The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-09-30
THE WRONG NOTE.

and found that no one was there to meet
me, was surprised. Twice ! walked
around the station, vainly peering into
the gathering darkness in search of the
Torrington trap. / was nonplused, for
I saw nothing but rickety public hack,
with rickety horse and a rickety driv-
er importuning me to become his fare.
Loath to believe my eyes, sought the
station agent.
Wasn't Mr.. Torrington's carriage
here to meet this train" asked.
The man shook his head. "It was
down for the 8 o'clock" he replied.
"Took gentleman of.
This announcement served 20 increase
my perplexity. Here I, having been
formally asked to spend Sunday at a
house and having formally accepted,
was compelled to make my way thither
in q public conveyance, while another
bad been met at the station and carried
off in comfort. Over this unusual condi-
tion Of affairs I puzzled my brain on the
drive ont to Torrington's. The disoom-
fort Of my position was heightened by
the increasing darkness, for the rickety
horse made no very good speed, and
realized that the dinner hour was rap.
idly approaching. But at length we
ratified through the gates and up the
drive to the house.
Maria Torrington greeted me on the
veranda-which was so i'll lighted that l
could hardly see her face-yet it struck
me that there was confusion in her tone.
"I'm very glad to see you, she said.
tits surprise indeed"
"Surprise?" I said. "You knew /
was coming"
"Er-yes, she murmured hesitating-
ly. "But it's so late we'd given you up.
You must hurry for dinner. Hobson,
show Mr.. Bottomley his ROOM"
Here a tail figure doomed out of the
darkness into the foreground, and before
! could follow the servant who had TAX
en- my bag my hand was seized, and a
heavy voice said: Hello, old mani
Glad to see you'll"
"Why, hello, Brooksl" I exclaimed.
"I'm glad to see you"
"Glad to see you-glad to see you, l
TtDcdttu, as lOllOWCu IlODbOh lhyO buO
hall and up the stairs to my room.
Glad to see Dick Brooks Glad to SO
the man with whom I had been racing
for two years for the fair prize below
When the servants had gone and / was
alone, stamped the floor vigorously
and tore open my bag with such vic
lence as to send the contents scattering
in every direction.
This thing was getting unpleasant. l
could overlook the lack of hospitality
in allowing me to make my own way
to the house; could forget her evident
surprise at my coming after / had been
formally invited by her mother and had
as formally accepted, but l could not
forgive her asking Dick Brooks and my
self at the same time and driving him
home in triumph, as 1t were.
was angry-so angry thatI crum-
pied three ties in dressing and started
down to dinner with tan shoes on, and
when / finally entered the drawing
room to find the family awaiting me l
remembered that / had forgotten to
brush my hair and was conscious that it
was all standing out at the back. 1t
seemed that, flustered aud disheveled,
was making very poor showing i'll
comparison with the immaculate
Brooks.
Il am very glad to see you," said
Mrs Torrington cordially. TITS spe-
cial pleasure, as we understood you
WEREN'T Maria glanced sharply at
her mother, and the kindly woman
stopped. flushed and added; "As we
were afraid you weren't coming. The
train must have been late. But come. "
l shall never forget the dinner that
followed. 1t seemed as though there was
a pail over the little company, or rath-
er over all but Brooks. He is clever
fellow, admit, and seeming to realize
that the rest of us were embarrassed
and hampered by some secret which
could not be his he proceeded to make
the best of things and to bear the brunt
of the conversation.
Once our lost ventured to inform me
how surprised he was to see me and
how pleased he was that / had come
after all, whereupon his daughter inter
rupted and effectually silenced him by
asking whether l had been playing
much golf of late.
Mrs. Torrington started to observe
that perhaps it was ON account of golf
that had been detained that afternoon,
and she was. in turn silenced. While
Maria kept Close watch ON her parents
and l surreptitiously devoted myself to
pressing down my back hair and adjust
ing my awry tie Brooks ratified away,
apparently charmingly unconscious
But at length it was over, and Mr..
Torrington cornered my clever rival
over coffee and cigars, while l slipped
away and, though it was late in Octo-
Der and a stiff breeze was blowing from
Az .oo oa,o., tla Heal, ,,,aadoxve oroo