Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1907-11-01

the, mirror he drew deep breath
and smiled appreciatively into her
dazzlingly beautiful face.
I've almost come to the conclu-
sion, Fedora, that you are an artist"
was the unexpected comment upon
her peerlessness.
The woman shot him swift I'M
voiced query. Something in her hus
bands manner to her of late had set
the wheels of her apprehension in
motion.
For several minutes Fedora Merri-
wether dallied about the room, an
incongruous nervousness marking
every gesture that should have been
full of the accustomed ease of hereto
fore. At last she turned to Bobby
with little abrupt smile, and she
fastened the lace boa about her
throat. "Good-by," she said.
$50 long" He wheeled in his chair
and followed her with his keen, in
evasible eyes, his nonchalance drop
ping from him in a flash.
Despising herself for her perturba-
ton, the woman turned and came
back into the room. Il forgot my
FAM" she stated, in tone that tried
hard to be casual, but was merely
apologetic.
Merriweather smiled absently, with
out lifting his suddenly-lowered eyes.
But she felt him reading her as pierre
ingly as though his eyes had been
red-hot gimlets, boring into her soul.
Once more she started away, but
paused at the head of the stairs and
called back:
will you be home for dinner,
Bobby?"
Perhaps"
With petulant toss of her head
and sudden tightening of her crmi-
son lips, Fedora tripped down the
steps and out of the front door.
When Mrs. Merriwether had
whirled on down the glistening ave-
nue. in her runabout, Bobby turned
from the window where he had gone
to watch her, and went quickly down
stairs to his study. His debonair
face indexed now an entirely different
set of emotions. He pulled open
drawer and drew forth several jag
ged bits of paper secreted there.
The writing on them was in Dit
rich's odd, unmistakable characters,
and that was what first atatracted
his attention on glancing casually
into the waste-basket by his wife's
writing desk. Pieced together, the
words ran as follows:
my Darling: If possible, meet me
Thursday afternoon at the "tryst."
shall be able to leave now in about
fortnight, and we must talk over
our arrangements as soon as we can.
Alonzo"
Merriwether whistled as he pro-
ceeded to paste the scraps of paper on
a solid sheet, formulating his own
| plans with cool deliberation. He neith-
er knew nor cared where the "tryst"
was-he judged that as yet, his wife's
conduct had not been ultimate, and
the time was not ripe for his expert
ment. When he had finished with the
letter, he sealed it up In an envelope
and replaced it in the drawer, lock-
ing it securely. Then he went back
| to his dressing-room and changed
his clothes. Afterwards he left the
house, going Immediately to a pho
tographer's supply company, where he
purchased a first-class camera.
He had an appointment at the club
at five, which he managed to keep to
the minute, and get back home by
$3.50. Fedora had preceded him by
only few moments, and he sur
prised her in the process of disrob-
ing. He pridefully exhibited his new
toy, and laughingly took half a dozen
snapshots of his wife at different
stages of her Kaleidoscope shifting
of toilet When she finally decided
to retire, Bobby followed her to her
boudoir to test his kodac with a few
flashlights.
For the first time since their honey
moon, Fedora began to entertain a
spicy interest in her jolly consort.
A little vague regret began to stir in
her heart, and she half wished-But
bah Alonzo Ditrich was a prince
beside this man, and his love was
like lava in her veins.
1t was near midnight when Bobby
Merriwether took leave of his wife.
When he gained the privacy of his
own room, the expression dropped
from his face like a mask, look of
triumphant cunning taking its place.
This look increased several days
later when he sat gloating over the
pictures spread out ON table in
front of him. The features were
hers, indubitably, but for theS rest
He broke into discordant laughter.
Alonzo Ditrich was connoisseur-a
beauty worshiper-a finished amar-
etto-a voluptuary. His CONSERVATION
upon beholding the photographs of
his present inamorata, stripped of
her apparently ravishing charms, and
almost pitiable in their poverty of
them, was easily imaginable.