Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-04-27
FOR VEAL OR WOE.

Doubtless Jane Dobbin5 and Arthur
lIathers thought that they were very
clever when, in the first bloom of young
love, they had memorial photograph
taken together, with her gentle head
tondiy resting on his gallant breast.
There were to be only two impressions
struck from the plate, and, oh what
consolation each one would be for the
awful hours of separation, an ever.
present sign Of ineffable bliss But they
never fancied that the plate retained its
reproductive powers, nor that it was
destined to fall into the hands of the
vengegul George Percy, and when they
reckOned without George Percy they
reckoned without host.i
For this young man was romantic of
temperament and ingenious Of mind.
From his earliest perception he had
known and loved Jane Dobbins. From
his earliest perception he had vowed
that she should be his; and so, i'll the
heyday of his discretion, having seen
her ruthleSsly torn from his mental EN-
brace through the dia5olical arts Of
hated rival, lie swore that he would
have his revenge. Of course, he must
dissemble-that was an essential of the
passion. Arthur and he had always
been good comrades, and so they must
continue. He must congratulate the
happy pair with false words and hol-
low smile. He must and he did.
But time was his friend, so avaunt
despair The lovers We're young and
their complacent parents had declared
that they must wait, Ahal Was he
not man enough from the nettle uppor-
IN, Y,1n he .
Only bring on the nettle Meanwhile
he would watch and wait. 1t was at the
acme of this conviction that Arthur one
evening, III u flood OF that Grass conf
dence whichis half the pleasure of being
in love, showed the picture to George.
Alas, the blindness of fate Among the
mental ingenuities with which George
was endowed was a very pretty taste
for the natural sciences. Chemistry,
through its facility in producing light
from darkness, sound from silence, and
smell from scentlessness, had always
appealed to his imaginative qualities.
At school he had been allowed the run
of the labnratory-aud sometimes a run
from it-and there was nothing in the
nature of smoke, stencil, or explosion
which he had not generated. He went
further in day than Faraday did in his
whole life, and us for Daguerre, he could
take care Of him without half thinking.
Indeed, in time, photography became
delightful avocation to him, and its mys-
teries were camerical, not chimerical.
lie had gained well-deserved repu-
taticn as an amateur operator, and, it so
happened, had long been In the habit Of
developing his work In the very gallery
where the young lovers had SO wantonly
made light of their most sacred emo
tons. And more, he was so engaging In
manner and so generous in returning
tavors that he had the free use of the
establishment, and came and went as if
his will was centurion, latchkey
being his guide by night. All of this
Arthur well knew, and all of this he
clean forgot in the selfish rapture of dis.
playing his happiness.
But George remembered, and when he
had carelessly read the makers name on
the back of the photograph he could
scarce restrain start and the conven-
tional chuckle of foreseen revenge. In
a flash came an idea which gradually
developed into full-grown purpose. He
could, he would, he did. lie knew
q
time to call that knowledge to his aid
One night he searched and he found the
plate. lie searched further and he
found negatives of Susie Graham, a
great friend of Arthur's, and of Robert
Prince, an ardent admrer of James.
With infinite caro- he prepared new
plates; and 10! when he had developed
these and taken their impressions there
were two pictures, one Of Arthur and
Susie, and the otherof Robert and Jane,
in the identical conjunction of affection
in which ii had seemed clever to Arthur
and Jane to exploit their young love.
"Aha J! Missed George with half
suppressed mirthless laugh, as he pulled
his hair over his brow and rolled his
eyes, which shone with an internal fire
Aha ! | have them on the hip and I'll
feed fat the ancient grudge owe them"
And well he might laugh as one who
laughed last. The following week the
little Jane, while dreaming idly Of her
felicity, received an anonymous package
and wept. The following week the
ardent Arthur while impatiently
counting the days of his probation, re.
ceived an anonymous package and
swore. The next day two notes, preg-
naut with grief and resentment, crossed
each other.
"Falthless Arthur, return the ring and
other presents. All is over; SO never, never
speak again to Jane"
read one.
"Fickle Jane. Since you no longer love
me, beg to herewith transmit your letters
and the slippers YOU sent me last Christ
mas. think they are Just his size. re.
main, yours Indignantly, ARTHUR"
read the other.
"Elow shameless" sobbed Jane when
she received the latter. "What nerve
grnwled Arthur as he tore the former
into bits. And thereafter the hearts that
had beat as one throbbed most indie.
pendently as two.
Arthur was seen smoking on the street,
and thus became a warning of dis
sipation. And George, who now called
assiduously on Jane, found his antici-
pated joys almost as enlivening rs Il
Quaker meeting. For the poor child
was glum and distraught, and too sim
pie to hide il. Her cheeks grew wan,
and the sparkle of her eyes deadened
into melancholy. Her parents became
alarmed, fearing decline, and, as alb.
scnce is a remedy long since declared
standard, they decided to send her ON
a visit to her Aunt Abigail in the
metropolis.
George heard the tidings with con.
stcrnation. Was this the end of his
chcanery? Then he had been deceived.
Hcroines truly had the unpleasant
habit Of fading, but they always mar
ried the villain before acquiring it.
Must he yield to remorse, to despair?
No; at least, he knew when she was
rninn-nt lnnst he mirht rncnirn hnr