The record-union., 1897-12-19

twice 7 fear I felt rebellio,ss. I little
dreamed that what 1t promised was to
be fulfilled tonight, that the lost 10Y
was soon to come back
! ".
One afternoon about three weeks
later DI. Van Auley flung hiu,sa,r fror,
his horse at the door OF the Winfordx
| home.
Dora isn't here said Lillian step
ping out from the library window. She
mas gone Ior a walk down the avenue.
: VIII ycu.wait, or so and find herr"
Dora had already emerged from the
shadows of the elm trees when She
| heard the boots of DR.. Van Aulevss
+, horse.
L felt in such a hurry to see yon.'.
he said, as he sprang from the saddle
Il could not wait for you to get hone.
l have something to tell YOU 1 re-
ceived letter about half an hotlr aso.
which L want to show you"
He wound the bride around ons
hand, and with the other drew from his
pocket a soiled and crumbled envelope.
Dora locked up eXcitedly into his face.
| His eyes We're bright with happiness.
but the corners of his mouth were
trembling.
WHAT a dear. grand girl you were
to write me that way. II 1 had only
received it that miserable morning"
But tell me-" she said as he paused.
was it opened by any one? Have l an
enemy, after alp
An enemy, dear. What do you.
mean?"
Then she laughed. why. I confess
have sometimes thought of all the
romances we have read, intercepted let
! ters spelling the course of true love.
you know. l have never wished to
! be the heroine of any such romance
the plot Is too time-worn and common
place altogether. II you We're to choose
an intercepted letter as a plot, you
wouldn't be considered an original nov
| elist."
'Well. dear, it's fortunate we're Just
commonplace people, and neither hero
nor heroine; and yet is it something a
little more unusual than an intercepted
letter. l do not believe you could man
ufacture an enemy if you tried. You
have become the heroine of a romance.
after all. You never heard of a letter
being lost in the lining of a coat, did
your"
THE lining of coat? What do you
mean?"
We'll, must end your suspense and
tell you. Just an hour ago, l had a visit
from an old patient of mine whom I
once took through a serious illness.
| He's a dealer in secondhand clothes.
an ignorant man, though honest as sun
light. 1t seems about eight months ago
his wife was ripping up an old coat
for repairs-some man had evidently
received this coat from your father. and
afterward pawned it. Between the lin
| ing and the outside was this little let
ter directed to me. T>>y knew l was
| away, and they did not have any faith
! in the power of the mails to take letters
| across the ocean, and so they decided
| they would put up the letter on the
mantelpiece in their little back parlor
and keep it until 1 should come back.
How little they knew the value of that
letter. 1t is wonder ii did not burn
their whole house down. Only this
morning the man learned 1 had come
back to Boston, and like the good soul
he is, he straightway sought me out,
and here 1 am with the letter, Dora.
| Now are you not the heroine OF a ro-
nance after all?''
| The trembling in DR.. Van Auley's
voice made him stop suddenly. After a
moment Dora said: Papa told me over
/ and over again he took out the letter
with several others and they were all
mailed together. This one must have
] been small enough to have slipped
through a wee hole. Strange none of
us thought to look If there were any
hole Instead of heroine | think I
am a concentrated epitome of stupidity.
You see it must have slipped 10 the
very bottom of the coat, and laid there
until papa grew tired of the coat and
gave it away. How very strange it all
is?"
There is no one to blame for it but
myself" said DR.. Van Auley, earnestly.
MY great mistake was asking you not
not to write at all unless you could
say yes to my question. 1 was a mis-
erable coward. It's a mystery how I
you can forgive me. Looking back now
| 1 wonder how 1t was l didn't make one
more effort to see you and find out if
there had been some mistake. The
fact is, 1 was afraid of you, Dora. Yes,
my darling. 1 really was, and know
that Brooke had a pretty fair chance,
too Indeed, Mrs. Mortimer Clark told
me that he and you were as good as
engaged, and were only waiting for.
Yes. my dear 1t is so. / think I was
suffering so much / only longed to get
away, and try and fight my fate alone.
know 1 deserved all my suffering. But
in the midst of that suffering l should
| have remembered the message which
The Last Hope had for us all the
time. kenyon West in New York
vening Post.