Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-07

she explained earnestly. "You did NOT
see it? No, I thought not. But Mr.. At
ley would have it that you had, and that
it had something to do with your going
out. Horace told me at the time that
ought not to send it without consulting
you. But / did, because you said you
/ could not be bothered with i'll mean you
said you were busy, Stafford. And so /
thought would ask if it had done any
harm, and Mr.. Alley What is the mat
ter, Stafford?" she cried, breaking off
sharply at the sight of the change in his
face. "Did it do harm?"
mo, no." he answered. "Only I never
heard of this letter before. What made
you write it?"
"Well," said Lady Betty, while she col
ored violently and became on a sudden
very shy-ike most young authors. 81
wanted to be in the swim with you, don't
you know"
Mr.. Stafford murmured "Ohw
Thanks to his talk with Alley he read
the secret of that sudden shyness. And
confusion poured over him more and
more. 1t caused him to give way to i'm
pulse in manner which a moments re-
Election would have led him to avoid.
"Then it was not you," he exclaimed IN
warily, "who sent Pilgrimstone's terms to
the Irmesp
"I?" she exclaimed in an Undesirable
tone, and with eyes like saucers. "I?" she
repeated.
"Gadp cried Sir Horace, and looked
about for way of escape.
"I?" she continued, struggling between
wrath and wonder. 81 betray you to the
Times! And you thought so, Stafford?'
Then there was silence in the room for a
moment-a long moment during which the
cool, imperturbable statesman, the hard
man of the world, did not know where to
turn his eyes. "There were circumstances
several circumstances" he muttered at
last, (which made-which forced me to
| think so"
"And Mr.. Alley thought so {" she asked.
He nodded. sob, that tame catp she
| cried, her eyes flashing.
Then she seemed to mediate while her
husband gazed at her, prey to conflicting
emotions and Sir Horace made himself as
small as possible. 81 see,' she continued
presently, in different tone. Only
only if you thought that, why did you
never say anything? Why did you not
scold me, beat me, Stafford? l do not
do not understand"
81 thought" he explained, in despair
he had so mismanaged matters-"that per-
haps had left you-out of the swim, as
you call it, Betty. That l had not treated
you very well, and after all ii might be
my own fault"
"And you said nothing You intended
to say nothing%
He nodded.
"Gadp cried Sir Horace, very softly.
But Lady Betty said nothing. She
turned, after a long look at her husband
| wet with tears. The two men heard her
pause moment on the landing and then
fit up stairs and shut the door. But her
foot, even to their gross ears, seemed to
touch the stairs as if it loved them, and
there was happy lingering in the very
slamming of the door.
They looked, when she had left them.
anywhere but at one another. Sir Horace
sought inspiration in his boots, and pres.
emily found it. "Wonder who did it then?''
he burst out at last
"Ah l wonder" replied the ex-Minis.
ter, descending at bound from the rosy,
tumbled cloudland to which his thoughts
had borne him. 81 never pushed the in
quiry; you know why now. But they
should be able to enlighten us at the Time
Office. We could learn in whose hand.
writing the copy was, at any rate. 1t is
not we'll to have spies about us"
81 can tell you in whose handwriting
they say it was" said Sir Horace, bluntly
GIN whose?"
"In Alleys"
Mr.. Stafford did not look surprised
Instead of answering he thought. AnC
the result was that he presently left thu
room in silence. When he came back hi
had a copy of the Times in his hand, ant
his face wore look of perplexity. I"
have read the riddle" he said, "and yet i
is riddle to me still l never found tim,
before to read the report of my speech a
the club. 1t occurred to me to look at i
now. 1t is full of errors, SO full that it i
clear the printers had not the corrected
proof Alley prepared. Therefore conclud
that Alleys copy of the terms went to tn
Times instead of the speech. But how wa
the mistake nader"
"That is the question"
Happily the private secretary came int
the room at this juncture. "Atley," MI
Stafford said at once, 81 want you. Carr
your mind back week-to this day week
Are you sure that you sent the report c
my speech at the club to the Iimess"
"Am l sure ?' replied the other conf
IDENTIFY, nothing daunted by being SO alb
ruptly challenged. 81 am quite sure
did, sir. l remember the circumstance:
1 found the report-it was typewriter
you remembering on the blotting pa
when l came down dressed for dinner.
slipped it into an envelope and put it i
the boz. l can see myself doing it now.
"But how do you know that it was tn
report you put in the envelope%
"You had indossed it Corrected repor
w. Stafford" replied ALLEY trium
phantly.
"Ahw said Mr.. Stafford, dropping HI
. hands and eyes and sitting down suddenl!
81 remember My wife came in, and
yes, my wife came in."-1Re COrnhiV Ma
azine.