The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-08-10
THE LETTER BOX.
Tho Jealousy Of q Jndgc Came
Very Near Being His
Ruin.

sorting the morning mail and putting
some of the letters into the mail boxes
which were nailed to the wall near the
front staircase. Somehow Hansa caught
a glimpse of one of the letters. The add
dress struck him as being in familiar
handwriting, and no sooner had the jan
itor dropped the letter into one of the
boxes than it flashed upon him that it
was Wilhelmina's. a wild feeling of
curiosity took hold of Hansa. His sweet
heart had never told him she knew any,
body in this remote Part of the city, much
less that she was in correspondence with
q resident of this house. Who could it
be2 Or was he mistaken? Was it mere
ly an accidental similarity of handwrit-
ing? He burned to see the letter once
more, and as his eyes met the janitor's
he asked involuntarily:
Whose box is it?'
"a young gentleman's. He has lived
here since Christmas. He Is young
painter He is single, yet he occupies a
large apartment. He's rich and hand
some" said the janitor, with obsequious
garrulity.
Ludwig's heart sank within him. At
the same time he was overcome with a
keen sense of his self humiliation at dis
cussing gentleman with janitor.
"You are not asked to tell all this" he
said gruifly and betook himself to the
house of his uncle, the old town hail
clerk. on the third floor, rear staircase.
That evening Hansa said to Wilhel-
nina:
''As 1 passed through X street this
morning l met an old chum of mine
whom l had not seen for three years"
and as he spoke he watched her closely
to see the effect which the mention Of the
street would have on her. She blushed,
sure enough, The blood rushed to his
face, then back to his heart. and he felt
held to the spot. Was he mistaken? If
he was, why did she not even ask what
he had brcn doing on k street? At
all events, he repeated the name again
and again. staring her full in the face.
She did not exactly blush, but her eyes
certainly had an unsteady look in them.
She seemed to be painfully embarrassed.
Whats the matter, Wilhelmina?" he
asked.
Nothing"
''Are you sick?
whats got into you?"
But you look-er-I thought-er-you
Observation-Disclosures
She burst out laughing, and he couldn't
help joining in. hut in the depths of his
heart lay trouble which was growing
more excruciating every minute. If he
could only ask her and have done with
it. But this he had not the heart to do.
Indeed she might take offense and return
his engagement ring. The judge shud-
dered to think of it.
The next day he went to his unclc's
|, h.. - lo
took look at the pccpholes in the door.
There were no letters within.
His curiosity kept growing and with 1t
his wretchcdncss.
what were You laughing at the other
day, WiIh"lmina?" he inquired.
"When!" she asked with IL blank face.
"NYhen | was telling you about k
street,
* street, she echoed. "Where is
k street,"
Can it be that she does not remember
the way she burst out laughing that day
or is she acting part!" he asked him
self. "She certainly heard me speak of
X street.
"Why, l told you l met n friend whom
had not seen for three years, and
That l remember, but what has that
got to do with X street," she de-
mandcd rather testify.
simply this" he answered morosely,
that | told you how my friend and
had met on k street"
''But what Of it? What difference does
it make whether it was X street or
CharIotten street or any other streety'
"To you it does not perhaps, but to me
it does" he declared vehemcntly and
dropped his glance.
Il don't know what you're talking
about. Ludwig" she rcjoined, whereupon
he scrutinizcd her face for some mo-
mcnts. and, convincing himself that her
remark was perfectly sincere, he broke
into merry laugh as he said:
Il don't know what am talking about
myself"
They went out for n walk and passed
4 happy evening together, and as be pro-
coded on his waT home he bPratcd him
self for Jealous idiot and BOBBY. He
went to bed in excellent spirits and slept
Ike n top Nevertheless the next morn
ing as he bent over his washstand and
hogan rolling mp the sleeve of his under
shirt Il hisagrceablc thought planted it
self in his brain. There was a question
mark to that thought. Can it he that
she was foolns ne: that it was all act
ing?" he asked himself. 'If she loves
somebody else, what made her accept
me?' he argued ard rrgaincd his com
posure. but the next moment he reflected
that th" painter might be prevented from
marryin. Wilhelmina. He imagined
weird love intrigue. n mysterious plot
with his Wilhclmina as its central
IRE, ard his curiosity and the myster!
grew and sr"w.
"Wlat nils you?" she asked him one
day. noticing his worried look.
"Nothing AZ all"
"But you look ont of Sorts"
He assured her he was in good spirits.
but inwardly wondered whether her qnes-
tons wrre not part Of complex scheme
to deceive him.
One day. as he entered the vestibric of
the house where his uncle lived. he be-
held letter in the painters box. lie
took close look ut it through the little
holes in fhc door. and. oh. h"rrorS. he
was sure the lem which he could max"
out near the corner of the envelope was
in her hnE:' "ritinC. An nn="vcrnnhir
desire to pry out the letter and to see the
whole address seized Ludwig. lie strug-
glcd with the temptation like lion. lie
cursed himself, he Snashcd his teeth, lie
growled. but he took out his penknife all
the same. He put it back into his pocket,
asked himself whether he was crazy, but
two or three minutes later. when he was
about to open mis- nnclc's door, he sudden
ly started back, and before he could stop
himself he stood, knife in hand, strug-
Cling, not with his own temptation. but
with the letter. He was all perSpiring
and the letter was fairly covered with the
bricks of his knife. and when he had got
hold of 1t at last and was about to fish
il out footsteps were heard outside the
gate. and the judge, turning pale rs
death. let go of his quarry and tiptoed
his way back 10 his uncle's door.
That night he dreamed of letter box.
1t was somehow confused with his court
room. Each peephole in the door was at
the same time an eye, an eye which was
winking, while crowd of people were
hooting and jccring at him.
This fuolishneSs must STOP he said
to himself in the morning. But it did not
stop, and a week had not passed before
he found himself in front of the terrible
|, tier box once more. graphing with his
temptation and-the painters letter. This
time he tished it out undisturbed, but to
his great joy and at the same time to
his great chagrin. the address turned. out
10 he so utterly unlike Wilhelmina's chi
Biography that he hastily slid it hack. But
then the next letter he pulled out was
addressed in Il hand 81 strikinSly like
! hers that his head grew dizzy, aRl. Ie