Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-10-31

which it is" Somehow he was led Il
put the letter one side instead of throw
ing it in the waste receptacle. HC
thought he'd like to look at that mono
gram once more, it was such q pretty
one.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine more
letters read, and nothing in the shape
of business yet. Number ten Mum
Der ten was a small, delicate hand, dl
rected as follows:
Mr.. FRANK II. WENDELL,
st. Albans, Vermont.
This letter bore date of July 81, and
post-mark Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Tom had quite forgotten for the mo
ment the other st. Albans letter, but
of a sudden he cried to himself
"Hullo st. Albans is full of business
to-day r He then opened and read:
my DEAR FRANK,-I only hope you
have gone back TO st. Albans, fol
Heaven only knows how else this may
reach you. / take my only chance, il
seems to me, left for our happiness
| must write, since my heart will moi
let me sit longer and feed on my owr
sorrow without breaking. Dear, since
you went away from me on that sad
night, not one moment of peace, no day
when a song was pleasant to hear, nc
day when could sit silently glad, has
come to me. Only longing for you. ]
was proud, and angry that you could
not trust me; and thought could easily
have explained, I would not. I, fo1
that short half hour, believed
could bear everything, since ]
bore your harsh words Gas they
then seemed). Now L know I was
wrong. Darling, will you not write to
ne ?-iust one word to say you forgive
me, and, if you can, say you still love
me? Shall 1 never see you again
Dear heart, I was never anything but
true to you, and that I can show you il
will come to me or let mo write to you
Will you not write to me? Just one
letter, and L will bless you each day
live, if God makes me live q thousand
years.
"Always being, am still. only yours,
"C1ARA F. DENNETT,
Wallace street, Fitchburg.
"P. ST. am with my cousin, pass
ing the summer, and, unless I heal
from you, trust I may never return to
st. Albans."
"By Jove r. said Tom, "here are two
which go together. Where's that other
letter? Yes AS I'm poor lonely
mortal, I've got the two in heap, and
now must deal them a new hand. u
(Tom was rather given to playing cards
therefore his language.) So he put
the two aside, and left them in closer
union as letters than they had been in
IS beings. II Tom had been a mes.
merist, or believer in mesmerism, he
would have probably wondered if the
joining OF these two letters would have
any influence on the days life of the
| two writer's. AS he wasn't, he didn't ;
1. e., WASH { mesmerisT or believer,
he didn't wonder he only commenced
to form a plan for his vacation. The
commencing ended just half an hour
after his days work was over.
"I'm going to Providence day after
tomorrow, Mrs. Wilkins" said Tom
that evening to his landlady.
son business, Mr.. Tom ?" (OI
course she didn't say "Mr. Tom," but
it will do just as well)
"No'm it's my vacation"
81 hope you will have o nice time"
"My trust is in Providence" said
Tom, little irreligiously, but he
couldn't resist the pun. "And I've
always wanted a clam. bake, and they
do say there's no spot on the earth foi
a clam-baks like the little backyard
they call Rhode Island"
Day after tomorrow became to-day,
and Tom started.
Ere long Tom has smoked a whole
cigar, and got several miles on his
way toward Providence, Rhode Island.
a quest he calls it; an attempt to find
out Frank H. Wendell, and then to re-
introduce him to Clara f. bennett. He
lived with these two all his journey.
CLARA had blue eyes and fair hair, he
was confident; Frank wore a slight
moustache and was rather thin, he was
certain; and so he built up two imagin-
ary persons, and even found himself
foolishly trying to fit his imaginations
on to fellow travellers.
Providence at last. Hotel a few mo-
ments after. Tea after dressing.
Plenty of time, thought Tom; and he
didn't go out that night. There was
no harm in brief perusal of the City
Directory, however ; and 80 Tom stood
at the hotel counter and monopolized
the Directory chained to the marble.
"W-a-W-e-W-e.n - W-e-n-d-Wen-
dell. Here it is," said Tom, muttering
to himself. There were few Wen
dells, but no Frank or Francis Ell :, not
even simple Frank or Francis.
"Do you know o Mr.. Frank Wen.
dell ?" queried Tom of the hotel clerk.
No, he didn't, that clerk answered,
after he had got through staring al
Tom.
"Who'd be likely to know young
fellow about the city y?' again asked
Tom.
Well (second long stare). the clerk
thought he (the clerk) would, and he'd
never heard of Frank Wendell or any
other Wendell, except an old fellow
who sometimes came round to buy
bottles at the hotel. That wasn't the
one the gentleman meant, was it?
Tom thought not.
Tom was manifestly brought ul
standing. So he went to bed.
Next morning he had another look al
the letters. The delicately written one
gave him no clew for the present. Ger
tainly the other didn't. Tom put then
both on the mantel- piece and turned tC
brush his hair at the mirror "a two-by
one-and-a-half bit of looking -glass)
While Toms auburn locks were being
"fixed," nice little gust of wind "un
fixed them but at last his hair wal
dressed. Tom turned to take the let
ters, and "Confound it, if they have
IL .F. q