, 1910-05-26

She at Least Mas Not a Wife He
Need Be Ashamed OF.
These thoughts were responsible Tor
the frown oil the beautiful Mrs. JEFF
fries bejeweled brow that particular
Saturday evening. Alicia gave a sigh
n was drawing on her long kid
gloves before the glass, when sudden
ly a maid entered and rendered her
mistress a note. Alicia knew the
handwriting only too well. She tore
the letter open and read:
Dear Mrs. Jetries: I received your let
ter telling me that my presence at your
house tonight would be distasteful to
you. As you can imagine. ii was a great
shock. Don't you understand the harm
this Will do me? Everybody will notice
my absence. They will jump to the con-
clusion that there has been a rupture.
and my credit will suffer Immediately
with your friends. l cannot afford to let
this happen now. My affairs are in such
condition that it will be fatal to me. I
need your support and friendship more
than ever. | have noticed for some time
that your manner to me has changed.
Perhaps you have believed some of the
stories my enemies have circulated about
me. For the sake of our old friendship.
Alicia, don't desert me now. Remember
what | once was to you and let me come
to your reception tonight. There's a rea-
son why I must be seen in your house.
Yours devotedly.
ROBERT UNDERWOOD.
Alicia's face flushed with anger.
Turning to the maid, she said:
There's no answer"
The girl was about to close the
door when her mistress suddenly re-
called her.
"Wait a minute" she said; I'll
write a line"
Taking from her dainty es~critoire a
sheet of perfumed notepaper, she
wrote hurriedly as follows:
"If you dare to come near my house
tonight I will have you put out by the
servants"
Quickly folding the note, she
crushed it into an envelope, sealed it,
handed 1t to the girl, and said:
Give that to the messenger"
The servant disappeared and Alicia
resumed her work of drawing On her
gloves in front of her mirror. How
dare he write her such a letter? Was
her house to be made the h%eadquar-
ters for his swindling schemes? Did
he want to cheat more of her friends?
The more she thought of all he had
done, the angrier she became. Her
eyes flashed and her bosom heaved
with indignation. She wondered
what her husband, the soul of honor,
would say If he suspected that she
had permitted a man of Underwood's
character to use his home for his dis
honest practices. She was glad she
had ended it now, before 1t was too
late. There might have been a scan
dial, and that she must avoid at any
cost. Mr.. Jeffries, she felt certain,
would not tolerate a scandal of any
kind.
All at once she felt something
1t was her husband who had entered
the room quietly.
"Oh, Howard" she exclaimed, peev-
ishly; how you frightened me! You
shouldn't startle me like that"
A tall. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. man
with white mustache and pointed
beard stood admiring her in silence.
His erect figure, admirably set off in
a well-cut dress coat suggested the
soldier.
What are you doing alone here,
dear?" he said. 81 hear carriages out
side. Our guests are arriving"
"Just thinking, that's ALL" she re-
piled. evasively.
He noticed her preoccupied look
and, with some concern. he demanded:
There's nothing to worry you, il
there?"
"oh, no-nothing like that" she
said, hastily.
He looked at her closely and she
averted her eyes. Mr.. Jeffries often
wondered If he had made a mistake.
He felt that this woman to whom he
had given his name did not love him.
but his vanity as much as his pride
prevented him from acknowledging
1t, even to himself. After all, what
did he care? She was a companion.
she graced his home and looked after
his creature comforts. Perhaps no
reasonable man should expec any
thing more. C~arelessly, he as
Whom do you expect tonight
"Oh, the usual crowd" replied
Alicia, languidly. "Dr. Bernstein is
coming-you know he's quite the rage
Just now. He has to do with psychol-
ogy and all that sort of thing"
80, he's your lion tonight, is hef"
smiled tha banker. Than he want Ont