Middletown transcript., 1882-01-06
Continued from first paae. J

suffering on her account, and the tears
were in her eyes and voice.
Never mind that, Miss Faraday.
I can't leave town till the investigation
is over. I shall go then; but [ wanted
to put your property in your own hands
as soon as possible. . 4 -flsfl
A great storm was shaking him from
head to foot, but his eye and voice were
steady till her answer came:
"These things? What can L do
with them? Won't you take care of
them for me Wouldn't they help you
to get into business, Gideon ?,or half of
them % s-5er :
"Ruth Faraday p
"You are not dishonoredl You are
not disgracedl Il don't believe a word
of it! Won't you, Gideon? Please
dol" The tears were pouring down
her face in a great shower as she looked
upon the terrible pain in his, and her
hands went out to him in such a way
that he could but take them, they
seemed so eager to be taken. ''I suf-
fered so all yesterday, after 1 knew
what they had done to you.'' ~
The two pairs of hand-the small
ones and the very large ones-clung
fast to one another for a moment, and
beautiful light dawned first in Ruth's
face and then in Gideon's.
:. Ruth 4? Is it so? Ruth p
Gideon, I've been finding it out for
two weeks, but it must have been SO
before"
''I found it out a year ago, and it all
but killed me. Yesterday, all the
nights long, as lay there"
"Gideon Please do not 1t is
dreadful p Ilg
His head had been bending lower and
lower for some seconds, and he had
dropped one Of. her hands, that his arm
might be free: I" Oh, Ruth, / can face |
anybody now. All the world -
Too much time could not be spent in
the parlor, for it was due to Mrs. Bel
ford that the state of affairs should be
explained to her.
4" Idon't understand it at all, Ruth"
WasIthe widows final comment. "It's |
all terrible. And your fortune is safe,
and you are engaged to Mr.. Street, and
nobody knew a word about it, and they
put him in jail It's enough to drive
me crazy.''
Ruth had yet another explanation to
make that day, and it seemed to puzzle
very much a pair of brisk-mannered |
gentlemen who called to see her on i'm
portant business "Do we understand |
you, Miss Faraday? You had no prop
erty in the hands Of BeIford Brothers2.
"Not any, sir. 1t was all removed
some time ago,-before the death of my
uncle. 1 have not lost anything"
"But Mr.. Street is accused"
".No, he is not, sir; not by me. 1
am Of full age. He has my entire con
fidence, and he is in charge Of my busi-
ness affairs"
'Ah! Certainly. Of course. I
think we had better go: do you not,
Mr.. johnson p
Reckon we had. There's an awful
leak in this business somewhere. 'Tis't |
here
Ruth Faraday had never in her life
before appeared so dignifed and positive
as she did while she was bowling out of |
the parlor those two emissaries Of law
and justice, and there came rustic of |
silk behind her as she did so: Ruth,
dear, Pm SO glad Mr.. Street saved your
bonds But what will Brother Will
liam say, and your cousin Marvin p
What will they say? 1 never want
to see them again. How will they dare
to look Gideon in the face, after what
they have done? Arresting himl'
Oh, dear me ! l had almost for
gotten about that. was thinking of
you and Marvin
Aunt Carrie-well, you might as
well know. I told Marvin what |
thought of him and his father last
night when he told me they had put
Gideon in jail. He will never trouble
me any more
It was not likely he would, now that
any vision he might have of Ruth
would surely confounded itself in his
mind with another of Gideon Street.
Nevertheless, after all was settled, even
long afterward; when Mrs. Ruth Street
and her husband bad freely pardoned
everybody, Mr.. William BeIford nor
his son Marvin was able to give him
self satisfactory explanation of the
mystery Of the tape-bound package and
the bonds it did not contain. Like the
long-hidden deficit, it remained one of
the mysteries Of banking. .'-Lippin-
colts for January.
F. FL. BRAKES SUFFERINGs.-F.
III. Drake, Esq, Detroit, Mich, suf-
fered beyond all description from a
Oh dicooco -, L - !