The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-11

she entered the ONCE, what is the matter
with you? Have you been HIP
''She saw me-" was all Randolph could
say.
yes, came to speak to you again about
"Oh, it's no use now, Cousin Matte.
She will not receive me or my letters
never"
Pooh! Did she tell you so?"
She wrote to mel mustn't go there"
''Then 1 WILL"
TITS no use. You were with me when
when 1 ran away from her-she won't
speak to you, either"
Don't you think she would even receive
a present--if she didn't know 1t came from
your"
"she would send it back as soon as she
found OUT
Look here, Randolph. said the common
sense matron, this is all nonsense. If
Lila Sprague won't receive me, she must
be ninny-"
Don't say thatH'
81 will say that. But anyhow, her mother
will see me. 1 am going now to call on Mrs.
Sprague."
You are? Oh. I am so glad. I never
thought of that
Poor boy! You don't look as If you
could think of anything. But just leave
that to me. And now, look here about this
bracelet"
with a faint smile.
"Of course we shall, stupid. Higgins says
he has tried to set the watch with the race
in, as you wanted it. and he can't make
any better job of 1t than Moore could Now
1 think I'd better go and take 1t back to
Moore's and tell them to set 1t with the
face out, don't your
Every WELL" said Watts, with almost
childish resignation.
"And the miniature can go inside with
Il a,~ieri al taJ
VERY WE'LL"
And then I'm going straight to Mrs.
Spragues.'
Are you?
Eyes, 1 am. Wake up, man. Don't be
a baby"
VERY we'll"
First to Higgins Mrs. suchcr went,
where she took possession of remarka-
bly, pretty and uncommon gold bracelet
tiny old-fashioned watch and the minia-
ture. Then to Moore's, where she left the
bracelet and watch, and the miniature.
Then to Mrs. Sprague's
AS Mrs Sucher entered Mrs. Sprasue's
private and individual sitting-room she
heard a whisk and rustic of skirts and
figure.
Lila not wcll?' said Mrs. sucher with
an incredulous laugh. TOO bad. These
Christmas preparations are undeniabiy
fatiguing. l have spent three weeks, nay
dear Mrs. Sprague, running about town IN
SeaTcn Oh the IlSnl plGStHto III TIC ii6hN
people"
you must have laid yourself out to lie
generous said Mrs. Sprague.
II am geenrous. My generosity is wearing
me to FRAGILE 1 give my time and labor
to help other people give presents. That
brings me to the object of this visit as they
say in old-fashioned novels. Can you keep
a secret?'
Yes said Mrs. Sprague, land I am
burning with curiosity. So make haste and
tell me-"
ION, then you known
You were with Randolph Watts when he
ran away from Lila yesterday. How was
it?"
you promise not to tell her?-to keep it
for three days? Very well. You see, he
wants to give her bracelet he has made
for her, with very pretty motto on 1t in
enamel. Then he wants to give her a beau
tiful little watch that belonged to his poor,
dear mother, and he has had little NINA
ture of his mother made to fit In behind the
watch. First he took the watch to Moore's
and wanted them to set the miniature on
the outside and have the watch facing in
an opening on hinge when you want to
see the time
Ard wha' has that to do"
wait moment. They told him at
Mo1f .ia, ne Ing oo.idn't aole n t
way because the crystal OF the watch was
too THICK so he took 1t from there TO Hig-
gins That was the day he ran up against
Lila at the door of Higgins, when he had
the whole package in his hand, and was
afraid she would ask him, and ran. Yes
terday, just as he was taking me to Hig-
gins to hold consultation on that Won
derful bracelet We saw Lila coming along.
L said to him, Randolph, If she meets us
she will want to walk along with us, and
then the whole plot Is ruined. Let's turn
down here before she sees u.s. But it
seems she saw us after ALL"
On Christmas morning, in spite of many
earnest assurances from her mother that
that morning would bring clearing-up of
all her troubles, Lila was as terribly cross
and out of tune with the chimes as she had
been for four days past. Moreover she
awoke with a headache.
She found stocking tied to the head of
her bed, as she had expected and took the
stocking down and opened 1t mechan:cally
Then she found the bracelet with a scrap
or paper in which, in her mothers writing.
were the words, Press the spring and
look inside, behind the watch" And when
she looked lovely, loving face looked back
at her-a face that was very like Randolph
Watts own.
And at the bottom of the stocking-away
at the very toe was another paper which
said, 1.-THE bracelet ought to tell you why
l ran away. r. W."
Then she laid her head and the bracelet
on her pillow and wet both bracelet and pill
low with tears until he headache was all
gone.
Hor