Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-10-24

meeting her again. win take precious
good care that you don't" he threw az
me over his shoulder.
Alas, there could he no doubt about
IL. And the letter, had no doubt that
IL was q note 10 her lover IL seemed
Just little hard that, anxious as was
10 serve her, this should be the particu-
lar service required OF me.
At the first pillar box I 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 a number OF
postage stamps stuck all around It. II
was stamped with a penny stamp. and
addressed In pencil OF course. had
no business 10 read the address I
knew that well enough. IL was. per-
haps, an ungentlemanly thing 10 do;
but then my curiosity was greatly ex-
cited. / hoped that the name peneiled
on the back OF the programme might
be that of woman. But was disap-
pointed. BY the light OF gas lamp
read:
Esq.-Furnivals Inn, Holborn, L. c."
Bellingham? Bellingham? i seemed
to know the name. For a minute or
two stood trying to remember whom
IL was l had once met that owned IL,
but In vain. What did it matter? The
affair was at an end. l dropped the
queer letter into the letter box and
went home TO my lodgings.
A few months later l was strolling
along Oxford street. l heard my name
called out, and. looking up. saw Arthur
Bellingham standing before me.
recognized him at once-a young en-
gineer whom l had met once In a
country inn on wet day In the lake
district. We had been capital friends
for a 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 Furnivars Inn and smoke
cigar with him.
"Bellingham,'' / said, as / stood on
his hearth rug, did it ever happen
that you received letter written on q
ball programmeY
His eyes and mouth opened In pure
establishment.
What do you know about that?' he
calculated.
II ought not to have known anything
about it; but l plead guilty to having
read the address. posted the pro-
gramme to you one night on my way
home from ball"
My friend sprang up and wrung my
hand as IL he would wiring 1t OF.
MY dear fellow" he cried, 81 am in
finitely obliged to you for your tact
and kindness on that occasion. II you
had not posted that note IL 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 un.
common story. Shall tell II TO your
. ''It you don't mind. l confess l am
burning with curiosity"
, 1.-THE fact Is. then, that some three
, years ago my poor mother, who was q
widow, did what turned out TO be O
very foolish thing-she married again
! 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, aud We
: were for time practically dependent
, on my mothers uncle, an eccentric OLD
! gentleman, rather fond of money
! called Hodkinson.
, Maddox Is neither more nor lesi
|, than an adventurer. and for a lon,
4 time 1t was the main business of hi,
: life to exploit my great uncle. At las
he nearly succeeded, Maddox ant
some friends of his got hold OF a bit o.
! land In South Africa, which they
! wanted to sell as gold mine. dom
I believe there was an ounce OF gold OF
! the premises. But my great uncle sait
:. that he would buy II at the high figurl
! they asked for II II would go out ant
see 1t, and send him private Telegram
q advising him that the gold was Their
. in paying quantities.
q "Of course, / was ready to go, and
was to have sailed the very mornin;
q after the night Of the ball that you ant
!, Maud attended.
!, well, Maud happened to be in tn
conservatory attached to the ball room
!. when she overheard two men talkinj
= rather indiscreetly. She was standing
!. behind some Towering shrubs ant
;, heard every word they said.
u The two men were Mr.. MaddOcl
;, and one of his associates, and sh
, heard enough to make her understan,
. that the thing was fraud, and that
!. was to be made the means Of thei
!, swindling Uncle Jonas on n Iarg
!. scale. believe the plan was that the
!. should send false telegram to the oil,
: man in my name days before I coul,
= even see the pretended mine. On
;, thing know-if the thing had come OF
> Uncle jonas would never have for
. given me. lie would have be
I lieved to his dying day that I ha'
/ been squared. You may imagine VIVA
!, n state Maud was In. She"
= The door opened and Maud hersel
IL. - A.