The citizen., 1901-03-08
THE LETTER BOX.
The Jealousy of n Judge Came
Very Near Being His
Ruin.
o.@s0.0.Ns0e.@.a.A.A.s

Oue udy us ne entered the YeStlbule of
large house inhabited by merchants and
government officials he found the janitor
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 HauSa caught
q glimpse of one of the letters The adj
dress struck him as being in familiar
handwriting, and no sooner had the ian
ltor dropped the letter into one of the
boxes than 1t flashed upon him that ii
was Wilhelmina's. \ 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
resident of this house Who could il
be? Or was he mistaken? Was it mere
ly an accidental similarity of handwlit-
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 a 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 a gentleman with a janitor
You are not asked to tell all this" he
said grulily 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 Wihel-
nina:
AS | passed through k street this
morning | met an old chum of mine
whom | 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 blushcd.
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 been 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, Wilhelmna?" he
asked
Nothing"
"Are you siek?"
Whats got into you?"
But you look-er-I thought-er-you
looked--cr-indisposed."
She burst out laughing and he couldn't
help joining in, but 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 uncle's.
AS he passed the painters letter box he
took look at the pccpholes in the door.
There were no letters within.
His curiosity kept growing and with it
his wrerchcdness.
What were YOU laughing at the other
day. Wilhelmina?" he inquired.
'When! she asked with a blank face.
when l 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 a part?' he asked him
self. 'She certainly heard me speak of
k street"
'Why, told you l met friend whom
had not seen for three years, and
THAT l remember, but what has that
got to do with k street?" she de-
manded rather testify.
Simply this" he answered morosely,
''that told you how my friend and
had met on k street"
Ilt,t hot Of 4
it make whether it was k street or
Charlotten street or any other street,"
ITO you it does not perhaps, but to me
it does" he declared vchemently and
dropped his glance.
81 don't know what you're talking
about. Ludwig" she rejoined whereupon
he scrutinized her face for some mo.
ments. and, convincing himself that her
remark was perfectly sincere, he broke
into a merry laugh as he said
Il don't know what am talking about
myself"
They went out for walk and passed
happy evening together, and as he pro-
ceedcd on his way home he bcratcd him
self for jealous idiot and n BOBBY. He
went to bed in excellent spirits and slept
like top. Nevertheless the next morn
ing rs he bent over his washstand and
began rolling up the sleeve of his under
shirt n disagreeable thought planted it.
self in his brain. There was a question
mark TO that thought. "Can it be that
she was foOling me: that it was all act
ing?' he asked himself. "If she loves
somebody else, what made her accept
he?" he argued and reganed his com
posure but the next moment he reflected
that the painter might be prevented from
marrying Wilhclmina. He imagined
weird love intrigue, mysterious plot
with his Wilhemina as its central fig.
ure, and his curiosity and the mystery
grew and grew.
"What nils you?" she asked him one
day, noticing his worried look.
"Nothing at ALL"
"But you look out of sorts"
He assured her he was in good spirits,
but inwardly wondered whether her ques.
tons were not part of a complex scheme
TO deceive him.
One day, as he entered the vestibule of
the house where his uncle lived, he be.
held letter in the painters box. lie
took close look at it through the little
holes in the door, and. oh, horrors. he
was sure the "lcn" which he could make
out near the corner of the envelope was
in her handwriting. An ungovernable
desire to pry out the letter and to see the
whole address seized Ludwig. He strug-
gled with the temptation like lion. He
cursed himself, he gnashed his teeth, he