Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-01-09


eyes, to the bar-keeper, and that
official responded;
Its no joke, Tom. One of the
post.oflice clerks said he put It In
our box because he heard you came
here oftener than anywhere else
Tom slowly extended his hand
and took the letter.
Better hire a room and lock
yourself in fore you open it, sug-
gested one lounger. 'P'raps it's
from the Secretary NV the Treasury
an got check in it for interest
on yer registered bonds
More likely it's from tailor
that trusted Tom when the bum
mer wore good clothes, said an
other.
The envelope was thin enough
for Tom to read through it the
name, Mrs. Oscar Arthrays' in
remarkably uniform letters. AS
he read, some and remarked:
Like enough it's from some wo-
man who's taken with his style, an
wants him TO make love to her.
Tom began to lay the letter on
the bar; but as the speaker ended
the remark, the drunkard changed
his mind and placed the missive
between his teeth-then he picked
up a chair and felled his tormentor
to the floor. There was a dead
silence for a moment, such as us
ually follows any manifestation OF
honorable feeling in a Dar:room )
meanwhile, Tom went to basin in
a corner, washed his hands, took
the envelope from its somewhat in
appropriate position, and left the
room.
What could Mrs. Arthray want
of him? He supposed she had for
gotten him long ago. Not that he
had forgotten her; he never saw
her in the street-where she al
ways passed him without recOgni-
tion-without realizing keenly for
a moment how wide and deep
was the gulf that separated him
from the friends of his youth for
had not that glorious womans
hand often made his coat sleeve
feel a little fuller than usual in the
old days---had not his voice and
hers blended in the church choir
had not he and she taken part in
many an innocent village frolic Z
Some of his early acQuaintances
had grown sad and old, but che
seemed to have discovered the sec
ret of perpetual youth. Could it
be that-.-enragingl thought ?---that
now she, who once had been his
companion, wanted him for some
menial service on the morrow,
some service such as he was often
called on to do for other people
lie went to the stable-loft, and
broke the envelope; it contained
merely a card bearing the lady's
name, and the line: AT Home,
January /; from 10 a. IN. to 10
p. m
Great Heavensn exclaimed
Tom, lit must mean that | am in
vited to call on herl Then she
can't know that--.she can't ever
have seen or heard She --Oh, my
Goa
The poor wretch imagined for a
moment Mrs. Arthray and himself
standing face to face, and his little
strength deserted him so entirely
that he fell back as if struck by
paralysis. He covered his face
with his bands, groaned, swore,
cried, and exclaimed, Awful, aw-
full, awful"
Suddenly he sprang to his feet,
hurried out OF the stable and to-
ward the river. The sun had set,
the shop keepers were lighting their
lamps, but no matter, the darker
the better muttered Tom to him
self; 81 don't want anybody to sec
me now lie went through the
least irequented streets, he almost
ran, and before the darkness had
entirely closed around him, he
reached the shore.
lie had meant to end his misery
by sudden plunge, but his feeble
nerves were already exhausted by
his unusual exertiOn, aud he paused
to recover courage. He tried to re
gain strength and resolution by
Withdrawing from his pocket the
little bit of pasteboard that had
worked such a sudden change IN
his apathetic, british life. Bot The
spell did nOt work as he wished
Into his bewildered brain came the
thought that Alice Arthray herself
the handsomest woman in Thorn
ton, the nOblest woman he had evel
known or heard of, had touched
that same card-bad sent it to him
He seemed to profane the card by
touching it, yet at the same time
the insensate thing seemed to bC
placing before bis eyes incident at
ter incident Of his early life. Ii
imagination he became his old sci
again, and at last he turned agaiI
toward the town, saying to himself
Better be happy fool, while i
lasts, than a dead one
But the charm did not last. BY