Middletown transcript., 1905-06-17

your dear self booted and spurred, as j
were, and the minute you get my letter
step into the cars and come. | shall lool
for you next Saturday week, by the trail
which you were to have taken to-day
Fortune, and especially misfortune, i
not always the "fckle jade" which poet
represent her to be she frequently ex
hibits tenacity Of purpose which shoult
command our admiration. So Tom ough
not to have been surprised wien, ono
more, lie received letter from LuciIl
just in time to prevent him from going Il
meet her.
dearest Tom," she wrote, II thinl
we had better give it up; | am reall,
afraid to have you send me any more
money! | was all ready last evening
and 50 happy, but just little tired, for
had been making some things for cousir
Bertha-which she says | make better
than anybody.
II took Bert to my room, because poor
cousin Bertha was trying to get little
nap; and Bert has actually learned tc
whistle-yeu never saw anything funnier
But it goes through and through cousin
Bertha's head, she says so when found
he would not stop, said, Come, whistle
for sister in her room, DEAR and he
came, like the little lamb that he is. /
gave him my purse to play with, never
dreaming that he could open it-but he
is so clever for his age-and then just
dropped on the bed till the tea bell should
ring, and the first thing knew, Bert was
poking the purse in my face and when
took it, it was empty | thought, of
course, the money-it was your Y, you
know, Tom-would be on the floor when
| couldn't find it, tried to make Bert
understand, and tell me where it was.
He understood, and looked as grave as a
judge, and said Bert Gated it up Bert
was velly hungIyr And really believe
he did, for you know it wasn't by any
means spandy clean note, and the little
fellow was dreadfully sick in tile night.
| feel utterly disappointed-only don't
send me any more money.
LuciIla Lawrence, what do you take
me for ?" replied Tom; "you are too
superstitious. l will not dwell upon nv
disappointment-you are perhaps aware
that the mill never grinds with the water
that is past; but week after next, shall
send you three dollars-would that it
might be more, but my shoemaker is a
heartless fiend, who will not even hall
sole until the past is cancelled and you
will take the train. twice before specified,
and | will meet you as aforesaid; and all
will yet he well. Only deposit my re-
mittance in double-locked receptacle,
for the few hours during which it will be
in your custody; and request father to
take you to the station, hny your ticket
for you, and not loose sight OF you until
the cars are in motion"
But although Tom reproved Lucilla for
her developing tendency towards fatalism
he had curious feeling Of having known
it all along, when the appointed day once
more brought him letter from Lucilla;
and it was with deep disgust, rather than
that he read the follow
ing:
My darling; there is no use in any-
thingt ! have just alarmed my family
with the first busting into tears since |
used to bump my head in the happy
hours Of childhood; so | will not over
whelm yon with my woe, but jnst make
a brief statement Of tile hearL-rending
facts OF the case | can hardly bear to
tell you that it was Bert again; for don't
want You, even in thought, to blame tile
precious child, whose escape from
dreadful death was SO narrow, that | still
to think OF it.
"When your last letter came, thew all
me as if-but what a fool
lsh speech !! | mean the dear things
were all as glad as if it had been them
selves. But, as ill-luck would have il,
the milk-man handed in his bill lust as
we sat talking about it, and | said |
might as well pay tit was inst three
dollars-and not make him take it away
when it was all receipted, and then
father could pay me in the evening. i
knew he would have it, for he is SO par
ticnlar about letting bills run, and always
has the money ready, no matter what
he goes without. Cousin Bertha didn't
want me to; she said that if that money
hadn't happened to come just then. the
man must have waited till the next day.
and she didn't want me to run any risks.
alter all that had happened, but i just
and now-how | wish | had
been led by her l paid him; and she
vas SO eager to have ME paid back, that
she made father give it to me the minute
he got into the room; and, like the fool
hat generally am, | laid it on the table
my purse was upstairs, being temper.
arily out OF commission-andw went out to
ca. We were late that evening, for
ather had told us he would be detained
ind we had waited for him; so | had
yiven Bert his supper and put him to
bed, before father came. The door was
open between the dining-room and
library; but nobody heard any sound.
ill all OF sudden, Bert's sweet, merry
augh came through the door, and we
leard him say, s'pretty, pretty y in his
title broken way. | rushed in, for some
Tow my heart sank prophetically; there
le sat before the open fire, from which |
he guard had been taken after lie went
9 bed, in his little white night-gown,
With his cheeks all flushed, and his vel
ow hair falling over his shou lders, and |
It his little bare feet, Oh the hearth. were
hree bits Of burning paper. The hem Of |
lis night-gown was fairly smoking, in
me place, and would have been all in A
,laze in another minute. / caught him
Up, and crushed the burning place-my