The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-03

| anu CndC MS WILL al LnTu WAS over
"It's a very delicate thing said
he. some does not like to speak of
ones domestic affairs to strangers. 1t
seems dreadful to discuss the conduct
of ones wife with two men whom
have never seen before. It s horrible to
have to do it. But 1 We got to the end
of my tether, and 1 must have advice. =
"My dear Mr.. Grant Munroe-o be-
gan Holmes.
Our visitor sprang from his chair.
|HWhat!' he cried, "you know my
name2'
eff you wish to preserve, your in
cognito, said Holmes, smiling, -
would suggest that you cease to write
your name upon the lining of your hat
or else that you turn the crown toward
the person whom you are addressing.
II was about to say that my friend and
l have listened to good many strange
secrets in this room and that we have
had the good fortune to bring peace to
1 many troubled souls. [ trust that we
may do as much for you. Might | beg
!: You, as time may prove to be Of i'm
portance, to furnish me with the facts
of your case without further delay9'
Our visitor again passed his hand over
his forehead, as if he found it bitterly
hard. From every gesture and express
| sion I could see that he was a reserved,
|
in his nature, more likely to hide his
, wounds than to expose them. Then sud
) denly, with a fierce gesture Of his closed
, hand, like one who throws reserve to the
, winds, he began. .-.
tThe facts are these, Mr.. Holmes, -
, said he. Il am married man, and
have been so for three years. During
each other as fondly and lived as hap
4 PLY as any two that ever were Joined.
We have not had difference, not one,
,. in thought or word or deed. And now
4 since last Monday, there has suddenly
, sprung up barrier between US, and !
. find that there is something in her life
j and in her thoughts Of which l know as
brushes by me in the street. We are
estranged and I want to know why.
''Now, there is one thing that
want to impress upon you before | &C
V any further, Mr.. Holmes. Effie loves
! me. Don't let there be any mistake
\ about that. She loves me with her whole
4 heart and soul, and never more than
a a now. I know it. I feel it. I don i
n want to argue about that. A man car
g tell easily enough when a woman loves
q him. But there's this secret between
il us, and we can never be the same unit
f it is cleared. -
a "Kindly let me have the facts, Mr.
a Munroe,' said Holmes, with some i'm
Il patience.
MI'l tell you what 7 know abou
4 Effie' 8 history. She was a widow whel
! I met her first, tho quite young-only
T IS. Her name then was Mrs. Hebron
is She went out to America when she wa
if young and lived in the town of At
s lanta, where she married this Hebron
# who was a lawyer with a good practice
Il They had one child, but the yellow
- fever broke out badly in the place, an,
w both husband and child died Of it.
70 have seen his death certificate. Thi
2 sickened her of America and she cam
re- back to live with maiden aunt "a
a Primer, Middlesex. I may mention tina
w her husband had left her comfortabl
:" off, and that she had a capital Of abou
II four thousand five hundred pounds
which had been so well invested by hir
St that it returned an average of 7 pc
w cent. She had only been six months a
,e Primer when I met her; we fell in Low
n with each other and we married fe,
NJ weeks afterwards. -.
70 81 am hop merchant myself, and a
o. have an income Of seven or eigh
9e hundred, we found ourselves comfor
10 ably off, and took a nice eighty-pount
40 a-year villa at NorburY. Our litt]
place was very countrifed, considerin
or that it is SO close to town. We had a
in inn ard two houses little above u
e. and 6. single cottage at the other sid
= of the field which faces us, and excel
tn those there were no houses until yo
or got half way to the station. My bus
TO- ness took me into town at certain SCI
in sons, but in summer J. had less to q
az and then in our country home my vii
ms and ] were just as happy as could /
"a wished. I tell you that there never W:
nv a shadow between us until this accurse
er affair began. ....
f. "There's one thing I ought to te
In, you before I go further. When we ma
cd ried, my wife made over all her pro
erty to me-rather against my will, f
on I saw how awkward it would be if n
lat business affairs went wrong. Howeve
If she would have it SO, and it was don
Well, about six weeks ago she came
do me. - -, - 1-.s>
,, q Jack, said she when you took n
, money you said that if ever want'
ht any was to ask you for it.
ed. Certainly said I. It s all 70
for for ".Well,' said she, Il want a hundr
ac- pounds
ct was q bit staggered at this, f
I had imagined it was simply ne
mo dress or something of the kind tn
roll she was after.
Wn " what Oh earth fora asked.
not "'Oh,' said she, in her playful ws
ian you said that you were only my bank
pc? and bankers never ask questions, y
tn know ,...
it "tIf you really mean it, of coul
ne. you shall have the money said [.
,ft- * Oh, yes, really mean it,.
. to g. And you won't tell me what y
be- want it fora
to Some day, perhaps, but not just
er present, Jack. s@
has g so I had to be content with tn
bit tho it was the first time that there
;cu- ever been any secret between US.
, a gave her check and never thoue
if T any more of the matter. It may ha
the nothing to do with what came aft
ore wards, but thought it only right
- mention it.
and "Well, I told you just now that thu
ON. is a cottage not far from our hou
4 a There is just field between US, but
,wn reach it you have to go along the re
ave and then turn down lane. Just
ally You'd it is nice little grove Of Scot
frs, and I used to be very fond
18th strolling down there, for trees are
[ ways neighborly kind of things.
lrse cottage had been standing empty t
hat eight months and it was a pity, for
it was pretty, twostoried place, w
and an old fashioned porch and hon
lalf suckle about it have stood many
sat time and thought what a neat lit
homestead it would make.
for well, last Monday evening / Y
his taking stroll down that way, whel
IN g met an empty van coming up the Il
ven and saw a pile Of carpets and thil
can lying about on the grass-plot beside
porch. It was clear that the colt,
1 1ra41, AZ T III cd no. at