Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-20


It's mine, however, and am not as anx-
| tous To part with IL as was.-not till I've
iooaed through 1t anyway"
As he turned the Kew Al remembered
that his own photograph was lying in
conspicuous box and exclaimed:
wait until after dinner, then. am
half starved"
Perhaps IL would be- better" was the
answer, and they passed out together.
| When fairly down stairs, AL said he had
| forgotten his handkerchief and flew buck
three steps at time to get IL. Securing
| the picture and placing IL In an inside
| pocket he said TO himself:
Surely there is nothing else To give me
away. But l must wheedle 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 gruff III mi" 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 W nth fussir-g over,
SO take it along. No doubt It would prove
a white elephant on my hands sooner or
| later.
Not until the trunk was safely In his
| room could AL breathe freely Even then
| Ii was no easy matter to keep IL out of his
sisters sight. They made both pet and
| n confidant of their one brother and had q
fashion of dropping into his room at all
fn tat of
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 awaI
| Cor little business "trip, they bcset him
with questions and petitions TO be taken
with him, 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 in his mus
tache. He covered II with old clothing.
pushed big box In front of IL and ther
crept down stairs, feeling as guilty as II
he had been concealing some crime. At
breakfast the girls both talked at once
about the burglar who tried to get in and
| how they pounded on AIS door and could
| not even get an answer.
At noon he was of, 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 at his destination at last, he
only stopped to leave his bag at a hotel
and walked rapidly TO "a 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 | will ask I"
Presently he was shown into a small,
sunny room, where on couch, lay the
one girl he had ever loved. He meant to
explain at once the cause of his foolish 60
ing and eager coming, all of which he had
framed into frank, beautiful sentences,
but somehow they forsook him, and he fell
back on the commonplace She received
him with quiet words Of welcome and then
said
Pardon my position, but am such an
invalid that 1t Is trial to sit up.
yes" she answered. did you not
hear of my accident several months ago,
On coming home from visit l stopped for
day or so in a London hotel. The build.
ing caught fire a few hours after l entered
it. The horror of the scene Is SO stamped
branded would be a more appropriate
word-on my memory that cannot bear
to talk of 1t. l 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 AIN
not seriously injured" she continued, In
answer TO his half spoken question,
Though l have been Ill ever since. 1t was
such a shock you know.
BY deft questioning he succeeded In
making her say:
eyes, l lost my trunk. 1t was left at
the station q expected to go on in IA 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 short outing, and ii
held nothing Of much value, except some
keepsakes that were dear To me
a deep Il ash stole over her face at these
words. He watched it for one delicious
moment, and then gathered her up in his
arms, exclaiming:
81 will bring them back If you will pay
the reward | want :"
Then-or, rather, after he had tortured
her Impotence mcrcilessly-he told her OF
Fred's bargain bought at auction. She
begged for it, coaxed, pleaded, all in vain.
He declared she could only have the little
leather trunk as a wedding present. And
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 rs he does so many
things with the MOSES of oblivion; but