The Opelousas courier., 1898-03-19
The Wrong Mote.

don't see anything particularly anus
ing" ~
How stupid l had been from 10
first. Q
fault, and until this minute i, never
occurred to me. I got yoKr mothers
note on Thursday. | had an engage
ment to meet a lawyer late this after
noon to try and settle a case | am con-
cerned in. AS [ couldnt attend to
the business and catch the last train
out l determined to try and postpone
the matter. SO [ wrote two notes
M accepting, the other declining the
invitation, I took them both down
town next day, and as the attorney
consented to my postponing the meet
ing4 mailed the acceptance
"You mean you gotthem mixed and
sent the wrong one," she said. A half
smile lighted her face for RI instant,
to give place to a settled look of dis
pleasure. "Anl I wired to Dick
Brooks"
laughed quietly.
"What are you laughing at?" she
asked.
Crooks must be puzzled over you
having us down here together
Size resented this inference as to
our mutual relations by turning
sharply and, carrying herself with ex-
aygerated erectness, entered the
1>,,o 18Th -,o f,11>,,. aroctfoIn1
at her heels.
Brooks was puzzled; so extremely
puzzled that he hardly said a word at
breakfast, but was quiet and thought
full, an unusual mood for him. l could
see that he had an important piece of
engineering on hand and tried to block
his schemes, but despite my subtle
moves he succeeded in inducing Maria
to take him out to the pond and show
him the trout. For a time I chafed
in the library under Mrs. T~orrington's
verbose recital of the difficulties Of Sc
curing funds for a certain deserving
hospital, and at length, unable to bear
the restraint longer, rather abruptly
excused myself to take a stroll about
the place. My steps carried me in the
direction of the pond, down the drive,
over a stretch of lawn, through a
grove, till I was halted at the sight of
two hats protruding owe the top of a
bush a few yards away.
"Maria," l heard Brooks say in a
more earnest tone than I had deemed
him capable of assuming, 81 have
waited now for a year for an answer.
Sometimes my hopes have been raised
raised only to see you shower kind
ness on that fellow"
I whistled to the collie that had
been bounding along near by, and
when Maria Toriington and her com
panfon stepped hurriedly into view l
cried "Hello!"
Brooks looked foolish and replied
"Hello!" Then he began stirring the
dead leaves with his stick.
For a moment al Of us must have
looked foolish, as Maria, her face Grim
son.. stared blankly at a distant tree
top, while I leaned over and fell to
patting the shaggy dog.
The silence was broken by the girl.
She had completely recovered her
conposure, and, fixing her eyes Oh
me, said: "Harry, as you have doubt
less heard, Dick-Mr. Brooks-has
Just asked me to marry him."
"Asked for the thousanlth time"
muttered Brooks. His clean-shavep
face was turning red from the tip OF
his chin to where the hair divided. A
man seldom objects to having it known
that he is attentive to q woman, but to
have her blazol it forth to all the
world, and to his worst rival i'll partic-
ular, and in his presence, is not so
agreeable if he occupies the position
of n rejected.
"And you have also asked me-"
Maria Torrington went on, with a cool
ness that would have astounded me
had I not known her.
eyes," I said, stupidity, ''asked you
frequently"
II like you both very much" she
said, fixing her eyes on Brooks, who
was still fumbling his stick among the
leaves.
It hardly seemed fair that she should
look so kindly on my rival, SO I called
her eyes back to me by asking, "Can't
you choose between us?"
"No," she replied, after a moment
of thoughtful silence, "I've tried very
hard to, but I can't. A plan of choos-
ing was suggested to me by your I'M
expected coming"
"We are both to go away and stay
away?" growled Brooks.
"One may come back"
"I?" Brooks started eagerly tow
ard her. She raised her hand in
warning.
81 don't know which," she said.
'sThere is an old saying about mar
riage being a lottery. 1 propose to
increase the chances. If you two on
sent I shall carry out at once the
scheme that I have got up after long
and careful thinking"
"Are we to toss a penny?" I asked.
"No. This afternoon I shall write
two notes, one an acceptance, the other
a refusal. They will be put in plain
envelopes, mixed up, directed and
mailed. The u of you who receives
the refusal shall"
Commit suicide"
Brooks gloomy c~ountenance gave
credence to a suspicion that in event Of
his receiving the wrong note he would
resort to self-destruction. The girl,
however, speedily crushed all hopes Of
such escape from suffering.
"You shall not!" she cried. eff