Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-08-28
SUDDENLY
MARRIED
BY JOHN T. LARNED


to a two family house. the upper part
of which was vacant. I went to see
It and found it one of about thirty
buildings all exactly the same size.
built on the anne plan. and. so far as
the rear was concerned. exactly alike.
l would have declined to rent the fiat.
but we required but little room. and
there was nothing else offering. So
we signed a lease of it and moved in.
From the first 1t was difficult for me
to tell my abode from the others, and
several times | entered the wrong
house by mistake. One afternoon !
went home when mother was away
and on feeling in my pocket for my
keys remembered that ! had left them
hanging to. a drawer In my desk in
my office. l am, or was then, a good
climber and could easily have got
ND on to the roof over the stoop and
In at a window; but, not caring to be
seen b%urglarizing my own fat and call
ed down by a policeman, | went around
to the rear, where by n Of thirty
trelliscs-all alike-I could reach a
window in our apartment
Our fat was either the nineteenth
of the row from the west or from the
east. | couldn't remember which !
counted from the west, and it seemed
to me the nineteenth house must be
ours-indeed, l was quite sure of it.
/ climbed the t%rellis, found a window
unlocked, stepped into a room and
pulled the sash down after me. !
was passing out of the room into the
hall when / ran up against a girl, who
gave a shrek loud enough to waken
the dead.
My first impulse was to look about
me. This | did and saw signs OF
difference between the fat ! was in
and mine.
"I-I've got into the wrong house,"
| stammered.
"Take everything" cried the girl,
evidently too frightened to have heard
me, only don't kill me-"
MY dear young lady," | protested.
do I look like one who would kill
your l tell you, I've got into the wrong
house. / live in one of those houses"
My manner rather than my words
seemed to reassure her.
"Oh," she gasped, how you fright
ened me!'
| went back in the room toward the
window with the intention of going out
the way I came. but the girl inter
posed.
.For heavens sake. don't go u that
way! Are you sure no n saw you
come in?'
II don't know. What way shall go
out?"
"This is my bedroom. II any one
saw you come in'-
my dear grip
"Come with me. Go out the front
door"
Certainly, If you wish It,"
Tread softly. | live with an old
woman who Is a great stickler for pro
priety. l am her companion. l read
to her and take care of her pets She
has seven cats, two parrots, three dogs.
to say nothing of rabbits. squirrels and
other animals. If she caught a young
man In the house not "a burglar don't
know what she would do"
Edith" came a cracked sound from
a front room, who's there?"
l made a dive for the window and
was raising the sash when the girl
caught me by the coattail.
"Don'tl It's too late. We must in
vent a story. 1t would never do to tell
the truth. She's coming! For heav-
ems sake get me out of 1T"
An old whose face alone was
enough to scare the life out of a stuffed
zebra came along the hall and stood
facing us. The girl gave me an appeal
ing look. There was no time to delib-
crate. jumped into the first plan that
came into my head.
Madam" / said, forgive Edith. l
assure you 1t is not her fault that she
had 0 told you that she a a hus-
band. positively forbade her do
Ing So"
The old scratch of a woman looked
at me iuridly. She had no teeth, so
she brought her gums together over her
lips as an indication of determination.
$50 you are Edith's husband? Per-
haps you expect me to believe that
statement. Edith is a truthful girl
and would not lie to me. II you have
deceived her.
II assure you / have not We were
married just before she came to live
with you"
IF you have married her you surely
can have no objection to marrying her
AGAIN."
Certainly not, but
Never mind the but. I'm not going
to have an unsophisticated girl deceiv-
ed right under my nose. You shall
either marry her or go to Jail under a
charge of burglary"
She hobbled to a telephone and call
ed for the Rev. Mr.. Starkey. who lived
in the next block. and. although SO
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