The record-union., 1899-09-17

tie MANU- " Sulue ana restrain MIN.
Mr.. Oddie at this point discovered that
he had forgotten to wind his watch the
night before.
The truth was, he was in love, and
with young woman with whom he
had never exchanged a syllable. He
learned her name from his landlady, an
| austere person, whose mind was set
| upon curious form of religion, and
who did not take much thought about
| frivolous worldly matters. Without
objecting to her ledger personally, Mrs.
| Roper nevertheless entertained no vain
| hopes that he would be saved at the
last day. The elect, who were to be
caught up ON the wings Of great
| bird, and carried away into the desert
for time, times, and half, would be
uncommonly few, according to Mrs.
| Roper's q belief Two hundred from
Liverpool, eighty or thereabouts from
Northampton, her native place, and a
matter of nine thousand or ten thou
sand from London, the Great Babylon.
The number of the saints would IN
deed be restricted.
Questioned discreetly by her lodger,
| this worthy but depressing person
could tell him little regarding the two
/ ladies who were now the objects OF
such tender interest to him. They
were a Mrs. and Miss Hexham, so she
had heard, and Mrs. Hexham was
either deaf or dumb, or it might be
both, for her daughter talked on her
fingers to her, and she answered back
in the same way.
/ :-lo4 do
I'm told,'' remarked Mrs. Roper, heav-
ing a deep sigh "'Tis wonderful, but
will it do 'em any good when the Last
Trump sounds: that's what l want to
know? Will you like a few peas, billed
with spring of mint, with your din
ner tonight, sir?'
Clearly there was not much informa-
ton to be got out of Mrs. Roper, a
/ woman not given to ordinary gossip
| Just then, too, she and her fellow be-
| livers were busy settling the exact
number of the elect likely to go up
from Manchester; her thoughts, there
fore, were fully occupied.
Mr.. Oddie's courtship was very de-
coreus affair. In Spain, despite his
years, he would doubtless have adopted
] y
who goes counting under his lady love
| balcony is styled. But in sober, un-
romantic England the suitor does not
eat iron, or serenade the queen of his
heart on the guitar. He has to be prop
| erly introduced, and the little corn
| dealer, knowing this respectable Gus
tom, would have given anything 1of
an introduction which would have al
lowed him to call and establish friend
ly relations. The months passed, ano
still he could not get that thin but nee
essary end Of the wedge in. In Wiz
lage he would certainly have managed
to become acquainted with the Hex
hams in a week, but London people
pride themselves upon having nothing
whatever to do with their neighbors
living in the same street The mother
and daughter seemed to have very few
| friends, and. never went out, proDaply
on account of Mrs. Hexham's affiictlon
1t was hard upon the daughter, Mr
| Oddie thought, but he admired her al
| the more for her self-sacrifice. She
was an angel if ever there was one.
Miss Hexham became aware of his
devotion; of that Mr.. Oddie was con-
| vinced. When they met and he tooh
care that they did meet pretty often
he ventured to raise his hat, and smiles
were exchanged. But the affair halted
to the poor little mans frequent de-
| spair He could get no ''forrarder-'
once, when he attempted to speak, Mis-:
Hexham turned the color of a red rose
and promptly hurried awy.
81 have never been properly intro
duced that is why" was Mr.. Oddie's
anguished reflection. She must nave
been exquisitely brought up; the yer!
pink of propriety.''
He grew quite thin and lost his ap
petite. which made Mrs. Roper regart
him with concern, for he was JeWe
of lodger, and she did not want t
lose him. She suggested a tonic, bu
Mr. Oddie knew that no tonic woult
help him-at least no medicine s.
called. He wanted a draught of tn
magic elixir of love to cure his com
plant
Something will have to be done,
cried the poor man, desperately, on tn
day that he went to the city withou
a tie, and an unfeeling acquaintanc
jeered at him and inquired if his live
were out of order. His liver! Perisl
the thought! 1t was his heart. ii
did not know that the first mentione
organ was considered by the ancient
to be the seat of the affections. MI
Oddie would have consulted a frien
had he owned one who would hav
sympathized with loves elderly dream
and not laughed at it. But he decide
at length that, like HeZekiah, he woul
ask for a. sign from heaven. He Woul
send the object of his alteration a bou
quet, an anonymous bouquet of tn
choicest; she would surely guess fron
whom it came. If she placed it in tn
window, he would write to Mrs. Hex
ham, explain himself and his intention
and request permission to call.
Mr. Oddie took a holiday the day tn
bouquet was sent off from Coven
Garden; to sit still in his office was
thing impossible He went for a lon
, walk, but where his neat little leg
, took him he was never able to say.
The next day the agony increased
there was no sign. Mr. Oddie fe
plump into the depths of despair, an
was convinced that he had offended hi
lady love. He had not been properl
introduced; the phrase became per
feet nightmare to him.
But the second day there was tn
bouquet in the window in all it's glory
and, moreover Miss Hexham was bend
ing over it, inhaling it's perfume. MI
Oddie could see her wavy chestnut hal
and white forehead. She was a beauti
! full woman; not too young for a man
ahemi-in his prime. The wonder wa