Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-28

would tako them AWAY In scoAcu PtsAooa
Today tho task she had undertaken must
DO performed, OF IL would be too late.
1t was an easy matter to possess herself
| of the keys she required. They were TO-
gether on one ring, library and safe, the
only keys of which she never had any con
troll. But then they wero lying on tho ta
| BILE, while, with his rcd silk handkerchief
| thrown over his head hor father indulged
| in his after dinner nap, on this occasion,
| as luck would have Ii, n longer nap than
usual. All was now plain sailing, II only
no would continue to sleep sufficiently
| long time. II not. why, she would CONFESS
all and implore his forgiveness. Had she
but known that two wakeful eyes were,
under cover Of the red silk, intently watch
Ing her every movement
She found the papers, eight or nine little
bundles, each in It's special envelope with
It's appropriate title printed on the back.
Yes; there was tho one she sought, mark
cd "Latin composition" but with huge
red seal intervening between her and It's
contents. Tho seal was her fathers, and
after being broken 1t was an easy matter
to duplicate 1t. One impression Is SO like
another when you can secure the same
original for tho second rs has done duty
for the first. One copy was all that her
trembling fingers abstracted, and In an
other minute the envelope lay beside its
fellows, bearing no outward evidence OF
having been tampered with.
1t was dark ere she vcntured out to meet
her lover, with the precious guarantee OF
his success and of her devotion.
"You are sure 1t can do no one any
harm?'
"Quite sure"
"And that no one will ever find 1t outg'
"Utterly impossible! will make one
or two small mistakes on purpose so as to
avert suspicion, but tell you there is not
the slightest chance Of anything Of the
kind"
When she returned home, she found her
father had gone out. An hour later he re-
turned, and dismissing his daughter for
tho night proceeded to lock himself in the
library. Morning was breaking ere no
made his way up stairs to his room, while
Kate, whom his wearied footsteps awaken
cd, wondered wnat had detained him SO
long. Still, with the unconscious and un-
reasoning selfishness Of young love, q self
ishness founded, however, on altruism, she
felt supremcly happy, for was not her lover
delighted with her, and, what was even
better, had he not told her so again and
again only few short hours before?
The first three days of the competition
were big with fate to most OF the competi-
tors, the fate Of being weighed in the bal
ance and found wanting. Candidates are
prone ut such times to compare notes after
each days performance. and each one gets
to know pretty well how the others are
doing. "Macintyre and Morrison In the
first flight, and the rest nowhere, was the
general verdict. 1t was also felt that the
Latin paper would be decisive, and those
Of Macintyre's friends who knew that the
other was strong in this subject felt anx-
ious as to the result. Not SO with the OBJ
ject Of their thoughts. He was surer Of
that than Of anything else, as indeed he
had good reason to be. Already he had
the coveted prize in his grasp. He would
not do the paper sine crrore, he magnani-
mously, or perhaps it was prudently, said
to himself, but as near to that as might be-.
Forewarned in such contests is indeed fore
armed
The men were already in their places,
and the papers being given out, when he
entered tho examination room on the final
morning His paper was handed to him,
OIC ietSO COlllcT VI tll cdScr tllTOuR. I1c
scarcely deigned to look at it, for were not
it contents already known to him, and had
he not its equivalent in Latin off by heart,
to make assurance doubly sure? At last
he looked at it, as one would cast his eye
over landscape every feature of which is
familiar.
His eyes seemed to become glazed and
scarce could they see the words before
them. And then sickening feeling at
heart told him how fatal was his error.
The paper was entirely different from the
one he had SO sedulously prepared. The
shock unnerved him, and though he at
length essayed the task that lay before
him, he knew too well it was but labor in
vain. And yet-and yet, without all this
fruitless scheming, he felt that he might
have succeeded after all.
The scholarship was awarded to Morri-
son. And thus Macintyre lost the prize
and Katie a lover whom perhaps she was
better without. Her father had found out
what she had done, and after conference
with the examiners had Sp the prctcxt
that the paper had been mislaid, secured
the substitution of another piece, which
he staid up all night to print, with the re-
suits already recorded. dit Bits.
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