o looks only to her husband's
interests, and makes sacrifices in his behalf. She drew a touching
picture of Maroney's sufferings in jail, and tried to impress upon her
the conviction that it was more than probable that he had taken the
money so as to be able to place her in a situation where she could
command any luxury. What did Cox know about suffering, or of the steps
her husband found it necessary to take in order to effect his release?
When Maroney took the forty thousand dollars, he had to ship it at once
down the Alabama river, and now they could see how wise he was in so
doing. He had displayed consummate ability in every movement he had so
far made, and was it at all likely that he had lost his cunning? "He
loves you," said she, "and would do any thing for you. Your duty as a
wife is plain and simple; do as your husband wishes you to do."

Madam Imbert's reasoning was unanswerable, but to Mrs. Maroney it was a
bitter pill. Without saying a word, she led the way into the house,
where they met Cox, just coming up from the cellar. She had informed
both Josh. and his wife that she had made a confidante of Madam Imbert,
and they thought she had done wisely.

"Josh., have you been moving the money?" demanded she.

"No!" he replied, in rather a surly tone. Then turning to Madam Imbert,
he said: "You must have the same opinion of this matter as I! I think it
folly to give the money up to White. No one knows about this would-be
book peddler, and I will not give up the money to such a man. Let him
come to me and I will talk to him." Josh. strutted about the room with
the air of a six-footer. "I'll have it out of him in short order. I'll
show him he can't pull the wool over my eyes, as he seems to have done
over Nat.'s. I'll be d----d if I can understand it."

Cox was ably seconded in his opinion by his wife.

Mrs. Maroney had very little to say.

Madam Imbert said that, in her opinion, Josh. was entirely wrong.
Maroney knew better than they what was for his interest. As for her, if
her husband was to tell her to give up all she had, she would cheerfully
do so, as she knew he was best able to judge what was for the benefit of
them both.

The day passed in a continual wrangle. Madam Imbert could hardly get
away from Mrs. Maroney long enough to eat her meals. Mrs. Maroney and
Josh. dealt exclusively in brandy. Toward evening Josh. proclaimed his
intention of "raising" the money, and starting with it that night for
t