The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-09-22

painful interest.
Just as they were all filing out of ,..9
room l saw lnky derby abstract l.I
sisters handkerchief and drop 1t OH ,"c
floor, Seeing me start to pick It W.
lnky shook his head savagelr, y M.
ment later Miss Allen returned alo.ue.
II am always losing my haa,.ecr.
chief" she said. Brother thinks that
he saw one on the floor In your room"
l fastened to restore the missing ar.
ticle and doubtless blushed at my own
duplicity.
1--WE have heard SO much Of YOU"
she continued. Ingram regales us
each evening with a veracious chron.
icle Of your days doings."
Eft" broke In the voice Of tnky
from the doorway, make him show
you what he has In the desk. Say.
that Lyden's n stifT. III get even with
him. He laughed all the time l was
reciting."
ut Ia true" said Miss Allen when
her brother had again disappeared.
"Mr. L.yden did laugh. and l don't
think it was a bit nice, do you|"
OF course did not.
"But what was 1t Ingram wished mo
to see?" she continued. did he say It
was in your desk? Please show 1t to
me ut once. My curiosity Is OF the
kind that will not be bridled."
IL beg Of YOU" I began, very much
embarrassed: ut is really nothing at
ALL" And In that statement | was
merely quoting lnky's own words.
"May l look?" she persisted. resting
one white hand on the old battered
lid Of the desk. "I'm going to-"
l was powerless. Her smile fairly
turned my head. ~
II can refuse you nothing" muir.
INJURED.
The next moment she had the lid up
and was rummaging through an nc.
emulation Of books and papers. She
came upon It suddenly.
"Oh," she cried. "where did you get
itw
I explained that | had taken It from
her brother and had nnlawfnlly retain.
ed It In my possession. Unfortunate.
", she soon turned It ver and discov-
cred the verses penciled or the back.
"That IL very silly" she observed
severely, and then with a demure
smile, But It Ia very clever"
without looking up she replaced the
photograph In the desk and closed
down the lid.
After Mr.. Lyden and the Aliens were
all clear Of the building lnky came
rushing back to my room.
"What do you think Of her" he in.
Quired eagerly.
II never met a more agreeable young
lady" was my guarded reply.
"Of course you didn't" he said glee.
fully. "Ett's a hummer. You ought to
hear her play the piano and sing. And
she writes poetry, too, but I'm the on.
" one that knows It. Say. why don't
you 60 In and win3 I'll back YOU"
Ingram" said solemnly, these
matters are entirely too serious and
sacred to be made light Of"
Inky grinned and clacked his tongue
In his cheek.
"say." he cried suddenly, did any Of
your people get cut up In the Revolu.
ton"
Several Of thcm," I replied.
GOOD enough" he exclaimed.
That's big casino with the mater!
Oh, I see Lyden's finish!
A few days later Inky whispered TO
me during class that I was loon to DO
invited "up to the house" and must on
no account fall to respond In person.
The invitation did arrive, andT avail.
ed myself Of the privilege.
Mr.. Allen was jovial; the mater grew
deeply interested In my family tree;
Miss Allen treated me with great kind.
ness; lnky could scarcely refrain from
standing on his head. The presence of
Lyden as an old friend Of the family
alone marred the pleasure Of the even.
Ing.
was not aware that during the u G
ceeding days my treatment Of Inky
grew any more %lenient, yet 1t seems
that there was sufficient Partially dis.
played to excite the envy Of the other
students. This fact was deduced from
a conversation accidentally overheard.
In the words Of the oracle, Inky would
continue to have a "cInch" while the
"prof' was rushing his sister.
Ine money y seven 10 TWO ID yOur
favor" Inky remarked n Friday aft
ernoon as ! was going home with him
after school, for such had become my
custom. 'Lyden isn't one, two, three.
He's out of the race; left at the pole"
That particular afternoon was des-
tined to become one Of the happiest
periods In my life, Miss Allen was
alone and received me with outstretch.
ed hands, Inspired by Inky's conf
dence; ! risked all and O After an
Infinite elapse Of time we saw Inky
emerge from n dim corner Of the room,
"lngram," said his sister, was 1t
nice of you to try and overhear con-
hdences"
EFT" Inky replied, II couldn't stay
lXlY. WAS afraid be would funk nj