The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-07-17


are too many vines about it, and not
twig was bent.
$50 you thought it was miracle
and that 1t must have been l who
performed it, eh?" said MacArdel. 81
know you always maintained that
worked a miracle when l cured your
typhoid"
Hang it all, Mac!" 1 exclaimed. 81
don't care snap of my little finger
how it got on the bed! want to know
who wrote it,"
We'll, 1 didn't. anyhow" said Mac.
Ardel. Il never heard of it before. ]
suppose somebody wanted to play Q
joke on you for your temerity In sleep
ing alone in haunted house. Pretty
poor sort of a joke. to be sure, but
don't see anything to warrant your
getting so excited over it."
See here, Mac!" said. drawing my
chair up close to his, you don't seem
to understand just what l mean. The
point is simply this. No one could have
written a thing like that, in such a
positive way, unless he had known
that It was true. Now, you are the
only person living with whom l have
ever talked on this subject, for you
will remember that you once init
mated pretty broadly that l was In
love with Miss Carney"
and you denied it fatty" he re-
marked.
YES" I replied, 81 denied II
fatty"
"MacArdel," l said. soberly, looking
him squarely in the face, you've cor
nered me and l might as we'll tell you
the whole thing. 1t was three years ago
when we talked of this before, and |
must have loved her then and from
the day ! first saw her But not as
love her now, old man. for now she is
my all in all and my only thoughts ars
for her welfare and her happiness
You know l saw her very frequently
when she was living in town, and now
that she is away our correspondence
is necessarily frequent, SO that can
keep Informed of her whereabouts
and know Of her needs from the es
tate"
"Of course, you could not pay he,
any attentions unless you meant to
ask her to marry you," said MacArdel
but I don't see any objection what
ever to that. know you haven't any
money, but your social position is as
good as hers, and you are doing well
in your profession. 1t seems to me
that 1t would be very appropriate
match If you love each other"
mo, Mac" insisted. Its better an
1t is. Considering my position in con
nection with the estate 1t would be a
mean advantage for me to take, and
Mac, If she refused me, l believe J
would kill myself. I'm such q fool
over It,"
But suppose she didn't refuse you
said MacArdel softly, laying his hand
on my arm.
mo, old man. It's no use talking
that way" I replied. "Ill just 80 on
as I've been doing. It's the only thing
/ can do, as see It,"
Bet you dinner at Sherry's that
you propose to her and marry her
within two years." said MacArdel.
with a quizzical look in his kindly
eyes, and, with a half-hearted grasp OF
his hand, I accepted the wager with
a. temerity that was half wishing and
half hopeful
80 you see why I feel 80 strongly
about this note" said, rising and
opening the door. which I had closed
carefully on my entrance. THE sub.
ject is one that cannot bear to have
trifled with. and. anyway, l cannot i'm
agine who could have read my inner.
most thoughts so correctly. That
puzzles me more than the mysterious
appearance Of the letter in my bed"
Il fancy we'll be able to explain that
without much trouble" said MacArdel,
lighting fresh cigar and laying his
cigar case on the table beside him.
These mysterious occurrences always
happen in a most simple fashion. after
all is said and done. One night, last
summer | was reading in bed and just
before putting out the light laid my
eyeglasses on little table about six
feet from the window. I was perfectly
sure about it, for the spring was bent
slightly and ] had spent several min.
utes fussing with them before l put
them down. The next morning they
were gone and never turned up in
spite OF the most vigorous search, un.
til the maid found them, three or four
days later hidden completely in the
folds of the lace curtain which had
blown across the table and caught
them up. AS my room was on the
fourth floor and had been securely
locked all night, the affair was quite
mystifyng until 1t was So simply ex.
planned. Well find out before long
how the letter got on your bed, and
that will doubtless lead to the dis
covery of its author. Have fresh
cigar and show me around the place
a bit. 1t looks mighty interesting and
romantic"
AS he spoke MacArdel reached for
his cigar case and my eye followed
his hand to the table beside which we
both on1 11horo mad coan hi,