Connecticut western news., 1882-08-02
letters that bore double or treble post

A0otoES e4ab UOG0 OOuUAO OG L0UAo pOSG- age.
 Arrived at New York, Selvidge did not make haste to go into business, for his capital, now about $4,000, was too small to enable him to buy an interest in any firm strong enough to command the respect of old Ferris in the good time that Selvidge assured himself must come sooner or later. On the other hand, he could afford to live we'll and keep up appearances and as any we'll dressed adventurer of passable manner can readily find his way into some New York sets that contain many respectable people, Selvidge soon found himself in grade of society where all the gentle men wore dress coats when making even- ing calls.
 Then it struck this discreet fellow that it might be we'll to have two strings to his bow. Kate was darling, and must bo her fathers heir; but suppose she were to die, or the old man to fail hopelessly, as he saw some New Workers of high standing doing2 To think was to act, 50 after skillfully informing him. self about the young ladies in his set, Selvidge began to pay special attention to Miss Florence Wernton, who was the reputed heiress, in her own right, of one of the handsomest estates in Vest ern New York. Miss Florence was the counterpart of Kate in almost every re- spect; she was slight, sentimental and retiring; but as she had heart and had not an accepted lover, she soon suc- cumbed to Selvidge's attentions, while the young man, who never before had met lady of her kind, really lost the heart which he had given to Kate; so he declared his love. He more than hinted that there was temporary obstacle to their union, but there was just enough mystery about this to bind the senti- mental girl more closely to hlm.
 Meanwhile he was not neglecting any promising opportunities to pick up any fortune that might be had before mar riage. He went West to look at min. ing adventure that promised we'll, and some letters that were forwarded to him went astray, so when he returned to town he was greatly astonished and dis appointed to find that Florence and her mother had left the boarding house in which they had lived, and no one at the house could tell where they had gone.
 Before he could inquire elsewhere, however, he was delighted by letter from Kate, who said that her father had settled $50, 900 on her in order to reconcile her to boarding-sohool life but the school was horrid, the principal a tyrant, and as for herself-she simply could live no longer without him.
 "And she shan ,'' said Selvidge wig. orously to himself. Within half an hour he has answered her letter by proposing an elopement. Forty-eight hours later he received 8 reply warmly accepting his proposition, and saying that Kate would await him at the angle of the Plum Valley Seminary grounds that was marked by huge elm tree, the time to be the following Sunday night and the hour midnight.
 Selvidge was simply beside himself with joy, yet he attended strictly to business. He reached 8 town not far from Plum Valley oa Friday evening, and took with him young preacher of his acquaintance-one of the sanct- tnonious young fellows, without par ish, who infest society, and are as ready for a chance job as any impecunious burglar. On Sunday evening he hired 8 carriage with four seats, and he and the preacher went out for an even ing drive, the ground having first been reconnoitered by daylight. The car- riage stopped few hundred yards from the seminary, which was on the out. skirts of the village, and Selvidge pro- ceeded On foot and alone. Arrived at the elm tree, Selvidge softly whistled g bar or two of Empty is the cradle, which was the signal agreed upon. In. stantly a figure enveloped in 8 water proof cloak emerged from behind the hedge, and a well-known voice ejacu lated:
 "My darling"
 Selvidge was about to clasp his fifty thousand-dollar love, when another figure, also draped in a waterproof emerged and exclaimed:
 "My darling P
 In the voice of the second figure Sel vidge recognized the accent of Florence but before he had time to think abou his situation, twenty more girls in water proofs rapidly appeared before him, an exclaimed in chorus:
 "lsn't he Q darling
 ''Kste-Florenoe l" gasped Selvidge
 ''what does this mean ?"
 "It means," said Kate, "that whe
 you make love to two girls at the sam
 time you ought to know better than
 select two pupils of the samo boarding
 school" Kate emphasized this injun,
 tion with & smart blow on Selvidge
 ear. Then both girls fell back and tt
 whole party began to pelt the discon
 fited man with eggs, which, though nc
 stale, were harder and stickier than Sc
 vidge had ever imagined that any kin
 of eggs could be.-Net0 York Hour. !