The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-12-01

| alone.
Mabel Wentwarp startled him by
suddenly appearing at his side. Her
face was white and distressful. Her
eyes, he noticed, were bright with I'M
| shed tears.
''Oh, Lord Petersfield," she exclaimed,
forgive my intrusion, but | saw you
come out, and / have followed you, be-
cause IL have something II must
tell YOU"
"I-1-trust there is nothing the mat
ter" remarked his lordship, looking
embarrassed and conscious of vague
sense of alarm.
"I-I-cannot deceive you. A great
deal is the matter. And-it has alb
| arisen out of our-our-foolish mistake
last night. I-I-have just had
dr-dreadful interview with-that-th
-odious Lady Slanderson!"
THE de-oh, L beg your pardon. But
-but-do you mean to say that she dis
covered ou-our mistaken
''She-she-thinks that she.has found
out some-something dr-dreadful
about u.s.
And poor Mabel, unable to restrain
her feeling any longer, began to sob.
''Oh, dear! Pr-pray don't distress
yourself, Miss Wentwarp."
''Oh, Lord Petersfeld, II don't
know how 1 shall tell you the-the
shameful things Lady Slanderson said
to me. But-but-in justice to you, as
70 I
that she was upstairs last night at a
most unfortunate moment, and that
that-she saw me sl-slip out of your
room-without my shoes on"
Good heavens!" gasped his lordship,
in tone of evident dismay. What
"a
And Also" Mabel went on. hurried
ly, as if anxious to finish her painful
disclosure, ''she waited up there, spy
ing in the dark, and saw you slip out
of my room without your shoes on!''
But, surely" began Lord Peters
field.
"I-I-told her the truth, interposed
the girl. Il explained everything. She
-she-scoffed at my version. She said
she Id-would-publish the scandal
to the four winds Of heaven. Oh, Lord
Petersfield, what is to be done?"
But, surely" stammered, Lord Pc
tersfeld, who was naturally in great
state of mind, people will accept our
version rather than that of this vile
scandal-monger!"
ALAS" sobbed Mabel, II wish 1
thought so. You see, Lord Petersfeld,
1 cannot help recognizing the very I'M
fortunate state of appearances. She
will say that if-if-we had-any-any-
thing to conceal we should, of course,
be ready with an explanation, and that
| even at that our explanation is lame
and improbable. Besides, she will en-
large and eXaggerate and-and tell
falsehoods, unti-oh, had rather have
died than have had this happen!'
The yiscount was silent for min
ute. A sudden idea, born of the cir
cumstances, had flashed across his
mind. He had never thought of Mabel
in this light before. He would not have
done so now unless the situation had
forced it on him. but as he locked at
her pretty, woeful face he realized that
it was not such an uncommon light in
which to think of her after all.
:'My-my-dear Miss Mabel, IL
might, for all that Lady Slanderson
knows to the contrary, have-have-ac-
quired the right to-to-take your
slippers to your room"
''I-I-what do you mean, Lord Pc
tersfeld?"
why" replied his lordship, blushing
| and stammering, ''if l were-were-en-
gagged to be married to you, Miss Mabel,
/ it w-would make a-a-difference-
wouldn't it?"
.'Oh, no, Lord Petersfeld! Not that,
not that" she cried, starting away.
Couldn't you s-stand me at-at-any
price, then?'' gasped the viscount, pain
fully mortified.
"Oh, yes! lit was not that.
should mean l could not let you
sacrifice yourself to-to-save my rep
utation."
''It wouldn't be much of a sacrifice"
said his lordship. do you know, am
Sldd HO" l11IS-lllIS
tunate situation has opened my eyes?
It-it-shows me something 1 didn't
realize before. Lob, Mabel, viii
you2'
HE is noble man, mamma" said
the newly engaged girl to her mother
few hours later. "He-he-says he
didn't realize that he loved me till this
morning. And 1 did not realize that
| that loved him. If L had, would
n-never have played that horrid prac-
teal joke upon him about his-his
pumps. But when he-he-sp-spoke to
me l knew in a moment that-that-I
| did love him. You will-will-never tell
| him that 1 meant it originally for a
stupid hoax, will you, mamma, dear?"
Don't be afraid of that, Nab. Your
old mother will not give you away. 1t
was risky sort of joke, wasn't it,
though it has had the happiest results,
as it seems to have opened both your
eyes ?"-Chicago Herald.
| The Wit of n Mountain Dance-House.
To the traveller in obscure corners of
| the world n flash of wit, like a streak
of lightning in the night, often discov-