Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-12

then ne said:
when return Will tell you ALL"
The morning of his return Mrs.
| Jones received letter the envelope of
which bore the stamp OF Porter. Gibbs
& CharletOn. attorneys. Tearing IL
open. she read it hurriedIy. then sank
in an easy chair in a dead faint. A
maid who was with her at the time
restored her and supported her to her
bedroom. The mistress as soon as she
was alone took the letter she had re-
ceived and locked it in a rosewood
cabinet in which she kept her CORE
spondence Half an hour later she
called a carriage and left the house.
When Jones returned. passing
through the hall he caught sight of his
face in a mirror. Struck with his pal
lor and his haggard appearance. he
went into his library. where he made
an attempt to nerve himself to meet
his wife. The maid who had taken
care of her entered soon after.
where is Mrs. Jones?' he asked.
"She told ME to say TO you that she
had been called away till the day after
tomorrow"
Jones didn't know whether to feel
relieved or to consider himself plunged
into a new complication.
You needn't unpack that" he said
to the maid. who took up his suit case.
I'm going away again tonight"
what shall l say to Mrs. Jones
when she returnsT'
What shall you say? Why. that I'll
TSturn in a few days"
TAD DScprtainty Mr.. Jones had felt
as to his erst Tife's not being dead
was converted m a strong probable
ity. Nearly twenty years before he
had wooed Alice Hinckley, but since
he had but a few hundred dollars with
which to support a wife her parents
had objected to the match. The young
couple resolved to be married and go
TO South America. The ceremony was
performed clandestinely. and the bride
returned from the church to her home.
1t had been agreed that they were to
go on board a ship separately and in
disguise. for they were suspected by
the girls parents, and to meet after
the vessel had got well out to sea
Jones performed his part Of the ar
rangement. b5it ~ wife was delayed
and did NOT reac.i { le dock until after
the departure of the ship. She hid
herself and took the next vessel, which
sailed a few days later.
These two failed to meet. Jones not
finding his bride aboard presumed that
her courage had failed at the last
moment She. too proud to return to
her father. supported herself by teach
ing in Rio de Janeiro. Jones wrote to
her at her fathers home. but received
no reply. He drifted to London and
thence to Australia. Nearly twenty
years later he saw a notice of the
death of Alice Hinckley at the city
where he had married his wife. Re
turning to America. he learned that his
wife's father and mother had died and
left their property to their daughter,
who had disappeared many years be-
fore and had never since been heard
from. In case she did not claim the
property within given limit Of time
it would go to charity. Jones then
put in a claim for it as Alice Hinckley's
husband.
Now. what was troubling Jones was
that a woman purporting to be Alice
Hinckley had recently appeared and
claimed the estate. If she were the
real Alice Hinckley the second mar
riage was Illegal.
Jones through the lawyers had made
an appointment 10 meet the woman
who claimed TO be his wife. then he
had gone home to await the date Of
the meeting two days hence. Return
ing for the interview. he repaired to
the rendezvous and was ushered into
a private Office.
What was his establishment to see
there. pale and agitated, the second
Mrs. Jones.
The two stared at each other for
few minutes as though they could not
believe their eyes. then rushed into
each others arms.
There w6s an explanation involving
events covering a period of twenty
years. Both husband and wife claim.
ed the same property. and each had
heard that the other had turned up.
but neither knew that the claimant
was a former consort. The lawyers
were as much astonished as the par
ties themselves. and hesparties them
selves were lost I'm wonder.
There was nothing for the couple
to do but go home. Both regretted
that there was no honeymoon for them
for they had never had one of the two
to which they were entitled.
Mr.. and Mrs. Jones did not enter
upon a lawsuit for the estate; conse
quently they got it ali instead OF turn
ing the most of it over to the lawyers.
The pair have never ceased TO believe
that theirs was not a case OF coinca-
dence. but that Providence brought
them together.