The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-03-16
UNDER ARREST.

She was an uncommonly pretty girl,
and it was not mere beauty of feature
and coloring, there was something more
in the face. Perhaps it was the express
Nsion Of the blue eyes that changed in
sympathy with ones mood, or perhaps it
was an indescribable something about the
small mouth, which was smiling one mo-
ment and serious the next. AT any rate,
l went to Mrs. Parker's dance quite
fancy free, and came away that night
minus my heart.
| Her name was Helen Evertson. We
had danced together three or four times,
had eaten our supper in a dimly-lighted
corner OF the great, square hall, and at
parting | had helped her on with her long,
fur-trimmed cloak, and held her hand in
mine for moment. Then she had van
ished into carriage that was waiting at
the door-and that was all.
strolled home, determined that very
shortly | would ask Mrs. Parker, who
was an old friend Of my mothers, to take
me to call upon Miss Evertson.
! Some two weeks later we moved from
the home where my boyhood had been
spent, my father having bought a house
farther up town. Our new residence was
one of row of houses that extended
over half a block, each one being the
exact counterpart of all the others. This
made 1t rather confusing at first, particu-
| larry as the numbers were on the lower
panels of the doors, and, in consequence,
quite useless after dark. The first few
evenings when returning home from
business, l counted the houses to avoid
| any possibility of mistake, after which |
| came to know our own door instnctively
and ceased to give the matter any
| thought.
T1,p uS.,%, IL: T..
gone and had still no opportunity of fol-
| lowing up my acquaintance with Miss
| EvertsOn. l had called several times at
Mrs. Parkers, but had always been so
unfortunate as to find her out. AT last l
wrote her a note, to which she replied,
saying that she was just going to Wash
| ington for a few weeks, but would be
! on her return.
left the office one afternoon in Il
| binding snowstorm, and alighting from
| the car at the corner of our street. hur-
ried along through the gathering gloom,
feeling thankful when found myself at
in the lock, and entering the house closed
the door after me, giving, as 1 did so,
sigh of satisfaction and relief. The
house was all i'll darkness, but not know
ing where to put my hand on match,
and taking it for granted that the maid
would light the hall gas presently, die
not trouble myself about it, but made my
I way up to my own room, which was in
| the third story.
had just reached the upper hall when
the front door opened and then closed,
after which came the sound of an I'M
lighter than fathers and quicker than
mothers, and could not possibly belong
| to either of the servants, who were both
mlddle-aged and moved slowly. Along
! the, second-story hall and up the next
flight of stairs came the strange step,
while l grew more and more curious
had to hunt sometime to find the
matches. which were not in their accus-
! toned place on the mantelpiece | dis
| covered them at last. and as / struck
| light a heard stif1ed exclamation from
the head of the stairs. Hastily lighting
the gas | turned around and at the same
moment the door of my room was closed
with what seemed to me most unneces-
sary violence, and the sound of the key
being turned in the lock fell upon my
astonished ear.
Down the stairs few the feet which
4 few moments before I had heard COM
ing up. and once more the front door was
opened and then closed.
| Wondering very much at these singular
proceedings ratified the knob and called
out. but ali to no purpose. There was no
bell in my room and twas evident that
|
less to try to make myself heard by the
| servants.
At last, deciding that this must be a
| joke on the part of one of my young
cousins. who occasionally visited us, and
who had probably arrived that day during
my absence down town, I took off my
overcoat and sat down before the CRATE
fire that l had lighted.
1t was very soothing and comfortable
| to feel the warmth stealing over by we'll
nigh benumbed limbs, and lost in day
dreams, l soon forgot that l was a pris-
oner.
| do not know how long had sat there
half doing, when I was aroused by the
sound Of voices in the hall.
HE is in there came in an audible
doubt he is armed!''
The next moment the door opened, and
tau. muscular Hibernian, wearing 4
policeman s uniform, entered the room.
He looked considerably astonished at
| seeing me sitting quietly. before the fire,
but quickly recovering himself, he laid
nod q1 OF my arm, saying as he did so:
| "Will yer come along wild me quiet, or
will l have ter make yer? It's under ar
rest ye are. What does dacent-lookin'
man like yerself want to be snak-thavin'
for an scarn' young ladies out of their
wits?'
stared at the man in amazement.
Looking about l assured myself that I
was surrounded by my own familiar pos
sessions, while my unlimited visitors
wee grip on my arm convinced me
"Otticer," I finally managed to utter,
| there is some mistake
He gave sarcastic laugh as he an
swered:
That's what they always say, every
tonne. Come along wild me, now"
| Is INV fofh nw1c
this is my own room" exclaimed. Il
don't know who the young lady to whom
you refer may be, but l should say she
had come a considerable distance out of
her way to get frightened"
He is quite right am the real in
truder," said a gentle, feminine voice.
A very much notwithstanding young
| girl was standing in the doorway.
| Miss Everston!'
| "Mr. Clark, do not know what can
say-how 1 can explain this mistake"
she stammered. 1--WE live in one Of
these houses, and my room is the one
home little while ago let myself in
with my key and came directly upstairs.
Seeing you in what 1 supposed to be my
room thought of course that you were
sneakthief. did not have time to
recognize you, and the halls We're dark,
and the possibility of having gotten into
l
When l came back with this officer
was guided by my own recent footprints
in. the snow, which accounts for my
second mistake-I cannot tell you how
sorry and ashamed feel @,Ssz ~ 81 -:
The good-natured 1rishnan INDUCED in
hearty laugh, in which. I joined, and
Miss Evertson, too, Notwithstanding her
embarrassment, could not help seeing the
ridiculous side of the situation. 81 =
We proceeded downstairs, where we
met my father and mother, who had just
come in, and to whom it was necessary
to explain the presence in their house
of an officer Of the law and strange
young lady. They enjoyed the joke, and
seeing Miss Eyerts0n's embarrassment,
endeayored to put her at her ease. D,
And then, with no thought Of cold or
snow, | put on my hat and coat and es-
corted our fair neighbor to her door.
One Sunday afternoon in the spring
was calling at Mrs. Parker's, and as l.
ess said !. q 81.
&