The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-10-06

you must pardon me for saying that
| you seem little less than reasonable.
One is permitted to speak to young
lady at ball. D."
SIN the open street2 In this clan
destine manner"
"Wo were not in great privacy. to
be sure, but TINT might be urged in
mitigation of the offence" l said, with
II smile.
"You shall not hoodwink me. What
was 1t that she was saying to you when
[ came up?"
eff | have been guilty Of an inds-
erection, the fault is mine, and am
ready to answer for it; but you can
not expect me TO repeat whatever
tritles | may have permitted myself to
say tc the young lady, whom l fear
may not have an opportunity of meet
ing again. No gentleman would be
guilty of such thing, nor, / am sure,
would you, if You had been in my
place"
saw by the mans face that had
achieved my object. ] had led him to
believe that there had been nothing
more than little foolish Irritation hc-
tween the young lady and myself. He
seized the girls hand, tucked it under
his arm, and marched of.
AS for having an opportunity of
meeting her again, l will take precious
good care that you don't" he threw
at me over his shoulder.
Alas there could 0e little doubt of
ii. And the letter? l had no doubt
I D. ~, II
seemed Just little hard that, anxious
as L was to serve her. this should be
the particular service required of me.
At the first pillar box l came to /
took out the missive she had given me-
1t was her programme for the even
ing, dainty card, folded boOkwise,
and secured at the edges by number
OF postage stamps stuck all around it.
1t was stamped with n penny stamp,
and addressed in pencil. OF course,
L had no business to read the address
| knew that well enough. 1t was, per
haps, an ungentlemanly thing to do
but then my curiosity was greatly ex-
cited. l hoped nat the name pen
cilled on the back of tho pro ramme
might be that OF woman. But was
disappointed. BY the light of gas
lamp | read
Immediate. Arthur Bsllingham,
Esq, -Furnival's Inn, Holborn, E. G.
BeIlingham? Bellingham? seemed
to know the name. For minute or
two L stood trying to remember whom
1t was l had once met that owned it.
but in vain. What did it matter? The
atfnir was ut an end. 1 dropped the
queer letter into the letter box and
went home to my lodgings.
y few months later | was strolling
along Oxford street, | heard my name
called out, and looking up 1 saw Ar
thur Bellingham stan ling before me-
| recognized him at once-a young en-
gineer whom / had met once in couu-
try inn on n wet day in the Lake dis
trict. We had been capital friends for
Il week, and / could not understand
how ! had forgotten him when | had
tried to remember what Bellingham
had known
We greeted each other warmly, and
he would have me go with him to his
chambers in FuTnival's Inn and smoke
"A cigar with him.
"Bellingham, 1 said, as / stood on
his hearth rug, "dId it ever happen
that you received n letter written on a
ball prOgramme?'
His eyes aud mouth opened in pure
astonishment.
what do you know about that?"
he circulated
Il ought not to have known any.
thing about 1T, but 1 plead guilty to
having read the address posted the
programme TO you one night on my
way home from u bnll."
My friend spraug up aud wrung my
hand as If he would wiring IT of.
My dear fellow hc cried, 81 am
Infinitely obliged TO you for your tact
ard kindness ON That occasion. If you
. had not posted that note it would
have meant ruin 20 me. Maud told
me how aw.ully good you were about
/ it,"
"Maul2 DO You moan"
''Ma1d, my si.ter-tha girl who
slipped The note into vour hand"
Us she your sistcr?'
Certainly she is. It's rather an
uncommon story. Shall ! toll 1t to
I you?"
of you don't mind. confess am
| burning with curiosity"
'Iue fuct if, then, that some three
I years 0go my poor mother, who was a
widow, dId what turned out 30 be n
I very foolish thing she married again.
/ and married without making proper
inquiries My stepisther, Er. Mad
/ dock, turned out 90 be n very bad ay9
Ny mother lost tho greater part of her
fortune when she married him, and
ve were for time practically de.
/ pendent on my mothers uncle, an &c.
centric old gentleman, rather fond of
money, called HodgkInsOn.
Maddox is neither more nor less
taau an adventurcr, AID for long
time it was tho main business OF his
life 10 exploit my great uncle. At last
/ he nearly succeeded. Maddox and
some friends OF his got hold Of bit Of
LEAD ~ South Airioe, which they