Norwich bulletin., 1910-09-07

and she gave me a racy account OF Her
experience after alighting from the
train She had expected some one TO
meet her. but seeing no one she at
tempted to inquire her way AND IL
seemed to her the place must be peo-
pied entirely by strangers, as every
one she spoke to professed total lg-
norance of the town; and she had
faced the not very cheerful prospect
of spending the night in the street II
she did not chance to meet some one
who knew something of the locality. l
found her a charming conversatlonailst
and was fairly in love with her before
we had accomplished half our journey
We arrived very shortly at the mouse,
where I ushered her into Mrs. Thorne' S
presence, introduced her. explained
my agency in the matter. and sought
the repose of my chamber.
Several days passed before L again
got sight of Miss Harding, and when
| did l found that Billings had already
made her acquaintance, and was de-
voting all the time he could spare, and
some, it seemed to me- which he had
better not have spared, to the 9ulti-
walton of her society. The friendship
which had been so ardent, apparently,
between Billings and Miss Pleacley
now suffered a chilling frost and the
two, when they could not avoid pass
ing each other. did so with averred
chances Billings and Miss Harding
filed the central stage of the house
holds social life, and no one h;ir-
bored a doubt of what the denoue-
ment would be.
But one evening the occupants OF
the table were astonished at the an
nouncement that Miss Harding had
that day suddenly departed, without o
parting word to any one except Mrs.
Thorne, for her western home. Billings
was visibly agitated by the intelligence
but he struggled to put on an appear
ance of indifference and was not long
in assuming his wonted air of gaiety.
The ice wall between him and Miss
Pleatley began to melt, and soon the
atmosphere about them was again OF
a tropical fervor. Warned by the
| lessons of the past they speedily fixed
things so that nothing but death or a
divorce court should part them again.
Months and even years passed en-
and the incidents I have narrated
were well nigh forgotten, when bus
mess occasioned me to visit the west
ern city. During my sojourn there
I was one evening making my way
along one of the most crowded streets
when. in turning a corner, came plump
face to face with a lady whose features
and figure were SO Strikingly famlIlar
that ] paused and stared, fear rather
rudely, at the person before me. The
lady met my gaze with a similar stare.
me as an acquaintance or to be Ct
Tended at my impertinence. Presently,
however, broad smile overspread her
countenance, and there, in very rer-
son, was the Ruth Harding of my aG-
venture in the eastern city. She eX-
tended her hand and greeted me with
effusive cordially.
Accepting the offer of my comp any
on her way to her home whittier she
was vending when [ met her, we c9ll-
versed of things which had happened
since we had seen eac bother before.
"The people / so suddenly left" she
remarked, mo doubt thought it strange
that l should depart in that abrupt and
unceremonious manner. but L just had
to do it to get out of an intolera BILE
situation From almost the very first
of my acquaintance with Billings, he
began pouring his soft and meaning
less compliments into my ears, and
finally began imploring me to marry
him. He was not without some agree
able qualities, but I had become aware
of his manifestations of attachment
to Miss SPleatley, and 1 thought If he
could so readily forget his obligations
to her my future happiness would not
be secure in his keeping. / determined
at last to put an end to that condi-
ton of things at once and for all
time
We conversed much and long With
| her permission I visited her often dur
| ing my stay and when 1 left for my
| eastern home 1 brought away her
promise that she would become Mrs
Chesterfield. which promise was in due
time fulfilled, to the lasting happiness
of both.