Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-09

| closed over my purse. AS he did this
| he leaned forward. thrusting his face
! so near mine that l felt his breath
! against my cheek. while he Whispered
hOarsely and hurriedly:
Give me your purse, For heavens
sake, give it to me, 1t is a matter OF
life and DEATH
For all reply | uttered a cry which
sounded to my own ears feeble and
stlf1ed. Then | made a last faint strug-
gle to free myself. Whereupon a
shadow Of brutal determination passed
over his features; he violently lOOsened
my fingers and Withdrew the purse
from them. At that very moment a
Shrlll whistle announced that time was
up: the train began slowly to move.
and rough shouts of Come off that
step. Now then. Shut that door as
sailed my ears.
The young man vanished and turned
the handle. l sprang to the window
and attempted a wild gesticulatiOn to
the porters, who were hurrying up.
But there still was the youth running
by the side and holding to the door,
his pale face, with the brutal look en-
tirely effaced from it, turned upward
TO mine. Even in that bewilderad mo-
ment [ could not but notice the Change
OF expression. The eyes W ere now full
Of compunctiOn and eagerness.
'YOur address, he painted, give it
me quickly! You shan't regret this
NATTER
Already stupefied. I seemed incap-
able Of resisting this new demand. l
refrained from any further attempt to
attract the attention of the porters.
and. suddenly leaning forward out Of
the window. pronounced, with care to
make myself understood. the words:
Eleanor Keith. Rose Villa. Middle
ford"
He Immediately loosed his hold of
the handle, and. raising his hat to me
with faint ghost Of a smile, turned
on his heel. | thrust my head further
from the window to gaze hefplessly
after my lost property, and the last
thing l saw was the young man walk
ing off with an easy, swinging gait and
writing, as he went. in a notebook.
And with that the train dashed into a
tunnel, and I saw the platform no
more.
Then | sank back on my seat SILVER
ing from head to foot I was too an
CRY to weep, and vet my misery was
as keen as only a very young Great
ure's misery can be.
The holidays lasted for six weeks or
60 NOT 1,o,1pI, +i,,,o fo,, NV,
friends did not spare their ridicule:
and it was really a relief when the va
cation drew toward a close and I could
anticipate a speedy return to useful
work. The last of the six weeks ar
rived. | had mended and patched all
my clothes. utterly declining assistance
in the shape of borrowed money.
though this was very kindly offered to
me. and was quite ready to take my
spiritless way back to duty, when, one
morning, a remarkable thing hap
pened.
I came downstairs and entered the
breakfaSt-rOOm, and at once saw lying
upon my plate a registered envelope
My Aunt Barbara put up her glasses
and watched me with some amuSe-
ment. | took up the letter and turned
it over in my hand with a complication
of feeling. The pOStmark was London,
E. c.; the handwriting bold, manly,
cultivated and unknown to me. Dur
ing the last six weeks / had thought
almost necessarily of the blue-eyed
thief; at this moment no one was
farther from my mind. I suspected
a present, and felt fToWn gather upon
my brow.
Come, open the letter. cried my
Aunt Barbara in irrepresSible curiosity.
| Obeyed and took out a bundle of
papers. Did l not know the crisp feel
of those thin, clear OblOng pieces well
enOughi They We're bank nOteS-nOtes
like my own ten-pound note that [ had
earned. There were five of them; and
as | spread them out before me | read
the symbols upon each one like a per-
son in a dream.
Five ten-pOund Bank of England
notes! There they lay on the table be-
fore me, Pew. crisp. dazzling. But
whence had they come? How was it
that, like AarOn's rod that budded, the
cold straight staff of disappointment
and poverty had suddenly fiOurised out
into all this wealth? None of my
friends would lave dared 10 send such
a gift: pound or two pressed on me
for necessarieS was all any one would
venture to offer. | fingered them. and
stared. and wondered. What could it
mean?
Suddenly, from the accustomed place
in my memory, where for six weeks
had kept certain indelible impressions,
flashed upol me the face Of the blue
eyed thief. and with il the words Of
vague promise ne had uttered.
Snatching up the envelope, [ searched
with a trembling finger While my
cheeks alternately flushed and paled.
Yes! There was little note squeezed
in at the bottom: l pulled it out and
opened it in breathless haste. This is
how the shocking little document ran:
Dear Miss Keith
I was fairly electrified with his i'm
! pertinence0
II return with many grateful
| thanks the money [ borrowed from
you six weeks ago
c'BorroUedrO
land since my method Of pro
| ceeding was a little unusuaI'--
| CA littleD
-"and since Your ten pounds were
worth to me many times the amount
l beg Your acceptance of what is a