Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-11-04

~ 10 eIlo AOuI UelOr6 recess. ANA we
are, of course, in Mr.. Wrinkles class.
CHOW, young ladies'" he is saying,
1--WE will stop right here and read"-
Pardon this interruption, Mr.. Win
kle, but I have something of Importance
-tosay to these young ladies' And Miss
Banks advanced into the room with un-
mistakable signs of displeasure stamped
on her face. What have we done? She
stands and looks at us for moment in
a way she has when little later she
intends to annihilate one Them I'M
folding piece of paper, she begins
without preface to read from it:
NY Own DARLING-One month since I fol.
lowed you and we are no nearer the happiness
for which we long. My heart is sick with
waiting. Each hour that passes only strength
ems my love for my sweetheart but it brings
me no nearer to her. Write me few lines,
my own, and extend to me again the precious
hope and words of cheer you know SO well
how to give. Your ever faithful
We are all gasping at this point and
decidedly pallid, excepting Kathleen,
who is crimson. Mr.. Wrinkle seems
perfectly calm and composed, a little
amused perhaps. AS Miss Banks finishes
the note her eyes fall upon me with evil
dent severity.
''Let me beg of you," she says, mot
to add untruthfulness to this distress
ing conduct. There is no address on this
note, but I must say am suspicious of
the young lady who made in my hear
ing two or three days ago the remark
able speech about changing the name
and not the letter, ETC., as this young
mans last name begins with w, and the
young lady's name also begins with
that letter. -
lam speechless. If my name is Wal
ker, isnot Kathleen S Walford? Her eyes
are still on me and mine on her.
"This note" she continues, "was
brought &c inc this morning by Katie,
who found it when she was sweeping
after the literature class yesterday. AS
no one else had occasion to enter this
room it is evident it must belong to one
Of you four. Denial will only make mat
tiers worse and will besides distress me
more than I can tell you. am grieyed
and disappointed beyond measure at
this betrayal of trust. have exercised
as little surveillance as possible, be-
ieving that if left you to your honor
you would feel grateful to me and not
let me have any cause to regretit r.
ooh, stop, Miss Banks" exclaims
Kathleen. 81 can explain the note. l.
that is-well-'' and she pauses, and,
oh, horror! begins to laugh. look at
her anxiously. Can all this trouble have
affected her mind? There is moments
pause.
"When you can conquer this untime-
~ mirth, we will hear your explain
ation," says Miss Banks cuttingly at
last.
"Why don't that coward Frank Win
kle explain and not leave it all to her?"
whispers Lou Indignantly to me-
"The brute!" rejoin emphatically.
A moment and then Kathleen's pretty
face settles into oomposure, but q glance
at our faces, for some reason or other,
sets her off again. We are all in agony.
Miss Banks stands without smile,
waiting. Mr.. Wrinkle is biting his mus
tache. Is he a little remorseful? Why
dom he speak? Kathleen conquers her.
self with an evident effort and begins
again.
"Miss Banl1s-er-I-er-well-er-
WE'LL" desperately, to cut long story
short, actuated by an amiable desire to
entertain my companions made up a
love story and to accompany it wrote
that note and several others. Surely a
harmless way to fill my leisure hours.
The copies are all in my desk, if you
would like to see them, and likewise
my studies of masculine handwriting.
It was good deal of work, but the
girls were all longing for a sensation,
and SO, having read somewhere of a girl
doing something like this, the idea oc-
CURED to me that I might entertain
them and relieve the monotony Of which
they complained. The trouble was
worth whileif have earned-and am
sure I have-their gratitude and gen.
eral vote Of thanks.
draw curtain over all that follows,
Miss Banks lecture on filling our minds
with frivolous topics, our reproaches
and threats to make known the care
fully suppressed fact that Mr.. Wrinkle
was the hero of the romance
Girls you know I have amused you, !"
she says in tones fraught with anguish.
"You go to the theater and enjoy it
and cry and laugh with the leading ac-
tress. Why cannot you take my story
in the same spirit? 1t was acted for
your benefit, free of charge, and as for
fibbing-why, if you will think you
will see did not. All I said was, Inn
agine girl very much like me, and
imagine this and imagine that, and you
came to the conclusion it was about me
and Mr.. Winkle.''
Zone hates to be deceived, says Lou
disgustedly, to which we all assent.
"Ah, that deceit should steal such
gentle shapes and with virtuous visor
hide deep vice!' says Kathleen dra-
matically Whereupon, after struggle,
weall laugh and tell her she has studied
her literature to some purpose.
And Mr.. Wrinkle never knows the 70.
nance that was weaved around him.
THE END.
Il