St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-08

IRE. :"
He started to his feet. "Good heavens!
are you the lady?"
She held up her hand in satirical protest.
''Gently, sir You suspected me just now
of wasting your valuable time. Don't rashly
conclude that l am the lady until you find
out that l am acquainted with the circum-
stances"
SIS there no excuse of my falling to rec
ognize you?' Mr.. Lismore asked. "We
were on the dark side of the burning house;
you were fainting, and L"
"And you she interrupted, ssafter saving
me at the risk of your own life, turned
deaf ear to my poor husbands entreaties
when he asked you to wait till / had recovered
my senses-''
''Your poor husband? Surely, Mrs. Cal
| lender. he received no serious injury from
the freq
| 'tThe firemen rescued him under circum-
stances of peril she answered, and at his
| great age he sank under the shock. l have
lost the kindest and the best Of men. Do
you remember you parted from him, burned
and bruised in saving me? He liked to talk
of it in his last illness. At least Che said to
you) tell me the name of the man who has
preserved my wife from dreadful death
| You threw your card to him out Of the car
riage window, and away you went at gal
| lop to catch your train.
| In all the years that have passed I have
| kept that card, and have vainly inqired for
my brave sea captain. Yesterday / saw your
name on the list of speakers at the Mansion
house. Need l say that 1 attended the
meeting. Need l tell you now why come
here and interrupt you in business hoTs!"
She held out her hand. Mr.. Lismore took
| it in silence and pressed it warmly.
"You have not done with me yet" she re-
sumed with smile. ''You remember what
l said of my Grand, when l first came Ing"
''You said it was an Grand of gratitude"
Something more than the gratitude which
only says Thank you,' " she added. "Be-
fore / explain myself, however, | want to
know what you have been doing, and how it
was that my inquiries failed to trace you at
ter that terrible night
The appearance of depression which Mrs.
Calender had noticed at the public meeting
showed itself again in Mr. Lismore's face.
| He sighed as he answered her:
''My story has one merit" he said; cit is
soon told l cannot wonder that you failed
to discover me. In the first place, was not
captain of my ship at that time. Twas only
mate. In the second place, inherited some
money, and ceased to lead sailors life, in
less than a year from the night of the fire.
You will now understand what obstacles
were in the way of your tracing me. With
my little capital / started successfully in bus
mess as a ship-owner. At the time natur
ally congratulated myself on my own good
fortune. We little know, Mrs Calender,
what the future has in store for u.s.
He stopped. His handsome features hard
ened-and he was suffering land concealing)
pain. Before it was possible to speak to him
there was knock at the door. Another
visitor, without an appointment, had called;
the clerk appeared again with a card and
message.
The gentleman begs you will see him, sir.
He has something to tell you which is too
important to be delayed"
Hearing the message, Mrs. Calender rose
Immediately.
sIt is enough for to-day that we under
stand each other" she said. 'Have you
any engagement tomorrow after the hours
of business!"
''None."
She pointed to her card on the writing Ia
BILE. evil you come to me tomorrow
evening at that address? 1 am like the gen
teman who has just called, l too have my
reason for wishing to see YOU"
He gladly accepted the invitation, Mrs
Calender stopped him as he opened the
door fbr her.
''Shall offend you," she said elf I ask
strange question before 1 go? l have bet
ter motive, mind, than mere curiosity. Are
you married!
ttNon
'Forgive me again. she resumed. cat
my age you cannot positively misunderstood
me, and yet"
She hesitated. Mr.. Lismore tried to give
mony, Mrs. Calender. Nothing that you
can ask me need be prefaced by an apollo
gy."
Thus encouraged she ventured to proceed.
ssYou may be engaged to be married, "a she
suggested; ''or you may be in loVe!" -s-7'-
He found it impossible to conceal his sur
prise. But he answered without hesitation.
''There is no such bright prospect in my
life,'' he said; 81 am not even in love-"
She left him with little sigh. 1t sounded
like sigh of relief.
A man threatened by ruin is in no state of
mind to keep an engagement at a lady's tea
table. Ernest sent letter of apology to
Mrs. Calender, alleging extreme pressure
of business as the excuse for breaking his
engagement.
f'Am to wait for an answer, sir?" the
messenger replied.
'sNo; you are merely to leave the letter"
In an hours time-to Ernest's astonish-
ment-the messenger returned with the re-
ply.
''The lady was just going out, sir, when I
rang at the door," he explained, "and she
took the letter from me herself. She didn't
appear to know your handwriting, and she
asked me who I came from. As soon as l
told her was ordered to wait"
Ernest opened the letter.
"DEAR Mr.. LIsMoRE: One of us must
speak out, and your letter Of apology forces
me to be that one. If you are really so
proud and distrustful as you seem to be, I
shall offend you. If not, I shall prove my
self to be your friend.
''Your excuse is pressure of business
The truth 'as have good reason to believe)
is want of money l heard stranger, at
that public meeting, say that you were seri-
ously embarrassed by some failure in the
city.
''Let me tell you what my own pecuniary
position is in two words. / am the childless
widow of a rich man.
CATER what l owe to you 1 don't regard it
as repaying an obligation-I consider my
self as merely performing duty when l
offer to assist you by a loan of money.
"Wait little before you throw my letter
into the waste-paper basket.
circumstances (Which it is impossible for
me to mention before we meet put it out of
my power to help you-unless I attach to my
most sincere offer of service very unusual
and very embarrassing condition. If you
are on the brink of ruin that misfortune will
plead my excuse-and your excuse, too, if
you accept the loan on my terms. In any
case, rely on the sympathy and forbearance
of the man to whom l owe my life.
CATER what have now written, there is
only one thing to add. I beg to decline ac-
cepting your excuses; and shall expect to