Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-08-21

to be very brief Just as he was about
to open it his pretty cousin Belle came
In to chat with him before his departure.
"a letter." she exclaimed what
does she sayf' Belle was a tease.
II don't know myself" he answered,
and the letter came this morning. You
| see by that, how impatient am"
''You are worse than that" said Belle,
/ laughing. aYou have saved It like a
/ tid-bit to be devoured at leisure, and you
are heartily wishing me out of the way"
/ She had hit too near the mark for him
to deny the truth, and was too good
natured to make temPOriZing necessary,
so he let he go. 81 shall give you Just
half an hour. while mend that tagged
coat Of yours" and she went out. AT the
| end of half an hour she returned with the
coat and found him lost In a revery,
with the still unopened letter in his
hand.
''What is the matter now?' she ex-
claimed, with a touch Of real Indignation
in her tone. 81 have given you q long
half hour for yourself, on purpose that
/ you might read your precious letter, and
| you haVn't SO much as opened it."
II am In doubt about It, - he said. II
shall see her tomorrow morning. Be
sides, she teiegraphed me after posting
the letter, intending to have me leave
New York before getting it. Women
/ seem to think that a man has only to
/ pack his grip sack and board a train,
/ leaving his business to itself, while he
/ obeys their commands"
'And so you won't open the letterg'
queried Belle
Il did not say I wouldn't, but 1 think
/ ought to respect her intentions, don't
you?"
''She wouldn't have written the letter
! il she hadn't wanted you to receive it..
''She would not have telegraphed me
to come on directly If she had wanted me
to get the letter"
''POOh She simply grew impatient
and did not want to wait for the letter to
reach you"
sit was about time for some one to be
impatient I wrote her nearly two
weeks ago on a pretty important mat
ter"
''IndeedP'
eyes, Belle. 1 wrote her about our
wedding"
ats all arranged, then?"
81 don't know. Pm waiting to hear
from her. The telegram makes me think (
that she pl efers to discuss the business !
with me in person"
sit viii do no harm to read the letter,
as long as she viii know that you have
received it; and she viii certainly expect |
you to know its contents when you meet /
her"
But Belle could not turn him from his
opinion, and he parted with her with the |
unopened letter in his pocket.
Poor Clara! She had failed to pre- |
vent her lover from getting the letter, |
and could only await the result. She /
had forgotten her own resentment and /
dreaded his. She excused herself from |
going to the theater, by a most truthful /
plea Of indispOsition. She passed the /
time before Charley's arrival as best she |
could Her mother to whom she had 4
cOnhded her secret, tried every means /
to cheer her spirits, but to no purpose.
When Mr.. Conant arrived Clara re-
ceived him alone IN the parlor. As he /
stepped forward to meet her never /
doubling his welcome would be such as .
a Pighted lover has a right to expect, he |
was surprised at her manner, which /
neither invited or repealed him but |
seemed to indicate that she expected a |
merited rebule. She, too, was surprised |
when he took her in his arms |
and stopped to kiss her She /
opened her eyes, blushed, and /
bursting into tears, hid her face on his |
shoulder without word.
"What is the matter, child?" he asked. !
'Oh, Chariesl That wretched letter" !
"What do you mean? The one you |
sent before the telegram
eyes. What must you have thought /
of mer'
Thought of you'll I thought You
preferred to tell me yourself when I |
came, and so never opened the letter" /
"Never opened the letter! Then what |
do yOu mean? Tell you what when You
cameF'
''Why your plans for our wedding, TO /
be sure. as I asked you in my letter
nearly two weeks ago"
1.-TWO weeks ago? 1 never got any
such letter"
"Never got my letter?''
'.Noi but-who is-give me my letter
first" She snatched it as a hungry
animal snatches his food, and thrust it !
into the very heart Of the blazing coal
]
''WhO is Bella2"
"What, Belle Sampson? Cousin BeJle?'
mo; Bella Seymour" and she looked
at him keenlY.
His face betrayed nothing but aston
ishment. Bella SEYMOUR Where did
you hear Of her? She's a client Of mine, |
and a very troublesome one, too. She
has been Fostering me about somem money !
I .. .N. W D. IL
day I wrote you, but she says she never /
received it."
"And did she say what she did re-
ceive?" asked Clara, a light breaking in
upon her. She pulled the check from
her pocket. The readers power Of ap-
PrehensiOn must be very slight if he can
not guess what followed.
STATE NEWS.
IA