Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-06-07
DISTRUST.

! fellow when | got my old college chum,
| Bert Chatham, TO room with me. Bert,
happy 20 lucky fellow. had long ago said
| goodby t6 his alma mater and had at last,
after a series OF wspderings. enlisted with
that prosecuted class called agents. But q
more generous, happy hearted fellow than
| Bert never lived.
Now for some funl' cried jubilantly
when we had paid fussy little Mrs. Din
widdle our board bill month I'm advance,
much to that hobored lady's secret salts
| faction, and were at last comfortably en-
,conced in our new home, for / knew
well that with Bert for an hour no one
| ,ould be woebegone or tired OF life. His
| iollity was contagious, and IL was no un-
common event for Mrs. Dinwiddle to
| knock ON our door in the midst OF our
evening bachelor fun and bid the young
| gentlemen please be quiet You see, Bert
was inclined 10 hate law and all sprigs Of
the law, and II his word is TO be believed
| only tolerated me for the sake OF old times
| | nearly worried the life out Of the old fel-
| low by bringing up some puzzling case ]
| had OH hand and asking his opinion.
At 30 was still, like Bert, heart whole,
| though did feel curious and interested
when Bert sang the praises Of his cousin
| Annie, whom he represented as demigod-
| dess with eyes of blue and hair Of gold, or,
| as he once represented IL, eyes OF gold and
| hair of blue. "Pshawp / generally an
swcred, IAN angel by the prosy name OF An
| nier For | dotted on Beatrice and Mar
| guerite and thought Lillian the only name
| for all fair haired lovely maidens. Not that
| cared an atom about il, for didn't, and
| actually pitied Bert for his weakness in re-
/ 81, ~
| he told of her wonderful goodness and pu-
| rity. my suspicious nature would assert it
| self, and | would question it until Bert
would wear the look my father once wore
and say; "Old fellow, that amt right. You
mustn't Judge Annie that way, whatever
| you do"
One summer five years ago next July
| Bert's business called him To the south Of
| Dakota, and was left alone. "Tell you
| what, he said at parting, business is dull
| for you now Why not take vacation
| and spend the hot days in some cool coun-
| try resorty And having nothing else to
| do | followed his advice and made ar
rangements to board at the pretty little
hotel at Burnhame on the upper Ohio. In
| a week was sorry had chosen so quiet a
place The only amusement the place Of
! fered for stranger was fishing, and more
! than one morning was spent under the
| burning hot July sun In tugging at my
| desperately obstinate line and mentally
upraiding the fish, which, for the life of me-
wouldn't bite.
One morning, however, things changed,
| and from the moment l saw the pretty
| little schoolmistress the birds sang sweet
! er, the grass seemed greener and life more
! inviting in every way. The little waitress
fell head over heels in love with me be
cause gave her an extra tip, and the land
| lord begged to be allowed to treat, as had
| paid months bill in advance. "A sud
| den determinations" he queried, and said,
"Yes, very sudden determination"
That night ] dreamed of Bert and the
| Annie of his remembrance, and the next
| morning wrote him an unusually long
| letter telling him that his Annie was IN
| the shade, and that the dearest little
woman on earth had that day blushed
| prettily on being introduced to me. Bert
never answered that letter. But, alasl
| all the Lilians and Marguerites In the
] world sank in my estimation, for my DO
| loved's name was sweet and simple
| Annie Brownlow. Before the summer was
over we were engaged, and wrote TO Bert
to come and see my little sweetheart
And Bert came. From the first his con-
| duct worried me. | was suspicious. saw
| his gray eyes twinkle on being introduced,
and saw with sorrow that they became
| very pleasant toward each other. Annie
| seemed to be flirting with him, and once or
| twice, when ! came upon them unawares,
| they Strengthened their gay countenances
forcibly and appeared constrained. One
| night this affair impressed me rs being too
| I TORT talk m ~ saar aet " tn m
betrothed, laughter floating freely on the
air, and then when appeared they changed
the subject, OF, when they thought me not
| looking, laughed knowingly. This was
too much. Annie was fiirt. They were
making fool of me. packed my valise
and before they could realize it was gone.
| | changed my city boarding house also,
wishing to steer clear of Bert. How often
| since have J I'd cause to regret that actl
Well, a dreary twelvemonth followed
a twelvemonth spent away from my be-
loved and in ignorance of Bert's where
| abouts. More than that, left the city,
though the knowledge that Bert was
searching high and low after me gave me
secret satisfaction. How often did / think
bitterly, IL guess they are married now
and laughing in their sleeves ut mep
| A mutual acquaintance informed me that
Bert had left hisquarters at the Dinwiddls
establishment and had gone away for good.
Promptly as was possible renewed my &C
quaintance with the corpulent madame
and on the very day did 80 was handed a
letter which the ''other gentleman" had
left for me. 1t read thus:
| MY good fellow, do you know what
you're abouti Your pretty little Annie
Brownlow and my cousin are one and the
same, and when you wrote of her angelic
goodness l chuckled, as ! remembered how
you had questioned the motives of my An
nie's goodness ! resolved to keep up the
fun, and we had a'gay old time of it at first.
You know what followed. Sorry for you,
but 20 and make up. She'll explain. She's
single yet. have left this here for you,
knowing that If went away, like chick
en-, you would come home to roost. Good
by" And then at the end was scrawled In
asteady, masculine hand, Bert Chatham" "
OF course Annie and | are married now
have been married now for nearly three
years. We are AS happy as we can be In
eur pretty, gay little Swiss cottage, and
svery Saturday night, when Baby Bert
manages to drag his little, chubby feet to
the front gate To celebrate Uncle Bert's ar
rival with a series of Gee, gees" Annie
and look at one another and smile, and
say with q broad, fatherly smile: Yes; II
has cured me-my suspicious nature has
toned down. How can be suspicious with