The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-07-01

ill-written, but urgent note.
"DEAR JESSIE" it said, Mother is
much worse, and you must come right
away. If you don't 1 will have to send
her to you and Aunt Doshy. You
haven't paid your share of expenses for
four months. Please bring it; We are
in need of it. MARGARET"
at is just Margaret over again, to
send for me to come under the one
threat she knows will only take me 10
her. And / shall have to take the
twenty dollars / have 'scrimped out to
buy those lovely pink-and-blue silk
stockings, to keep her mouth shut.
just suppose if she should send mother
here now, of all tines I'd better take
the first train to Hillborough and see
what is the matter. And / was 10 drive
with Mr.. Wycherly tonight, tool"
She looked at the cuckoo clock high
up on the wall She had just time. and
none to spare, to dress and catch the
train, and write message of apology
and explanation to Ross Wycherly, to
be delivered by servant after she had
gone.
But, by some curious fatality, Mr..
Wycherly called at the house before the
careless servant had delivered the note,
and the maid who had answered his
summons at the door very frankly told
him where Miss Heath had gone-to
Hillborough, to Mrs. Beden's.
He looked, as he felt, very much dis
appointed.
How unfortunate! suppose she
left some special message for me A.? All,
Thought 50, 40 aided, ns handsome
face lighting with pleasure as the tardy
servant hearing his voice stepped up
with his note, the very contact with
which sent delightful thrills all along
his veins.
1t was an exquisite little message, il
Jessica's sweetest style, and most charm
ingly vague as to her going and destina-
ton, but promised to be home by the
latest train that same evening, and bade
him not forget her for few hours.
He read the note as though it had
been written by angel hands, and he
was wonderfully made worthy to re-
ceive it, and put it reverently away in
his vest pocket, and then made up his
mind to take the next train for Hill
borough and surprise his darling and
escort her home.
"lt will please her SO, my lovely,
bright eyed Jessie / can see her face
light up, in imagination, as it will when
walk in this Mrs. Belden's parlor and
take her by surprise. And then, when
am bringing her home and have her
all to myself, l will tell her what she
must already know-how mNdly | love
her. and how eager I am to have her for
my wife-my beautiful, peerless queenl"
For Mr.. Ross Wycherly was desper-
ately in love, and knew how to be a
most gallant, devoted, impatient lover.
Three hours after Jessica had entered
the front door of Mrs. Belden's house
and been escorted to the. little back
room that served as a parlor and sitting
room during the season when fires were
necessary, Mr.. Wycherly stopped at the
front gate of the same house, piloted by
an ambitious young urchin, who grin
ned with satisfaction at the quarter he
received for his services.
"That 'ere's the house-Mrs. Bel
den's. / know 'em all-Jim and Gus
and little Mag, and the crazy old gram
mother. Ye better pile right in, cause
that ere door-bells broke"
Wycherly, conscious of a feeling of
astonishment as to what could have
brought his lady-love to place so for
lorn and desolate as this, suddenly un-
derstood as he heard young Tins
words.
"She has come on an errand of mercy
and charity, my darling When she is
my wife she shall have no limit to her
mercy and benevolent fund and / love
her better than ever for this evidence of
her quiet goodness so carefully hidden
from me-"
He went up through the shabby front
yard and on the little porch, to find that
the boys prophesy regarding the door
bell was true. 1t was indeed silent and
useless, nor did one, or two or three
knocks on the door bring any answer.
ct suppose may as well go in," he
thought.
And so he tried the door-knob, and
found it readily admitted him into for
lorn little hall, dim and dusty, from
which door, standing open, entered
into a plain-furnished, chilly little
room that was evidently the parlor.
A rap at the parlor door failing to
bring any one Wycherly sat resignedly
down to wait until some one did come;
and FIVE minutes afterward he heard the
emphatic opening and closing of dis
tant doors. and then the sound Of foot
steps in the room directly overhead,
between which room and the one he oo-
cupied was an open stove-hole in the
ceiling, down which came voice sharp,
vexatious, resolute, that pronounced the
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