The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1897-07-02
WON BY WRESTLING.

bdchSoH dilu WtIc stOppiuS oNSi hibh'
with our host, being old chums of his,
and living some distance out of town.
mo idea you could give us such
ripping performance, Birdy," remarked
Hartley; land when your wife joined
in ] was perfectly astounded."
jackson laughed softly.
mo, she doesn't do it at all badly"
he admitted. "You know, Dick, there's
bit of romance attached to that whis-
tie of hers; in fact, it was the means OF
bringing our matrimonial desires to an
abrupt point Mt an extremely critical
Leriod in our courtship.'
Hartley gave me gentle kick.
''Then your union had spice of TO-
nance about it?" he said.
Rather! Unique in the annals OF
love-making, l should say. But folks
ore so COMPOUNDED incredulous nova
days, I've never attempted to tell the
yarn but once, and then l swore I'd
never do it again"
But he had to on this occasion, and
soon began 70 interest us as follows:
First of all, you must know, Mr..
King"-addrcssing me-"lm called
D.rdy on account of having practiced
from earliest infancy cheap form OF
musical recreation. Though cutfed as
a boy, severely reprimanded for warb-
ling in slack business hours and sound
" exccrated by the neighbors, never
theless perscvered.
1nc /
Tor sum of money, which rendered Inc
a practically wealthy and independent
man, and to celebrate my good fortune
threw up my business berth and went
into Yorkshire to spend few weeks
with a professional bachelor friend
and to idle generally.
while there l was introduced to
Col. Alton and his daughter Evelyn,
aged 20, who lived at the Chase, and
were intimate friends of my chuii
Nice CIR, she was; plenty of go with=
cut being the least fast In less than
n fortnight was over head and ears in
love with her. The subsequent after
moons at the Chase were too hot for
tennis. Col Alton spent them snooz-
ing in his study. Evelyn's elderly COM
panion and her fathers housekeeper-
for Mrs. Alton had been dead some
years-nodded in the shade OF her ia
,orite elm, and my friend had invari-
ably to leave for an important case be-
fore the tea came out. Very nice of
him, thought.
"Thus thrown together Evelyn and
monopolized the arbor. and l used to
amuse her by trillipg selections from
the operas, (coinie and serious), and she
would occasionally join in as kind Of
flip to my performances. Though n
woman in every respect, she could whis-
tie. In most of the well-known tunes
up to date or pathetically aged. she ex
celled, owing to the fact that during the
winter months for Some years past she
lad always officiated at the piano for the
village popular concerts, when the vo-
cal and instrumental items were natur-
ally of an amusing and light order--at
times scarcely high-c1ass, perhaps.
"Then came the time when the col
onel had to be approached. The old
man gave me prompt and curt refusal.
He had other views for his child.
tried remonstrahce. then logged per-
sistency, but with no avail. Evelyn
stood out like brick. This burst of
independence resulted in her immediate
Punishment to regions unknown to me,
under the surveillance of a relative Of
mature age and experience, and all com
munication between us strenuously de-
MED and forestalledi All chances of
e1opement, even, were reduced to nil.
"a few days later left my friends
for Bournemouth, there to recruit my
shattered health and think things over
quietly. l was crushed for the time be.
ing. AS alighted from my cab at the
entrance to the North Cliff, where
had taken rooms, an elderly lady came
down the steps. Her face seemed some
what familiar to me, though could not
at the time recall to mind when and
where had seen it before. When she
started as she saw me, and somewhat
furriedly reentered the hotel, was fur.
Their mystifed. A thought struck me as
| was signing my name in the hotel reg
lister of visitors some time later. Two
pages back found an entry: Miss Ala
ton and Miss E. Alton tumbled to it
in second, then. The elderly lady
had encountered was, undoubtedly, Col
Atoms sister, who had been staying at
the Chase and left two days after my ar.
rival in the village, and before | knew
anything of Evelyn l had once passed
her walking with the colonel, and she
must have recognized me again.
II remarked on the entry to the clerk
In a casual way, and he volunteered the
information that Miss Alton had, but Il
few moments previously, given notice
of her intention to vacate their apart.
ments the next morning. This stag.
gered me. Then Miss Alton certainly
did not know all, and decided on fight
as the only safe remedy Under the cir
cumstances.
mot a glimpse could I catch of Ev-
elyn. After dinner, from search on
the pier returned to the North Cliff,
and sat disconsolately smoking out on
Vic udicoHy VI my iooIii III UHc growing
dusk. Almost un"onsciously lapsed
into melody, and appropriately com.
menced TO wal bic softly: Alice, Where
Art Tkou% A slight movement on the
balcony above mine, and one window to
the left. carsed me to glance up. A
figure in white met my gaze, with one
of its hands, as if demanding silence,
pointing waruingly to the window be-
hind her. Yes, it was Evelyn, but her
attendant dragon of AT aunt was evil
IDENTIFY close at hand. Verbal commune
cation, as well as writing, was out of
the question. 1t was already too dark
for the deaf and dumb manipulation,
even provided she knew its working.