Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-03
DAILY STORY
A SURPRISE.

months at the outside, hut was absent
eight I had frequent letters from my
wife and knew that she was in ex-
cellent health, so l had nothing to
worry about.
/ reached New York at in the
morning by steamer and at 10 drove
up to the door of my house. I had
carried the latchkey with me on my
key ring and let myself in. Seeing no
one below, l ran upstairs to my wife's
room, thinking only of the transports
of our meeting after my long absence.
was surprised to find the door locked.
1 knocked, ratified the knob-indeed,
made every demonstration of one burn
ing to get in and take my beloved one
in my arms. Presently l heard the
words on the other side of the door:
60 away
The voice was not my wife's, but it
was a woman's. l had no mind to be
thus treated on my return after so long
an absence and kept on knocking and
rafting the knob. Presently | heard
u sound inside that resembled nothing
had ever heard unless it was the
first effort of young rooster to crow.
was puzzled. What could it mean?
l gave kick at the door with my
foot. In another moment l heard the
same voice say:
do stop that noise and go away"
What does 1t all mean?" | shouted.
But there was no response. and after
giving another kick l concluded to ac-
cept the situation and went down
stairs l touched a button in the Ii
brary for Peggy, the maid had left
at the house when 1 went abroad, but
instead of Peggy a new girl answered
the summons.
Where's Mrs. Budd7" asked.
Don't know
Don't know? You're the maid,
| aren't you?"
Don't know"
do you understand English?"
Don't know"
Never mind. That'll do. Go back.
l don't want you"
1t took these four sentences to get
her out of the room, and l was trying
| to think up some other method of solv-
| ing the riddle when l heard the front
| door open. l went into the hall, but
not in time to see who had come in.
| heard or thought | heard a footstep go
| ing upstairs, but city houses are al
| ways dark, and mine is darker than
most of them, so | couldn't see who it
was. l heard Il light knock on door
| Qmy wife's. perhaps. The door was
| opened long enough for some one to
| pass in: then it shut.
This was maddening. A woman had
| my wife a prisoner, and all the knock
| Ing of which l was capable would not
| gain me admittance. yet here was n
person-the step sounded like a mans
| whose lghtest rap was an "open sesa-
| me- No one in the house but maid
who could say nothing but don't
| know"-at least l supposed there was
no one else-but to make sure ! went
| upstairs and looked into every room.
| While passing my wife's room | heard
that spring chicken Growing again.
went back to the library and paced the
floor. resolving to waylay any one who
| might have gone into the room from
which l was debarred-that is. if any
| one had gone into the room-when he
she or it came Out-that is, If he, she or
it ever did come out.
l didn't have to wait long before I
heard the door open and a mans step
coming down the stairs. l confronted
him in the hall.
well, SIR" 1 said, what are You
doing here?"
What are you doing here:" he re-
torted, bristling.
Il am the owner of this house,
"The deuce you are" with evident
surprise.
yes. | am, and I'm kept out of my
wife's bedroom. There's nobody to tell
me what is going on and
You must excuse me. sir; I'm in q
hurry And he went out and shut the
door.
well, I'll be hanged.' said to my
self. This is agonizing"
l went back into the library. II
wasn't more than ten minutes more
before 1 heard a ring at the telephone
upstairs. A woman's voice answered
the ring. This was one-half the dia
lOgue, the half heard:
Yes, I'm Miss Arbuckle"
"You don't mean it."
"Ha, ha. ha. Cleverly managed"
"All right. GoOdby"
Another ten minutes passed when !
heard the door open again and voice
called to me to come up. A uniformed
nurse ushered me into my wife's room
, Marian was lying on the bed and be
side her nine pound chunk of flesh.
After l had taken both mother and
child In one embrace. nearly smother
: ing the child, asked few questions.
"She wished TO give you pleasant
: SURPRISE" said the nurse.
5 ut was certainly a SURPRISE" 1 re
: piled. THE biggest part of it was my
: treatment in my own house after m!