The Opelousas courier., 1896-02-15

afternoon, and | did not see why my
troubles should deprive her of b an
>icipated pleasure. Time enough to in
dDrm her of my discovery on her re-
turn. We could leave NorfnIk ON the
following day. les, that would be
best.
Dick sent up a dozen times in the
course OF the evening to know how
but beyond a iacnnic NO BETTER
he got nneager intelligence. Twice he
lad the llardihond 10 DIT upstairs
himself, tap-tapping IT the door afi
breathing Fly Eame through TIE KY
| hole. But to these overtures, of course,
made no reply.
| DO rot think | a,n naturally Of a
,indictlv. disposition. Iu: believe
there is some shred Of wisdom liz the
theory tl,;f those whom you have loved
the best. when once YOU have seen cause
to Ietcst them. you end by hating the
most. So. at least. it seemed to me
With regard to Dick. lie taHs'ecci'ed
ne: why should | not give him tit for
tat-why should | rot also play the
double game? Moreover. circum-
| Stances invited ne to the attempt. Less
than q week ago | lad received a COM
lnui,ication fIom Freddie Wa'cott,
dated from Venice, in which he had
virtually made me an offer Of marriage.
Now Fredhie-plcasant, viyacious and
wcaithy-Ead known me almost all my
lie. but as be had spent The. last six
months upon the continent he had not
as yet heard of my recent engagement
to Capt. lowe. In my simRie-hearted-
ness | had already shown this letter to
Dick, and toth he ard | had laughed
hugely oycr it. But o | thought
letter OF it. | began to suspect | had
behaved rather shabby toward Fred
die. His coEstancy, at all events. mcr-
lted duo recognition.
All that night, my CONSCIENCE grow
irg hard, ! rondered over ray plan.
Next morning still pleaded my head
ache as al excuse for not appearing at
breakfast and !Ench. Nor had | any
appetite for the food sent up to INC.
Mothers anxiety induced her. to de-
clare that she would forcgo the cxcur-
sion to the cliffs. and it required all my
persuasion to convince her that it was
annecessary-that / would soon be well
again, and all | needed was rest and
quiet.
An hour later / heard the rumble OF
the carriages as they passed down the
yew-fiihgsd drive to the high road. Tx
tEpt for the servants, l was alone in the
house. Now was my opportunity. 1
went straight to the norning-room,
look up a sheet OF note paper, drew pen
and ink toward me and wrote deliber-
ately this:
NJ DEAREST FREDDIE: l can never
forgive myself If you have formed the
opinion that I am Eeglectiag You. Really,
| think quite frequently Of you. If I have
not hitherto shown the sympathy I feel,
you must take my word for il that there
are difficulties in the way which may not
pe apparent to YOU. However. 1 intend TO
make amends from this day forth. We
VIII at once resume our friendship, if it
please you, and the oftener. we see each
other in the future the more I shall be
gratified. But l must warn you before
hand to beware OF the ogre! When we are
in the company Of others I shall expect
o to be on your best Iehavier-none of
the rapture and endearnents with which
in the old reckless days you were wont to
haras5 s@@@ JENNIE"
In the midst of my writing mothers
spaniel came into the room, but as the
sensible little animal saw Iwas p1eoc-
cupied he simply leaped into. my lap
and ctirled himself up there good as
gold, until l had finished my sc;aw1.
Then l looked down at him. Immedi-
ately I sprang to my feet with a cry Of
dhs,nay. Evidently the dear pet had
broken bounds again; of a surety he
had been in the fishpond too. His coat
was still wet and plastered thick with
mud. And my dress-my dress, was
irretriesably ruined.
While | stood thus in consternati ton
the sound OF approaching footsteps
struck upon my ears would never de
to be seen in such a plight, / must
change my dress at ohce. For that pur-
pose L darted upstairs to my bedroom,
forgetting, in my haste and %trepidation,
all about the letter to Freddie which
lay exposed to the prying gaze Of any.
SAiS VIZ y " C6tCl ~ lOVk1i. -
Presently q hurried tread echoed
ulong the corridor; it stopped outside
my door. DicklWhoI afterWard found
mad not gone with the coaching party
at all-Dick called to me in a loud i'm
/ perious voice:
"Jennie-Jennie, I say!"
Ny. heart went pit-a-pat; I scarcely
dared to breathe. :
What do you want? 2"
ITO. see you. I must speak to you
liow-at once!''7
very well. Twill come.down to the
library. in fire minutes.' -
As soon as / had sat myself to rights
| went downstairs, prepared for a
stormy interview. Dick stood. in thas
middle Of tie room, my letter to FredB
die in ht. land. i.
"This-this!" he cried. What is the
meaning of this?"
II suppose you have read it." said. I
in affected unconccrn.
rs that your only answer? You adj
NIT you have been secretly correspond
ing with that ma Walcott-a worth
less, idiotic nincompop! And-andl
don't think 1 need ask whom you des-
ignate the ogre Miss Waud?'
My name thus spoken sounded oddly
from ndck's lips. It gave me quite a
start. But | pulled myself together and
paid him back iii his own coin.
And pray, Capt. Rowe, by what right
do you dare to peruSe my private let
ters?"
why, the abominable thing stared
me in the face. / couldn't help seeing