Evening journal., 1909-08-07
A Breach Of
COnfide e.
[originai.J

III III
o. O. 80
loriginai.J
Why her father and mother didn't
give her the name OF Mephistophelia
instead of JaquelSe I can't imagine.
They certainly would have done so
had they known how she was to turn
ont. AS 1t is, nobody ever calls her
anything but Jack, and in speaking of
her to those who have never seen or
known her one necessarily conveys
the idea that she is a boy-not only a
boy, but boy Of the worst kind.
The way she has treated me and
her sister certainly deserves a hundred
lashes. and l would like to be the fel-
low to lay them on. have always
been taught to consider one who would
betray a confidence as worse than a
thief jack betrayed our confidence
IN the most unblushing manner. II all
happened only yesterday, and perhaps
I'm not in n condition to look upon her
act with charity. l hope I'll never
come into a frame of mind TO excuse
her abominable treachery.
1t was this way: Mr.. Merryman
wanted his daughter-his eldest daugh-
ter, Harrict-to marry some big gun.
He had no objection to me other than
that 1 was neither president. member
of the cabinet nor one OF the justices
Of the United States supreme court
Harriet had tried to get his consent to
marry me, but he always put her or
by saying. what do you want TO mar
ry a man for who couldn't even set a
small rivulet ahre, let alone a riyer?r
Then Harriet would expatiate on my
good sense, good heart and a good
many other things that big guns don't
generally possess, especially the good
heart, for they are usually diabolically
selfish. But her father only laughed
at her.
How we ever came to take Jack into
our confidence when we came to an
agreement TO elope l don't know. Har-
riet thought she couldn't make her
/ preparations without Jacks knowing
of them. but l rather put 1t down to
the fact that she must tell some one.
At any rate, she told her. Jack clap
/ ped her hands, and her eyes glistened
with glee. An elopement! How ro-
manticl Just too lovely for anything
She'd help us all she could. and, as for
keeping the secret, it would be buried
away down in her gulleless heart.
We didn't need anything especially
I elaborate-nO rope ladder, fast team,
and all that. We concluded just Ia
board a train. so up the road some
thirty miles to where n former family
dominic, Mr.. Strickland, lived and get
him to marry us. We would go IN the
morning. take the afternoon train back
and be forgiven In time for dinner. OF
course engaged the parson for a
specified day and hour. Jack was in
tensely interested in IL all and made us
give her every detail, promising to pre-
pare her parents, Mr.-and Mrs. Merry
man. for what was TO come. so that II
wouldn't be so much of a shock.
\ Harriet met me in the open square
near the station. She was trembling
all over, but I reassured her. To avoid
observation we went TO where the fore
most car would stand on the track
when the train came in. We got away
on time and had the satisfaction to bs
in a car that was nearly empty. The
train stopped at the next station OF
the road a mile beyond. There the
door opened, and l heard a familiai
girls voice say: Come in here
There's lots Of room in this car"
turned with a rubadub heart to SCI
whom do you suppose? Jack bechon
ing to her father and mother, WHIT
were mounting TO the car platform
There they all three hustled into thu
car we were in, Jack exclaiming:
Goodness gracious, if there ISM
Hat! And, I declare, Ben tool Wher'
in the world are you two goingY
The astonishment of the father anI
mother was very much overdone.
didn't deceive either Of US. l glance'
at Jack and avoided meeting the eye
OF the parents. Mr.. Merryman seeme'
overjoyed that our parties should hav
met on what he called an improvise
excursion. He asked me where W
were going. and it was no use to lie
for my ticket would give me away. s
told him, and he was delighted tina
we were all going to the same place.
OF the two halves Of the party on
was jubilant. the other mad and mol
tiled. We were obliged 70 spend a
hour and a half in this way hefor
reaching our destination There we Q