The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-16


asked.
what are you thinking about, Rob
ert?,'
I'D like to see that letter from Miss
Green" said Strickland.
ST can't show it to you,'' said May.
Tt contains some personal matter that
she wouldn't want any one but me to
know about
tsBut she didn't write the letter her
self ?''
mo- her mother wrote it for her"
Again the words of the husband
who. it seemed to the agonized wife,
was acting the part of the grand In
quisitor, came slowly:
In other words, he said very de
liberately. your friend whom you
haven't seen for years chooses mo-
ment when she is critically III to get
her mother to write to you concerning
matters which your husband daren't
know anything about. Is that correct p
This time there was just CLEAN of
defiance in Mays voice as she replied:
Yes, but there's nothing strange
about it,
Perhaps not. Still, I'd like to see
the letter don't want to read it. /
only want to look at it,
why do you want to see it2'
81 want to know why, If you had a
letter containing your friends address.
you went to the trouble of copying it
on another piece of paper"
Who said I copied it on another
piece Of paper?s' There was d ring OF
well simulated indignation in May
StrfclSland's tone.
And once again the Hateful Burke ap-
pears.
burke said Robert. He said the
purse contained the Henderson place
address on piece OF paper.
May could not answer for moment.
When she did reply 1t was stammer-
angIy.
s'oh, that was becanse-1 did that
Now came the moment when Striek-
lands suspicion of his wife that had.
veIopinG as fast and as thick as the
smoke rose from the jar which held
the genie found open expression His.
voice was thick and Aoarse, as though
the long use had hurt his vocal chords
But 1t was not mere physical distress
that harshened his next words It was
mental stress and tension. Something
reluctant, something that told of heart
ache also, spoke when he said:
May you are hiding something
from me-"
Don't say that, Robert1'' she ex-
claimed Why should I hide anything
from you ~
Il don't know. But you are. never.
theless = What is it, May ~
There is nothing, dear-nothing.'
.'We1l, then, can't see why you have,
letter"
81 have destroyed it. never keep
letters
ssThen why didn't you say Ia the frst
place that you destroyed it7''
Because you didn't give me a
chance. You're cross examining me
as though were a criminal. My
heads whirlfng like a top, can't
stand it much longer. "
The deep lying tenderness of hus-
band who loves his wife sincerely
spoke in Strickland's voice, but added
to it there was the desire to know
that would not be denied. 4
May dear, / don't want to hurt you
Won't you tell me what's troubling
you? We've never had secrets from
each other
'sBut there's nothing to tell, There's
nothing to tellg7
Strickland's ,countenance became
stern. Now he was the man who had
right to- demand an accounting OF his
wife's actions. He crossed the room
again ana seated himself at the table
81 didn't look for this kind of home
coming" he said and relapsed into 81
hence.
For few seconds May was silent
- -
the rapid former interchange of ques-
ton and answer, found the cessation of
words more of a torture than the
words themselves had been. She must
speak. or she would shrek
what are xod thinking about now %
she asked,
He did not answer, and She added:
81 wish you'd eat your dinner in
stead of exciting yourself about moth
ing
Strickland's next voice came in low
tone. He was speaking to himself, but
the words were distinctly audible to
the waiting woman.
Henderson place. Where is that
card Trask gave me?'
He searched in his pockets for the
card. May lknew-of only too WE'LL
for she had been listening unseen when
Trask gave the address to her husband,
but she protested ignorance when she
said:
What are you talking about7'
Str1ckIand's fingers found the card
and drew it from his pocket
Here it is. What's this? IA right
2, 2T.' No, that's not it. Yes, 2Oe
Henderson p1ace-206! That's the very
number Burke mentioned, isn't it?''