The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-05-13
'How-hoW in"

'By George!' finished MI. Kennedy ;
being on the car, you know | felt, as /
might say interested, you know"
Il am much obliged to you, I'm sure =
And this isn't the umbrella ?"
I'm sorry to say, it isn't"
Mr. Courtenay rose to go.
Il should have been glad to have re-
turned you your umbrella" he said, po-
litely. LAS it is, | can only hope it may
| be restOredo
"As l do myself, assure you,7 Miss
Armstrong responded. "Not for the UNI
brella's sake. but for the sake of fifty dol
lars and some Photographic proofs, which
were screwed into the handle"
Constraint was forgotten in the sudden
surprise created by this statement Before
half an hour had passed the three were
quite at ease together They passed from
speculation about the fate of the umbrella
to the weather and to locality and season,
to amusements and to music. When they
lett it was with the understanding that
there might be future visits.
However. neither of the young gentle
men had his cup of satisfaction full to the
brinl because of the other Not a SEN
tence did either utter as they crossed the
street. In the upper hall of the boarding
house at last, Mr. Kennedy broke silence:
81 say, Courtenay, when did You see
that advertisement ~
about eight this morning. was the
laconic response, as the one addressed
fumbled with his key.
"And you went down town and
II always 60 down town"
"Oh, pshaw Don't be high and mighty
You went down and bought an umbrella !
Oh, OH oh, oh ~ And Mr. Kennedy's voice
grew fainter as he retired into the depths
of his dressing room. Presently he emerg-
ed therefrom, and shouted across the hall.
"Well, we neither of us won the cigars
Both got introduced the same minute, by
| George We will 90 halves on a box
1t was noticeable that the young gen
! tlemen both cared very much for two
things They cared for their front Win
| doWs. and they cared more yet for the
owner OF the lost umbrella, the lady OF
! No. s.
| The umbrella was not returned. II be
! came thing of the past.
Now the state of feeling between Miss
ArmstrOng's two cavaliers was anything
but cordial To say that they avoided
each other is mild description They
insisted on being apart. Instead Of hay
ing q social cigar together, they, when
ever they spent an evening in, sat apart
in moody unapproachibllity. Toward
spring matters grew still worse, and MI.
Kennedy became obivious Of his former
friends existence He, moreover, ceased
going to No 8 entirely, and, to Mr.. Courte-
nays amazement, appeared to have made
up his mind to course of dissipation.
Probably this did not agree with his health,
| for toward the middle of March he be-
came invisible for several days. and it was
reported that he was i'll. So it happened
that, one windy March evening, neuralgia
and lonesomeness conquered pride, and
he sent a message to know if CouItenay
would 'cOme over.
Coultenay was really shocked at the
change in his friends appearance, and
was so cordially sorry for him that Mr.
kennedy's reserve utterly relaxed.
''Yourc good fellow, Courtenay but
| it isn't neuralgia altogether thai is using
me up. There are things worse than neu-
ralgia, by teorgeN y
His hearer replied: sol rourse-ot
course there are"
"There's nothing, : resumed the invalid
nothing in this world. and | hope
nothing in the next, as bad as womenm
"Women?' echoed his surprised COM
panion.
"Theyre the coldest--th the-~by George!
| | never saw a woman who had a heart.
Did you?"
Mr. Courtenay ywonderedviIliiyw whether
the lady across the street possessed one;
but he only said, vaguely:
"a rather strong statement"
Mr. Kennedy nodded grim,y
you'll come to my cOnclusiOn-yOu
are on the way to it now You have been
ever since that confounded umbrella mat
ter | say, old fellow, I've n great mind
to save you from yourself Eh ~
Il don't follow you, But go ahead, by
all means'
"A month ago. resumed Mr. Kennedy,
solemnly-.Iust a month ago Tonight
went over to Number to make a call
Frankly, went for more than that-to
make a declaration; and | had every rea-
son to think I'd be accepted, if smiles and
bushes and all that are signs. We went
into the conservatory to look al the stars
and | then and there made a fool of my
self. and made declaration at the time.
| was standing in u draught staring at the
sky-I know that's the way got this neu-
ralgia-and when | had finished, and
stood there, feeling that life or death de-
pended on her answer, what do you think
she said p
Mr. Courtenay responded, in strang ely
munled tones, that he hadn't an idea.
Give guessn
Il can't. Go ahead
She said, and | could have sworn she
was laughing why, Mr.. Kennedy,
don't YOU know I've made q vow? Pm
going to marry some one | gasped out ;
who p The person who retlrns my
umbrella 'Contound umbrellas = finish
ed Mr. kennedy, sayagely kicking the
table leg
Mr.. Courtenays face, surrounded by
wreaths OF tobacco smoke, was very
solemn indeed 1t was more solemn still
the next morning at the breaktast-table
For almost week it was as dolorous as
the weather, and not once did he sit in his
accustomed place at the front window or
call at No. s.
Frank, he shouted one morning across
the hail. lend me your umbrella, will
you? can't find either of mine
There was sound OF rummaging III
MIR. kennedy's apartment; then an UNI
brella came flying across the passage and
landed on the door mat
You'd better lose it somewhere down
town. growled the owner. never want
to see it again
In similar gloomy mood, Mr. Courte-
nay began to prcambulate the rainy and
muddy streets. Whether his state OF
mind made him desperately careless and
oblivious Of his fellow pedestrians is un-
certain
} At any rate, he came in violent contact
with truckman, and was sent staggering
blindly back into a doorway by the force
of the concussion AS for the umbrella,
it looked like wrecked vessel, for three
of its ribs were broken, and the stick,
minus the handle, pointed protestingly
upward. The handle was still clutched
in Mr.. Courtenay's hand, but that too
seemed suddenly to have become rickety