St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-02-10
WHEN
ABBERWOCk
RODE
By Keith Gordon,
Copyright. 1903, by T. G. Mcclure.

There was nothing at all extraor-
binary in it's appearance, and it ar
rived in the usual way. In other
words, it was a letter in a square
white envelope, and the stolid post
man stuffed it ipto that one Of the row
of mail boxes which bore the name
"Loring" just as indifferently as he
tucked an advertising circular into
Smiths box and an envelope bearing
all the outward and visible signs of a
bill into the Lymans'. Then he blew
a shrill note on his whistle and con-
tinued on his impersonal errand down
the block.
Barbara heard the whistle and won
dered with mild interest whether there
was any mail for her. Being mat
ter of fact young person, she went
calmly on about her affairs, having
learned from experience that her tiny
share of the United States mail was
not usually of character to make a
trip down four flights of stairs worth
while. Having no presentiment that
something superfine was hanging over
her head, it was fully an hour later
when she was ready to go out on an
errand. She fished a small key out of
the brass bowl that stood on the man
telsheIf and, making her way in an
unhurried manner to the vestibule,
fitted it into narrow slot in the mail
box and took out the letter.
Even then, with the momentous doc
ument in her fingers, she failed to
s'feel it in her bones," as her, great
\ I,o
that something unusual was about to
happen. A CLEAN of curiosity did.
however, light up her face as she
glanced at the superscription and,
tearing the edge Of the envelope off
daintily, passed out into the street,
reading the note as she went.
When she had finished she stopped
quite still and looked about her in
dazed way. She felt that it was the
sort of letter that could only arrive
by a page on silver tray, heralded
by fanfare of trumpets.
Still she seemed to be awake. All the
familiar landmarks were there-the
church across the way, the house OPP
posite where the ivy was just tingeing
the walls with faint green and the
inevitable group of children of assort-
ed ages and nationalities scurrying
hither and thither with small regard
for the usurping pedestrian. 1t looked
precisely like West -- street, Town.
She began to read the note second
time, moving automatically down the
street The blood rose in her cheeks,
and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
An elevated train Numbered by just
ahead of her with as much fuss as if it
were the Cyclone limited. It disap-
peared, and the commotion of it's pass
ing died on the air. But it had served
its purpose and established the reality
of things.
In the next block she ran into q port
1y colored woman, with large bundle.
Twenty Million she began in ex-
tenuation of her awkwardness. Then
as the woman stared at her in aston
ishment, 81 mean I beg your pardon!'
and she continued on her way toward
Fifth avenue with somewhat f1us-
tered countenance. Once there she
swung along as if she We're walking on
air, saying over and again to herself,
millions you understand mil
lions?"
Then she tried impatiently to get
away from that thought, to think of
what the note meant in more concrete
things. It would mean cabs and violetS
and maid. That was her first thought,
and she laughed outright at it's mea-
gerness. An imag ination Injured to pow
erty could not reach the possibilities of
such a fortune all at once. 1t would
how fn his FRO iT,nH nm 10 q G
contralto voices were sometimes trained
up to sopranos. Cabs and violets, in
deed! Orchids and victoria, with two
men on the box, was more like it.
But what were those things? Mere
bagatelles. 1t meant Paris, London, st.
Petersburg and Rome; aye, and India
and Egypt! 1t meant all the dreams of
her life come true and in addition
splendors that she had never even
thought of in her widest flights of
fancy.
She drew her breath in sharply. The
realization of what it would mean to
be the wife of a man with score Of
millions was almost oppressive. Even
now she was beginning to feel the re
sponsibility of wealth, and as she
turned into an art gallery at the corner
of Thirty fourth street, where in the
silence she meant to sit and think it
out, there was little frown upon her
forehead.
For the third time within the hour
she read over the note. Now that the
first dizziness of the magnifcence Of
fered her was over, she began to have
an acute sense of something else than
the twenty millions meant.
It meant being the wife of man
older than her own father would have
been had he lived and one for whom
in her most enthusiastic moments she
had never more than an Indifferent toll
Grafton. Still, with the glamour of his
great fortune about him, he did not
seem repellent. She tried to think what
their life together would be like. But
in spite of her best efforts it was an
other face-yOung. strong and frank