The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-04-19
WHEN
.1ABBERWOCK
RODE
By keffb Gordon
Copyright. 1903, by t. C. Mcclure.

There was nothing at all extraor-
dinary In its appearance, and IL ar
rived in the usual way. In other
words. IL was n letter In square
white envelope, and the stolid post
man stuffed IL into 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 shriil 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 a 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 a character to make
trip down four lights of stairs worth
while Having no presentiment that
something superhne was hanging over
her head. II 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
telshelf and. making her way in an
unhurried manner to the vestibule,
fitted IL into narrow slot in the mail
box and took out the letter.
Even then, with the momentous doc
ument i'm her fingers. she failed to
feel IL i'm her bones" as her great
great-grandmother would have done.
that something unusual was about to
happen A gleam Of curiosity did.
however. light up her face as she
glanced at the superscription and.
tearing the edge Of the envelope OF
daintIly. passed out into the street.
reading the note as she went.
When she had finished she stopped
quite still and looked about her I'm a
dazed way. She felt that II was the
sort OF letter that could only arrive
by a page on a silver tray, heralded
by a fanfare of trumpets.
Still she seemed to be awake. All the
familiar landmarks were there-the
church across the way, the house op-
posite where the ivy was just tingeing
the walls with a faint green and the
Inevitable group Of children of assort-
ed ages and nationalities sourrying
hither and thither with small regard
for the usurping pedestrian. 1t looked
precisely like West - street, Town.
She began to read the note a second
time. moving automatically down the
street. The blood rose in her cheeks,
and her eyes sparkled with excitement
An elevated train thundered by just
ahead Of her with as much fuss as II II
were the Cyclone limited 1t disap-
peared. and the commotion of its pass
ing died on the air. But 1t had served
its purpose and established the reality
of things.
In the next block she ran into a port
| ly 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. Il mean beg your pardon"
| and she continued on her way toward
Fifth avenue with q somewhat fus
tered countenance. Once there she
| swung along as II she were walking oil
| air, saying over and again to herself
-Millions-do you understand-mil
| lions?
Then she tried impatiently to ge
away from that thought, to think o
what the note meant In more concret,
things. 1t would mean cabs and violet
and maid. That was her first thought
and she laughed outright at its mea
gerness. An Imagination Injured to pov
erty could not reach the possibilities o
such a fortune all at once. 1t woul,
have to be trained up to II. just n
contralto voices were sometimes traine'
up to sopranos. Cabs and violets, In
deed, Orchids and n victoria, with tw
men on the box, was more like 1t.
But what were those things? Mer
bagatelles. II meant Paris, London, s.
Petersburg and Rome; aye. and Indi
and Egypt, II meant all the dreams o
her life come true and I'm additio
| splendors that she had never eve
thought OF In her widest flights o
fancy.
| She drew her breath In sharply. Tn
realization Of what IL would mean [
| be the wife of a man with a score O
millions was almost oppressive Eve
now she was beginning to feel the RI
sponsibility Of wealth. and as sh
turned into an art gallery at the corns
OF Thirty-fourth street. where I'm th
silence she meant to sit and think
out, there was q little frowp upon he
forehead.
For the third time within the hot
} she read over the note. Now that III
: first dizziness OF the magnificence o
fered her was over. she began to hay
an acute sense of something else this
, the twenty millions meant.
IL 1t meant being the wife Of a ms
. older than her own father would ha'
Q been had he lived and one for who
In her most enthusiastic moments 81
Q had never more than an Indifferent Il
Grafton. Still. with the glamour of h
great fortune about him. he did II
!, seem repellent. She tried to think VIII
n their life together would be like. Ii
Il in spite OF her best efforts IL was a
j. other face young. strong and frank
$ that rose before her. She summon
o Peter MIlward. but 1t was Jack ca
/ ruthers that appeared and insist
upon taking his place at her side.
She shook herself impatiently. a
from the expression of her face II W
evident that she willed Satan not
!. get behind her. but to come out into I