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Show JHIS WIFE'S COUSIN lly T. V. lie LRON, Crptrlght, loot, by Dally Story PublUhtnj Company. "It Is too provoking to miss thu train I" A pretty woman nt her worst, Mrs. Ilonald Douglas looked prettier still with hor nose tlptlltcd ami n deep Hush upon her rounded cheeks. Whether both enmo from heat of tho dainty gns stove or from temper nt dlsnppolntment, tho result was tho snmo; nnd so thought hor stylish cousin. MnilL-o Mnrcv. who was an orphan Inmnto of her homo. "Too provoking!" tho young wlfo ropeated ns sho hold back her rich skirt with ono plump und Jeweled hand, nnd with tho other turned down tho gas nnd replaced tho lid of tho steaming chafing-dish "Hon should havo been hero flvo minutes ago; nnd by tho next trnlu his terrnpln will bo rulnod; and wo'll havo tho nightmare night-mare from lato supper. How stupid of him to miss tho trnln!" "I nm suro Cousin Hon had a good renson," Miss Hinrcy begnn, suddenly sudden-ly catching the glint of her cousin's ojc nnd finishing: Luckily I did not cut tho wlno and Ico for tho Hcgent's punch before he camo. Ho always llkos It 'live,' as ho says," "Ho llkos all things 'llvo' Mrs. Douglas responded meaningly. "Why, Mndgo, you affect to understand Hon ns well ns his wlfo docs." "For which his wlfo should be duly thankful," tho girl retorted not without with-out n blush. "I snvo hor so much troublo by doing so. lie recognises It, at -least." "Quito!" tho young wlfo answered brlolly. "Hnvo you seen my 'Choir Invisible' nnywnero? Oh, hero It is. Sho burled herself in hor book, nnd tho down cushions, under tho pink-shaded pink-shaded stand lamp, whllo Miss Marcy sat nt tho piano und let hor tnper hnnds stroll over tho keys. "Plenso piny something fJormnn!" Mrs, Douglas cried presently. Her voleo was sharp, with o testy ring In It. "I was only thinking with my fingers, fin-gers, Noll," tho girl nnswered. whirling whirl-ing round on tho stool. "What was I playing?" "Thnt stupid old 'Chnrllo Is my dnr-llngl' dnr-llngl' nnd ou vo played it flvo times," tho other niiBWored Irritably "I dotcst Scotch things!" "Cousin Hon Is Scotch," Mndgo Mnrcy retorted quietly, "nut dear mo! how ngrecnblo wo must lmvo boon to each other, Nell. Tho clock snys twonty past olovon, nnd ho'Il bo hero In ten uitiiutos." "You nro nothing if not correct, Mndgo!" This was frigid enough to cool tho punch, snns Ice. "Whnt Is tho matter with you tonight?" to-night?" Tho tnll, llssiomo girl loft tho piano ond throw herself among the down cushions ; ono long, gleaming arm colled about her cousin's neck. "Nell Douglas, If you woro not you nnd I wcro not I; If Cousin Hon wcro not tho 'doting c'.ullurd of n husband' thnt ho Is I would ronlly begin to bcllovo you woro growing lenlous!" "Jonlous, Indeed!" Tho young wife's rrotty checks wcro allnme no.v, nnd "What Is the matter?" tho oyes sho glued upon her book bad nught but tenderness In thom. "I nm surprised at such n hint, Nell, oven from you. Whon Ulennor Marcy Mar-cy changed hor name to Douglas" "Oocauso ho wus 'tender nnd trowo'?" tho girl broko In with a merry laugh. "Rccauso ho was n gantloman nnd an hono.-t man, tho other wont on, iinhoodlng, "sho uuoro to lovo nnd honor. The woman who 40 uoaicnns horsoit us to bo Jonlous" sho paused, looking full nt mo woman boforo hor, radiant nnd crowned with bolloshlp "without nny npparent cxcubo, do-terves do-terves not pity, but contompti ' "Why, you nro if ally talking rorl-ously, rorl-ously, Noll I" tho o nor womnn crlod. "How tboughtloss I was 1 toaso you, when you wero worried. Ah! that's his cab! I'll run nnd 'llvo' tho punch, whllo ynu turn tho torrapln. Now, Noll, dear, don't scold tho poor fellow!" fel-low!" . Sho swept through tho portloro of tho dlnlngioom, Juct as tho truant's pass-koy grated In tho latch. A puzzled puz-zled look half query, half content-swept content-swept tho fnco Mrs. Douglass turned first to her nnd then to tho toll mirror, mir-ror, ns sho smoothed tho lnces rufllcd about hor bosom. Next Instant she was extricating herself from a bear-llko bear-llko hug. "You mean old runaway! To keep Crept Into the hall. two lono women up all night, by carelessness care-lessness about a train." "Ronlly couldn't help It, darling wlfoy!" Dr. Douglas answered cheerily; cheer-ily; pronouncing tho udjectlve dol-Ha' dol-Ha' "You sco tho operation old Sll-ccrly Sll-ccrly wired mo to como for was a capital ono. Tho subject was worn to a thread; nnd heart complications forbudo mucsthctlcs. So wo used hypnotism." "That silly fad again!" his wlfo answered an-swered with 11 rout. "Konald Douglas Doug-las I do bcllovo you nro becoming a hypnotic crank!" "I will, If my crankiness mitigates suftorlng," ho said ginvely. "I nm foiccd to glvo so much of thnt to 'bo cruel only to bo kind;' that If a woman llko this one " "Oh, it wns n woman?" "Yes, and a marvolously beautiful ono. Sho detained mo, as Sllcerly wished to test her powers furthor, and so I missed my trnln." "Sno humbugged oven you?" Illogical Illogi-cal Mrs. Douglas retorted. "Hon, for a clear-headed, scientific old dear, jou nro tho most easily fooled by n pretty woman " "There's but ono pretty womnn to me, dollln' wlfo," was tho gonulne response "nnd sho hasn't fooled me." The foretold nlghtmaro to bo foaled by terrnpln, scorned to bo n mere myth. Silence nB of Egyptian tombs wrapped tho dnrk Douglas mansion ns tho clock chimed threo. In tho darkness tho surgfon lay wide-eyed, but restful, thinking over tho new ox-perlonco ox-perlonco of tho day. Suddenly his wlfo spoko; he caught his nnmo hor cousin's. Ills hand Intuitively wont out to wnko her, as ho muttered: "My fault! Terrapin Terra-pin " but sho spoko again and tho scientist imiiHcd to listen, smiling broadly In tho inky darkness. Then the French clock chimed tho quarter. Mrs. Douglas sat bolt upright In bed, a senso of horror of hideous doom upon her. Sho reached out hor arm, thu plump llttlo hand feollng for her protector's pillow. It was ompty hU plnco by her sldo vacant! Sho wnlspered his name then louder at Inst In agonized sobs. No answer camo Sho glanced at tho door. It was njar, n dim glenm from tho hnll lamp reflecting upon his ompty plnco. Shuddering with cold drend burning burn-ing with shnmo ut hor own act the racked wlfo slid stealthily from bed and crept Into tho hall. Boforo her "moving ghostltko to bis doom," crept her husbnnd; whlto clad and with bnre foot that made no echo on tho carpet. Hesitant, slow, with moln of n guilty thing ho pnssed tho length of tho corridor paused at Madgo Mnrcy's door tapped softly. It wns oponcd ns ot Itself In the broad light flooding behind her with floating mnssos of fair hair sculptured sculptur-ed throat nnd gloaming bust too lightly light-ly drnpod her cousin stood, with eager arms extendod. Noxt Instant thoy wcro closo about tho sinning husband's neck; her soft cheek pressing press-ing his In ecstnsy tho blonde hair meshed about him as tho web of Fato! Frozen ns to stone tho wlfo stood ducd nnd voiceless; her eyes wcro 1 1 voted upon tho hideous sin beforo them; her blood frozo In horror, congelation con-gelation heat could not molt. And then soft, long drawn kisses broko tho dcadonod stillness ench ono smiting dull upon her brain and driving driv-ing through It tho hideous truth. And then Madgo Marcy's oyes, piercing tho gloom beyond, found them fixed by her cousin's cold staro, as by a Basilisk's. But, bold and reckless, tho girl only smiled and wblspored: "Ho Is my cousin, Nell. Qo back to bed and bo good!" Her voice melted tho frozen charm. Tho wronged wlfo hurled herself toward tho guilty pair a Vengeance implacable In tho broad light gleamed gleam-ed tho long, sharp dnggor sho found somehow In hor hand: Its uplifted blade directed not nt her rival's but her husband's heart! Then, as that blado descended llko a flash, Nell Douglas fell upon the carpet prono lifeless. And oven then ono word crashed down upon hor brain potent, commandful: "Remember!" Simultaneously Simul-taneously Mrs. Ronald Douglas was slttlrg bolt upright in bod; her husband's hus-band's voleo asking quietly: "Are you 111, dollln' wife?" "Oh, Hon, It was dreadful! I had such an nwful awful nlghtmnro. I nm suro It wnB tho torrapln." "No, Nell; I nm suro It was noL" "Then, lovo, what could It have boon?" "Sweetheart, It was 'that cllly fad again'!" |