Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-08-14

appointment, SVendeleriS letters did
not arrive Most vexing, wonder
how it is, grumbled Mr.. Greene. It's "a
fortunate thing, though, that the case is
not likely to come on today"
Not only did the case not come on on
that day, but a preceding day tailed out
so long that it became exceedingly I'M
likely that it would come on even the
next day 1t was still third on the list.
The next morning Mr. Greene nat
urally expected to find Svendeleri's let
ters awaiting him To his surprise and
annoyance, however, they had not ar
rived, nor was there even a no.e from
Mrs. Greene accounting for TIER alb
sence
This is ridiculous" said Mr.. Greene
to himself She might either forward
them or tell Inc that she can't find them.
I'm astouished at her taking so little in
terest in the matter, remembering that
all this bother is her own brothers
doing
AS Mr. Greene ate his breakfast, he re-
1ected angrily on the absence of any
communication from his wife. Suddenly
it occurred to him that she might not he
TO blame after all He knew the ways
Of railway porters, and it struck him as
being within the bounds of possibility
that the one to whom he gave the tele-
gram might never have sent it. So the
moment he bad finished his breakfast he
walked off to the nearest telegraph office
and wired his wife, asking her if she had
received his first telegram. and if so why
she had not forwarded Svendeleris let
tiers He directed her to send reply to
him at queens bench court, No. VI.
Then he marched off to the law courts.
Mr. Greene sat in court all day, wait
ing for his case to come on and waiting
for reply to his telegram Neither
event happened AT ] o'clock the case
Immediately preceding his was just dis
posed Of, so his stood first for the next
morning AT the same time the usher
informed him that no telegram had that
day arrived for Mr.. Greene, or for any
person bearing a name in the slightest
degree resembling it.
Perturbed in mind Mr.. Greene hur-
ried to his solicitors Office in hopes that
Mrs Greene might have sent the reply
there. But there he found neither re-
ply nor the Svendeleri letters. Mr.. Nor
craft, indeed, informed him that the alb
sence of the latter was not of the slight
est importance to his case-indeed, cOun-
sci had expressed his opinion that it
would be very doubtful policy to put
them in. This assurance had. however,
very little effect in consoling Mr.. Greene,
for just then he cared very little where
the letters We're or what became of his
action The only thought which occu-
pied his mind was why Mrs. Greene did
not reply to his telegram. Was ii posi-
bic that she was away from home? If
she was away from home for what pur-
pose was it; Why should she take ad-
vantage of his absence to leave her
house? Visions Of military men came
into his mind. and all his previous wor-
ries and annoyances We're as nothing to
the horrors those visions brought with
them To make assurance doubly sure
Mr. Greene went straight to a telegraph
station and sent Of another message to
his wife. In it he entreated her to let
him have an answer Of some kind with
out delay Then he went home to his
hotel and waited there. full of misery
and fOreboiing, for an answer. He did
not stir ont the whole evening, but no
answer came
The next morning Mr.. Greene rose
haggard and weary. When he opened
his bedroom door TO take in his boots he
found letter awaiting him. With
teveroh haste he snatchcd it up and
looked at the superscription. 1t was in
a feminine hand, but it was not his
wife's. 1t was from his half sister, Rose
Briar! Full of terrible and uuutterable
forebodings Mr.. Greene opened the let
ter. His worst fears We're realized, The
letter ran as follows:
SNoBToN, Thursday.
My DEAR Notwithstanding has come to
my knowledge which think that in fairness
YOU should know. Yesterday morning | re-
ceived IA letter from your wife putting off an
engagement | had to take tea with her this
afternoon. As she gave no reason for doing
so, thought would call at the time liked and
just see what was the matter; If she was at
home, could easily say that hadn't received
her letter When got to the house the SER
want who opened the door aroused my sus-
picions by the way she answered me- so made
a few inquiries and found that your wife has
not been seen by one of her acquaintance in
SnObtou since the day you left home. Worse
still, when got back just looked again at her
letter to me, and then noticed that, though
it affects to be written at Snobton. the post
mark on it j. Rottenboro. You can draw your
own conclusions.
! write this as being your half sister, and in
terested in keeping up the speciality of the
family Yours allectionately, ROSE BRIAR.
Mr. Greene took no breakfast that
morning He remained in his bedroom
till after 10 o'clock. Then he went out
and drove straight to Mr., Morcraft's Of
fee.
In very nice time, Mr.. Greene" said
that gentleman cheerfully, as he ar
ranged his papers to 80 over to court,
I'm going home by the 1880" was
Mr.. Greene's reply.
The lawyer stared at him in amaze
ment.
"Well, if you do" he said "it's all up
with your case"
"Confound my case" answered Mr..
4 al, 9.