The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-09-22

than to the proverbial alternative
ha'pence. When, at length, the late
conner appeared it was evident that she
Scarcely had she clambered to her place
before she burst forth breathlessly:
"Muriel, what do you think? You'll
never guess. Who do you think is in
town."
I'm sure don't know. Put your hat
straight. Who?"
Helen"
mol" exclaimed Muriel, with an
amazement that must have satisfied
sensation. why has she come? Is
she going to make her debut at last?
How on earth did she manage it? Have
you seen her, or heard from herY'
Zone question at time, please. !
| haven't either seen or heard from her.
AS you know. she has dropped me. She
has come, 1 imagine, in pursuit of Jack.
How she managed it is more difficult
problem to solve. But, did you ever
know Helen set her heart on a thing
and not get it? Penniless as she now
is, she seems 10 nave retained LQaC pc
culiarity."
Come in pursuit of your brother
Jack?" came from Muriel in a dazed
| interrogative. II didn't know she
knew him. Lou always said you meant
to keep him at safe distance, and that,
so far. they had never met"
20, bother, didn't mean to tell you
IL
may as we'll know the rest. 1t wasn't
my fault, their meeting-I did my best
| to prevent it. 1t was fate. It all hap
| pened in the strangest way. Last sum-
| mer Jack set his heart on having a
! month in Scotland. Finances didn't
admit of his taking a holiday pure and
simple, SO he advertised for locum
tenens in Scottish country town.
| specifying certain conditions. The re-
suit was an offer of old DR.. Slater's
| practice in Peatburn (of all places in
the world), which he accepted. Then,
| without word from me, he remem-
| bered that had friends in that part of
! the world, and one day shortly before
| he went to take possession, he said to
me: I say, Grace, isn't that place in
| Scotland, where you used to stay, some
where near Peatburn? If your friends
are worth knowing, you might give me
an introduction'-I knew what the re-
suit would be if l did. And much as /
admired Helen as a friend, l always
thought her too clever by half for a
| sister-in-law; so l got out of the diff
Guilty by telling him-what after all
| was perfectly true-that there was only
mother and daughter now; that the
father had died lately, leaving them mis-
erably poor; and that they were not by
way of entertaining just then. He
merely said: %, all right. 1t doesn't
matter. I'm not particularly keen on
other peoples friends. On the whole,
prefer to make my own And heard
no more on the subject
"But suppose your precautions were
useless?"
Eyes, as soon as Helen found that
there was young doctor to be had in
stead of an old one, she sprained her
ankle, or got her mother to fall I'LL
forget which. Perhaps, though, it's a
shame to say that, for she's not what
you would call vulgar schemer. She
does everything so gracefully that l
never know whether she is genuine or
not; but, somehow, she has worked
havoc with SO many hearts that can't
help feeling it must be her fault as well
as their misfortune. 1 didn't tell you
about it before because L know you dis
like Helen, and have lingering fond
ness for her in spite of the way she has
treated me. And didn't want to give
you fresh cause for abusing her."
II should certainly be sorry to have a
brother of mine entangled with Helen
Ambrose. What does Jack think of
herw
20, infatuated. of course, like every
man who sets eyes on that wonderful
face. He came home very badly under
the SPELL"
81 am surprised at that. You know
never could see anything so very re-
markable in Helen. Besides. if anyone
could take care of himself in such cir
cumstances, should have said that
person was your brother Jack"
II can't altogether agree with you
| ouhiC thde ooCh 10 HoI suSCCPllOio, Ou'
there isn't doubt that Helen is des-
perately fascinating. AS Jack says
there is certain subtlety about her
that sets her apart from the ordinary
run of frank English girls. He com
plains that we are all so pitiably OBJ
vious. She is exactly the girl to at
tract him. Is that your new jacket?"
''Yes; how do you like it? Good fit
isn't it?" said Muriel, with complais.
ance, and added, caustically, returning
to the subject of Helen: Its my opin
ion she's so subtle that she deceives
herself as well as everybody else"
Perhaps. Well, the idea is that Mrs
Ambrose has some mysterious com
plant, and has come up to town to see