Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-07-17
At last came a card, with a penciled
and full of bewilderment, he

At last came card, with penciled
message, and full of bewilderment, he
read:
"Miss Armitage hopes Mr.. Manning
will excuse her sister, as she is particu-
larly engaged for the rest of the day."
Dudley flushed as he tore up the card,
and walked away, bordering over the
strangeness of the message.
At dinner Susan made her appearance
alone; but when Dudley approached her
J to inquire for her sister, she was almost
, rude in the curtness of her replies to his
questions.
Dudley's first impulse was to ask the
meaning of this changed behavior, but
modification and rising anger conquer
ed, and he turned away, with look of
equal hauteur.
Half an hour later his mood changed.
He sent note to Edith, begging for an
interview; but when she returned a
formal excuse he was furious with him.
self for having written.
So all that evening he paced up and
down the piazza, in a savage frame of
mind, and finally decided to leave the
house next day, if Edith still refused to
see him.
Up stairs poor Edith was crying
softly, while Susan packed.
F "Who could have supposed that they
came from him?" she was saying, for
the twentieth time.
Susan came over to her and stroked he1
hair caressingly.
"Don't think of it, darling! Try to
forget it" she said, soothingly.
"But, Susan, are you sure?" Don't
you think there could be mistake? Sc
; many people write alike, you KNOW
said Edith, with an eager, imploring
look.
Susan shook her head.
"That writing is unmistakable, my
dear sister," she answered, sadly.
Edith threw herself back, with q fresl
burst of tears.
"But the dreadful part of the whole
affair is that he has been so dishonor
j.. ablev she exclaimed, to think how h
must have listened to our conversation
and pried into all our secrets! So un
|" manly! Inever want to seehim again.
81 think l will put the-stockings il
a parcel, and leave them to be delivere
to him." said Susan, presently.
7 Edith closed her eyes and groaned:
"Idon't care what you do with then
= only don't tell me-"
~ Early the next morning Dudley VS.
- awakened by the humping Of trunk
=. outside the door. In an instant h
- was up, and dressing in frantic HASTE
- for he had comprekended that his ncigl
, bors were leaving.
- As he emerged from his room an
Si shlhhg9 70 The ss stairway, he caught val
~ dresses in the hall below. One foiiowe
=. the porter, the other turned toward tt
20 hotel parlor.
1t Dudley OWNED that this second fgu
~ was Edith, and seized his advantage wit
\. mastery quickness.
In another moment he confronted he
" had seized her hand, despite her resis
= : ance, and was pouring out torrent
~ words, half.angry, half-tender, endir
- abruptly with:
NJ Edith, l love you. Will you MARI
~ me?'
70 "Good morning, Mr.. Manning" int
70 rupted Susan, with charming inton
~ ton.
10 But Dudley was not to be discourage,
, Edith's face had emboldened him.
- "Tell me where I can write to you
=. he whispered, entreatingly, and, spite
"a Susan's interposition, he caught the 10,
IT spoken words of her answer.
~ And then the omnibus whirled the
"a away to the station, and Dudley wake
up and down, thinking of Edith's love
dark eyes as they smiled farewell upe
70 him, and composing his letter.
,r One week afterwards Dudley M
- ming and Edith were sitting together
~ -, Mrs. Delancey's elegant library. Boz
a. looked unmistakably happy, but Dude
" had that air of conscious proprietorsh
= which denotes the engaged man.
j. Tell me, please, why you acted
h strangely-what had 1 done to offer
i you?" he was saying.
n. Do you suppose she told him?-Satn
20 day Night.