Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-12


he LOOKED E THROUGH AND THROUGH.
thought that they We're written to you;
never, really, until you looked SO guilty,
SO grief stricken and contrite. You are
telling me the truth now, Arthur? You
swear iii"
II have no a to do otherwise"
said he. II shall return the letters to
the writer"
But why are the addresses cut out
of the envelopes" she asked.
"a device of the late Mr.. Sargent,
who was not noted for c%onstancy," re.
piled Graden. There was a rich wild
ow whom he hoped to win, and she
sometimes waited in his office. just as
you were waiting in mine, Muriel."
"And IL she had found the letters
with no anne on Them" said Muriel,
'he would have told her that they were
not his, just as you have told me that
they r not yours. Arthur, I cannot
believe this story. I think you ought
to tell me who this girl is, and then !
can judge
He checked her by a pleading. hope.
less glance and q weak wave of the
hand.
u must" said he-"1 must tell you
who she is. / see nc way to avoid it. I
am amazed that you do not know. You
can't be unfamiliar with your cousins
writing"
Muriel turned white.
"Annie! Ny cousin!" she cried and
snatched UP n Of the letters. Eyes;
it is hers. l never saw much of her
writing. We didn't write to each 9th
er. And 1t is she-Arthur, I can't be-
lieve this"
81 knew Of it or at least guessed It,"
said Graden. with returning calmness.
II saw that she was drifting toward
Sargent, and | warned her against him
before ! went west"
"Mr. S~argent?"p she cried. do you
still expect me to believe
"Muriel, Muriel," he interrupted in
the voice Of one deadly sick at heart,
do you not see? Do you not remem-
Der one word? These letters that you
have read are all stolen. j told you
that l was amazed by my first glance
at them. Muriel. they are mine-my
letters to you, line for line, almost
word for word. She has taken what
wrote you when l was in Chicago, all
the stuff as you called it; all that l
thought was the true word Of love,
though you said it was pretty sick
five minutes ago. l don't know wheth.
er you gave her my letters to read or
whether she pried into them. l haven't
had time to take these silly effusions
back to her. But in any case, liking my
style Of stuff she has faithfully cop.
led it, changing only so much as wal
necessary to make 1t read as il writ.
ten by a woman Yes, Muriel. that's
my love talk to you. The words you
have just read aloud to me are the
same that you have been accustomed
to read oyer and over again before 60.
Ing to bed and repeat softly to yourself
while waiting for slumber to watt you
away and repeat again when you woke
in the morning. All, Muriel. you must
have loved those letters!"
Muriel was panic stricken. Her gold,
en- palace was tumbling about her ears.
She was frantic.
Arthur" she cried, they were beau.
tiful! I did read them! All, how l
loved them! And 1 do remember! But
I was SO excited, 81 jealous! remem.
Der every word. How could l have
been SO crazy as not to know this that
l have read a thousand times?"
She snatched up one Of the letters
from the desk and read at radon. and
it happened that she lit upon n of the
few passages that were truly original
with Cousin Annie!
Graden got upon his feet ana looked
at her. He looked her through and
through. Then he turned and went on,
Of the Office.
When he came back from abroad
about a year later. the Ballantynes
were no longer In our city. He went
humbly to the house of the girl who
loved him and was worthy Of him, and
Constance told him truly that she was
very glad he had come back. =.