The Opelousas courier., 1895-01-19
MAUD,
222 LTvEWELL AVENUE.

Now Livewell avenue was one of the
most aristocratic streets in the city,
and the question at once arose: who
was Maud?' And how did Rawlins
obtain that umbrella? He had dined
1.-THE club with some Of his friends
had gone from there straight home by
the street car-ha! he must have as
simulated that umbrella in the car.
He did not remember seeing anyone
In the a except a woman of very
ordinary appearance, and he only re-
sailed her because she had weighed
about three hundred pounds and had
stepped on his foot in getting out.
There was certainly no one there who
Answered to the appearance of
"Maud" as she was represented by this
dainty silk umbrella, which seemed to
difuse q faint perfume through Gil
bert Rawlins' bachelor apartments.
His first impression was one of i'm
mediate restitution. He would call a
messenger boy and send it to her num-
Der with a note of explanation and
apology. He wrote several such mis-,
sives on his metal tablet, but as they
all began with Maud" there seemed
. boldness in the severe simplicity of
his mode Of addressing her. Dear
Maud" sounded too familiar, "Miss
Maud" might be a misnomer. Ha!
Suppose she were married? He had al
ready settled her in his thoughts as
an ideal, and thrust aside the obtrusive,
unvelcome thought of her marriage
with some other man. mo-" he rea-
soned, there is her sweet, simple,
girlish name,"a and he sang:
Come into the garden, Maud
For the black bat night has flown:
Come into the garden, Maud,
nm here at the gate alone.
Tum-te-tum- e-tum-te-tum-te.'
The only effect this had wa to
arouse the midnight wrath of his land
lady, who called to him through his
door to remember that there were
other people in the house who wanted
to sleep.
So he then concluded that it was too
late to send the runaway home that
night. He would wait until the morn
ing, and he went to bed, and dreamed
al night of canopies descending upon
him. and Of stealing innumerable
umhrellas which he was trying to sell
to nm old-clothes man.
The first thing he saw in the morn
ing was the waif OF the night. before
standi NC trim and TINT in . corner
OF his room. It looked more bewitch-
ing then than by the gaslight, and he
discovered thatit was an imported ar
ticle. and had the Paris trademark
stamped in the silk.
sWhew!' he said as he unrolled it.
.swherc you have been, and what sights
you have been. Il would like to know.
An idea strikes me. / must be careful
ofit Tor this is going to be q hard win
ter. shall take fate-I mean the
nmbrelia-into my own hands and re-
store III TO its legitimate owner this
evening. Who knowsl She may Of
fer me the reward Other acquaint-
am certain she is . girl worth
knowing"
The young man was employed as an
accountant in q railroad Office, but he
came rear receiving his discharge on
that day, r he wrote sMaud"and s.um-
brelia" on SO many places in the
ledger, that he was asked to explain
his new system Of figuring, and
cautioned 70 be more careful in flu
ure.
He didsnot goto the club dinner with
MS friends that night, but swallowed
= hasty bite at q restaurant on his way
tn his boarding house, where he sell
dom ate, ndEthen he dressed carefully
vita tho nonchalanl air OF 8 wsll-to-