Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-03-02

rfu AZ dH us attempts to
learn II the man he had employed to
90 his work was doing it.
rlnaiiy he made up his mind that II
man resembling MFR. Howard Bed.
Ing were paying marked attention to
Miss Gwynne 1t would be known ana
ne (ShotwelD would certainly hear Of
IL There was but one inference-the
man had either gone of without even
an attempt to make Miss Gwynne's
acquaintance or he had betrayed his
employer with a view to making CAPT.
tai with the young lady. Either OF
these propositions was sufficient to
throw Shotwell into fever. He fret.
ted and worried and pried till at last
he could stand the strain no longer
and concluded to get away from 1t by
making a trip abroad.
He came to this conclusion not only
because he wished to get the matter
on his mind. but because, having
somewhat cooled, he felt that he had
risked the respect Of an good men
and women who knew him. II the
matter should be known he would
rather be where he could not be called
upon to face 1t. Perhaps by the time
he returned, II any trouble came Of it,
1t would have blown over. These con.
siderations. however. did not seem to
him Of great Importance, for he had
little doubt that the fellow he had
hired to personate Bedding had simply
pocketed the perquisites and left the
job to take care of itself.
Three months after Shotwell had
laid his plan for revenge upon Miss
Gwynne he went to Europe. There
after time the matter he had come
away to get rid of ceased to occupy
the greater part Of his attention, and
eventually he thanked heaven that the
man he had employed to revenge him
had gone or without doing so. He
was feeling much relieved when in
Venice he met an acquaintance from
America, who said to him, among
other things
II hear your old fame, Virginia
Gwynne. Is to marry the rich young
philanthropist Howard Bedding"
Shotwell was astonished. terror
stricken, that so long after he had
repented of his meanness the damage
had yet been done. He questioned his
informer as to when the wedding was
expected to come or. but received no
satisfaction.
One desire now took possession OF
Shotwell-to reach America before Vir-
ginia Gwynne should full irrevoca-
bly, into the trap he himself had laid
for her. Making for Genoa, he found
a steamer about to sail for New York.
For two weeks he paced the deck,
looking out ON the same watery waste
trying to stifie his Impotence. They
were the longest two weeks he had
ever known. But at last the voyage
was ended, and he FASTENED ashore.
his first object being to learn II Miss
Gwynne had married.
The wedding had not yet taken
place.
Shotwell wrote his former love a
note telling her that he had something
Of great Importance to her welfare to
communicate to her and asking for an
interview. He received a brief reply
appointing the next afternoon at 3
o'clock at her house. The clock was
striking the hour when he mounted
the steps leading up to her home and
rang the bell. He was all Of tremor
when he entered the drawing room,
where he had had many happy tete-a-
tetes with Miss Gwynne and where
he had parted with her in anger.
Presently she came In and stood with
her hand resting on the back Of
chair. He rose and stammered:
"Thank heaven / am not too late"
"For what?'
'sTo save you from marrying a man
whom you suppose to be gentleman,
but who is really
Heavens
81 am here to make confession. On
the day left you felt much aggriev-
ed. did that which. admit, was IN
worthy of me. Seeing a man in rags
who was the perfect image of Howard
Bedding, persuaded him to personate
that person to win your heart. But l
never intended that the matter should
go SO far. And, not hearing from my
man, in my cooler moments I con-
graduated myself that he had disap-
peared without taking any action"
Miss Gwynne stood for moment as
If trying to recover from the blow;
then with one word. "Waitw she left
the room. In moment Shotwell
heard the ring Of telephone bell. He
remained where he was for some min
utes, when the front door opened and
Miss Gwynne entered with her fiance.
We've met again." said the man who
had come in to Shotwell. What have
you to say against meg'
Shotwell was astonished at the mans
assurance.
"You know what you are and OF the
bargain l made with you" said Shot
well.
81 know of the bargain most assur-
edly. As to myself, l am Howard