Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-02-07

IRE, as she ndQ reQuSSIcu Hln4 W, OOSO'~A
with his own, and miserably strove TO go
Oh with his work.
The express came laundering in the
next morning. and Harvey stepped out
upon the platform as relief to his rest
Iessness, ana paced up and down before
the train. He had passed a sleepless
night, and looked haggard, pale and old.
The mail sacks had been exchanged, the
passengers had gone into an clearinghouse
near by for breakfast, when Harris Miller
called out:
Hello, Ingraham what have you been
doing to yourselfl You look as II your
great grandmother was dead and you had
ju-t seen her ghost"
Harvey started il unpleasant surprise.
He had forgotten that this was Harris NIL
ler's run, and the sight of his face. never
agreeable to him, but now doubly haUeIul
with its triumphant expression was so I'M
pleasantly suggestive of Helen that his
misery came over him like Hood.
Il suppose l have your sympathy IN
such a case" lie retorted, dryly.
of course" replied the other, jovially,
though what you have to be glum about
is more than l know" ne added, hypocrit-
ica.y.
And you won't know from my telling
YOU" was Harvey's mental comment. The
fellows manner grated terribly on his
overwrought nerves.
''St Valentine di init go back on you,did
he:' and Miller put on a look of innocent
inquiry.
What's that to you!" Harvey was
growing angry, and his tone was far from
pleasant.
On, nothing" returned the ether. with
ssora lv- hn nj
Saint used me so well that was hoping
you had been as fortunate also" and he
drew photograph from his inside pocket
as he spoke, and removing the tissue pa
per in which it was wrapped held out the
pictured face of Helen Montjoy before
Harvey's startled eyes.
The action was SO sudden that he had no
time to collect his thoughts and bear the
bitter blow compose lily, and he was white
as death as he said in voice which
trembled in spite of him: Thank you for
your good wishes, and Of course you ex-
pect me to congratulate you"
He did not look up to see the look of NAL
ice and the triumphant hatred which was
pictured on Miller's face, he only saw the
sweet, naughty face of Helen, the girl he
loved so devotedly, in the hands of one
whom at that moment he hated as cordial
ly as he Was hated in return.
'Well, it amounts to that, don't it. old
boy!" replied Miller, as he turned the
card and showed the tortured lover the
wordS Your Valentine" upon the back
traced in the unmlstakable hand writing
he I'm ew so well
He turned away sick and faint as the
bell rang, and the passengers came hurry
ing back to the train, and the Office seemed
spinning around as he entered the door
again.
He staggered to a chair and mercifully
forgot his pain for few blissful moments
of uuconsciou Suess. Guess We tainted,
mister" said the Office boy, who with an
instinct seemingly common to the human
race, had seized a water pitcher and
emptied its contents down the young
mans neck and into his ears as he lay on
the floor. 'Granvllle's ben a CALM fur
the last five minutes"
Harvey YEARLY arose and took the mes
sage in listless mechanical way, very
unlike his usual brisk. business-like man
ner. He felt dazed and stunned by the
thought that Helen had so openly and de-
cidedly shown her preference for his de-
spised rival, the sight of the picture in
Miller's possession having all the signiti-
canoe that Helen had intended it should
when rece.ved by himself, but the thought
never occurred to him that there could be
any mistake, and his trouble seemed
greater than he could bear.
His first thought was to write Helen an
upbraiding letter, telling her what he had
seen, but his love for her conquered the
impulse.
''She has the perfect right to choose
whom she will, but oh! Helen, Helen
you need not have thrown me away so
scorn uily, without the most ordinary
words Of friendship"
His sore he art would have been CON-
forted could he have seen Helen at that
moment as she sat in her room idly
twisting June's obnoxious valentine
around her white fingers the BIT of paper
which was to have been a vexation of
spirit to teasing June Ingraham.
Tears stood in her large eyes as she
looked into the fire, and she already re-
pented the haste with whith she had re-
scented its receipt and shy cherished a
secret hope that he might yet write and re-
quest an explanation. Even now her love
whispered the possibility of a mistake, but
her pride would not allow her to take the
first step to ascertain the truth, and so the
matter seemed likely to rest where it was,
Harvey's love being stronger than his re-
sentiment, and Helen's pride keeping guard
over her love.
Harvey had an intimate friend, a de-
tective in Pinkerton's employ, and as
he was sending a message in cipher
to his chief he said to him in confidential
aside: There is a systematic robbing OF
the mail going on between Omaha and Chi
cago and we have not as yet been able to
get any definite clew to the thief, but it
will go hard with him when he is caught.
He must be an old bird, not easily caught
with chat, fer We have sent out decoys
which would have spotted him at once if
he had meddled with them, but these have
been untouched"
BY a curious conjunction of ideas the
memory of Helen's photograph flashed
over Harvey. With the sneeringly tri-
umphant expression of Harris Miller's face
as he had taken it from his pocket and,
/ for the first time since that miserable
morning, he had doubt, happy, hopeful
doubt, as to his lawful possession of it.
| The detective noticed it. "You look Sc
renely happy over the intelligence. Have
| you any clew to the mysteryP'
mo, no." replied Harvey, vexed with
his tell-tale face. ''only an impression, and
if it proves to be any thing more than that
1 will tell you" Much as he disliked
Harris Miller, he would not do him the in
! justice of an accusation without proof
The evening mail brought him an anx-
ious letter from June, saying that his
mother was sick and wished him to come
home, and, after procuring substitute,
he started homeward, his affair with
Helen sinking into insignifcance com.
pared with his present anxiety, for the
mother was a frail little woman, and her
frequent illnesses were times of sore trial
to her children.