Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-29

"Yours very sincerely" or "Iours afiec-
tionately.'
ssEthel, Ethell" cried her mother,
putting her head in at the door, al am
going out Give me the note for Florence,
/ can take it to the post"
Guilty and ashamed, Ethel seized her
pen and wrote hastily, but in a bold
hand:
"Yours very sincerely,
"JACK DAvENANT."
Mrs. Byrne neither came to lunch nor
answered the Mariners invitation. Mrs.
Mariner expressed surprise at this want
of courtesy and apologized to the Single
tons for having no one to meet them.
care you sure, Ethel, you told her the
right day2 Florence is in town, know,
and it is SO unlike her to be rude"
81 think it was all right, mamma, "
Ethel replied vaguely, and never gave
another thought to the matter.
But the morning of the next day, as
she was practicing her singing in the
great holand-shrouded dining-room, the
door was flung open to admit benign
and comely lady, who advanced smiling
toward her.
ssMrs. Byrne!" cried Ethel in some
surprise, getting off the music-stool.
Mrs. Byrne established herself COM
fortably in deep armchair, then beck
oned the young girl mysteriously with
well-gloyed finger: "Come over here,
Ethel"
Ethel drew a stool to the others side
and sat down, smiling but mystifed.
Mrs. Byrne played little with the
clasp of the silver-mounted handbag
which she carried, from which, having tt
last succeeded in opening it, she pro-
duced stamped envelope addressed to
herself.
s'Do you know that handwriting?" she
said, fourishing it before Ethel's aston
ished eyes.
at is my own; wrote to ask you to
lunch" poor Ethel answered simply;
while the thought flashed across her mind
that Mrs. Byrne had probably gone mad.
"Read it, then," cried that lady, with
an air of suppressed amusement which
lent colorto the notion
Ethel unfolded it quickly, then sat
transfxed like one who receives sudden
and fatal injury. For before her horror
stricken eyes glared these words, in her
own handwriting: "Yours very sincere
ly, Jack Davenant.
"What does it mean?" she cred at last
in hoarse voice, for it seemed that some
fiendish magic had been at work.
That's what want to know" Mrs.
Byrne answered more gently. 81 re-
ceived this note the day before yester-
day. There was no address, and the
handwriting was certainly not Jacks.
Nor is my cousin in the least likely to
invite me to lunch at his chambers. So
[ wrote off to him at once and told him
to drop in to dinner if he had anything
to say to me-"
Ethel had risen to her feet, and was
standing with little frozen smile on her
face; but at this point she broke in hur.
riedly:
| "Did you show him Mr. Davenant,
the letteS9"
Mrs. Byrne nodded. She was not {
person of delicate perceptions and had
come here bent on little harmless
amusement, but somehow the amusement
was not forthcoming.
Ethel clasped her cold hands together
in frenzy of despair. She knew that
Jack was familiar with her handwriting
Had he not made little criticisms, Sc.
we're and tender, on the occasional notes
of invitation which she had addressed tt
him?
"Jack said he knew nothing about tht
note and hadn't the ghost of an idet
what it meant?"
"Oh, Jack, jack" cried EthePs hear
in parenthesis, "what must you think O
meG"
Mrs. Byrne went on: "Grace Allison
came in later and the mystery wa
cleared up. She swore to your hand
writing and we concluded you had dom
, it in fit of absence of mind. Poor oil
Jack, how she did chaff him9'
| Ethel was trying to recover her pres
ence of mind.
Chow could I have made such a stupi,
mistake?" she said, with a short laugh
: ''I suppose was pursuing some train o
thought. l had met your cousin at
? party the night before-you know how
/ is"
Mrs. Byrne was sorry for the girls dis
r tress.
< "It's mistake anyone might hav
, made, though you must own it YVES rathe
g funny. However, can assure you thi
: it won't get any further. Jack
scarcely likely to tell, and Grace ha
sworn on her honor"
a Ethel laughed again, meaninglessly
As far as she was concerned the Who'll
: world was welcome to know it now. N
deeper disgrace could befall her. g
wonder if he is shrieking with laughte
!. or merely sick with disgust" the poe
S girl thought when her .obtuse and aims
BILE visitor had at last departed. "Ol
). how I hate him-how I hate him
!, Which was hard on Jack, considerin
that his own conduct in the matter ha
: been irreproachable. But Ethel was
: no mood for justice. 1t seemed to hi
d that she had utterly betrayed and di
s graced herself; that never again coul
!. she venture to show herself in woif
IS where Florence Byrne, Grace Allisol
It and, above all, Jack Davenant livet
moved, and had their being.
le Sick with shame, hot and cold vii