! l knew my husband was dreadfully down on make believes, and ! wanted to keep 1t from him. Oh. dear. dear, dear. dear"