The herald., 1897-01-12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I FOR BREACH OF PROMISE 5
y q

During the Christmas holidays, Little
Dalby, with his fiancee and her friends,
spent several days at we'll known Der
byshire hydro. One evening he slipped
away from the dancing room to enjoy
a cigarette. and by the fire of the de-
serted writing room he fell asleep.
When Dalby awoke he found little
boy playing at his feet. The lights were
turned low, but in the glow of the fire
light he could see a large Noah's ark on
the hearthrug, and arranged in long
procession across the room and extend
ing out along the passage way was pa
ter Noah, his wife and family, and his
world-famed menagerie of wild beasts
and birds and creeping things.
"Faver Noah sail stand by We ark an
tount vem as vey doe in. Muver Noah
will dwive We duts an We ostwiches. Sem
and Ham will stand In We passage, and
Jephet and We fwee young women will
dwive at We back"
AS he spoke the little boy glanced
along the passage way to where Japhet
and Noah's three stepdaughters brought
up the rear of the procession, and as he
did SO there was sound of approaching
footsteps.
1t was Dalby's fiancee. the wealthy
Miss Moneygold. She was wearing a
dress of white satin, which she had
donned that day for the first time, and
her heart was filled with the satisfac-
ton which comes with the knowledge
that one is the best dressed person in the
room.
AS she came along the passage Miss
Moneygold stumbled over the child S
toys and carried devastation along the
whole line of the procession entering
the ark.
She placed one satin-slippered foot
on Japhet at the rear of the procession.
and Japhet being round and slippery
shot from beneath her. She attempted
to recover herself, but her next step
was upon the roly-poly body of the hip
popotamus. and her third on Mrs. No
ah and the ostriches.
Then. like aliving deluge. Miss Money
gold came down violently upon her
hands and knees upon the crowded part
OF the procession where Father Noah
stood counting the numbers before the
ark.
AS Miss Moneygold fell there was a
sound OF tearing drapery, and when she
scrambled to her feet Little Daily saw
that her gorgeous new satin dress had
been torn across at the knees.
oh, you've bwoke We efelent and We
ostwich!" walled the little boy, ard he
darted down beneath Miss Moneygold s
skirts TO resuce them from further in
jury.
For answer, the angry beauty stopped
down and boxed his ears. and as she
stepped back to do so her foot slipped
on the rounded form of pater Noah
himself. and her dress caught on one OF
the gates of the ark.
%, you're tweading on eome more OF
vem," cried the little boy. and again he
dived beneath her feet to the resuce of
Father Noah
Under this evaporation Miss Money
gold was betrayed into the error which
ended her engagement with Little Dal-
by. She shook the offending toy from
her dress and then raising the heel of her
satin shoe. she stained upon it, so that
the ridge Of the roof went crashing in
the gable ends burst out and nothing
but a miserable wreck remained
The little boys grief and Indignation
at this appalling disaster was too great
for words. but not so Little Dalby's.
It's ID shame" he exclaimed,
ito go and smash the childs toys like
that"
Miss Moneygold had not noticed Dal-
by's presence before.
How dare you speak to me like that,
sir, how dare you? You shall apologize
in public for such an insult"
No. won't apologize and I'll say it
again. It's contemptibly spiteful
thing to do and so l tell you"
as DdiUy Sp0hc TIE Illtlt OOy eIueTkeu
from beneath Miss Moneygold's feet,
bearing the mangled body of Father
Noah and the shattered timbers of the
ark. He ran to Little Dalby's chair
and climbing UP into his arms, sobbed
as though his heart would break.
Never mind, Willie. boy. I'll buy
you another one when we go back to
Sheffield. I'll see that you have another
one, and We'll see II we can't get ore
with a kangaroo in 1t and a megath-
erium and jabber-wock and"
Miss Moneygold, seeing herself ig-
nored. flounced out of the room in a state
of great anger. The following morning
Miss Moneygold dispatched this note
to Little Daily:
Dear Mr.. Dalby: After what occurred
yesterday our engagement Is a an end
Yours. etc, Diana Moneygold."
In the course of the day she received a
reply which made her furious, 1t read
as follows:
Dear Little Wille-boy: I send you a
new Noah's ark which / hope will tide
you over the deluge of tears you shed
yesterday. Your faithful friend and
colleague. Mister Duby."
An hour later a second letter arrived
explaining that a wrong letter had beer
sent. The one intended for Miss Money
gold had been enclosed by mistake in
Willies new Noah's ark, but had beer
returned, and was now forwarded to its
proper destination. 1t was as brief as
Miss Moneygold's own note:
Dear Diana: i agree with you 1t Is
best that our engagement should be al
an end. Faithfully yours, Dick. "-Shef-
field TELEGRAPH