The Dickinson press., 1896-09-12

called out, and, looking up, saw Arthur
Bclllngham standing before me. I
recognized him at once-a young en-
gincer whom I had met once In a
country Inn on a wet day in the lake
district. We had been capital friends
for a week, and l could not understand
how I had forgotten him when l had
tried to remember what Bellingham ]
had known
We greeted each other warmly, and
he would have me &c with him to his
chambers in Furnival's Inn and smoke
a cigar with him.
"Dellingham," I said, as I stood on
his hearth rug, did 1t ever happen
that you received a letter written on a
ball programmed"
His eyes and mouth opened in pure
establishment.
"Nhat do you know about that:" he
calculated.
Il ought not to have known anything
about it; but l plead guilty to having
read the address. l posted the pro-
gramme to you n night on my way
home from a ball."
My friend sprang up and wrung my
hand MS If he would wiring 1t off.
MY dear fellow, he cried, II am in
AAAAltSAs OuAlSeu " YOU 1OT your lICC
and kindness on that occasion. IL you
had not posted that note it would have
meant ruin to me. Maud told me how
awfully good you We're 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 un.
common story. Shall I tell it to you?"
1T you don't mind. l confess l 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 he a
very foolish ~thing-She married again
and married without making proper in
Quiries. My s%tepfather, Mr.. Maddox,
turned out to be a very bad egg My
mother lost the greater part Of her
fortune when she married him, and we
were for a time practically dependent
on my mothers uncle, an eccentric old
gentleman. rather fond Of money,
| called Hodkinson.
Maddox is neither more nor less
than an adventurer, and for q long
time it was the main business CT 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. 1 don't
believe there was IN 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 l would go out and
see it, and send him a private telegram
advising him that the gold was there
in paying quantities.
'"Of course, l was ready to go, and l
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 ind%iscreetly. She was standing
behind some Towering shrubs and
heard every word they said.
"rhe two men were Mr.. Maddox
and n 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 a large
scale. l believe the plan was that they
should send a false telegram to the old
man in my name days before l could
wen see the pretended mine. One
thing l knOw-if the thing had come off
Uncle Jonas would never have for
given me. BE would have be-
lieved to his dying day that 1 had
been squared. You may imagine what
a state Maud was in. She"
The door opened and Maud herself
walked into the room.
1t seemed shat her s%tepfather 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 sone time the old man refused
to believe that the reason Arthur gave
for not going to South Africa was the
true reason, but in time he came round,
and both brother and sister are now a
good deal at his house. I go there &C.
%casionally myself, which is moi sur
prising, as Maud and I have been en-
gagged for the last six weeks.-Casselrs
Saturday Journal.