The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-07-23


and why was he going to marry her if
he loved somebody else? Didn't he
know that she had received his mes
sage of love? Or did he mean simply
to ignore it, having seen fit to change?
From living in a>state of happy excite
ment. when every footstep in the street
below might be Colonel Audenreid's 8,
who was fastening to repeat the bur-
den of his note, Stella was suddenly
brought down to earth, to the dull GER
tainty that nothing more was ever like
ly to happen to her, that there had been
some dreadful mistake somewhere,
which had lent her days arcse-color for
a little while, to be sure. only to leave
them grayer and more forlOrn than be-
fore. All at once she remembered with
shudder that Colonel Audenreid's IA
tai note was at Martinvale, that one
morning she had been reading it and
getting it by heart in her own room.
when Felicia knocked at her door, and
she had slipped the precious document
between the leaves of her "Golden
Treasury lying on the toilette table;
and then Felicia had entered with Mrs.
Davis summons for Stella to return to
duty, and in her hasty packing and de-
parture she had left Martinvale without
the "Golden Treasury" Some day
she promised herself to beg leave of
Mrs. Davis, to run away to Martinvale,
and secure her treasure, not that its
possession would signify to her any
longer, only in order to keep it from
Felicia's eyes; but Mrs. Davis would
MT hno~ 70 l,o:n~ loft h0,,, c~l
sometimes Stella cherished the insane
idea of writing to Mrs. Martin, and re-
questing that lady to send the "Golden
Treasury of Song" which she would
find in the gable room, witsout OPEN
ing 1t.
'.Dear Mrs. Davis" she begged one
day, when a couple of months had gone
by. and she had heard no more of pearls
and satins and bridemaids from Felicia,
"dO let me run down to Martinvale, if
only to stay over train; it is very i'm
portant."
"a matter of life and death, sup
pose"
"It concerns the happiness of two
people,
"Can't you tell me about it?''
let me 60. When 1 was at Martinvale
in the summer, I met Cola certain
gentleman. He was very kind. He
carried the lifeline out to distressed
crew when we were all at the beach
together, and he left little foolish.
hasty note for me-, in case he never re-
turned; by some mistake the note was
brought to me, though he dill return,
1t was hasty little affair, you know,
written no doubt, under strong excite
ment, when he had misunderstood his
own feelings, I suppose; for I have
never seen him since, and the note is
in my "Golden Treasury" which 1
left behind me, and my friend Felicia
Martin may find it, and it will break
her heart, for she is going to marry
Colonel Audenreid. oh! I did not
mean to tell his name; but you will for
get it, dear Mrs. Davis, and let me go
at once?"
81 am not likely to forget it, child"
laughed Mrs. Davis; st was my own
name before 1 married. Colonel Auden-
reid is sort of cousin of mine. 1t is a
pretty story. Yes, you shall 60. So
the note would break Felicia's heart,
would it? 1t must have been very ten
der"
"But you see there must have been
some mistake about it,
"Well, there are as good fish in the
sea as ever yet were caught, child. Go
and look after Felicia's happiness, if
you will" And for the first time Mrs.
Davis kissed Stella's white cheek. "Ycu
might have benny cousin, you know"
she explained.
But Stella never reached Martinvale.
Stepping into the station, she ran
against Colonel Audenreid stepping out,
with her Golden Treasury" in his
hand. They looked at each other for
breathing space.
81 was going to you," said the Colo
mel.
"Where is Felicia?'' demanded
Stella.
cat home-and happy still. Where
were you going?'
"To Martinvale, for my Golden
Treasury"
81 have made the journey unneces-
sary. Let me call q carriage. and take
you home. l have great deal to con-
fess.'
eft happened oddly enough" he ex-
planned, later. when he had given or
ders to be driven in the opposite direc-
ton from "home." II had left the
note to be given you in case l never re-
turned. Afterward, when 1 asked Jim
to surrender it, he confessed that he
couldn't lay hands upon it; must have
lost it through the hole in the pocket of
his pea-jacket. That was of no conse-
quence; if he had dropped it on the
beach, the tide had hidden it. Return
ing alive. prepared to do my counting
by word of mouth. I did not know