Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-11-12

IL without hesitation. II was signed "Farrell
Bainbridge," and read ~ follows:
You will receive "a letter from mo to.mor.
row. IL was sent you by mistake. Please
burn without opening,
Miss Lucy Harrison was extremely deyot-
ed TO her sister. Her engagement had been
great trial to her, not more ON her own ac-
count than by reason Of her anxiety on
Grace's behalf She had been convinced
from the first that Farrell was not the thou
sandth part good enough for her sister.
This was not that she knew anything speci-
ho against him. She would think the same
about any young man who had presumed TO
claim her darling little sister.
Lucy was however a discreet young wOmr
an, and not q word did she breathe that
evening to her father or mother Of the tele-
gram. Next morning at nine with the resC
Of the mail came letter addressed in Far
rell's hand to Grace, and with the post-mark
of Ais city. An hour later Grace herself
cam6 home. The first thing she asked, after
the kisses and greetings, was IL there was n
letter for her.
"Yes," said Lucy, "ips on your bureau. -
Grace ran upstairs. There was the letter
Never had she thought her name so pretty
as since she saw It in her lovers hand
writing. Lucy had followed her. She saw
her catch II up, look fondly at It, and then
with quick gesture press it TO her lips She
looked around and saw her sister.
Just wait till you are I'm love, Lucy"
she said, blushing and gayly laughing as She
began to open the letter.
stop" said Lucy, extending to her sister
the telegram in its yellow envelope. ''This
came for you yesterday, and that is no doubt
what Il refers to. You'd better read 1t first.
don't know what TO make OF it."
Grace took the telegram and read II. Then
she looked at the letter and read the tele-
gram again.
"pm not to read It" she said in Il puzzled
tone. "A mistaken why what does he
meany why did he write It to me II he
doesn't want me to read itP' and she re-
garded Lucy out Of violet eyes round with
bewilderment, as II she were bound 20 eX-
plain the mystery. But the latter answered, ,
struggling her shoulders.
"'m sure l don't know. don't pretend
to explain such a curious transaction. one
thing is pretty plain though, Mr.. Farrell
cambridge would never have stultiiiCd him
self by sending such an extraordinary tele-
gram unless he had some very strong reason
for desiring to prevent you from seeing what
is in that letter."
But how could he write me something
one minute and then the next be so anxious
to prevent my reading itW said Grace, ready
TO cry with perpleXity. 'Thaps not natur-
al. It's not bit like Farrell"
Perhaps not" said Lucy. "YOu ought
to be fully acquainted with his character.
You've known him the whole Of six months,
L bbAluhtg -Sllt tOulu llOl ltlIdlu lIOIl lIlS
sarcasm-'I suppose" she continued, eve
have all Of us torn up good many letters
which we had written to send to people, and
have sent some which we wish we had torn
up. don't pretend to guess the riddle, but
perhaps Mr.. Bainbridge had an impulse Of
frankness and wrote you some things which
upon sober second thought, after the mail
had gone out, he concluded he would rather
you did not know"
"Oh, 1 can't think of it that way, Lucy, 4"
exclaimed Grace, now crying outright at
is as il there were two Farrells, one who
trusted me and one who didn't. Which Of
them is my lOyer?"
"Grace," said her sister, off l were en-
gagged to marry man and received u letter
under such circumstances rs these / should
read 1t. You can't tell what may be in il d.
There may be something in it that will and
indeed ought to make difference in your
feelings toward him. You must forgive me,
my darling little sister, if talk plainly. but
there may be something in that letter which
il you knew II would make you unwilling to
marry him."
" IucyW
g You may cry out as you please" said the
elder sister, cOmpassiOnately but firmly,
"but your own sense will tell you am right.
You love him, but how little after all you
know about him."
"But have no right to open it when he
tells me not to, " sobbed Grace.
" Yes you have. The letter is as much di-
rected to you as the telegram. lie sent It to
you of his own free will, intending you to
read IL. He changed his mind atterward, il
Is true, but that doesn't make it less your
right to read what he wrote meaning it for
your eve. II he had spoken to you instead
Of writing to you and said something which
he afterward asked you to ignore, you would
not feel bound to do so even if you could
You would have a right to whatever he had
once told you, however sorry he might be
afterward that he had revealed 1t. That
would be Just like this. He has told you
something in this letter. He tells you in the
telegram to ignore it. The only difference Is
that, thanks to the quickness Of the telegraph
you have his first and second thoughts before
you at once, and you can choose which YOU
will regard. l can't see that his second
thought has any more claim on your respect
than his first thought"
"Oh, can't divide him up that way, Lucy,
and think Of him as If there were two Of him
oh, why did he do it, He has made me so
unhappy, and was so happy before"
Lucy talked some time longer before she
left Grace to herself, representing TO her
that the only course for q self-respecting
young lady under the circumstances was
either to insist upon and act upon her right
to read letter addressed to her, or, IL she
preferred out of consideration for her dig
nifty not to read it, to return 1t to the sender
with his former letters and a note briefly
stating that she agreed with him that sec
ond thoughts were lest, and begged him to
consider their engagement at an end. But
it was easy enough for Lucy to talk; she was
not in love. Her words fell for the most
part on deaf ears, as Grace, with the letter
crunched In her little fist, nervOusly walked
the room or stood holding 1t before her and
fiXedly gazing at II with tear-glazed eyes
almost like one distraught.
Lucy was right. She had right to know
what it was; she would know. She seized
the letter, she made as il she would have
torn it open. Then crushing it still unOpen-
ed in her hand, she burst into tears. How
cruel of him! She had loved him so. She
had been so happy in thinking how noble
and true he was, in trusting herself so glad
ly to him; and now he had spoiled ii all by
this terrible letter; II was all spoiled. He
had let into the paradise Of her happiness a
thousand creeping, crawling, biting, cling
ing doubts and suspicious. What could 1t
be that he had written in that letter. What
sort of a tale had he told her, the telling of
which to his afterthought had seemed so
perilOusy She had a right to know it and
judge Of 1t. Their happiness was as much
her concern as his.
At length she rose up and taking the letter
went to the window, and holding II up to the
light with hard, hungry eyes tried to pierce
the envelope and read at least a word or two
of what was within. Finding the light not
strong enough, she closed the windOwb blinds
and drew the curtains and the room being
darkened, lit gas-iet and put the letter
close against the flame in the hope that the
light shining through might reveal the writ
ing. AS she made these preparations she in
stinctiYely moved about on tlptOe, as IL she
were a burglar. The beating of her heart
almost sutfocated her. AS she held the let
ter against the gas-jet she caught glimpse
Of herself In the mirror and was Mortified at
tho SIGHT NJ har ha fnfagTfgb