Morris tribune., 1904-06-11
lis voice as he made this additional

1 y
Instantly Mr.. Jeffrey betrayed by a
nervous action, which was quite in
voluntary, that his outward calm was
slowly giving way under fire of ques-
h tons for which he had no ready reply.
| ''It was odd your not going home
that night" the coroner coldly pur-
sued. 'The misunderstanding you had
with your wife Immediately after
breakfast must have been a very seri-
GUS one, more serious than you have
hitherto acknowledged"
| 81 had rather not discuss the sub
ject," protested Mr.. Jeffrey. Then as
if he suddenly recognized the official
character of his interlocutor he hastily
added. 'Unless you positively request
me to do so, in which case 1 must"
II am afraid that l must insist upon
| it." returned the other. "You will find
that it will be insisted upon at the in
quest, and if you do not wish to sub
| ject yourself to much unnecessary un-
pleasantness you had better make clear
to us today the cause of that special
| quarrel which to all intents and pur-
| poses led to your wife's DEATH"
'I will try to do so," returned Mr..
| Jeffrey, rising and pacing the room in
| his intense restlessness. eve did have
some words. Her conduct the night
before had not pleased me. I am nat
urally Jealous, vilely jealous, and l
thought she was little frivolous at
| the German ambassadors ball. But l
had no idea she would take my sharp
speeches so much to heart. I had no
idea that she would care so much or
| that I should care so much. A little
jealousy is certainly pardonable in
bridegroom, and if her mind had not
already been upset she would have re-
membered how I loved her and hope
fully waited for reconciliation"
"You did love your wife, then? 1t
was you and not she who had a right
to be jealous? I have heard the con-
| trary stated. It is a matter of public
gossip that you loved another woman
previous to your acquaintance with
Miss Moore, a woman whom your wife
regarded with sisterly affection and
subsequently took into her new home"
"Miss Tuttle?" Mr. Jeffrey stopped
in his walk to fling out this ejacula-
tion. 81 admire and respect Miss Tut
tle," he went on to declare, "but I nev
er loved her-not as I did my wife,"
he finished, buy with certain hard ac-
cent, apparent enough to sensitive
ear.
"Pardon me. it is as difficult for me
to put these questions as it is for you
tie ever engaged?'
I started This was a question which
half of Washington had been asking
: itself for the last three months.
Would Mr.. Jeffrey answer it, or, re-
membering that these questions were
, rather friendly than official, refuse to
satisfy q curiosity which he might we'll
consider intrusive? The set aspect Of
his features promised little in the way
Of information, and we were both sur
prised when a moment later he re-
sponded with a grim emphasis hardly
70 De expected from one OF his 1mpul-
sive temperament:
"Unhappily, no. My attentions nev-
er went so far"
Instantly the coroner pounced on the
one weak word which Mr.. Jeffrey had
let fall.
"Unhappily?" he repeated. "Why
do you say 'unhappily?"
Mr. Jeffrey flushed and seemed to
come out of some dream.
"Did say 'unhappily? he inquired.
"Well, I repeat it-Miss Tuttle would
never have given me any cause for
jealousy
The coroner bowed and for the pres
ent dropped her name out of the con-
versation.
"You speak again of the jealousy
aroused in you by your wife's impetu-
osities. Was this increased or dimfn-
ished by the tone Of the few lines she
left behind herr"
The response was long in coming. 1t
was hard for this man to lie. The
struggle he made at it was pitiful. AS
l noted what it cost him, l began to
have new and curious thoughts con-
cerning him and the whole matter I'm.
der discussion.
II shall never overcome the remorse
reused in me by those few lines" he
finally rejoined. 'She showed a con-
sideration for me-
"Whatv'
The cOroner's exclamation showed all
the surprise he felt Mr.. Jeffrey tot
tered under it. then grew slowly pale,
as if only through our amazed looks
he had come to realize the charge OF
inconsistency to which he had laid
himself open.
81 mean," he endeavored to explain,
"that Mrs. Jeffrey showed an uneX-
pected tenderness toward me by taking
all the blame of our misunderstand-
ing upon herself. 1t was generous of
her and will do much toward making
my memory Of her gentle one"
He was forgetting himself again.
| Indeed his manner and attempted eX-
plantations were full Of contradictions.
10 emphasize this fact Coroner z. ex-
claimed: