Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-12-25
OR A BITTER RECKONING
BY CHARLOTTE M. BRAEME

matter much whether | go or not, | will
do as he wishes about it,
AS she heard her fathers step on the
stairs she turned rs brightly as usual
toward him to say, Good morning -
Then she held his envelope behind her
playfully. saying: "A thousand guesses,
and you will not guess where this letter
is from. papa"
Il shall not make ohs---so tell me-"
1T is an invitation to Malilngford
ior the seventeenth of this month-from
Miss Mailing herself, for ball"
"A ball. he repeated. "Why in the
world should Miss Mailing invite me to
BALI! He looked at the envelope
curionsly. and then said: 1T is addressed
to q. Mallett. Esq and in Jack Dorm
tons writing. Oh l begin to under
stand he went on, in a voice Of genu-
Inc relief, as he took the card from the
envelope. IL feared for the moment that
Summers had been doing a kindness, as
he calls it, and persuaded Pauline Mall
ing to invite her poor relatives to her
ball. But this civiliy is evidently due
to Dornton's good nature, and is sent in
all good faith. to the Malletts, old
friends of mine as he would say in de-
scribing u.s.
| Nv no is Summers, papaT'
Lord Summers is your cousins guar
dian"
| "Of oOurse-I remember-the kind
looking old man we met at the Exhibit
ton last May"
"Yes. I've been in constant dread ever
| since that unfortunate meeting that he
would seek me out and try to do some
annoyed when you told him you copied
in the galleries; l thought he might
pounce on you and worm our address out
of you"
DO you think he would tell Miss
Mailing about my copying at the gal
leries, papa
"No doubt of it; he is an nveterate
talker"
Ethel had a sudden conviction that
Miss Mailing had used this informat ton
to obtain their address. if Lord Sum-
mers had not, and believed she had at
last found out to whom she was indebt-
ed for her anonymous letter. This be-
lief did not increase her desire to go to
Malilngford; but she held to her resolu-
ton to leave the decision in her fathers
hands.
"Do you want to go to the ball?" he
asked.
Il don't care one bit about it, IL you
don't want to go, dad"
Il don't care about the ball. either;
hut l should like you to see the old place,
Ethel. If we we're to go to the ball
should most likely run up against some
one who would remember me as Godfrey
Mailing. and there would be quite little
sensation over my temperance; but this
invitation entities us to call on Miss Mall
ing, in any case. Send an acceptance,
my dear; we can follow it up by an ex-
cuse on the morning of the 18th In the
meantime we will run down one day and
leave our cards and take a look round
just rs ordinary strangers. and no one
will think we are anything else"
Ethel was glad the question was set
tied i'll this way, for she, too, wished to
see the old house that should in justice
have been her fathers. Mr.. Malett open
ed the other letter and threw it across to
her.
Read it out Ethel. It's from Polling.
I've talked SO much that I've no time to
eat"
Ethel read the letter, which ran as
follows:
My Dear Mallett--I send some birds
by to-niChts train; hope they will arrive
all right. | am tired of this place, but
can't get away under the promised fort
night. My old friend has taken wife
since | last saw him. Said wife has
three sisters at present staying with her;
and. rs they are all of the genus blue
Stocking my life has been burden to
me since my arrival here. Sport is ex-
cellcnt, but just the least bit monotonous.
The house is full of pleasant people
and yet | miss your society more than
could have thought possible; and | am
really anxious to get back to our work.
Tell Miss Mallett not to forget her prom
iSe--'
what promise was that?" Mr.. Nal
lett asked
I'm not quite sure what he means.
unless" Ethel blushed slightly.
Never mind finish the letter to your
self my dear, for must be off directly"
After seeing her father off and finish
ing the letter, Ethel did not feel alto
gether happy. She was afraid Captain
Polling had set too high II value on her
words. and she tried to recall exactly
what she had said when he had called
to say good-by. What had really occurred
was this. When Ethel put her hand into
Pelling's he held it while he said:
Il wish | could Hatter myself by be-
lieving you would miss me a little while
| am away, Miss Mallett but perhaps it
would be welcome miss, for l know
I'm terrible bore sometimes"
He looked so wistful that Ethel felt
quite thrill of sympathy for him, and,
on the impulse of the moment, respond
ed:
I'm sure shall miss you. and shall
be glad to see you back again"
And Polling had left her with face
so glorihed with delight that she had
feared and wondered continually what
such gloriication might mean, and had
alternately blamed herself for her i'm
pusve words and him for his misinter-
probation of them.
Pauline was rather staggered a couple
of days later when she received aff1rma-
tive replies from Mr.. and Miss Mallett;
but she was In such q whirl Of excite
ment by this time that so small a peril
as visit from her uncle and cousin pass
ed by unheeded.