Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-02-11
THE CHECK MYSTERY.

11G OnEOh w - IEh Y
The house at No. II West 5o-t tn
street was closed and the family had
moved out to Berwind So to Berwind
the mail was sent by the caretaker, who
lived in the basement and smoked his
pipe night times in the doorway under
the steps.
and a-who is this? said the care
taker to his wife as he looked over a
package of letters lett by the postman.
Miss Eliza Poruman. New York City
There amt no Miss Eliza Portman in
| the family"
| AS matter of fact, the caretaker was
right There was Miss Elsie Portman
and Mrs Frederick Mistery, who be-
| fore she was married was Miss Marie
Portman, and there was Lawrence Port
man, Jr., and papa and mamma. but,
just as the caretaker said, there was no
Miss Eliza Portman
They muster got mixed up with Miss
Elsie" said Mrs. Caretaker.
| who muster?" asked Mr.. C.
The postman,' said Mrs c. who'd
you think ?"
Maybe the pusson writing it got it
Maybe they did, conceded Mrs. c.
But that amt your business You send
it, and send it he did.
So the letter came to Berwind and
finally to Miss Elsie's breakfast plate.
1t was inclosed in cheap envelope
and directed in a rather illiterate hand.
But then Miss Elsie was accustomed to
illiterate handwritings, having large
nl11n lnp of iIlitprata a.. &
them was eating grapefruit from the
plate next to hers when she picked up
the letter. 1t had been publicly admit
ted that this person was to be the last
of the admirers. They were engaged
"fi-and say" Miss Elsie's maid called it.
1t was one of the privileges or their de-
iightful condition that they should
breakfast together, as they were doing,
alone after papa and mamma and Law
renee, Jr., had finished and gone about
their business.
Just New York;" exclaimed Miss
Elsie as she picked up the letter. and
it got to me-"
But did it," said the last of the adj
mirers. It's Eliza"
so it was" said Miss Elsie. "But IL
got to me-" she explained. The only
/
You'll do said the gallant survivor.
Don't be foolish" said the lady; 81
mean shall | open it?'
"Of course, you will The only oues-
ton is when"
Then / won't open it," she declared.
emphaticalIy
Then" he pointed out. "vou will
never know what is inside of it -
| "And If niuht bo
mented Miss Elsie. "Oh. Dick. YOU have
such loads of common sense"
The talented creature modestlv su-
CARED his coffee and read over her shoul-
der as she smoothed out an untidv sin
gle sheet of letter paper The writing
was more illiterate within than without
and the paper thumb marked as we'll
Miss Elsie held it gingerly and at a dis
tance.
| Suddenly she got to her feet with n
little cry and two pieces of paper nut
tered down upon the table top.
What is it?' he asked, grahh;,g for
the papers.
"lt's-it's-oh. read it and see She
swept the paper over to him.
Besides the single sheet of w,itipo
paper the cheap envelope had enclosed
n check wherein Martin BISHOP directed
the Peoples Saving bank of Nv York
10 pay TO the order of Eliza Portman
the sum of $50. The letter accom-
panying read:
Il went to the bank yesterday. and
they said | amt got any more LETT but
/ this. Try to make it last Lizzie"
There was no signature The bio LOT.
ters begun in the middle of the PAGE
covered the rest of the space. the name
Lizzie being squeezed in at the end al
the last line. So. seeing there was ne
more to read, he laid down the panay
and looked at Miss Elsie, who was look.
ing Mt MIN.
Now was the time, he felt. to display
some of his extraordinary common
; serse "A-ah"-he cleared his throat Of.
= iicially-"A- all, we-er. we shall adver.
: tisc," he suggested
, ADVERTISE repeated the lady
thoughtfully Wouldn't that take
t rather longy" She turned over the en-
Nelope 1t has been mailed at the Grand
Central three days before. ooh. Poor
things!' She exclaimed as she read
Well what else can we do?" asked
the sole survivor THAT idiot didn't
even date it. 1t would take longer tn
get it to him if we send it heck to him
through the bank. Olive car do both.
That's it. Wen do both. We couldn't
do any more than that I'll telephone
But Miss Elsie only murmured a faint
yes" from the depths of a profound
reverie. The survivor felt this rather
unjust, he having displayed his common
sense with such marked success. and
waited stifily for further compliments
to his sagacity
He waited long time The lady wa,
thinking seriously ignore seriously il
might be said than ever before in her