Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-27


is after all?" said the shorter Of tht
two men, as they steered each other
down the aisle Of the smoker, while
the car seemed to be doing its best tc
jolt them both over the shoulders OF
other passengers in the seats-'Tm al
ways running into somebody l haven't
seen for a long time. Now who would
have thought of meeting you coming
into this smoker-in this section of the
country?"
Yes" said the taller-he with the
new tweed travelling cap-"but then
the world is big enough to keep old ac-
quaintances like us apart-lets sit
down here-apart for years. How many
years is it?'
Must be a good ten, I should say
said the first speaker a dark, wiry man,
with small side whiskers
quite that-I hadn't heard of you
for quite long while when Scobel told
me about that desperate love affair of
yours, and that was"
"Ha, hal-Yes, that was more than
four years ago. Did Scobel ever tell
you the end of that? No? Got a cigar?"
The small man Wriggled his neck with
an air of complete self-satisfaction.
L
ing that it won't go any farther, OF
course"
"Of course, that's understood"
81 don't mind telling you that l al
ways thought myself well out of that
affair-yes You see, she went away
from Galena one summer to spend some
time at a small watering place where
an aunt of hers was staying. OF course
| we kept up respondence-very sweet
olI ly,,A Int OIL Af q
sudden the letters stopped. Well,
| didn't know what to make of that. Just
as l was beginning to get fidgetty a let
| ter came from her, telling me that she
had met with frightful accident-slip-
| ped from a limb of. tree into a deep
| place In a creek. 1t so happened that
some fellow was standing near fishing,
and this man managed to crawl out or
the same limb of tree just as she
was losing her hold. Oh, perhaps Scobe
told you all that?''
| NO" said the other man, looking al
the ash of his cigar. "Scobel didn't tel
me that. l was only smiling at the
thought of how much alike all these TO
mantle rescues are"
'Oh, yes; all alike, you know AnG
as far as | can make out this fellow
didn't do anything particularly brave
either. Just held his hand out to hel
|
that, you know"
How did he get to her?' the mar
with the tweed cap asked.
Climbed out on the limb, l believe
Well, then there was some sort of mys
terry about the man for some days. He
didn't tell his name, and she didn't fine
it out until after she got quite well
But you see, Trappes, 1 didn't care K
have my fiancee writing to me every
| Oh ntb Fol /
know"
"Of course not" said Trappes
so very soon took an opportunity
to request her toto just drop that herr
of the limb. Told her 1 didn't want K
know his name, even if she did find i
out"
And that put an end to your affair
did it?"
THAT? Oh, no! That was only tht
beginning Of the end, as it were"
Here the smaller man-his name wa.
Bradley-seemed to fall into a retro
spective reverie, and TrappeS respected
his feelings by smoking and studying
his cigar ash in silence.
You know, Trappes a
last resumed There's no question
about it. Eloise-Miss Jennings-was
very nice girl at that time. But she wa
very youngp'
| LoPPCo iiOQdCl oh q ttC5S sll
must have been" he said, ito judge b,
what Scobel told me. You always wer,
a man of some taste, Bradley. l al
ways thought So"
Yes; that's all right" said Bradley
pretty and all that. 1 wonder if she.
still as graceful as she was?"
Il should think so, quite" said Trap
pes "Eh? What did you say?-Oh,
didn't quite catch. This road seems very
badly baIlasted.'
But there's one point that I've al
ways put my foot down on" Bradley
continued. 81 hold that, when a mar
takes to himself a wife, it is his tC
command, and hers TO obey"
Trappes nodded his assent
THAT was the rock that Eloise and
split upon. She wrote me rather q
huffy letter telling me she was going te
find out this fellows name--this link
man, you knoW-for her own satisfac-
tion, if not for mine, and have him call
upon her. Well, that was too much"
Was rather sassy" Trappes re-
marked.
''Oh, yes" said The little man. 81 SIM
ply wouldn't stand it. L said to myself
If I'm not her master now, never will
be when we are man and wife. So ]
wrote and insisted absolutely on her not
seeing that man again You see, felt
that 1 must rise to meet the crisis or be
forever fallen"
quite so,9 said Trappes. And she?"