Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-11-22

veXed about the whole affair. esDecTlIIv
as 1 symPathised with poor Jem Leslie.
Yet certainly it was no concern OF
mine.
do not think that Mary ever re-
ceiVed any IOve-letters from Aberdeen.
It was not the fashion in her village in
those days for lovers to CORRESPOND
Bet she always wore round her neck
hsIf OF the siXpence which Peter had
broken with her, so that began to be
quite IN despair for my favOrite Jem.
But after three months or so from
Peter Mackey's departure for Aberdeen.
some little incidents occurred which
showed up that young man in his true
light.
The first Of these events was the re-
turn of Jeanie SaundersOn from Lon
don, and a visit paid BY her to her old
acquaintance, Mary Duthie. The two
girls had not been together more than
a quarter Of an nOur, when sounds of
violent weeping proceeded from the
kitchen. Fastening in to see what was
the matter, 1 found Jeanie and Mary
mingling their tears over some letters
which lay on the table. Jeanne greeted
me respectfully, and on my enquiring
the cause of their grief, handed me a
letter, saying:
''Wil We be pleased to read that,
memP''
It was an efusion of Peter AIaekey's,
dated nine months back. 1t began.
''Iy dearest Jeanne, - spoke of the
writer's unalterable affection, reminded
Jeanie of her promise to become his
wife as soon as he should be able to
provide a suitable home for her, and
was signed: Your own Pate"
/ must confess that my first feeling,
on reading this. was one of satisfaction
at my own discernmeRt. ESQ you s7era
engaged after all, I remarked; ''but
why was nothing said about it. and why
was it broken Off?''
''Ou, said Jeanie, looking at me
Indignantly, ''Patie Just asked me to
be his wife the vera day before I sailed,
so there Wasna muckle time to lat it be
known. And as for is being broken
of, it's Pate ye must speir at ABBOTT
that, for never heard tell OF till this
daY. Eli! bat men are deceiVers! But
that's no the warst OF, mem! Mary,
give the lady Mrs. Birket's letter"
Mrs. Birket, it appears, was Peters
landlady in Aberdeen, and had written
that morning to Mary Duthie's mother,
whom she had known when they were
girls together, to ask some particulars
of Peters family and antecedents, IS
her niece and adopted daughter, Mary
Hine, was soon to be married to him.
Heard ye ever the like o. thatl'' ex-
claimed Jeanne; ''the man must be
clean daft"
I quite agreed with her, for I had
! never known man before who was
engaged to three women at once.
Doubtless, Peter considered his first
two affairs as mere firtatiOns; still his
] former sweethearts had in their posses
sion a letter and a pledge which would
| be evidence against him in a court law
But any proceedings of this kind was
! so foreign to the natures and prejudices
of the injured girls, that l did no more
/ than hint at it.
The following morning, Mary
I asked my permission to 60 for day
/ or two to Aberdeen with Jeanne Saun-
/ dersOD, as they had thought of a plan
/ for bringing their recalcitrant lover to
! his senses.
'sGin we dinna' max Peter make
I shame to himsel', my name no Jeanne
SaundersOn," were the parting words
of that damsel.
Meanwhile Peter was happy in the
society of his Qatest) betrOthed, who
was a very charming girl; and It may
be a little to my hero's excuse to re
| mark that few men could have seen her
bonny face and listened to her sweet
voice evening after evening without
falling in love with her. The suscepti-
| bic Peter certainly could not, but throw
ing all old memories to the winds, pro-
/ posed and was accepted.
Such being the state of affairs, Peter
feelings may be imagined when, en-
entering Mrs. Birket's parlOr one eVen-
inc, after his days work was over, he
saw seated by Mary Hine-Mary Duthie
and Jeanne SaundersOn-
Peters first impulse was to withdraw
/ hastily, but Mrs. Birket made flight I'M
/ possible by closing the door, and stand
/ inc between it and the conscience
! stricken youth. ''Just tax q seat, Mr.
/ Macl1ey,n said she, and the culprit sank
/ into an empty chair, placed at a little
! distance from the other three ladies'
/ The situation was awkward in the ex-
/ IRENE. The ladies continued their
/ knitting without glanCing at him; min
1 ute after minute passed, and the silence
I became intOlerabIe. Peter could hear
the beating of his own heart; twice he
/ opened his lips to speak, but no sound
issued from them; an icy TemOr ran
/ through his frame, and checked his. ut
teraRce.
give what follows verbatim, as re-
/ ported to me by Mary Duthie.
''Weel. - said Jeanie Saunderson, at
last, ''sanna we be sattlin' cor bizness
eenooP''
AYE. lassies, - said Mary Hine. s'but
that'n be a hard matter, or I'm muekle
mista' en-. -
Eye see," said Jeanie, taking the
initiative, ''this Peter Mackey belOngsi in
g manner dH's a. LIST IA sae?"
AYE. but we Gamma a. haze him
Just that. moo fat think Ye
lassissP Sauna we appeal til the law
eourts?''
''Mithna we list set a. RIGHT amo'
o0rselsgn said Mary Hiue ssFno Gin