The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13

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the world had been chiefly formed from
these teachers. Suppose now that l re-
Vealed myself and that this gentleman
was apparently all urbanity and kindness,
and promised to keep my mistake forever
a secret was 1t not more than probable
that he would, later on. "unmask him
SELF into the typical villain of fiction, and
(by the force of my guilty secret either
oblige me to marry him when l was in
love with some one else, or haunt my
path" when / was happily married, and
extract money from me, and make my ex-
istence a burden and even drive me TO
| the extremity of pushing him down well,
or giving him poison. in order to free my
| self from his prosecutions? Such incidents
! were very familiar to me from my course
| of novel-reading.
Did the man look like a person capable
| of such acts? / cautiously peeped at him
through my curtains. He was young and
good-looking. decided that he had IAN
air of dissipation" about him, and was
| quite capable of playing the traditional
| role of the villain in the novel, l have
since come to the conclusion that this
| judgment was alike unfounded and I'M
| charitable; but / should have dubbed the
archbishop of Canterbury as a probable
roue under similar circumstances. And
| all this time 1.-The wretch" as l indignant
! ly called him in my heart, sat toasting
himself before the fire, in snug and uncon-
| scious serenity, while / trembed and ag-
onized few feet away.
| What would Aunt Agatha say if this
| dreadful story ever came to her ears? Had
not her forebodings about an adven-
| ture" been too prophetic! With a guilty
! thrill | remember how l had once heard
| my kind old relative discussing her
| nieces with an old crony, remark: Fanny
| is the prettier and the cleverer of the two,
| but she is just a little giddy; now AgIes
/ te cfa Htr I oar yt,a-a
A nice adventure the STEADY niece
had got into now! / was beginning to
| form a wild hope that the owner of the
| apartment might prove, despite my bad
| opinion of his character, to be an indivId-
Ual Of pious habits. If he would only
kneel down to say his prayers by the ned
! side l might make dash for the door
while he was thus engaged. But alas!
he showed no sign of thus devoutly en-
| ploying himself On the contrary, he
rose at length from his chair, rolled up
a cigarette, and sat down again to smoke
| it, leaning toward the chimney, 1 sup
pose to prevent the smell of tobacco be
ing observed in the corridor.
Matters now began to approach their
| climax. l have always possessed what
Aunt Agatha called "a sensitive throat"
a very little matter suffced to irritate my
| larynx and set me coughing. Tobacco
| smoke invariably thus affected me, and
when l saw the cigarette lighted 1 gave
myself up to despair. Nainly did l cram
my handkerchief into my mouth, the irri-
| tating, pungent vapor soon affected me;
cough was simply irrespressible-"Ugh
| ugh!'
"Hu.o!" cried the young man. jumping
up abruptly, who's there?"
1t is needless to say 1 did not inform
him. l stuffed more of my handkerchief
into my mouth, but still come a stifled
ND aha za1 TerIf
The gentleman seized the poker and ad-
vanced to whence the sounds proceeded.
Come out there, l say
1 shrank further in.
There was a moments pause. 1t has
| struck me since that the young man was
| disereetly hesitating whether he should
/ call for assistance, or grapple single-hand-
| ed with the supposed burglar; but a loud
| er cough L was almost suffocated now
apparently decided him. Brandishing the
poker he tore aside the curtains which
| shrouded my place of concealment. A
| sudden inspiration came to me. Springing
out of the bath, ierked the string, and a
| deluge of cold water descended upon my
pursuer's head and arm, which we had
| thrust forward under the bath canopy.
l hard some words-well, not devout ones
but my ruse had succeeded. Before the
| young man had recovered his breath had
dashed to the door, unlocked it, and made
| good my escape. Tam o. Shante~, pur-
| sued by the witches, did not scamper fast
er than l did along the corridor and down
/ the staircase, until 1 electrified Fanny by
| my abrupt entrance and subsequent fit of
| Mysteries.
| 1t was some minutes before she brought
me round" as she phrased it, by copious
| libations of cold water and some shakings
and seedlings. All the hotel seemed now
| astir-bel,s rang, footsteps echoed along
| the passages, voices were heard in inquiry
and argument. 1 thought it somewhat
| unfeeling of Fanny, when she had learned
my story to go into such fits of laughter
that l fancied she would be the next hys-
| terical patient.
"Oh, Agnes, you great, great goose" she
cried, amid her merriment, and she fairly
rolled among the pillows in fresh Access
| sions of laughter.
| Il am glad you find my adventure Sc
amusing" 1 remarked rather stifiy Il
don't know if Mrs. Simpson will think IL
| equally funny"
She must never know a word about it,
said Fanny, sobered at once and sitting
up in bed; now remember that, Agnes. II
is unfortunate that you can't be trusted
to take care of yourself, but you need not
make the thing worse by talking about It.
Why, Mrs. Simpson might be afraid OF
keeping you at the hotel; a girl who can't
find her own way to her bedroom"
And here Fanny began to giggle 1 am
afraid she was paying off old scores, re-
Numbering the occasions on which my
'steadiness" and discretion" had been
held up to her as an example. A knock
came at the door, and Moxon, Mrs. Simp-
sons maid entered.
'Missus sends her love, young ladies' and
bids me remind you that it's always right
10 lock your bedroom door at night in an
hotel That's all missus did say, Don't
frighten the young ladies' by telling them
But the truth is. miss" turning TO me
there's burglar, an armed burglar
rampaging about the hotel this night. and
no one knows where he's hid hlsseif. A
young gentleman on the floor above found
him crouched in his shower bath, OF an
places and tried to drag him out but the
ruffian he fought desperate and broke
away, and no ones caught him; so lock
your door, dear young ladies', II you don't
want your threats cut before morning"
A gurgling sound proceeded from the
bed knew Fanny was trying to stlne her
laughter under the bedclothes.
| Don't take on So Miss Fanny" said
MoXon, encouragingly. 1--WE come to say
III stay all might TO keep you company.
can lie quite comfortable on the sofa with