Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-08

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ngg, asped OUT that / was innocent; that knew
ssoening OF the telegram or the ring. MY aun
uaf'ea az me and seized small locket hanging OF
my watch-chain.
a. Inats not the locket gave you ON your wed
ung-uay,' she screamed. "Open It."
uiu SO and inside there was a little braid o.
furious.
81 suppose you will tell me that that's you
WE portrait, and that her hair Is dark" sha
sat In perfect bewilderment. What had taker
place! Had promised TO elope with somebody
without knowing it7 Then all of q sudden the
ruin nashed upon me. / understood II all-why
the boots hurt me, the short sleeves, the flowers
everything. had gone into the wrong bathing
IL was a blue serge suit, but not mine. II was {
long time before could persuade my aunt OF the
truth OF this but at last she gave In that wal
| night.
"Mr. Biff1n,n she said, ~ called you a v1llain-l
was wrong. You are a fool A man who doesn't
Know his own clothes isn't Mt 10 be a married man
and don't forget TO bring me Bertha's present wheI
you've managed TO 1nd your own coat"
CHAPTER IL
felt very unhappy as left my aunts The
boots pinched worse than ever, and wondered
how could ever have thought they were mine
The sleeves seemed shorter, too, than before; my
arms now seemed TO stick out In most ridiculous
way. / saw now that Hopkins was right went
straight bacS TO the bathing place. In the hope OF
nnding out something about the man whose
had seen swimming out TO sea was the man !
wanted But the machines were all drawn up ON
the beach, and the men had gone away. found
out the address OF one of them, and went round TO
his lodgings He wasn't at home, but after track
ins him about for some time found him in q low
public house. He was born-and-bred cockney,
who had come down TO EaSJclin to do odd Jobs
during the season. He was surrounded by a lot
OF rowdy-loOking fellows, and was telling them
.Yes,"i heard him say as entered at was one
OF the downiest tricks ever heard Of and I've
come across a good deal In my time"
so you ave, Bill; ear, ear" they chorused ap-
provingly.
"He was got up just like i'm, yer know; Just the
same Kind OF toys, watch-chain, and everything y
81 suppose the watch he LETT behind wasn't
worth much" observed one OF the listeners.
'wot do you Think" replied the cockney con.
temptuously. "In course IL wasn't; no fear OF
that. But, Lord, you should have heard the other
a-cusSln and a-swearin'; seems as how he'd some
think valuable in his pockets II he comes across
tnat downy cad he'll make 1t 'ot for lin. But,
Z Is"
thought had better come forward here, and 1
looked as ferCe as could, and sternly asked him
II ne knew where the man was who had taken my
clothes. Instead OF answering he burst into roar
or laughter, in Which all his friends Joined.
TOOK your Clothes" he gasped; ''come now,
that's good IN, that is"
believe 10 this day he thinks that there was
what he would Call a .'plant." I found out, how
ever, that he knew nothing OF the Whereabouts OF
the owner OF the clothes. ana LETT the horrid
place. didn't at all know what TO do, unless l
walked about on the parade and looked out for all
the blue serge suits could FIND. That Is just
what 1 did With a half-hour's interval for re-
freshments, did nothing but that Till O'Clock in
the afternoon. There was no end Of blue serge
suits. Every third person seemed to be wearing
one. But SOME or the wearers were TOO tail, a
lew were 100 short, some were too rat, and so on.
AT last saw a man whose clothes / was sure |
could wear II i tried. he was walking very fast
down the parade, and with my IT, ht boots IL wasn't
pleasant TO try 10 follow him. When came up
with him he was sitting a bench / noticed
that he was looking about him a good deal as II
he was expecting something. sat down beside
him, but Couldn I think how to breach the SUBJ
Ject. IL certainly would not do to say, 'tSir, are
those your own clothes you are wearing?"
thought Of IL see, sir, that you like me, wear
ing a suit OF blue serge" But that didn't sound
very well, ana hesitated ali the more because he
looked very peppery exctable sort OF individual.
about him. AT last said very mildly. Excuse
me, sir, put did you take bathe in the sea this
mosnIng?"
"Yes, / did" he replied; "what OF it,"
81 only asked" l continued, "because-"
But here a young lady came up and touched him
on the shoulder.
81 am awfully sorry to be so late, Bertie," she
said.
He got up and went away without waiting to
hear what was saying. At first thought ought
10 follow him, for Iell sure could recognize my
own suit But didn't like TO- either and then it
struck me tnat, II he had been the man, he would
have noticed that was dressed in blue, too. He
would have been quite as anxious as was to get
into his own clothes. Then the word "Bertie y
! pulled Out the telegram; it was addressed 10 &C.
Lambert" and near an idea came to my relief
The telegram said: "Will come by D. m train y
would go 10 the station and wait for the train.
Mr.. LAMBERT would be there To Keep his appoint
ment, and so would md him. was quite proud
OF this idea, and II Was followed by another
clara" was, OF course, the young lady whose por-
trait was In the iOcket Was wearing. ! would
look out for her. and She Of course would be look
ing out for him, and just as they were over the
first ecstases OF meeting would step up gently
the quarter OF an hour had TO wait at the station
In looking at Clara's portrait, so as to be sure
should know her when She came. But she didn't
come-at least didn't see her. waited in the
station till every body had gone away who had
come In oy the p H. tram. 1 saw no one who
resembled at all the lady OF the lOcket. Just as
was going away a man spoke to me.
You were expecting some one BY this train.
sir?" he said
s'weIl, yes" said; s.that ia l.,
"will you follow, sir" he SAID, with mysterious
air. hes1tated a moment. IL was evident be
was going TO take me TO the Clara of the telegram:
ought l 10 go? thought that this at any rate
would bring me into some connection with Mr.
LAMBERT whoever he Was, and so lead to getting
back my clothes and my aunt,s earrings
getting quite romantic. Here was I, a steady re-
spectacle man OF thirty-seven, going to keep an
only thing was, what would she say when She
found that i was the wrong man? She would
probably be very much frightened, and / would
safe with me, but Oh! restore me my blue serge e
suit" which would be quite like page from an
old romance.
M a.
ton. The housemaid who let US In looked at me.
1 thought, with unusual interest. quite under.
stood that We were shown into the front inst
floor parlor, and here my conductor left me-
"Wlll you wait here a little while, Sr?" he said
as ne went away. I sat down, rather wondering
what was gong TO happen. Would she come in
suddenly and throw her arms round my neck, and
then ind out that was the wrong man? resolved
wouldn't let her make the mistake; then, AFTER q
little reflection, thought would not trouble
myself about It. II would not matter much II she
did take me for her lover for a moment or two I
heard the rustic OF lady's dress, but one came
In. At last the door opened waited, but did
not feel any arms thrown round my neck, so /
turned round. l saw stout, elderly gentleman,
evidently clergyman or a dissenting minister.
: "Sir," began, for thought had better finish
SOlemnly; 81 am not Mr.. Gregory.
Again the door opened; lady entered
MADAM" said. "I don't Know
"Sir," she replied, "my brother, Mr. Gregory will
be In directly. You will be good enough to address
yourself TO him."
'If might advise this misguided man. said the
clergyman, Il would beg him TO remember that ali
Is known. No subterfuges can avail him.
my brot her Is not man TO be triied with n said
the lady.
Before coald reply anything. tall, stout man
came Into the room He was very red and very
hot.
81 have locked the front door," he said, "and fas
tened all the windows and bolted the door at the
top OF the stairs He can't escape anyhow And
now, Sir, he added, suddenly turning TO me, "well
See"
He dashed out Of the room and returned aamos,
You see this" ne said, land you see me- NJ
And he lifted the whip menacingiy. But the lady
interviewed.
"Roger, |" she said, "dont forget to temper your