Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-12-20

ana Une lIea grows on me. LII Will DC rar0
fun to try, anyway. What did you say
the name wasY"
"3ut no doubt this girl was killed
luggage is seldom lost except by some such
accident, and-and maybe she is an old
woman"
Fred laughed immoderately.
"Just RS if that would make an act Of
charity less meritorious. OLD women don't
usually wear white lace hats, though.
You must have found something precious
In there-jeweIry or sometning-which
makes you anxious to martyriGG yourself.
It's mine however, and am not rs Hnx-
iOus to part with it as l was-not till I've
looked through it anyway"
As he turned the key Al remembered
that his own photograph was lying i'll
conspicuous box and exclamed
"Wait until after dinner, then. am
half starvcdW
Perhaps it would be better, was the
answer, and they passed out together.
When fairly down stairs, Al said he had
forgotten his handkerchief and flew back
three steps at time to get it. Securing
the picture and placing it i'll an inside
pocket, he said to himself:
"Surely there is nothing else to give me
away But l must whoedlo him out of
the trunk
After dinner Fred event through the
contents of the trunk making boyish re-
marks concerning each article as he threw
it aside AL inwardly WINGED at these re-
marks and could scarcely restrain himself
from knocking him over on the spot.
"What makes you so crusty?" queried
Fred suddenly as one of his choicest jokes
was met by a gruff "H'm!" There's no
fun in you, and why you want this stuff
beats me. Your sisters would turn up
their noses at secondhand clothing, if it
is pretty But it isn't worth fussing over
so take it along. No doubt would prove
% white elephant on my hands sooner or
later"
Not until the trunk was safely in his
room could AL breathe freely. Even then
it. was no easy matter to keep it out of his
sisters sight They made both a pet and
a confdant of their one brother and had
fashion of dropping into his room at all
hours to tell him of their schemes and
woes. He had pushed the trunk under
mahogany table in the corner, the old fash
toned cover of which reached almost to the
floor.
When he told them he was going away
for littlo business "trip, " they boset him
with questions and petitions to be taken
with bin, finally declaring they would
clean house while he was gone and "sort
out his trash. "
So behold him, in the dead of night,
carrying the white elephant" up the mar
row attic stairs, humping his head on ev-
cry rafter and getting cObwebs i'll his mus
tache. He covered it with old clothing,
pushed big box in front of it and then
Crept down stairs, feeling as guilty as If
he had been concealing some crime. At
breakfast the girls both talked at once
about the burglar who tried to get i'll and
how they pounded on AIS door and could
not even get an answer.
At noon he was off, and as the train
whirled onward he became possessed with
fears. She might not be at Hastings; she
might not care for him after these three
years; she might even be married or dead.
Arriving mt his destination at last, he
only stopped to leave his bag at u hotel
and walked rapidly to familiar house in
the suburbs. Ringing the bell, he in
quired for Miss Burr in a matter of fact
way, as if he had seen her the day before.
He watched the girls face as she spoke
and saw no trace of surprise. She simply
said:
Miss Burr may not be able to see you,
but come in and L will ask.
Presently he was shown into a small,
sunny room, where, on a couch, lay the
one girl he had ever loved He meant to
explain at once the cause of his foolish CO.
ing and eager coming, all of which he had
framed into frank, beautiful sentences
but somehow they forsook Kim, and he fell
back on the commonplace. She received
him with quiet words of welcome and then
said:
Pardon my position, but am such az
invalid that it is trial to sit up"
Gan invalidp' he echoed family.
eyes" she answered. Odd you not
hear of my accident several months agoI
On coming home from visit l stopped for
day or so in London hotel. The build
ing caught fire a few hours after entered
it. The horror of the scene is SO stamped
branded would be more appropriate
word-on my memory that l cannot bear
to talk of it. lost everything except the
ulster which was wrapped about me, and
would have lost my life but for the brave
fireman who broke my fall. Oh, no, l am
not seriously injured" she continued, in
answer to his half spoken question,
Though have been i'll ever since 1t was
such shock, you know"
BY doft questioning he succeeded in
making her say:
EYES, l lost my trunk. 1t was left al
the station Il expected to go on in day
or two), and the deposit ticket was de
stroyed with my pocketbook. Railway
people are necessarily particular about
identifying luggage, and for weeks was
too i'll to even remember it. Besides,
had only gone for a short outing, and il
held nothing Of much value, except some
keepsakes that were dear to mo-"
A deep flush stole over her face at these
words. He watched it for one delicious
moment, and then gathered her up in his
arms, exclaiming:
~ will bring them back if you will pay
the reward want"
! Then-or, rather, after he had tortured
her impatience mercilessly-he told her Of
Fred's "bargain" bought at auction. She
begged for it, ooaxed, pleaded, all in vain
He declared she could only have the little
leather trunk as wedding present. Ant
very happy wedding party it was too
London Tit-Bits.
POsy Rings.
When posies inside wedding rings were
first introduced does not seem to be known
Time has covered that, as he does so many