The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-31

them. for tllcn he would have unveiled
your lover to you and saved you from
yourself! But IL not from yourself
from the man at any rate you shall be
saved--1'll take care of that, IL there
he virtue In n wofnan's will, for he
won't meet you Mt the station, not IL
have to forge gives Of iron to peg
him here--Hcaven help me. Meantime,
home. home to my heart and then
none need ever know at all the cause
of your mutny. for have you not clop-
ed to me-? 80.
denny Price to Emily Holmes)
Dear Miss Holmes.r-I expect you'd
scarce remember me. not seeing me
these two years, but still, miss, no
doubt Miss Blanche have written you
something about me these last few
weeks. saying as how was helping
her in her love-affair and that. SO 1
take the liberty OF writing to. YOU
miss, to tell you as how everything
has turned out queer with poor Miss
Blanche since she been up to town. I
never was so down in the mouth miss
nor don't know what In the world to
do for the best: for, first place, that
shabby Mr.. O1aourke did not turn up
at the station. and the poor soul went
downright out OF her mind with the
shame and fright. for she had had no
end of strain put on her nerves those
last few days, and on the journey up
went off into fits more than once: so
what with not meeting Mr.. O'Rourke
and low her state was, and the strange
ness OF all away from her home, in
London all alone. she all but had hys-
terics in the cab to the hotel, and she
| dropped her poor head on my shout.
RI a apI =
| ones soul. miss.
So when she got to the hotel, pale
as any ghost. they gave her your let.
ter. saying as how she was to go to
you now. and her lover was faithless
villain and that: and 'tisn't for the
likes of me to blame you. uiss but
that letter was a bit too strong like
for her, seeing as she's a very high
strung young lady, is Miss Blanche,
and she's been raving ever since, and
the doctors they say It's brain fever,
and bad case. II anything was to
happen. what should I do? People'd
be saying as 1t was me as was the
cause of all. and should never be able
to fancy myself on this side Jawdon
l don't really know what to do now.
for Mr.. Edmond. wherever he is. don't.
know her address. Write to her ma
or pa 1 dursn't and though I've pawncd
last Ions the rate we're going, SO do
please, miss, write me what to do, as
1t is useless to think of moving her
the doctors wouldn't think of such a
thing but perhaps you can suggest
something.
edward O'Rourke to Ernest O'Rourke)
write you this. my dear
fellow. with as much joy at your tri-
umphant acquittal as sorrow at the
! series of ill-lucks to which-my becom-
ing your substitute before the good
Miss Holmes has given rise. 1 tell you
| frankly my good fellow, that the i'm
| portance of being Ernest" has appear
ed to me IN so new and strong light
| that / now regret having done the
thing. for the whole ruse has gone
| askew through the stupid chance that
| Blanche and Miss Holmes are the
4 closest OF chums. and now believe
that 1t would have been far sounder
politics on your part to have given
into Miss Holiness ear the gist OF the
| charge brought against you. even
| though brought through your own i'm
prudence. and to have trusted to her
| good heart to dismiss the affair be-
forehand. I know quite we'll that the
evidence against you was strong, and
1 don't forget that your acquaintance
| with Miss Holmes had not been of
such long standing as easily to bear
| the strain of such scandal; but still
with such a giri--a girl. give you
| my word Ernest. worth her weight in
| gold-it would have been the safest.
! as, in any case, it would have been
| the bravest way.
/ However, you chose the shyer course
dragging me in without asking my
opinion. and when you had gone so far
I could hardly refusc-when could ! re-
/ fuse you aught?--to take my part in
| your plan. l quite see, mind you, that
there was no way of explaining your
absence from Miss Holiness side save
1 by my taking your place. or else by a
! plain statement that that absence was
forced upon YOU: bu this plain state
ment might, ] say, have been made by
you, and would have saved no end of
woes.
AS to Miss Holmes she has acted
this girl becomes yours. Ernest, you
will possess a pearl of such worth as
lis given to few to own
You Will recall that when you came
to Ashton that day to inform me of
alyour scrape I mentioned to you my
4 though. of dragging my darling from
the grasp of her guardian dragons It
!. wasn't merely that they were on the
point Of casting her victim to that
old rake Lord Isambard, but tell you,
Ernie the impertnence Of those peo-
pie went beyond all bounds. and in re-
4 gard to our family. too. you know.
4 .. At all events. I pressed for
4 flight, and finally, by heavens help, got
her to venture. ~.
4 Good then--each detail was arranged.
Il was to meet her at st. Pancras Sta
( ton at II A. NJ on the 18th, and, so
as to be in London by the night of the
10th. I meant to leave Miss Holmes by
thes5:2oson the 10th, though If missed
d the 500 train there was still another
at midnight. Well. I had given Miss
Holmes two days warming of my de-
partnre, little guessing the Significance
E OF her look of alarm a. Uniformed her
Z of my purpose of going away--such a
look, though she said nothing. So on
1.-THE 18th, sharp at 4 p. NJ, went to
4 bid her good-by Her way towards me
that day was less strained than it had
been; but she was palisf, and in her
good brown eyes brooded, ISnow re-
s. member, a look Of, soma nretty rrin