Show C the wife e an and the mistress Wi stress ess CY DY W IL RET a copyright IW by dally daily story pub co cc k X 00 it wae was so dark and all in the WOO wood that not a sound save the canty scanty inmost noele noiseless plash of at rain could I 1 0 hoard board by the two breathless listener listeners in the buggy the woman WM was holding one hand out to feel the drops her hot ears were sharpened until even the breaking of a twig made her start there la Is nothing she said at last we could hear a horse a boots hoofs two miles off go on then as fait fast aa as you can you 11 not forget that you re taking the name of at john whiting I 1 marked all lour our clothes with it this morning before I 1 packed the valise and put those handkerchiefs that were father fathers a with the same initials embroidered on them and her ller companion broke in with a discordant laugh I 1 guess the old nan man would rise up in his grave if it he know it he ile never took much stock in me anyway the woman shiv salver salverd erod d slightly I 1 was going to say she continued without replying to his remark that you ant an t be recognized by the silver watch it was visa never used you know I 1 ow our gold one I 1 ve put away you can give it to dab when he grows up and I 1 sa as nnnie anle are you going to let the children know V not more than I 1 can help robert the little ones need hardly hear beat ot of it yet a while but of course dob bob and elanor eleanor will nobody can keep the papers from them it a rather rough on them muttered the man I 1 I 1 in sorry for elean or she will bear beat as a woman knows how to do and has to do but oh hobert robert why dian didn t ou think of at that before IN by dian t I 1 do a lot of things dit terent ferent I 1 ive ve lived my life that a all and now I 1 m ready to drop out of I 1 it t jackson lackson was to blame blanie u him tor for winding me up so soon it was he that got the bank directors here this month hes iles had bla his evi evia eye on me ine all winter stop will you I 1 heart something gom ething sh sash that was a calla mans voice he whispered excitedly yoa hold the reins it if they chaw I 1 jump and cut but it as the scream of a distant locomotive fol follow loel el by the dull roaring of the train no other sound was audible in the silent woods save the soft falling rain I 1 should like to ask you one thing before we par part slid his wife presently in IV th calm deliberate tone which Is sometimes a feature of intense men tal pressure I 1 how flow did you come to all this I 1 were ere you an honest man in the beginning as as I 1 belleard rd pd you to be or have your friends been deceived in you all these many years I 1 I 1 ar an ari i asking as much for dob bob a s sake as ay my own he ile Is aruch like you and your temptations may be his tell me was it that other woman I 1 what other but b he faltered over the anten lie oh well it you know about her care carelessly lemly I 1 pose it may have been A man ran t kepp keep up two establishments ts on the sal 1 ary of at a bank clerk but you cant can t say I 1 dida t provide for my family annie lid did you or the children ever want for anything she drew in a quick breath I 1 not tor for material comforts no you yon kept us well housed and clothed an I 1 fed tea dut but what you took the money tor for then was your love for hert her W hy by if you want it in plain terms yea yes I 1 m like a good many other fellows I 1 guess he lie laigh laughed til uncomfortably fort ably now I 1 sup suppose ose your next question will be how ilow did I 1 come to fancy anybody so different from you eh well I 1 may as well have it out with you I 1 don t mean any offense offen sp you know and I 1 1 appreciate your being a good wife and all that you wont find and I 1 ever breathed a word against you on to anybody but you were too strict in your ideas from the atari start that was the trouble you expect a fellow to live up to cm em by jove jovel one gets enough of the serious side of life in hia his business a without having to tackle it when hoa at home homel yea yes I 1 know what you 11 II say but it a ao so I 1 drew it from its place with mad denning slowness elow ness couldn coulden t go on being a respectable family man all my life and alter after I 1 met kate I 1 bad had some divers lia lm you were all right enough and you know I 1 was affectionate yu cant complain of anything can you youa but a woman with a saucy little daredevil way like hers I 1 tell you takes ft a mans fancy in spite le of all he be can do she was more my kind annie there theres no use x talking wiring I 1 thought a lot of hir it if I 1 be wanted diamond diamonds or a aa we 1410 horse a I 1 had to get got em for her you never atoa cared ed about such things you know nod she he did w bihy hy oe here bore she interrupted 1011 on balleu t the lightest Heb tent conception ot of any brutality in what you are saying I 1 suppo but please spare both her and me m the comparisons I 1 dibut aldu t ask fur any justification of 0 your caring tor for her dut but it if she lovee loves you why la Is ahe she not with you to night IN as there not sufficient clent ot of the daredevil spirit in hr her to face ace flight and danger with you he ile did not answer at once then he lip muttered with an attempt at lightness well you know annie all worn wom en habut the grit that you have hav e and ashes she s got ot other friends ashes ebe s too pop ular to give up all her chances for or one the bitter curt curl of 0 bla his lip was bidden hidden by the darkness robert ehe she said lofti 1 I I v want ant you to remember that one of the two omen lovel you I 1 know nathin about the other and it doe does not mat ter now but when you think 0 tonight a 8 ride iou ou may take that combot to your soul and you it 11 need comfort game da it ie Is breaking my heart to let you go like this I 1 the man made no ans answer ahm suddenly she drew in the horse t 11 he stumbled back on hl 1 haunches haunch eq listen slie cried through the stillness they coull hear a new sound distinct 14 ie W I 1 j J good bye old girl you camo came out fine tonight to night I 1 the quick trot of I 1 goofs and the roll of 0 wheels over a distant bridge they listened breathless two interminably minutes my god exclaimed the man j that a no country team been to riverton Ill verton and now they re coming over the turnpike I 1 in done for I 1 no you re not it takes half in n hour to get here from Iti riverton erton that long stretch across the meadows aej the place where the road la Is being mended will r put rut ut them lack five min utes too liere e re clo cloe cloae ae to the station now hurry flurry then but the horse picked his way lowly slowly down the hill in the darkness the man was desperately nerious the woman calm as if looking into the face of death finally they reached a little country station in the woods and the woman handed the reins to her companion give me your valise she whisper ed and keep well bick if they come drive away anywhere meet them then she aba walked into tho th waiting room and called the tho station master who ho was walking outside going away ne asked yes one ticket to the junction please he lie drew it from its place with maddening slowness she tried not to snatch it as he ha held it out have llave I 1 time to say good bye to my husband before the trail traia goes he ile can t leave the horse to stand oh yes that a tho whistle but its a wile nille ott off yet she kept the valise in her hand band and walked back to the buggy here a the ticket robert the man a busy and wont won t eee see you cross the tract and you can hido in thai thit clump of bushes till the trin tr ila comes then wing swing yourself up on an the back platform quick as le ie mored moved stitt stiff ly 1 good uye bye old girl he returned kissing her hastily you came out fine line to night take care of the children and don t let lot em hear any more than you can help you 11 II get on all right and be he sprang away into tha the train dashed up she could see him climb on at its further end and hear the thump of baggage and boxes boxe under the station masters bands hands one oita b escaped d her then with short ehrp eh sh rp purs puffs the train started and the cars dragged out of fit sight hey fley there stop here ill you called a voice from a light wagon drawn by a sweating galloping horse as two aft men drove up to the platform too late answered the station master what dye a ye want you aln t trav elial are you OUT I 1 we wan he man that got off on that train thre gasn t any man nobody but a woman what hind kind ot of a woman A little one not up to my shoulder lure there was no one else asked the other man so a a soul she bought ur ticket and got on while I 1 as unloading the baggage fooled footed again was the angry ex clarn clama atlon tiou well jackson weve w evo raced twenty miles now I 1 guess well walk home it wa was a mistake to go to kate tor for information said hie comrade she told IM in all he ito know hut fast sho wont hv have any WON uie A for or himan am it was won the wife we ought to beus 11 nr eye on an I 1 told acm that all alue we me might follow her up SOW it 11 it vua wun t likely like to be b too late tb wife bad arhon away into to the black |