Rock Island Argus., 1902-01-15
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
Her Guilty Secret.

widow of thirty-five.
For n space of a week after their
marriage everything went on lovely.
Mrs. Hurd was very affectionate and
charming, and Joshua was as proud
and happy as it was possible for him
to be.
At the end of that time Joshua's sus-
picious disposition received n 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-
ceiving 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 Il
white heat.
He searched the premises very thor
oughly, he cross questioned the serv
ants and made himself obnoxious TO
everybody he encountered by 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 sill
lest old noodle she ever saw.
Then Joshua took refuge in dignified
silence, and his wife kissed him and
called him n bear and went Off TO ride
with, Katie Evans. a young girl favor
ite 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 lie was able
to trace her to an unoccupied chamber
over the c0achhOuse. The door was
always locked. and the wooden shut
ters of the windows always closed.
He said nothing to his wife of his
discovery. but he resolved to be quiet
and relentless as the grave the next
time she INDUCED in one of her secret
sessions in the chamber of the coach
house.
That time soon arrived. Joshua had
made confidants of two gentleman
friends. old bachelors. who had warn
ed 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. Mr.. Hurd did not want
to effect a forcible entrance. because
he feared in that event he should not
find out his wife's secret.
Mrs. Hurd had been closeted in her
secret chamber not more than half an
hour when Mr.. Hurd's friends planted
themselves in the passage outside the
locked door. while Mr. Hurd climbed
on n long ladder to the roof of the
coachhouse and made preparations to
descend the chimney.
The chimney was rather small, and
Mr.. Hurd was not the leanest man in
the world, and the consequence was
that after descending about eight or
ten feet the aperture narrowed, and
Mr.. Hurd stuck fast.
Frightened half out of his senses
lest he should be obliged to remain
there and perish. Mr.. Hurd made vio-
lent efforts to extricate himself, but he
was very soon convinced that it was
useless to wriggle in the expectation
Of getting any farther down the Chin
ney, so he directed all his efforts to
the aim of going up.
On the top of the house he disrobed
himself of all apparel except his under
clothes and again essayed the descent.
This time he was more successful than
he 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 of |
a Sristmill.
There was a small fire on the hearth, |
and the frantic leap given by our hero
TO avoid scorching his feet scattered |
the Goals in every direction.
At sight of the sparsely clad, sooty /
lpparition thus suddenly launched up
On her notice Mrs Hurd uttered
piercing scream and fed to the door,
which she unlocked in mad haste and
herself into the very arms
)f Mr.. Hurd's sentinel friends.
r Don't kill mep' cried Mrs. Hurd, too
much beside herself with terror to
recognize her husband. 'T did all to
please Joshua 1 wanted to keep his
owe. 1t was getting gray-and, oh.
lear, dear dear, dearp' And she burst
nto a fit of passionate sobbing.
Getting gray" cried Joshua. 'My
owe getting gray? The woman is in
;anev
my hairv screamed she. cit was
ny hair that was gray, and I'm a