The true northerner., 1899-05-10
WAS A WRONG CARD.


TO his many rivals.
Whilst he was thinking over the situ-
alton and hurrying homeward he was hailed
with a businessike "Ho. Farr; ] want to
speak to you moment!"
Turning about, he faced the speaker, a
friend OF his junior partner; and in few
minutes they were deeply engaged in dis
cussion of some abstruse question, concern
ing a case which was then interesting
great many lawyers.
When the two parted the one who had
hailed Farr handed the latter a card with
a request that he would give it to Somer-
ton, the junior partner OF the firm OF farr
4 Somerton." In the hurry of parting Farr
took the card without looking at it, and
only after he had reached his residence,
his mind full of the matter they had dis
cussed, did he think to glance at the bit
of pasteboard 1t should have borne GER
tain memoranda which Somerton desired;
but was, however, quite blank save for the
engraved name of the owner.
Supper over, he betook himself to pipe
and slippers. Then, loungng comfortably
in a big armchair before the study fire, he
gave himself up to the interrupted retec-
tions of the afternoon. As a result OF hls
cogitations, before he retired letter had
been written, addressed to Miss Margaret
Lamore." In it Miss Lamore was informed
that he would call the following evening on
an urgent matter The letter, perhaps, was
a trihe stiff and busipesslike, but surely
could not help being clear to woman.
The business of the next day put an emo
to any further air castles for the time be-
ing, but when evening came he lost no time
in hurryng whittier the letter had gone.
min n
the door-a new maid-Farr noticed. With
his thoughts on the coming interview, it was
only in a mechanical way that he gave hes
his card and asked to see Miss Lamore. a
few moments waiting, and then the girl re
turned to say, in a well-bred voice, that
Miss Lamore had an immediate engagement
and begged to be excused.
Somewhat dazed by what he considered
rebuff, Farr left the house. Once more in
his own rooms he contrived within an hour
or two, by the aid of his pipe, to put him
self in a mood which played havoc with sen.
timent.
An early train the next day carried him
rapidly away from his home and the woman
who, a few hours earlier had been all in
all TO him. Now, however, he thought he
had convinced himself that she was not
worth the wooing. Yet every single day of
the next year had its full measure Of bit
terness souring even the great successes he
met with. Not a single night but found him
wearily praying for sleep, to drive away
the vision of a proud, sweet woman who so
persistently haunted him. Sometimes he
wearied of both himself and the world, but
he was obliged to live and meet his fellow
men, even If a woman had scorned his love.
Time passed, and the conclusion of his
mission allowed him tc return home. But
little more than six months from the day
when Margaret Lamore had made life seem
so gloomy to him he was once again in his
native town. On the day of his return Som
erton insisted that he should dine with him
at the earliest possible opportunity, and, OF
course, tired though he was and desirous Of
nothing beyond peace and melancholy quiet,
he was compelled to accept the invitation
so warmly pressed upon him. Accordingly
that evening found him on the way to the
Somerton home.
He must have forgotten that Mrs Som
erton and Miss Lamore were the most in
innate friends, or, perhaps, 1t was natural
to start when he found himself face to face
with the latter in the Somerton parlor.
That he did start was a fact quickly de-
teccted by Miss Lamore-a fact also, which
Judging from your appearance, Mr..
Farr, said she, your health has not been
much benefited by the western trip"
81 am afraid not was his answer; "the
work was hard, and / did not 20 to it in
the best of spirits" This last with glance
intended TO be full of meaning
She saw the look, and wondering at it,
colored.
you look SO worn and III, she contin-
ued, that | have not the heart to scold as
you deserve; yet You must have known how
much ! should regret not seeing you be
fore YOU took the trip
Recovering himself a little at this, Farr
told her, with as much dignity as possible,
that she must have been deeply engrossed
that summer day to have forgotten the card
he had sent up to her, and the fact that she
had pleaded an immediate engagement As
an excuse for not seeing him.
Then followed period of polite and gentle
contradiction. Miss Lamore firmly insisted
that he had not sent up his card and Farr
as obstiLately persisted in saying that he
had. When, for several minutes, they had
accused and cOunteraccused each other of
forgetfulness; Farr took matters into his
own hands by breaking out vehemently
with:
"Do you know why ! wanted so much to
see you that day? DO you imagine that
could be, for a moment, forgetful of the
most trihing incident that happened then,
when | thought you had treated me with
such crushing indifference"
They were now seated on a couch, and he,
with bitterness born of the unhappiness
he had experienced, told her his whole
story from that day to the present time
when she saw him so i'll and worn-worn,
not with toll, but with the hopelessness OF
his life. He had no new phrases in which to
frame his thoughts; but the old, old words
seemed to satisfy her. for when dinner was
announced there were at least two people
supremey happy among those who went arm
in arm to the dining-room.
Somerton's friend, Barton, with whom
Farr had held such a profound discussion
on the day when the story opens, arrived in
time to join the party at dinner. When
the meal was well under way, Barton, sud
denly recollecting, desired to know why and
wherefore Farr had so careessly neglected
to give his partner the card which had been
intrusted to his care Farr, in his new.
found happiness, had little memory for such
trines and forthwith Barton rehearsed the