The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-08-10
THE
HUSBANDS
OF EDITH
BIZ
GEORGE BARR
M'CUTCHEON
Copyright hp Dodd. rIesd q Co.
SYNOPSIS
Copyright BY Dodd. rlesd g Co.

| Roxoury Medcroft persuades his friend
Brock 10 publicly impersonate him In VI
emma as the husband OF Medcrofts wife.
Edith. while Medcroft remains Ia London
Brock meets Edith and. lacking sepa-
rate accommodations has TO sit up alone
all night in the sleeping car.
He makes many amusing mistakes and
meets Constance. his alleged sister-in-
law. who insists that he call her Con
nie''
The party meet the Todneys ana FRED
die Ulstervelt, who almost discovers that
Brock is an inpostor.
Freddie annoys Brock by counting Con-
stance. with whom Brock has fallen des-
perately Ia love.
s%Oh. I say, Edith" exclaimed Brock.
| with a dark fruwn. I'D rather you
wouldn't be forever extolling the good
Brock meets the Odeli- Carneys London
society people. Freddie tells Brock he IL
In love with Constance and wants to ut
Katherine Rodney.
| The odeil-Carneys have unwarranted
suspicious of Mrs. Medcroft, and Kath-
| crime discovers that Brock is in love with
his alleged sister-in-law.
The tongue OF scandal continues to
busy Itself with the names OF Mrs. Med
| croft Brock and Constance.
Moreover. oIner persons than her
self had smilingly nudged each other
and referred TO the couple as lovers;
no one seemed to doubt II, nor to re.
sent IL, which Is proof that the world
loves lover when II recognizes him
as one
Mrs Rodney also discovered that
| Mrs. Medcroft went to her room at .
| O'Clock. at least three hours before the
| subdued tete-a-tete came to an end.
The poor thing doubtless was crying
her eyes out. decided Mrs. Rodney.
And now. after all this, Is 1t to be
considered surprising that the distress,
| ed mother of Katherine did not sleep
well that night? Nor should her wake
| fulness be laid at the door OF the tired
| Mr.. Rodney, who was ever firm and
| stentorian sleeper
| Morning came ana with 1t horse
| back ride for Brock and Miss Fowler
| That was enough for Mrs. Rodney, she
would hold in no longer. Mrs Odell-
| Carney must be told She, at least.
| must have the chance to escape before
| the storm OF scandal broke to muddy
her immaculate skirts Forthwith the
considerable hostess appeared before
her guest with headful of disclosures
| She had decided In advance that II
would not do to beat about the bush,
no to speak She would come directly
10 the obnoxious point
They were I'm Mrs Odell Carney's
sitting room. Mr. Odell- Carney was
smoking cigarette on the balcony,
| just outside the window Mrs, Rodney
| did not know that he was there, 1t IL
only natural that he held himself in
Hospitality aloof Mrs. Rodney bored
him to death He did not hear all that
| was poured out between them, but he
heard quite enough to cause him some
thing of pang He distinctly heard
his wife say things to Mrs. Rodney
| that she had solemnly ayowed she
would not say-things about the Med
croft baby.
| 1t goes without saying that Mrs.
| Odell- Carney refused to be surprised
| by the disclosures She calmly adj
| mtted that she had suspected Med
| croft of being too fond of his sister In
law; but, she went on cheerfuliy. why
not? His wife didn't care a rap for
him--she said rap and nothing else.
| Mrs. Medcroft had an affair OF her
own, dear child She was not 50 slow
as Mrs. Rodney thought, OH no Mrs.
Odel Carney warmed up considerably
| In defending the not to be ptied Edith.
She said she had liked her from the
beginning. and more than ever. now
that she mud really come to the con
| clusion that her husband was the kind
| who sets his wife an example by being
bit diyaricatlng himself.
Mrs. Rodney fairly screeched with
horror when she heard that Tootles
was "a poor little beggar," and "all
that sort OF thing, you know"
"My dear" said Mrs Odell- Carney,
hating herself ali the time for engag
ing In the spread of gossip. but femi-
ninety unable to withstand the test,
"your excellent cousin, Mrs Medcroft,
receives two letters Il day from Lon
don-great. fat letters which take IF
teen minutes to read I'm spite of the
fact that they are written In a per
fectly huge hand by a mana man.
: dye hear? They're not from her bus
: band. He's here. He cannot have
written them in London, don't you see
He
II see." inserted Mrs. Rodney, who
was afraid that Mrs, Odell- Carney
might think she didn't see.
Mind you. Mrs Rodney. I'm terribly
, cut no about all this She has
"Oh, | knew you would be, mourned
! Mrs. Rodney her heart In her boots
''You must just hate me for exposing
you to-
+ Rubbish" scoffed the other. 1T
isn't that I've been through a dozen
affairs in which my best friends were
frightfully--er- complicated. meant
T to say that I'm terribly cut up over
( poor Mrs Medrroft She's dear,
e Relieve me. she's n most delicious sim
ner Even Carney says that, aud he's
! -. e...;a,,.r, vi ~a~p Inv -