The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-12
4 PLOT THAT FAILED

HELEN ATH E r S

woman trembled. then pulled herself to-
gether and said
Where is she? With Jem Carson. of
coursel Can't you read her handwriting?'
81 can read your face better" said John,
and let her go so abruptly that she almost
fell. Now, John was gentleman by birth.
but he hated her so horribly at that moment
that he behaved like q cad.
He went out. and to the railway station,
and made inquiries. The porters all knew
Pip by sight there, and she had certainly
gone to town that morning by the HIS. and
Mr.. Carson had all but missed the train,
jumping into the carriage when it was NOV
ing.
Miss Pip had no luggage and looked flus-
tered volunteered the porter. And this
was unusual. for youth is rarely in furry.
while business is the hallmark of middle
age.
John walked out into the coldness OF the
spring night and cursed himself for fool
not to have brought away with him Pip's
letter to her mother, in which she an
nounced that she was going away with
Jem Carson.
John is too old for me (she wrote). Per-
haps Sarah will take him back"
Pip had never written that If 1t were
true, why had she not addressed the letter
to him? He knew her writing. and would
detect a forgery. He went straight
back to Dovecotes and pushed into the din
ing room. but one was there. for the
hour-was late; but though he sent message
after message. the letter was not forthcom-
ing.
He went back to his anomalous lodging
and sat up all night, grimly thinking the
thing out, and, though he was not an mag
NATIVE man. 1 am sure he saw very clearly
the little house that Pip and he had been
going to furnish. the furniture they had
decided upon, and even the double white
violets they meant to sow in the garden.
In the morning he went up to town by the
early train that he had never once missed.
save on Sundays and holidays, for twenty
years. and walked into his bank as usual.
for there Is this drawback in the pleasant
routine of a business mans life, that IL does
not take into account private misfortune.
and John, as head Of his department, could
not put any other man in to take over his
very responsible post. But in the luncheon
hour he went to look for Jem Carson.
whose Offices were close by.
Mr.. Carson was away, had left town for
abroad the preceding night, leaving no ad-
DRESS and Johns lips whitened as he heard
1t. And yet he knew that treachery was at
work, and not for one moment did he
doubt his little Pip-though his head was
Just level with her shoulder when walking,
still she was always little" to him, while
he had seemed to stand to her for every
thing that was strong and kind and true
as indeed he was, stature Notwithstanding
He knew that Jem Carson, like many other
| men in the place. had admired the blue
| eyed, black-haired, rosy-cheeked girl; but
Pip had never even glanced the way OF
lovers anywhere near her own age. even
ten years ahead of 1t. She called them
''boys." and did not find the difference of a
quarter of century between herself and
John the slightest bar to their happy COM
partnership.
Pip. indeed, was young person of char
acter, and already was bringing John up in
the way he should go. for she had definite
views about clubs. and late hours, and un-
limited drinks, while her mother had made
of her an excellent manager: and the ex-
change of Johns careless bachelorhood fol-
the comfort of home would probably add a
considerable number Of years to his life.
But now-now he saw how blind he and
Pip had been to think Sarah would sit
| quietly down under her wrongs For Sarah
was at the bottom of Pip's disappearance
of that John was certain; but until Carson
returned he had nothing to go on, and de-
| tectives he could not afford. He came to
| know that Sarah was in town constantly
Had he been able to follow her up he might
possibly have found out something. But he
was not Free and only his grit carried him
| over that bad time when the days went by
and still Pip made no sign.
And now behold the irony of circumstance
A man who had loved Sarah as a girl. beer
passed over by her for the lover she finally
shook of in the divorce court, had gone
| abroad, only once revisiting his native
place, when he found Sarah, to his mind
| handsomer than ever. going about with
| John, and after another absence of years
came home a week after Pip's evanishment
| On inquiry for Mrs. John Warner (suppos-
| ing his old love married) he discovered that
| Pip was to have been that lady, not Sarah.
| For Ted, who was dark, fine well-to-do
| man, and a hearty. wasted no time in
| beating about the bush. but made such hot
love that Sarah found herself In the de-
| lightful situation of being ardently wor-
SHIPPED, not only for the beauty she had
| but for all that Ted remembered of her
handsome youth. And as his business lay
| on board ship, and most of his life was
| spent at sea- he clamored for an immediate
marriage, TO which she was nothing 10th
| nay, eager.
Sing, we little birds, of the raptures OF
| this middle-aged wooer, who had loved and
| lost his love. not once. but twice, and now
listened infatuated to her artless tale OF
| how she had never loved but him, had
even pressed her sister on John, that John
might not mourn her jilting of him toe
deeply Sing of all those flirting airs and
| graces which the woed woman takes sc
kindly. and that endow her with the self
respect which never properly fourishes