The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-02-14

The mail sacks had been exchanged, the
passengers had gone into an eating house
near by for breakfast, when Harris Miller
called out:
'Hello, lngraham, what have you been
doing to yolrselfl You look as II your
great grandmother was dead and you had
ju-t seen her ghostn
Harvey started in unpleasant surprise
He had forgotten that this was Harris NJ l.
ler's run, and the sight OF his face. never
agreeable to him, but now doubly hateful
with its triumphant expression was so un-
pleasantly suggestive Of Helen that his
misery came over him like food.
II suppose / have your sympathy In
such case" ne retorted. dryly.
'Of course" replied the other, jovially,
''though what you have to be glum about
Is more than KNOW" he added, hypocrit-
ica.ly.
.'And you won't know from my telling
you," was Harvey's mental comment The
fellows manner grated terribly on his
overweight nerves.
''St Valentine di int go back on you. did
bel" and Miller put on look OF innocent
inquiry.
whats that to youi" Harvey was
growing angry, and his tone was far from
pleasant.
.'Oh, nothing" returned the other. with
assumed carelessness, ''only the jolly old
Saint used me so we'll that was hop ng
you had been as fortunate Also" and he
drew photograph from his inside pocket
AZ he spoke, and removing the tissue pa
per in which it was wrapped held out the
pictured face OF Helen Montioy 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 lly, and he was white
as death 40 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 50 devotedly, in the hands Of one
whom ut that moment he hated as cordial
" as he was hated Ia return.
swell. IL amounts to that, don't Il, old
boyl" replied Miller, - he turnei the
card and showed the tortured lover the
words, 'sYour Valentine" upon the back
traced in the unmlstakable hand writing
he knew 80 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 chair and mercifully
forgot his pain for few blissfu. moments
OF Inconsistencies. Guess We tainted,
mister" said the oflce boy, who, with an
instinct seemingly common to the human
race, had seized water pitcher and
al ri lad Pa =
| mans neck and into his ears as he lay on
the floor. .'Granvllle's ben CALM fur
the last five minutes
Harvey weariiy arose and took the mes
sage in o listless, mechanical way, yer,
| 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 sgniti
canoe that Helen had intended 1t should
when recs we'd by himself, but tho though,
never occurred TO him that there could BE-
any mistake, and his trouble seemed
greater than he could bear.
His drst thought was to write Helen or
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 sc
scorniuily, without the most ordinary
words Of friendship"
His sore he art would have been com.
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 b OF paper
which was to have been o vexation OF
spirit to teasing Juno lneraham.
Tears stood in her large eyes as she
looked into the tire, and she already re-
pented the haste with which she had re-
sented its receipt and she cherished q
secret hope that he might yet wr te and re-
quest an explanation. Even now her love
whispered the po ,sibiiity Of q 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, Q de.
tective Ia Pinkerton's employ, and al
he was sending o message in CIPHER
TO his chief he said to him in confidential
aside: There j. systematic .o5h:ns 9.
the mail going on between Omaha and Chi
cago, and we have not as yet been able to
get any definite cew to the thief, but il
will 90 hard with him when he is caught
He must be an old bird. not easily caugh,
with chaff, fer we have sent out deccys
which would have spotted him at once il
he had meddled with them, but these have
been untoucLei.n
BY 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 1t from his pocket and
for the first time since that miserable
morning, he had a doubt q happy, hopeful
doubt, rs to his lawful posses sion Of it.
The detective noticed it. aYou look Sc
renely happy over the intelligence. Have
you any clew TO the mysterysn
"No, no." replied Harvey, vexed with
his tell.tale face. ''only an impression, ani
! II it proves to be any thing more than tha
I will tell you" Much rs he dislikee
Harris NJ Her, 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 o substitute
he started ho1eward, his affair witt
Helen sinking into insignifcancc com
pared with his present anxiety, for thu
| mother was frall little woman, and hel
frequent illnesses were times of Bore tria
/ to her children.
Happily she was much better befor,
Harvey reached home, and the visit was
source OF pleasure instead of pain, Us b,
feared it would be.
| June lngraham. where did you &c
| thisf he asked, in an agitated voice.
His sister had drawn up an easy chat
before the IRE, and had settled down fo
an evening chat. and Harvey was lookin,
over portfolio OF drawings, and the objcc
which had caused his exclamation was
chiy-designcd valentine, the very on,
which had SO Unexpectedly gone astray
"Why, you sent it to me- like deaS good
brother" replied Jane