The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-09-06
A SURPRISE.
[originail


months when / was obliged to leave
my Marian ON a business trip to the
orient. | expected 10 be gone three
months at the outside, hut was absent
eight. had frequent letters from my
wife and knew that she was In ex.
celleHt health. so | had nothing to
worry about.
| reached New York at 0 In the
morning by steamer and ut 10 drove
UP to the door Of my house. | had
carried the latchkey with me on my
key ring and let myself In Seeing no
one below, | ran upstairs to my wife's
room, thinking only Of the transports
of our meeting after my long absence.
| was surprised TO and the door locked.
| knocked, ratified the knob-indeed.
made every demonstration of one burn.
Ing to get ln and take my beloved n
In my arms. Presently l heard the
words on the other side of the door:
Go away
The voice was not my wlfe's, but il
was q woman's. | 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
a sound inside that resembled nothing
l had ever heard unless II was the
first effort OF a young rooster TO crow,
! was puzzled, What could 1t meanf
! gave a kick at the door with my
foot In another moment | heard the
same voice say
"Do stop that noise and 10 awayf"
'What does 1t all meant" shouted.
But there was no response, and after
another kick | concluded to &C.
eept the situation and went down
touched a button In the IL
brary for Peggy, the maid | had left
at the house when | went abroad. but
of Peggy q new girl answered
the summons.
where's Mrs. Buddy" | asked,
Don't know"
"pon't know2 You're the maid,
aren't youY'
Don't know"
DO you understand EngllshT"
Don't know"
Never mind. That'll do. Go back.
| don't want you"
1t took these four sentences to get
her out of the room, and | was trying
to think up some other method of solv-
ing the riddle when | heard the front
door open. | 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. heard Il light knock on a door |
tmy wife's, perhaps, The door was
opened long enough for some one to
pass in; then 1t shut,
This vas maddening. A woman had
my wife a prisoner, and all the knock
Ing Of which | was capable would not
gain me a~dmlttance, yet here was a
.person-the step sounded like a mans
whose llghtest rap was an open sesa-
me-" No II In the house but a maid
who could say nothing but don't |
know"-at least l supposed there was
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. l
went back to the library and paced the
floor, resolving to waylay any one who
might have gone into the room from
which / was debarred~that Is, If any
one had gone into the room-when he,
she or 1t came out-that is, II he, she or
ever did come out.
didn't have to wait long before l
heard the door open and a mans step
down the stairs. l confronted
him in the hall.
"WelL SIR" l said, "what are you
doing here?"
What are you doing here| he re-
bristling.
Il an the owner Of this house,
"The deuce you are!" with evident
surprise.
Yes, | am, and I'm kept out of my
bedroom. There's nobody to tell
me what Is going on and
"You must excuse me, sir; I'm In a
And he went out and shut the
door.
well, I'll be hanged" l said to my
self. This is agonizing."
| went back into the library. II
wasn't more than ten minutes more
| heard a ring ut the telephone
A woman's voice answered
The ring. This was one-half the dia-
ogue, the half ! heard;
Eyes, I'm Miss Arbuckie."
"You don't mean It."
"Ha, ha, ha! Cleverly managed"
"All right. Goodby."
Another ten minutes passed when
heard the door open again and a voice
allied to me to ONE up. A uniformed
Nurse ushered me into my wife's room.
was lying on the bed and be-
Tide her n nine pound chunk OF flesh.
After | had taken both mother and
hid In M embrace, nearly smother
ne the child, l asked a few questions.
SGNN.