Connecticut western news., 1878-09-12

this. No, nobody else was in here while he was, and he must have mailed them both. l noticed them because the writ ings didn't look bit alike, and I won- dered if he directed them both. That's all I know about it. MT. Vane mailed that letter, but I hope you won't let on told you" says Lucy, anxiously.
 Stella and Tom quickly reassure her, and hasten from the office.
 "Well?" eiaculates Tom, as they reach the road-a long-drawn, wonder ing well ?" which calls for an answer as plainly as the longest question that ever was asked.
 "Do be quiet, Tom, and let me think, '' says Stella.
 Her voice is curiously shaken, and Tom steals side glance at her, noting the pallor of her cheek, the pucker of pain and bewllderment on her fair brow, the misty, dazed look of her eyes, and chokes down his feelings out of regard for her.
 {" It must be so," she thinks, as one by one she goes over the circumstances. "A flirt of the worst kind; would swallow any amount of hattery, no mat ter how coarse or how palpably false. Yes, he said it all; there is no doubt about it. And now he has set trap for me to walk into, disgrace myself, and prove his words true. It is only too plain-but oh, Reginald Vane Regi- nald Vane who would have believed it of you?"
 No time to stop and explain to Aggie. She leaves that to Tom, who marvels at Aggie's look of anxiety changing sud- denly to intense relief as she hears the tale.
 As for Stella, she flies up stairs, seizes the obnoxious letter, and thrusts it into an envelope, which, with trembling hand, she directs to MT. Reginald Vane.
 * *
 "And you have nothing to say to me, Stella ?"
 Would swallow any amount of flat tery, no matter how coarse or how pal pably false.'" The sentence has been sounding over and over in the girls brain as she has listened to Reginald Vane's tender, earnest words.
 No matter how palpably false, she says, half aloud, and Reginald Vane starts and looks at her, striving in vain to construe the whispered words into the tender avowal he longs to hear.
 Stella sees the motion, and braces her self up to reply. "No, MT. Vane, I have nothing to say to you," she says, coldly. "You have quite mistaken me when you thought that should fall into so silly 8 trap. Vain and 'a f1irt I may be-must needs be, since you say so-but, not being quite an idiot, must decline to listen to you further"
 "Good heavens, Stella what do you mean, child?" cries Reginald Vane, in a surprise and perplexity so we'll feigned that they have nearly imposed upon Stella herself "I call you vain and Q hirt? I? Who could have told you such absurdities p
 "There is no use in bandying words," says Stella, calmly. "Neither is it worth while to protract this conversa- tion. I will bid you good-afternoon, MT. Reginald Vane. Tomorrow morn ing's mail may explain some things which now seem dark to your compre- hension."
 And, with low courtesy, Stella with draws, leaving Reginald Vane as thor oughly puzzled, disgusted and surprised as man ever was. How is he to know that just over his head a slender form is crouched in an agony of weeping, little heart is tortured by grief which only one ray of comfort has brightened-tha at least she has sustained her dignity, and proved her power of distinguishing between the true and the false?
 "Can you tell me any thing about this mysterious document, Tom ?'' It is Reginald Vane who speaks, having cap- tured Tom on his way from the post office. "Why," continues Reginald, "should any one send to me letters di- rected to Miss Stella Q. Harding ?'- letters which have been opened and ap- parently read, moreover. Can you solve the mystery, Tom? To add to it, the hand in which it is directed is very like like your cousins, though more strag- gling and irregular than hers generally is.'
 "It is Stella's fist, no doubt about hoA al, F,11 rLo if you opened the billyooo and read it you'd get some light on the subject"
 Reginald follows Tom's advice, but seems no whit enlightened. On the con- trary, the face which he turns upon Tom after the reading is more puzzled than ever. "What does it mean, Tom ?" he asks again. "Why should she Why, good heavens p cries Reginald Vane, with sudden gasp, "she surely doesn't think / sent it to her p
 Tom looks him steadily and squarely iu the face for a moment, then ejacu- lates "I believe in my heart you didn't queer as it all is," he adds, after 8 minutes pause.
 Y send it?' cries the young man, Tn horror. "Why, surely she-you-n no- body could think so. Why should 1? What reason? But what made any one entertain such preposterous idea for moment ?'
 Tom meditates. He is overburdened with secrets, he feels. He is not to betray Aggie; he is not to betray Lucy. How is he to get at the truth without doing either?
 You were at the post-ofice yesterday