Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-02-26
Belle had lain perfectly motionless

y Belle had lain perfectly motionless
for several minutes, and was, / hattereC
myself, losing herself in sleep, wher
suddenly she exclaimed to herself
"There- haven't looked under the
bed!' A horror ran through me; all il
lost; what should do? Belle rose
and heard her feeling for the matches
She struck one, and was moving TOWARD
the gas-light, when the lucifer went ou
leaving all darkness again. Blessed re
lief, but how brief! Again l heard hel
feeling for the matches and tried tc
light one after another as they failed tC
ignite; then an ''Oh, dear, there are nc
moreW escaped from her lips. "Safe
safe" whispered my soul to me, and ]
thanked God in silence for my deliver
ance. Belle CROPPED back to the bed
out did not Immediately get in; she
stopped and lifted the curtains which
hung around the bottom and cautiouly
passed her arm under and around as
far as it could reach. [ almost felt hel
fingers Craze my face as [ held myself
fearfully and silently back against the
wall, too far, just too far for her reach
Apparently satisfied that no danger
was near her, she lay down in the bed
again and [ counted her respirations
till she was lost in slumber.
AS for myself, sleep was utterly Out
of the question. | never was SO wide
awake in my life How I lay upon that
hard carpet and thought the night out
thought of her and her love for me
thought of myself, and my love for her.
Yes, I was convinced from that moment
that the hand Of destiny was in it, and
that a benign and all-wise Providence
had seen fit in his extraordinary way
to open my eyes to the path of happi-
ness and peace. ra.. r..... #.
With the morning light fresh fears
came upon me lest my unconscious
roommate might yet peer beneath the
bed for robbers before she left the
room; but my fears were groundless.
She rose and dressed expeditiously, for
she was to join her cousins at an early
breakfast. and she had oversight her
self. When at last she took the key,
unlocked the door and departed, 1 lost
no time in slipping out of my shameful
place. of concealment, and escaping
from the hotel. On the stairs | met
Fred coming out of his room, who ex-
claimed:
"Why, what's the matter with YOU
old fellow You look like the last DAYS
of an ill-spent life. And your coat, toe
why it's all over feathers and dust
Where have you been?" ....'
"Wby, | slept-slept out last night
that's all. Our house is full, and so
had to find quarters elsewhere. Pm
going home to dress" tt's
II should say so. decidedly. 1 see il
all, old fellow You've been on lark,
and had to put up Ia the watch-house;
come now, own up and tell Us all about
it."
"No lark at all, Fred; nothing of the
kind, | assure YOU"
swell if not a lark what kind of a
bird was it? From the looks of the fea.
theirs, l should say it was q goose"
YOU'RE the goose, Fred. But, seri-
ously, I've a word to say to you of a
most important nature. Be a man.
Fred, and make up your mind to hear
something excessively disagreeable. II
must be told you sooner Or later, and ]
may as we'll tell it now"
"Good Heavens, Gus how earnest
you look at me; you don't mean to say
that-that anything has happened tc
Belle Bronson?" ~
Don't m ention her name again, Fred
or think of her any more, for shell
never be anything to you. l have il
from one who knows all about it, thai
she has long been attached to somebody
else, and that somebody else means tc
marry her. There's no mistake about
it; SO bear up and try your luck else
where"
But Fred Evans was not to be dis
couraged by mere hearsay. That very
day ne went to see Belle, determined tc
know his fate from her own lips. Soon
after he left Oakville and I did not see
him again for several years, when, meet
ing him in town one day, insisted or
bringing him home with me and pre-.
senting him to his old fame, Belle
Bronson-the present Mrs. Evergreen.
''Ah. Fred y said he, after dinner
when my wife and the little Evergreens
had left us to ourselves-!"Ah, Fred
you served me shabby trick when you
allowed me to lose my heart to the CIR
you were all along intending to marry
yourself-a very shabby trick, one Of
which [ never suspected your"
So [ had to tell him Gin strict conf
dence, of course, as tell you reader,
all about the bedroom affair at the Oak
vile Hotel, and the loye that grew out
of it. ..s.# .,.'
.4.H- H A Good Account.
/" To sum it up, six long years of bed
ridden sickness and sufferinp COSTING