The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-11-22

JuOuBuO we kneW mOsL OF eacn others
affairs as young men,"
"Well, Fred, for year before became
engaged to Miss Maurice you were in
Germany with your mother and sister,
and l was away, you know, before you
came back. / never mentioned my ac-
quaintauce with Miss Maurice to you;
l was rather shy and shame faced fell
low, somehow, about that sort of thing,
and 1 did not tell even SO close chum
as you about it, though L was on the
point of doing so when started so sud
denly for Australia. After that felt
the less inclined to write about the sub
ject, my prospects were so vague, and
uncertain in every way.'
ut was rather strange, George, that l
never heard your name mentioned in
the matter. and there was nothing to
make me think of connecting you with
Miss Maurice's friend. You knew Mrs.
Valance again, then, to. night could
not think what made your manners so
odd"
Eyes, knew her. She is much
L suppose, than was to be expected. 1
left behind me girl of twenty, with
bloom on her cheek like June rose and
eyes like sunshine. Both the rose-red
and the light in her eyes have faded, but
she is-still Kate Maurice, the same sweet
looking woman knew long ago. One
thing only made me hesitate tonight as
to whether was not mistaken, after all,
and don't understand it yet. L heard
in Australia that the man Miss Maurice
married was Mr.. Ewing, but 1 sup
pose there was some mistake about the
name"
"It was mistake" said Hammond;
"but can see how 1t probably occurred.
| The title of the firm of which Mr.. Val
lance was Junior partner, was Griffith
and Ewing. Your informant must have
heard that Miss Maurice married the
! junior partner, and concluded that it was
Mr.. Ewing, or the story got mixed up in
some such way.'
Eyes; the more easily as it had passed
through several mouths by the time it
reached me-"
"And L suppose that letter of yours
expressed the real state of things with
you at the time ?''
Exactly; you have got the gist of the
letter quite correctly. When 1 wrote
that, 1 saw no prospect for years of be-
ing able to marry. When things did at
length take turn in the right direction
with me, I made fair progress. And
now, though L am not a wealthy man,
l have as much as 1 had any right to
expect"
"Well, George, how is this little story
of yours to end 2" And as Hammond
spoke he looked quietly into his friends
face, but with little curiosity.
"Ah, how 2" answered the other, and
the friends again for little time re-
lapsed into silence.
''Is Mrs. Valance staying in London
any time, do you know p" inquired Her.
der presently.
"She has been paying short visit to
Mrs. Norcott, and is to return home in a
day or two, she told me- replied Ham
mond. "When do you think of going
to Plymouth yourself ?"
''This is Wednesday think shall
go on Friday or Saturday. When L
have got my things out of the ship, and
arranged one or two small matters of
business, shall have nothing further to
keep me in London, and am anxious
to see my old aunt. She is almost my
only relative now left. was a favorite
of hers, you remember"
81 think you are perfectly right in
visiting her at once" Hammond answer
ed quietly.
The Friday evening following found
Herder at Plymouth. Early next morn
ing he visited his aunt and one or two
old friends, and then made his way in
the direction of the house in which he
spent his boyhood. 1T lay two or three
miles out of town, and Herder found
it again without difficulty. A few villas
had sprung up in the neighborhood, but
otherwise the place and its surroundings
were little altered. Time had been less
busy in this part of the vicinity of Plym-
outh than in most others. George
walked around the house, stood gazing
over the low garden fence for while,
and then strolled away in the direction
of the hills In the rear. By-and-by he
came upon stream flowing between