The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-07-20

proposal, but I'll be blamed if she did
MT. She did it with whirl, too, that
almost made me dizzy. explained that
I could not come, as my friend-mean.
ing myself-would suspect something,
and it would not do to offend him until
we knew exactly how we stood. She
felt just as l did about it, she said, and
the only way to dispose of me was to
spring it on me and have it over all at
once.
''The evening of the day on which ]
received her letter of acceptance, so to
speak, called on her, as 1 did every
night nearly, and incidentally men,
toned Hart-who, by the way, had
never seen any of the letters she had
written-and shes aid, with coquet.
fish little smile, that she didn't under
stand why he had never come to see her
again, because she liked him, and be-.
Geved he liked her. I told her had
asked him as special favor not to
come because l was afraid of him, and
she chaffed me and said / was 'jeal
Gus old thing and that if 1 kept peo-
pie away as I was keeping Mr.. Hart,
she never would know anybody and a
whole lot more of the same sort.
"When I left her that night we fixed
the wedding for four weeks from then,
which would make it on the 18th of
June. The next morning 1 sent her a
letter saying that l understood my
friend-meaning myself be out
of town over the following Sunday,
and l would come over on the morn.
ing train, arriving at noon, and would
call at two o'clock and we would ar
range for an elopement, as that seemed
to be the only way to get rid of the
old man'-meaning myself. 1 also told
her to wire me Saturday evening let.
ting me know if my friend-meanins
myself-had gone as he thought of do.
ing.
THAT evening being Friday, 1 called
as usual, and informed her that I was
called out of town and would be gone
from Saturday evening until Monday
noon, and would probably meet Mr..
Hart, as he was expected to come down
from his town on matter of business
in which we were both interested.
told her 1 would be glad to deliver any
message she might like to send; but
she said Mr.. Hart had neglected her
shamefully and she hadn't any mes
sage to send to him, and what was
more she never expected to see him
again. She showed some little anxiety
when spoke of expecting to meet Hart,
but it was so Slight as to have escaped
the notice of any ordinary observer.
Saturday afternoon we took a walk,
ending at the station at five o'clock,
when she saw me off. I told her good
by so seriously that she laughed at me
and said 1 was saying it as if 1 never
expected to see her again, and then, by
Jove, kissed her and wrung her hand
again. You must know that was not
entirely without feeling.
II staid on the train till seven
o'clock and got off at junction to wait
for a train that would get me back
home about II o'clock. 1 kept to my
room next morning, sending the hotel
boy to the post Office at noon for my
mail, in which I received from Hart the
telegram which he had received the
evening before. 1t read: Coast clear,
expect you tomorrow and signed
with my own name, little subterfuge,
as Hart explained to me, to throw the
telegraph operator off of any suspicion.
At two o'clock / was at the front, door,
and, as is the custom in smaller towns.
she opened it for me herself. That she
was startled by my presence was plain
to be seen.
"'Oh,' she gasped, L thought
"'Yes, 1 know you did, / interrupted
her. You thought it was Mr.. Hart.
You are not mistaken. am Mr.. Hart.
Here is your telegram to me- and l
handed it opened to her.
"She gazed at me for full minute,
dozen contending emotions plainly
visible in her face, as the scheme I'M
folded itself to her, and then her lips
frightened across her teeth as she fairly
Kissed at me:
"'You contemplate curl
''She slammed the door in my face.
Of course, after that there could be
nothing but an end of our amicable re-
Iations, and the end came for all time.
We never spoke to each other again,
and the gossips had all they could do
to find out why we had broken our
engagement, but they never knew, for
she nor nor my brother ever told the
story. I am telling it now for the first
time, and because 1 have been wonder
ing all these years whether she was
right or not when she said I was a
contemplate cur. What do you say?"
Every man of them was plunged into
profound thought by the question, but
not one answered.-N. Y. Sun.
Crossing the Legs.