Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-08
MABEL'S TROUBLE.

At the breakfast table that morning
Frank Hatiield's wife, one of the dearest
and most winning of women in the
world, had said to him:
"llavc you heard from brother Walter
yct?"
"No, Mabel; not time yet. You know
nc only went day before yesterday. Get
letter tomorrow, maybe"
"Do you know, Frank, I am almost
wild with curiosity to sec his wifea Such
an odd notion Of theirs, to put off their
wedding trip for three months after they
were marriedl"
"Wantcd to make it in pleasant
weather, | suppose: showed their good
sense, said Frank.
"Anyhow, they'll be hero in ten DAYS,
rs soon as his business is arrangcd," and
Mabel lIatiicld's almost girlish fncc
beamcd with delight Mt the thought, for
she almost idolizcd her "brothcr Walter"
and had heard wonderful stories of the
beauty of his bride.
Such had been, in part, the talk of the
breakfast table, and there had not been
i'll all the city II SUMMER fucc than that
with which Frank Hatfield had said
goodbye to his dear little wife and his
rosy faced baby boy; but now, half an
hour later, he sat in his down town Office
glowering mt bit of crumplcd paper on
the table before him with IN expression
of countcnnncc which might fairly be-
thought to include doubts of his own
sanity.
coax Street Station IIouse!" he OK
claimed. ttNhut in-Wcll I miuht nc
well go there"
And so he did, with barely enough
presence of mind to put his hat on before
he started. A few minutes of almost
fercely rapid walking, brief parlcy
with the officials in blue, and Frank
Hatfield was admitted TO dingy and
dimly lighted cell.
"Frank--"
"Good heavens! You here,
"ilush! Not n word gave my name
rs Harry Taylor, and it's gone into the
reports that way"
"But how did it happcn2'
81 can't tell, Frank / only know they
found the pockctbook in my pocket, and
l was so dumbfoundcd L could not say II
word"
'"rhe poclSctbooKs'
eyes, it was mt the PENNSYLVANIA Sta
tion. l had just checked my trunks
when they began to make an outcry.
and that's about all l know about it until
twas nabbed and searched"
"But Florcncc?" said Frank.
al wrote to her that | was detained in
New York for a few days by important
business. Then gave your name rs my
counsel and sent foryou."
81 didn't get your note till this morn
ing, ~ said Frank
"Somc mistake or other. But here I
am, trapped, and what to do I do not
know"
"Oh, 1 can get you off easy enough;
it's an old game of the pickpockcts. All
| have got to do is to prove who you are,
and the Judge wont fail to sec it," said
Frank.
"But don't want to prove who am;
it would kill Mabel and just about mur-
der Florence. You don't know how sen
sitivc she is. No; must bc got off and
acquitted as Harry Taylor, or I'll never
get over it. Now, Frank, old fellow,
promise me not to let my name out to
anybody, least of all to Mabel. Flor
ence's letters will come in your care MS
usual; and | can send letter to Mabel
dated from home, you know, as ifit was
incloscd to YOU"
"You must take the responsibility of
all this deception, then," said Frank;
and after a great deal of hesitation the
the young lawyer allowed himself to be
ovcrpowcred into giving the required
promise, but left the station house and
returned to his Office troubled and
anxious hearted man. He did not like
deception in any shape and he seriously
doubted his capacity for conccaling any
thing from his dear little wife.
And so it was when Frank Hatfield re-
turned home that evening and silently
handed Mable an unpostmarked misGve,
over which her blue eyes glistcncd and
which made her kiss the baby twice, he
did so with flush on his cheek and II
cloud on his brow which never left him
the whole evening. In vain he tried to be
gay, or to make the growing youngstcr
means of concealing his perturbation, for
the quick eyes of his wife penetrated his
clumsy articles, and then-well, if he
had been in trouble before he was badly
enough beset now.
OF course Frank kept his promise of
secrecy, but at the expense of red face
and flustcred manner He was not half
sure that his conscience had not caught
him in several petty equivocations or well
defined fibs. More than that, Mabel was
quite well aware that she had not pcnc-