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Show ?KKMKH0KKKH S The Wife and the Mistress g T OY W. B. BARRETT. O 0 fl-npy,-liht. 111. by Dally Rtery l-iih. fn ) O 0K0 MMO-0CK 0KKKK-0K OO-O It vaa so ilurk and Mill In the woods that not n sound, rave the Kcunty, almost al-most nnlacloa plio-li of ruin, could l- ho.irl by the two breathless listeners lu the buggy. The woman was hold-HiK hold-HiK one hand out to feel lb drops; br ears were sharpened until even tho breaking of a twig nmde her start. "There is nothing." she said nt last. "We could hear a borse'a hoofs two miles off." "Oo on. then, aa fant as you can." "You'll not forget that you're taking tak-ing the name of John Whiting? I marked all your clothes with It this morning before I peeked the vallae and put thoss handkerchiefs that were father's fa-ther's with the same Initials embroidered embroid-ered on them; and " Her companion broke in with a discordant dis-cordant laugh. "I guesa the old man would rise up In his grave If he knew It. He never took much stork In me anyway." Tbs woman shivered slightly. "I waa going to say." ahe continued without replying to his remark, "that you can't be recognlied by tha . vcr watch. It was never used, you know. Your gold one l'vs put away." "You can give It to Dob when he grows up. And I say. Annie, are you going to let the children know?" "Not mors than I can help, Hobert. The little ones need hardly hear of It yet a while, but, of course. Bob and I Eleanor will. Nobody can keep the papers from them." "It's rather rough on them," muttered mut-tered the man. "I'm sorry for Elean-or.' Elean-or.' "She will bear as a woman knows how to do ana haa to do. But, ob, Hobert, why didn't you think of that before?" "Why didn't I do a lor things different? dif-ferent? I've lived tny life, that'k all, and now I'm ready tu drop out of IL Jackson waa to blame, .urse him, for winding me up ao soon. It was he that got the bank directors here this month. He's hsd his evil eye on me sll winter. Btop, will you? I heard Something. "Hh-shl That waa a rall-a man's voire!" he whispered excitedly. "You huld the relna, If they come; I'll Jump and cut" But It waa the scream of a distant locomotive, followed by the dull roaring of tbe train. No other niind nitllilK In the silent Woods save the sof( (ailing rain. "I should Ilka to ask you one thing before we part," aald his wife presently. present-ly. In the calm, deliberate tone which Is sometimes a feature of Intense mental men-tal pressure. "How did you corns to all this? Were you sn honest msn In the beginning, as as I believed you to be or have your friends been deceived In you sll these many yeara? "I am asking aa much tor Hob's sake as my own. lie Is much like you and your temptations may be hla. Tell me. was It that other woman?" .'Wbat otherT-but he faltered over the Interrogative He, "Oh. well, if you know about her" carelessly "I suppose sup-pose It may have been. A man can't keep up two establishments on the salary sal-ary of a hank clnrk. But you can't suy I didn't provide for my family, Annie. Hid you or the chlldreu ever wnnt for anything?" Mho drew In a quick breath. "Not for material comforts, no; you kept us well housed and clothed and feil. Hut what you took tho money for, then, wns your love for bcr?" "Why, If you want It In plain terms, yea. I'm like a good uiany other fellows, fel-lows, I guess." He utuglied uncom fortubly. "Now 1 suppose your next question will be, How did I come to fancy anybody so different from you, eh? Weil, 1 may as well have It out with you. I don't mean any offense, you know, and I appreciate your being a good wife and all that. You won't And I ever breathed a word against you to anybody, but you were too strict In your ideas from ths start, that was the trouble. You couldn't expect a fellow to live up to 'em. By Jovel one geta enough of the aerlous side of life In hla bualneaa without having to tackle it when bo's at home! Yes, 1 know what you'll say; but It's so. I He drew It from its place with mad- denning slowness, couldn't go on being a respectable family fam-ily man all my life, and after I met Kate I had some diversion. You wars all right enough, and you know I waa affectlonsle you can't complain of anything, can you? but a woman with a saucy Utile daredevil way like bers, I tell you, takes a man's fancy In spite of all he can do. She was more my kind, Annie; there's na use talking. I thought a lot of her. If lbs wanted diamonds or a aaddla horse I had to get 'am for her. You never rsrod about er.rh tlilncs, you know, uml if she did. why " Mep here.." she Interrupted. "You haven't tbe slightest conception of any I brutality Iti what you are snylng, I suppoxe; but please spnre both her and nin the comparisons. I didn't ak for any Justification of your caring tor her. But. If she loves you, why la she not with you to-night? Was there not sufllclent of tho daredevil spirit In bor to face flight and danger with you?" He did not answer at once; then he muttered with an attempt at lightness; "Well, you know, Annie, all women wom-en haven't the grit that you have. And she'a got other friends; ahe'a too popular pop-ular to give up all her chances for one." The bitter curl of his lip wss hidden by the darkness. "Uoliert," ahe aald softly, "! want you to remember that one of the two women loved you. I know nothing about the other, and It does not matternow. mat-ternow. But when you think of tonight's to-night's ride, you may take that comfort to your soul; and you'll need comfort aome day. It la breaking my heart to let you go like this." The man made no answer. Then suddenly shs drew In the boras till he stumbled back on hla haunches. "Listen!" she cried. Through the stlllnesa they could hear a new aound, painfully distinct; "Qood bye, old girl, You came out One to-night" the quick trot of hoofs and the roll of wheels over a distant bridge. They listened, breathless, two Interminable minutes. "My (led!" exclaimed ths man "that's no country team. They've been to ltlverton, and now they'ro coming over the turnpike. I'm done for." "No, you're not It takea half an hour to get here from ltlverton. Tbat long stretch aeroas ths meadows and the plnc-e where the road ta being mended will put them hack five minutes, min-utes, too. We're close to the station now." "Hurry, then." But the horse picked bis way slowly down the hill In the darkness. The man was desperately nervous; the woman calm as If looking Into the fare of death. Finally they reached a little country stntlon In the woods, and tho woman hunded the reins to her compunlon. "tllve mo your valise," she whispered, whisper-ed, "and keep well back. If they come drive away -an) where. I'll meet them." Then she wulked Into the waiting room and called the stntlon master, who was wulklng outside. "tlolng away?" ho aked. "Yes; one ticket to tbe Junction, plriiHo," Ho drew It from lis place with maddening slowness. She tried not to suateh It aa he held It out. "Have I time to say good-bye to my husband before the train goes? He can't leave the horBe to stand." . "Oh, yes; that's tho whistle, but It's a mile off yet" She kept the valine In her hand and walked buck to the buggy, "Here's tho tltkoi. Hobert. The man's busy snd won't see you. Cro.is tne track, and you ran hide In tint clump of bushes till the train comes. Theu swing yourself up on the back platform. Quick!" us he moved sillily. silli-ly. "Uood-bye, old girl," ha returned, kissing her hastily. "You came out fine to-night. Take care of the children, chil-dren, aud don't let 'em boar any more than you can help. You'll gut on all right"; aud he sprang away into tho darknoss. The train dashed up. She could see htm climb on at Its further end and hour tbe thump of baggagu and boxes uudar tho atutlon master's bauda. Oue sob escaped her. Theu with short, sharp purrs the train started and the curs drugged out of sight. "Hey, there! Stop here, will you?" called a voice from a light wagon drawn by a sweating, galloping horse, sa two men drove up to tho platform, "Too late," answered the station ruuator. "What d'ye want? You ain't truvolln', are you?" "We want tbe man tbat got off on that train." "There wasn't any man, nobody but a woman." "What kind of a woman?" "A little oue not up to my shoulders." shoul-ders." "Sure there was no one olso?" asked the other man. "Not a soul. She bought her ticket and got ou while I was unloading ths baggage." "Fooled again!" was ths angry exclamation. ex-clamation. "Well, Jackson, wo'vo raced twenty miles, now I guess we'll wslk home." "It was a mistake to go to Kate for Information," said his comrade. "She told us nil she knew fruit enoughshe' j won't have nny more nie for him hut It was Hie wife we oiiRht to have kept nir eye on. I lobl you that nil along, fi mlrht follow her up now, If It imn'l likely to be too late." The wife had driven away, alone, t Into the h!n k woods. i |