The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-10
CHAPTER u.-BLIGHTED.

chaf, 1 left him and went upstairs.
CHAPTER u.-BLIGHTED.
The occurrences of the following day are
engraved upon M memory with a red-hot
iron. / would not go through them again,
no, not for fifty pounds. / write these lines
with my hand trembling like and aspen
leaf, in the firm persuasion that my nerves
will never recover from the shock.
1 went to bed. I slept-what a highland
the next morning 1 arose. worn and bag
gard. 1 had an intuition of evil in the air.
If some sibyl Of pagan days had stepped
into my room and foretold disaster 1 should
only have smiled a sickly smile. For / felt
Il knew something was coming.
i dressed. / went down to breakfast. 1t
was about 10 o'clock: mark the hourl The
room was empty and the first
thing saw was a letter lying on my plate.
With forebodings of evil I took it up. 1t
was addressed = Lewis, Esq" evidently
from a stranger-to my friends I was al
ways Edgar. 1 hesitated. / tore it open.
This is what 1 read:
Shiny wife tells me that during my
unavoidable absence in town you have SUBJ
which tonight has eliminated in proposals
or an outrageous nature. l write to point
out that a convenient train leaves this town
at 1890 a. m. L shall call at your hotel at
u:OO. Should | find you still in il the con-
sequences. so far as you are concerned, will
De unpleaSant.I am, Sir, your obedient
servant, JOHN DAY"
L dropped the letter from my palsied
hand. 1870! 1t was already ten minutes
after the hour. and L was in my slippers.
l was standing on an abyss. For all I
knew, this man, John Day, was a ruff
fan who would break bones as readily as
his wife chopped mincemeat. To explain
was out of the question; my nerves were
in such a state l should have made things
worse than before. One alternative. two
alternatives presented themselves-the no.
lice. and David Summers. Where was
David 1 rang the bell. In tones
which must lave conveyed to the waiter
some idea of my condition, 1 asked him
where was David Summers?
Mr.. Summers, sir? In the dra wing room
sir!"
I'm the drawing room," I turned and
fed.
Snatching up the letter, leaving my un-
tasted breakfast, 1 rushed in the direction
OF the drawing room. 1 reached the door.
L paused. L listened. / heard two voices
David's and a woman's.
Good gracious, What can this mean -
L turned the handle. 1 peeped inside,
Shall l ever forget the sight I saw? In
spite of the early hour, in spite of the great
French window looking out on to the road.
In spite of propriety, in spite of everything,
there was David summers holding Mrs.
Clifford so closely in his arms that you
could not have passed a sheet of paper
between him and her. 1 was amazed ]
was Mortified! Was not one woman upon
our hands enough without a second?
ADA" he was saying, Ada, my own
Pet love, do you think that L could lose
your"
And then, so far as / could see, he
squeezed her tighter. How any woman
with any sense of dignity-not to mention
the painfulness of the process-could allow
him to so on like hat was more than /
could understand.
'Oh, my Davidi"-the woman had hardly
known him a week, and she called him her
Davidi-she was so amazingly pretty, tina
was the strangest part of lit could not
let you CO."
To describe what followed as kissing
would be not to describe it at all. Any
thing more Objectionable 1 never saw. HI
kissed every quarter-inch of her counte-
nance-some of it twice over; and so far as
L could discover, she never made the slight
est protest. / could have sunk into the
ground with shame. But the clock behind
re, striking the quarter, brought ne to my
senses.
\ ssnavidf' oriad sfDayfdfu
He turned. He saw me. But he never
FLUSHED, he never even gave one sign of
shame.
Sect
Was 1? Indeed. He took her by the hand
and brought her to me.
"Allow me to introduce you to the future
Mrs. Summers"
She blushed-I was glad to see she had
the decency to blush-but he burst into a
hullaballoo of laughter. 1 b~owed-pretty
| stiffly, l flatter myself.
whats the time? - he exclaimed, looking
at his watch. Quarter past 10! Hang it,
We must be off,
OFF, 1 cried. aghast. off,
Not before 1 had had a word with him
in private. Business before pleasure.
"Oh." he exclaimed, there's a pretty
pickle! No end of rumors! Here's Ada's
father down on us like a carload of bricks.
He says If we make a match of 1t, why,
bless me, there'll be murderl So, as we
don't want to have anything unpleasant
were going to run up by the 1920 and get
a special license-regular elopement. Edgar,
my boy, pack up my luggage and bring
1t when you come. I've paid the bin. Come
along. my love. Good-bye!'
He was going. He was actually going.
do L understand" / began, and 1 expect
1 was the color of this sheet of paper.
You do. exactly! I'll write to you from
town."
Zone word! one word. Are you aware
Perfectly. l wish you luck with Alice."
He was gone. / saw him pass down the
Faith with Mrs. Clifford on his arm. Ny
impression is. 1 tainted The first thing
| saw when / came to was the waiter star.
ing. / am inclined TO believe that-at tina
hour of the morningi-he thought I was
drunk.
'Waiter.' I gasped. stop him."
Yes, sir. Directly, sir Who, sir?'
Mr.. Summersi"
Mr.. Summers, sir? Gone to the station
sir! Paid his bill, sir,"
/ do not know If he thought I was afraid