The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-29
THE PRESS.
FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 20.
THETALE OF ATRuNK.
BY MISS C. B. LERCw.
TWoman's Journal

ception room. She had waited five minutes
"a long time to waste when one has an end,
less visiting list, when the horses cannot
endure to be kept standing In the not sun.
and when the perspiration is spelling ones
cream colored kids. Miss Bancroft came In,
dressed in loose robe of stylish make, but
suggestive of inyalidism, and its color inten-
sifed the natural palloir, OF her face.
"My dearest Louise!' was the greeting OF
her guest, 81 am so glad to see you! But
fear you are ill?"
"Oh, no. not exactly i'll. I seem to be los
ing my strength somewhat, and get tired
very easily. l was shopping yesterday for
two hours, and to-day-well, you see what is
left of me to-day"
''You surely need tonic, deal"
Eyes. DR.. Wheeler has been coming to see
me every day for week, and L think, ms
medicine will help me-. He says the sudden
you will leave the city before long, l
SUPPOSE" ,.o ,,,o .,., 90 somewhere
everybody does" o,,
"Then you have not decided where Z"
mot vet | have not had Suthclent inter-
est in it to think about Il"
"Mr Eastman and l leave for Cape May
next week. | wish you would come, too,
dear. 1t is really the only aristocratic place
1 mean watering-place, of course, on this
are both too common for anything"
Miss Bancroft WINGED, as Mrs. Eastman
intended she should; but that was only one
of the amenities of fashionable HE, ana
both ladies were representatives OF a ciasS.
The call ended with repetition OF re.
uuest for "dear Louise" to think seriously OF
Joining her at Cape May. Mrs. Eastman en-
Tered her carriage, crossed the name off her
list with a fervent 'Thank heaven, that S
over" and drove on to see other OF her
friends"
Miss Bancroft climbed the stairs, YEARLY.
They were very broad and softly carpeted,
but no less tiresOme to the pale, splrltless
woman who, entering her own room, threw
herself upon the lounge which she had SO
reluctantly left.
Another pale woman sat by the window,
sewing, but there was no droop to the Inquire,
nor rest for the busy fingers, Tying In add
out through masses of soft, Whlte tuile,
which lay heaped in her lap and on basket
beside her.
"If only knew, Miss Bancroft" she said
in sweet low voice. whether you would
like nine puffs on this skirt, instead OF seven
with a ruffie for the heading and she rose
as she spoke, shaking out the dress ana hold
ing tt up for inspection.
at doesn't make the least difference to
me, Annette How often | have told you
that | didn't want to be bothered with ques,,
TONS" And she turned her face away and
buried it deeper in the soft cushion.
Louise Bancroft had naturally one OF
the sweetest tempers in the world. MAUI
rally" but how much of the natural woman
would be left of her after few more years
of her present life? So Annette wondered,
with feeling of pity and sympathy IN n ne
honest heart, excusing the petulanee OF the
words in her own way. Miss Louise is
not well. suppose ought not to yex her
to decide such questions for me" sShe meyer
finds fault, anyway, and it is SUCH little
matter after all. "
Still there had been time when just such
little matters had held for Louise Bancroft,
the all-absorbing interests of life. NOW she
was simply interested in nothing was the
first state worse than the last?
Two weeks after, she was ready Tor Sara
toga, though nothing but the force of habit
sent her there. Many of her set mad spent
their summers there for years, and probably
would for years to come. She was acqualnt-
ed with the place and the people from ire
quent visits She shrank from new scenes
and faces, and so, to her fathers question,
prompted by anxiety for her health-''Don
you think you had better go up 10 the
Springs?" she answered, "Yes,. suppose
So" and allowed the preparations to be
made.
'.You may look for me in about a month,
if things go right at the Foundry" he said
as he babe her good-by. Il mean to take
longer vacation than usual this summer.
Endicott leaves for the Adirondaeks to-day
or tomorrow, but he will only be gone two
weeks"
A few hours later, and the elegant, Four
teenth street house was closed Tor the sea-
son, Mr.. Bancroft's rooms engaged 1or a
month at downtown hotel, and his daugh-
frain of the wheels, which alternately re-
peated-" Endicott' "AdirOndacks = En-
dicott" "Adirondacks.
To Harry Endicott Mr.. Bancroft's super
intendent, and his friend Dodge the time
passed rapidly till they reached Albany,
where the night was spent. The next day
their Journey was resumed, and at noon
they looked from the carwindows at the
fashionable throng congregated to meet the
new arrivals at the Springs.
'They look like sensible human beings.
said Endicott, "and yet how can they"
but his sentence was never flnlSned, MS
swift thoughts running far ahead OF it, as he
thought of the more excellent way IN winch
he intended to spend his vacation.
Six hours more brought them to little
village nestled so far down amid the noun.
tainS that it looked as if it had gone nall
way under ground. Here. was the farm
house where the two tourists, proposed to
make their headquarters, ana from which Clt
they planned hort trips for camping out
miles away
well lust straighten out our traps the
first thing" said Harry Endicott, after the
trunk, which they had packed in partner
ship, was brought into the sloping-roofed
room 3Couid two gentleman travel with
less baggage / wonder Hullo! the locks
broken. Very well-it will open the easl-
err" and wrenching open the strap-buclle,
he threw up the lid. AstonlShment kept MN
speechless
"Just see if that powdcr-fask is all right,
Harry"
This from Dodge who was unfastening a
huge parcel of canes, tishing-rods, guns, etc.
Hum. l suppose all these things are
right enough" was the response, ''only they
are not the thingS-l mean our Things. just
look here!'
A lovely dress hat in its compartment
gloves, sashes, laces, somewhat dlsarranged
by the rough handling the trunk had re-
ceived, filled the shallow tray. No need for
further examination. Evidently these were
not 'the" things.
''Why didn't you look at it before you
opened it?" queried Dodge.
Look at it! So did. 1t looks Just IKE
NINE | didn't have to try the key. An!
here are initials, Il. A. B. Rather non-com-
initial, should say. wonder who is look
ing for this particular trunk at this partlcn-
lar minute"
sit would be more to the purpose to know
where to look for our own, grOWled Dodge,
as he pulled at his moustache and gaZeo
wrathfully at the big Saratoga.
After all it was provoking to ma them
selves saddled with such an incumbus, but
the nature of the two men was pretty Wen
shown by the manner in which they bore
the vexation of their own loss. Dodge
kicked the innocently offensive article as ne
turned back to his fiShing-rods and guns:
Endicott with clumsy fingers but reverent
touch, smoothed the tumbled finerles and
inspected the lock. "Pll get man to INK
er this" he said, land then I'll telegraph 10
New York and try to discover the owner,
''All the trunks have been sent up, MISS
Bancroft, except one marked Endlcott winch
is not claimed. That of course is not yours.
am very sorry but there has been Dlunder
somewhere"
Such was the information the lady re-
ceived after an impatient waiting for her
"H. II. Endicott." That was the name
she saw painted on one end of the trunk de-
scrbed, and in an instant she hit upon a
probably solution of the mistake.
81 happen to know this gentleman. she
said to the clerk. HE has gone north and
may possibly have taken my trunk with him;
| am going after il" and before the surprised
clerk could reply she was on her way for hat
and handbag, and the next train carried the
lady with the gentleman'S trunk up to the
little mountain village.
1t was past nine o'clock before she reached
it. and the intervening hours gave her ample
time for reverie, which was, in these degen-
crate days, her nearest approach to thinking
More distinctly than before, the rhyme of the
wheels was set to the name upon the trunk
II was two wears since she had seen its own
err. "What good friends we were once, she
Thought, with sigh down deep IN ller heart.
Oh, that "oncew Once she had found 1t
happiness enough to be in the room with
him and had even dreamed dreams Oh now IL