The Press., 1893-06-08
CHAPTER VII.
.svENIT TANDEM FEIIcITAS.

VENT TANDEM FELICITAS."
 It was just three days after the doctor and the admiral had congratulated each other upon the closer tie which was to unite their two families, and to turn their friendship into something even dearer and more intimate, that Miss Ida Walker received a letter which caused her some surprise and considerable amusement. It was dated from next door and was handed in by the red headed page after breakfast.
 "Dear Miss Ida," began this curious document and then relapsed suddenly into the third person. "Mr. Charles Westmacott hopes that he may have the extreme pleasure of 8 ride with Miss Ida Walker upon his tandem tricycle. MT. Charles Westmacott will bring it round in half an hour. You in front. Yours very truly, Charles Westmacott. y.
 The whole was written in large, loose jointed, schoolboyish hand, very thin on the up strokes and thick on the down, as though care and pains had gone to the fashioning of it.
 Strange as was the form the meaning was clear enough, so Ida hastened to her room and had hardly slipped on her light gray cycling dress when she saw the tan dem with it's large occupant at the door He handed her up to her saddle with more solemn and thoughtful face than was usual with him, and few moments later they were flying along the beauti- full smooth suburban roads in the direc- tion of Forest hill. The great limbs of the athlete made the heavy machine spring and quiver with every stroke, while the mignon gray figure, with the laughing face and the golden curls blow ing from under the little pink. banded straw hat, simply held frmlyxto her perch and let the treadles whirl round beneath her feet. Mile after mile they flew, the wind beating in her face, the trees dancing past in two long ranks on either side, until they had passed round Croydon and were approaching Nor wood once more from the farther side.
 "Aren't you tired?' she asked, glanc- ing over her shoulder and turning to- ward him little pink ear, fluffy golden curl, and one blue eye twinkling from the very corner of its lid. '"Not a bit am just getting my swing"
 "Isnt it wonderful to be so strong? You always remind me of steam en- gine."
 "Why steam engine"
 "Well, because it is so powerful and reliable and unreasoning. Well, I didn't mean that last, you know, but-but- you know what I mean. What is the matter with you?
 "Why?" t-
 Because you have something on your mind. You have not laughed once"
 He broke into a grewsome laugh. 's1 am quite jolly said he. --~
 "Oh, no, you are not. And why did you write me such dreadful1y stiff7let- teri" I
 "There, now," he cried, II was sure it was stiff. I said it was absurdly stiff"
 ''Then why write its'
 ''It wasn't my own composition"
 "Whose then! Your aunt's?"
 "Oh, no. It was person of the name of Slattery."
 "Goodness! Who is heT'
 "I knew it would come out. I felt that it would. You've heard of Slattery, the author?"
 .'Never." ex
 ''He is wonderful at expressing him. self. He wrote book called The, Se- cret Solved; or, Letter Writing Made Easy It gives you models of all sorts of letters"
 Ida burst out laughing. ''So you &C., tually copied one."
 Tt was to invite a young lady to a picnic, but set to work and soon got it changed so that it would do very we'll. Slattery seems never to have asked any one to ride g tandem. But when I had written it, it seemed so dreadfully stiff that had to put little beginning and end of my own, which seemed to bright en it up good deal"
 ''I thought there was something funny about the beginning and end" "Did you7 Fancy your noticing the