The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-01-13

I did he sit in his accustomed place
at the front wini0Y or call az numb sr
is.
HFrank," he shouted one morning
across the hall, 'tlend me your um-
brella, will yOu Iean't find either
of mine"
There was u sound OF rummaging
in Mr.. Kennedy's apartment then
an umbrella came flying across the
passage, and landed on the door
mat.
YOU'D better lose it somewhere
down town." grOwled the owner 81
never want to see it again.
In q similar gloomy mood, Mr..
Courtenay began to perambulate the
rainy and muddy streets. Whether
/ his state OF mind made him desper-
ately careless and obvious OF his fel-
! iow-pedestTians is uncertain. At any
rate, he came in violent contact with
truckman, and was sent staggering
blindly back into q doorway by the
force of the cOncussion. As for the
umbrella, it looked like a wrecked
vessel, for three of its ribs were
broken, and the stick, minus the ham
die, pointed protestingly upward.
The handle was still clutched in Mr..
COurtenay's hand, but that too SEEM
ed suddenly to have become rickety I;
as he tossed it angrily against the Op-
posite wall it fell back disjOinted, and
a little roll Of papers tuHbled at
Mr.. Courtenay's very feet. For once
in his life, and only once, the latter
individual was betrayed into using his
friend Kennedy's favOrite expression,
"by George ~
He did not go down town, but re-
turned home aud shut himself up till
after dinner. At seven o'clock he
might have been seen crossing -
Street, with q disreputable-lOok king
umbrella in his hand, which just held
together, aud that was all. Bearing
this, he entered Miss ArmstrOng's
presence, and ans wered her merry in
quiry as to where he had been the last
week, briefly,
"Pve been finding your umbrella.
Here it is.n
Somehow il took a great while for
Miss Armstrong to understand how
it had come about. She was freshly
amazed every five minutes t. think
that "her identical umbrella" had
been all this time in Mr.. Kennedy's
possession, just across the street.
And to think, besides, that shs had
taken Mr.. Kennedy's umbrella on the
horse-car IL was the very strangest
thing that ever happened, and she
must go straight and tell mamma all
about il.
"But you have not done your part"
interDosed Mr. Courtenay. nYou
said the finder would be suitably re-
warded."
"FOr returning a whole umbrella.
Thanks will pay for broken One,D
said Miss Armstrong. saucily.
"DO you think SO? But you have
to keep your vow besides" said Mr..
Courtenay, With perfect gravity.
She looked at him with wide-eyed
surprise, then flushed and faitered as
she asked:
"What vow ?n
'TO marry the person who returned
your umbrella
''Oh ~ was the mortified response.
'Did Mr.. Kennedy"
Speaking of Mr.. Kennedy, that
was interrupted as he was
lighting his first cigar on the follow
ing morning by tap at the door, at |
which appeared Mr.. COurtenay hold
ing an umbrella.
"Miss Armstrong returns your um-
brella, with thanks, and apologies for |
having unknOwipgly exchanged with
you. You have had hers four months,
and | unfortunately broke it yester-
lay when you lent it to me. She'd
like you to accept the contents of the
handle of hers, and she insists on your
taking this photograph. 1t is no more
han right, since you've carried the
proofs about so long. "Oid fellow"
ne added, breaking into a long-re-
PRESSED laugh, "yOu'll have to be con.
,ent with the photograph. She's
promised the original 70 me."- Hdr-
ler's Bdgdr.