Litchfield enquirer., 1874-01-01

But on his way home, MT. Grainger met the report in so many places, heard it in such plausible versions, that he entered his wife's room with very grave face, from which all angry excitement had van ished.
 ''Where is Belle. Mary ?' he asked. ''She went to New York this morning, to do some shopping. She will stay at her Aunt Maria's tonight"
 Did young Seymour go mp on the same train ?'' '1 suppose so. He usually goes at eight, and that was the train that Belle ! took"
 Mir. Grainger was on the point of tell ! ing his wife the whole story, but on 1 second thought, he restrained the inn pulse.
 Sure in his own fatherly confidence in his gentle, modest child, that there was some mistake admitting of explanation, he said nothing, After all, it was a sub ject of congratulation that none of the busy-bodies of Myrtleville had invaded the sick room, and he easily made some trivial excuse for going out again. He was determined to sift the gossip thor oughly before alarming the invalid, and his first visit was to the telegraph office at the railway station.
 ''Is Belle at your house?" flashed over the'wires, and was carried to handsome house in the city,. ''Yes. Will be down on next train, |" ! was the answer; for poor Belle imagined that there was death or frightful illness, to cause her fathers message, when a vis- l 1t to her Aunt's was such a common oc- currence.
 Satisfied on this point, MT. Grainger quietly waited until the train came in, | walked up Main street with his daughter ! on his arm, left her at home, and started out to defy all Myrtleville. .... From house to house he travelled with exemplary patience, and followed the snake-ike coils of the story, till he faced MT: Sawyer, who earnestly assured him: Mrs. Seymour and Mrs. Kitely were in way through the kitchen. They were talking, and just as I got to the door, Mrs. Seymour told Mrs. Kitely that her son and Belle Grainger had eloped. They saw me then, and Mrs. Seymour said very carelessly:
 ""'Here are the morning papers, Mrs. Kitely, just to change the conversation. !"
 ''And you rushed off to carry the news all over A1yrtleville," said MT. Grain ger.
 "Well, I thought is must be true, from such authority"
 "Pshaw ! You misunderstood what was sald.'
 q tell you I heard her as plain as I hear you now"
 ''Telling Mrs. Kitely that her son and my daughter had eloped ?'
 ''Yes. I'd swear 1t on my oath r said Mrs. Sawyer, as if there were several oth- CT ways of swearing, if she chose to take her choice.
 Suppose you step over to Mrs. Kitely' s with me-
 'Well, will"
 But to Mrs. Sawyer's discomfort, Mrs. Kitely denied the story entirely. Mrs. Seymour had never given her any such information, either in confidence or other wise. Ms Sawyer tearfully persisted in her story; and finally the trio went to Mrs. Seymour's
 The hero of the story was at home by thif' tiarae, eating his supper vissaa AlEe itors entered.
 It was an awkward story to tell, but it was told; and Mrs. Seymour's face was the picture of indignant surprise.
 'I!' she cried-'T say my Fred had v. Sawyer, you surely must be dreaming p
 ''You said so. I heard you,'' sobbed the widow.
 ''Said what ?"
 ''You said distinctly, Belle Grainger ran away with my son this morning. !"
 At this moment Mrs. Seymour burst in to a fit of uncomfortable laughter, to the great consternation of her audience. She laughed till she was obliged to wipe the tears from her eyes; when catching sight of Mir. Changers disturbed face, ,she said, with sudden gravity:
 ''Pardoh me, MT. Grainger, see have most innocently caused you a serious an- noyance. The truth of the story is this: Fred, as you know, has all the morning papers sent to him on the early train, and many of the neighbors come in to borrow them. Mrs. Kitely always likes to see the Sun, and save 1t for her; but this morn ing your daughter stopped on her way to the depot, for paper to read as she rode to the city, and took the Sun. When Mrs. Kitely came for the papers said to her, Belle has run away with my Sun, this morning r"
 And all Myrtleville has been busy with the scandal Mrs. Sawyer manufactured out of your remark, cried MT. Grainger. ssI can only hope she will be as active in contradicting it.'
 But to this day Mrs. Sawyer persists in declaring that she can't see where she was to blame at all. Anybody, she is quite sure, might have made such a mistake on the same grounds.
 Paetiy Susie was not left long in doubt, for Fred, having drawn from Mrs. Sawyer the confession that she thought it duty to tell the Belknaps the first thing" has tened over to the betrothed wife, to vent his indignation against all tattlers and mischief-makers, and very soon Mir. and Mrs. Frederick Seymour's wedding cards put the final contradiction to the Myrtle vile scandal.