The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-07-23

He never wrote it, exclaimed the
girl. HE never meant you nor me.
There is some awful mistake here.
never saw his handwriting. but rll'-
wait right here" hoarsely com.
manded the aunt And with the letter
In her hand, she went down to the of.
fee to consult the register. She was
absent ten minutes, aud during this
interval Miss Eileen heard a mans
steps on the yeranda and peeped out
to see the artist looking about as II be
had lost something When the aunt
returned she had the light of victory
In her eyes.
1.-THE writing is the same" she an.
nounced. HE would be convicted in
any court In the land | am an old
one and badly out of repair, and you
are a clipper and climb hills like a
cat. II he doesn't leave the hotel this
evening we shall start for home in the
morning"
But | won't go until we are sure
about it," replied the young lady, with
spirit.
"Oh, we'll be sure enough about it.
Meanwhile at dinner tonight We'll give
Mr.. Paul Clifford the coolest snubbing
man ever received. If you don't as
sist me I'll telegraph your father.
Well see If he will put up with his
daughter being called cat and a de-
cided bargain. | will do the snub-
bing. and you simply maintain your
dignity. Out of repair, am l? Well
see II he isn't worse off"
The artist missed his half finished
epistle, made search for 1t and final
ly indited another and mailed it away
He came down into the parlors ten
minutes before dinner, hoping fer a
word or two with Miss Cloves
She blushed at sight Of him AMI
blushed still harder as he advanced
but she stood on her dignity-that Is.
she turned her head away-and IN
some confusion he passed her aud re
marked to the aunt that 1t had been a
fine day. Miss Cleves wheeled about
like a machine. and after fixing him
with cold glare lasting thirty sec
onds she Jelly replied
Sir. you have made a mistake"
The artist fell back. He almost fell
over himself in doing so. So far as
he was concerned he might have fall
en- over the hotel and not been aware
of the fact. II was a summer FROST
and 1t nipped him hard. Had he turn
ed once more toward the girl he would
have found her pose as dignitied as
before, but a look of something like
pity In her eyes.
Mr.. Clifford did not enter the din
Ing room. Prostitutes take away a
mans appetite. He went out into the
dusk and sat down on a bowlder and
imagined that be was Sherlock
Holmes, and after an hour or SO he
figured things out.
Then he sent telegram to friend
In the city-a friend who knew the
Cleves family well That night he was
missed from parlors and verandas. He
could play and sing and recite. and
there were many inquiries for him.
When they were addressed to Miss
Cloves her reply was:
Excuse me, but don't know the
party"
There was a new arrival at the hotel
next forenoon. He was clOseted with
the artist for half an hour, and then
he hied him forth and found Miss
Cloves seated In grotto. still wonder
ing how any man on earth dared to
write to another that she WAS an old
one. The interview which followed
was hot for the first fifteen minutes.
Then 1t gradually cooled off. though at
regular intervals for the next half hour
the woman In the case rose to her feet
and exclaimed:
Yes, but how dared he write that
the old one was no good and out of
repair It's shocking, sir. It's dread
full It's something that l cannot for
give"
But you know, Miss Cleyes"-
And how dared he speak of my dear
niece as climbing hill like cat!
And how dared he refer to her as a
scooter on the level Think of 1t. sir
a scooter
But you now understand
why, II her father come to know
that she had been called a cat, a
scooter and a bargain. | should trem-
BILE for the consequences"
Nevertheless, when man has expla-
nations that explain and when he goes
over those explanations often enough
even an indignant old maid must be
convinced at last. So 1t was with Miss
Cleves She finally melted, drew a
breath OF relief and, seeing Miss Eileen
strolling toward them, she called to
her:
"Oh. dearie, 1t appears that we have
made an awful mistake. 1t transpires
that Mr.. Clifford was writing to Mr..
Castor about couple of autos that
the latter had asked him to look at.
Therefore l am not an old one, and you
don't climb hills like a cat. II you
can find Mr.. Clifford bring him here,
and / will apologize"
Any artist who didn't pursue his ad-
vantage after that deserved to be left
behind In the race.
The Land of the Free.