The Forrest City times., 1898-12-02

ture who had an all-abiding faith in him. And she had expressed her will ingness to live in flat, and she was to come to the city to select the furniture. He groaned as he thought of this. He saw the light from the front door gleaming in her hair as she leaned upon the gate to catch his last sweet word. Now he must tell her that there was to be no flat yet awhile. And the village paper had hinted that he was soon to come after her. It was a great joke. this hint of the village paper. The boys had come around and shaken hands with him, winking at one another. The joke had stamped the editor as great humorist, ard Gingly knew that he would be stimulated to repeat the mis- chief. Indeed, it takes three hints in a village paper 10 complete the joke. It was all very funny, but the poor, trust ing girl, what would she think? She might think he was a scoundrel. He couldn't live under such an imputation. He thought of suicide, to save his name. But he thought of it in poetical way. He had no intention of killing himself. He had received letter from her that morning, perfumed purple. swee. quirks of a maiden's galloping pen. "She loved him better than life" How strong and original. He was her kind" How rapturously new. There had never been such another love. She felt it, she knew it. Other women had thought they loved. but"-a smile of scorn crept between the lines-"how could they have loved." And now he must tell that love to wait. It would kill her; there was no doubt of 1t. In another put off there was the bite of a viper. He did not know that the viper not his viper-had bitten her before. He knew that Nick Patten had waited on her, had taken her to parties; but he did not know that Nick had clapped a piece of ice to her heart when he mar ried Liza Moore. He knew, also, that Mark Bailey had trained" with her, but he had heard her speak of him with contempt, but he did not know that she had written to him in con- tempt, for asking her to return his presents and his ring. Ignorance without it the fountain of love would cease to play. It takes many kiss to wear the nap from the velvet lip.
 One more postponement. That was to have been all. And now
 Just at that moment there came a terrific explosion. The hotel was shaken. The windows in Gingly's room were broken. Something fell with thump upon the floor. There came loud cries from below. He sprang out of bed and lighted the lamp; and the first thing he saw was a great package of money lying on the floor. It had come through the win dow. He seized it, trembling. He heard footsteps in the hall. He heard a man say that the bank just across the alley had been blown up by rob bers. It was all clear. The vault had been blown up and this great wad of money had been sent flying into his room. His heart beat with strange delight and then a pang shot through it-"Honest Gingly." The money did not belong to him. It flew in at his window. But was it not Providence that sent it? No, it was the explo- sion. But why did it fly straight into his room? Why couldn't it have struck the wall? It could have done so, but didn't. Fate must have intended it for him. He had been honest all his life, and reward was due. He lay all night in a sweat. He was afraid to show too much interest, so he remained in bed till eight o'clock, then locked his money n his trunk and went downstairs. In the office the men who had given him advice were discussing the robbery. One robber had been killed, but the one who seized the money had escaped with slo0,000. Gingly was worth, then, that amount of money. He went in to breakfast, and when he came out bought a 25-cent cigar. The clerk looked at him in surprise.
 ''Got a job?" he asked.
 "No, but want to smoke"
 He sat about all day musing. At night he looked at his money. It was the shield to protect the girls breast from the bite of the viper. But Honest Gingly" kept singing in his ears. It was not his money. He was thief. He was disgrace unto his name. He tossed all night. But be- fore daylight came he had made up his mind. The act of buying the cigar proved to him that he could not Lide his guilt. He had felt himself blush under the quick eye and the question of the clerk. He would take the money to the president of the bank. Already they had resumed business. He would tell him frankly how sorely tempted he had been to keep it. And the banker would reward him.
 Nine o'clock was a long time com ing. But 1t came. With the money under his coat he walked into the bank. Policemen were on guard. Cingly asked to see the president. He was busy. "I must see him." said Ging- ly. Tt is of the most vital importance news of the robbery" He was we'll and was admitted.
 "Well?" said the president.
 Gingly told him his story. He drew ' ba money auf from updar b;o coaf