The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-09-03


! just a little hard that, anxious as was
to serve her, this should be the particu-
lar service required of me.
At the first pillar box came to I
took out the missive she had given me.
1t was her programme for the evening.
A dainty card folded bookwise, and Sc
cured at the edges by number Of
postage stamps stuck all around it. It
was stamped with penny stamp, and
addressed in pencil. OF course, had
no business to read the address. I
knew that well enough. It was, per-
haps, an ungentlemanly thing to do;
but then my curiosity was greatly ex-
cited. hoped that the name penciled
on the back Of the programme might
be that of a woman. But I was disap-
pointed. BY the light Of a gas lamp I
read: ~H#, III @G
Immediate. Arthur Bellingham,
Esq.-Furnival's Inn, Holborn, e. c."
Bellingham? Bellingham? I seemed
to know the name. For a minute or
two stood trying to remember whom
it was I had once met that owned it,
but in vain. What did it matter? The
affair was at an end. I dropped the
queer letter into the letter box and
went home to my lodgings.
A few months later I was strolling
along Oxford street. I heard my name
called out and, looking up, saw Arthur
Bellingham standing before me. I
recognized him at Once-a young en-
gineer whom I had met once in a
country inn on a wet day in the lake
district. We had been capital friends
for week, and could not understand
how I had forgotten him when 1 had
tried to remember what Bellingham I
had known.
We greeted each other warmly, and
he would have me go with him to his
chambers in FurnivaIs Inn and smoke
a cigar with him.
"Bellingham,'' I said, as I stood on
his hearth rug, "did it ever happen
that you received a letter written on a
ball programme?'
His eyes and mouth opened in pure
establishment.
"What do you know about that?" he
CALCULATED.
II ought not to have known anything
read the address. I posted the pro-
| gramme to you one night on my way
home from a ball."
My friend sprang up and wrung my
hand as if he would wiring it off.
my dear fellow" he cried, II am in
fnitely obliged to you for your tact
and kindness on that occasion. If you
had not posted that note it would have
meant ruin to me. Maud told me how
awfully good you were about it,"
MAUD? Do you mean-'
maud, my sister-the girl who
slipped the note into your hand"
''Is she your sister,"
"Certainly she is. It's rather an I'M
common story. Shall tell it to your"
ut you don't mind. I confess I am
burning with curiosity"
'The fact is, then, that some three
years ago my poor mother, who was a
widow, did what turned out to be a
very foolish thing-she married again
and married without making proper in
quiries. My stepfather, Mr.. Maddox,
turned out to be very bad egg. MY
mother lost the greater part of her
fortune when she married him, and we
were for time practically dependent
on my mothers uncle, an eccentric old
gentleman, rather fond of money,
called Hodkinson.
'MaddOck is neither more nor less
than an adventurer, and for a long
time it was the main business Of his
life to exploit my great uncle. At last
he nearly succeeded, Maddox and
some friends of his got hold of a bit of
land in South Africa, which they
wanted to sell as a gold mine. I don't
believe there was an ounce of gold on
the premises. But my great uncle said
that he would buy it at the high figure
they asked for it if would go out and
see it, and send him a private telegram
advising him that the gold was there
in paying quantities.
l. h.
I was to have sailed the very morning
after the night Of the ball that you and
Maud attended.
"Well, Maud happened to be in the
conservatory attached to the ball room,
when she overheard two men talking
rather indiscreetly. She was standing
behind some Towering shrubs and
heard every word they said.
1.-The two men were Mr.. Maddox
and one of his associates, and she
heard enough to make her understand
that the thing was a fraud, and that I
was to be made the means of their
SWindling Uncle Jonas on large
scale. 1 believe the plan was that they
should send a false telegram to the old
man in my name days before I could
even see the pretended mine. One
thing knoW-if the thing had come off
Uncle jonas would never nave for
given me. He would have be-
lieved to his dying day that I had
been squared. You may imagine what
a state Maud was in. She
The door opened and Maud herself
walked into the room. A.
1t seemed that her stepfather had
treated her so harshly on account of
her having spoiled his schemes that
she had been forced to leave his house
and take refuge with her brother.
For some time the old man refused
to believe that the reason Arthur gave
for not going to South Africa was the
true reason, but iftime he came round,
and both brother and sister are now
good deal at his house. I go there oc-
casionally myself, which is not sur
prising, as Maud and have been en-
gagged for the last six weeks.-Cassells
Saturday Journal.
Training the He1fer
In training young heifers it is well to
remember that gentle handling is a
| f~1 L~~. s.S.~