The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-29


kle, but / have something of Importance
to say to these young ladies. y And Miss
Banks advanced into the room with TN
faistakable signs of displeasure stamped
on her face. What have we done? She
stands and looks at us for moment in
way she has when little later she
intends to annihilate one Then, I'M
folding piece of paper, she begins
without preface to read from it:
MY OWN DARLING-One month since I fol-
lowed you and we 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 a 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, little
amused perhaps. AS Miss Banks finishes
the note her eyes fall upon me with CYL
dent severity.
"Let me beg Of you" she says, 'not
| 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
man s last name begins with W, and the
young lady's name also begins with
| that letter"
I am speechless. If my name is Wal
ker, is not Kathleen IS Walford? Her eyes
are still on me and mine on her.
"This note," she continues, "was
brought to me 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 can tell you. am grieved
and disappointed beyond measure at
this betrayal of trust. I have exercised
as little surveillance as possible, be-
lieving that if left you to your honor
you would feel grateful to me and not
let me have any cause to regret it. p
"Oh, stop, Miss Banks" exclaims
Kathleen. IT can explain the note. l.
that is-well--" and she pauses, and,
oh, horror begins to laugh. I look at
her anxiously. Can all this trouble have
affected her mind? There is a moments
pause.
"When you can conquer this untime-
ly mirth, we will hear your explain
ation,'' says Miss Banks cuttingly at
last.
"Why DOM that coward Frank Win
kle explain and not leave it all to her?'
whispers Lou Indignantly to me.
"The bruter' rejoin emphatically.
A moment and then Kathleen's pretty
face settles into composure, but glance
at our faces, for some reason or other,
sets her off again. We are all in agony.
Miss Banks stands without a smile,
waiting. Mr. Wrinkle is biting his mus,
tache. Is he little remorseful? Why
don't he speak? Kathleen conquers her
self with an evident effort and begins
again.
ssMiss Banks-er-I--er-well-er---
we'll, desperately, ''to cut long story
short, actuated by an amiable desire to
entertain my companions made up
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, IT you
would like to see them, and likewise
my studies of masculine handwriting.
Tt was good deal of work, but the
girls were all longing for a sensation,
and SO, having read somewhere Of girl
doing something like this, the idea oc-
Cured to me that l might entertain
them and relieve the monotony OF which
they complained. The trouble was
worth while if I have earned-and am
sure have-their gratitude and gen
eral vote of thanks. =
I 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 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 said was, I'M
agine girl very much like me, and
imagine this and imagine that, and you
came to the conclusion it was about me
and Mr.. Wrinkle :"
zone hates to be deceived, says Lou
disgustedly, to which we all assent
"Ah, that deceit should steal such
gentle shapes and with yirtuous visor
hide deep VICE. says Kathleen dra-
matically. Whereupon, after struggle,
we all laugh and tell her she has studied
her literature to some purpose.
And Mr.. Wrinkle never knows the ro-
nance that was weayed around him.
THE END.