Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-03-11
A TWELFTH NIGHTRI


on him as Jack Smith stared into it.
He had been staring into it, in a
brown study, for the last half hour,
before these three initials took form
there and flashed out on him.
OF course he knew that they were
cut in the glass all the time, only he
had just happened to notice them.
But what one knows and what one
feels are not always the same thing;
and somehow Jack, in his dilemma,
felt these letters sort of message to
him.
ga. V. E." he repeated to him
self. "AlI hail! that ancient greet
ing; meeting me oddly enough here,
when l am just looking for her."
And then!
'.All hail! How goes the charm Of
this very Twelfth-night? Then when
one has won the Twelfth-night ring
and surely, though l have cut no
Twelfth-night cake, I've found GER
tain magic little ring-when the one
who has the ring looks intently into
the mirror upon Twelfth-night-the
face-comes and looks into the mir
ror over ones shoulder"
1t was hardly the orthodox hour
for spells, with the sun still slanting
yonder on the icy lake under his
windows; yet, for all that, a misty
face, with faint Elusive features, did
seem to be gazing at him out of the
glass. With a laugh at himself, he
drew letter from his pocketbook-a
little letter, worn by the number Of
times it had been pulled out of it's
envelope during the last few days.
The envelope bore the post mark
of this far north town of PlatUs-
burgh The letter said: ''If not to
this John Smith, give to some other
of the name:"
Il couldn't stay to meet you, Johnny. 1
know you will understood what it means
when you find am not there to meet you
with the others. / inclose the little ring;
we have both outgrown it since the day you
took il off your finger to put it on mine.
After awhile you will come up here and see
me IL you like. but now am homo. l am
just writing this on my way that it may
greet you on your arrival in New York, and
tell you at once that you are free. But don't
forget that shall always be glad to see my
Cousin Johnny, and that am, as used to
be long ago, just your affectiOnate.
LITTLE AMY"
A curious letter and curious in
closusure; a tiny ring with a mere
spark of a diamond in it. John
Smith, Esq, New York Hotel, Broad
way, New York" was the address.
1t had been delivered to the wrong
John Smith just as he was leaving
the New York Hotel for run up the
Hudson. In the hurry of departure
he had overlooked it, and afterward,
though sure he was the wrong John
Smith, he had not known what
to do with it.
The small, empty circle had a pa
thetic air to him, as if little Amy's
hand might look lost without it.
Perhaps the girl was just putting a
brave face on the matter, as sighted
girls will when their lovers weary of
them. Big, broad-shouldered Jack
felt he should like to take the poor
little things part and punch the head
of falthleSS Johnny.
1t was that feeling which had
brought him on to Plattsburgh from
his careless sightseeing stay in New
York. He had said to himself that
he might as well see something of
winter, now that he was East, his
idea of the yule season being the
green one Of the California coast
There was really nothing to keep him
back from following up the very
slender clue the poStmark of that
letter held out to him.
Up the Hudson, on to Albany,
thence across the rocky verge of Lake
Champlain; under a clear and spark
ling winter sunshine, it was a charm
ing journey, even without hope of ad.
venture at the end of it. And now,
here was Jack at Plattsburgh, at Fou-
Quet's Hotel, which had beckoned
him over from the railway station.
And here the mirror in his room,
overlooking the lake, had given him
its message.
ga. V. E" The A. might stand
for Amy. The diamond spark In the
ring might have cut these initials
here!
It was the very slenderest clue.
But Jack presently found himself
following it up Amy had stopped
in Plattsburgh on her way home, she
wrote. Surely nowhere in Platts-
burgh could she better stop than at
Bouquets.
A moment later and Jack was turn
ing over the hotel register. He had
not far to look before he found the
entry, Miss A. V. Elliot, Cedar
cliff" Then he made good search to
find if there were no other A. V. E
on this point; satisfying himself. he
asked where one might find the vii
lage OF Cedarcliff.
There was no village, only az an
try house. The Cedarcliff folks al
ways stopped here from the trains
till sent for Yes, il the gentleman
wanted a sleigh he could have one,
with a driver who knew the way
round BY Cumberland Head.