The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-26
WHEN THE
ARROW FELL.
BY F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.
BY F. A. Mitchell

Theodore Strickland, aged thirty-nine
years and eleven months, stepped from
q carriage at the entrance Of his bach
elor home, entered and seated himself
before the remains OF fire In the crate
| In his library. He had been born and
lived in the house, and from 1t had
been buried every member OF his ia
theirs family except himself He had
long been member of dancing club
composed of the young men and WON
en- OF the place and had just returned
from one of their meetings. The re-
suit OF his attendance was very de-
pressing to him.
He had not only been left alone by
the taking of of his brothers and SIS
tiers, but now he had discovered at the
dancing club that he had grown be-
You'd young people He had had no
romance in his younger days: therefore
he was condemned to live slngly. He
looked the problem square In the face.
Since he could not fall in love he must
ask some woman to come into his
house as wife and companion. The
idea was repulsive to him. He had be.
lieved in a grand passion and waited
for one. But what could he dol He
could not inhabit the house alone. He
must either get a woman in It or
leave It,
Strickland was desperate and re-
solved to make plunge. He thought
over the maiden ladies Of his acquaint-
ance, made list Of them and resolved
to ask one after the other to marry
him until some one of them accepted.
Had he realized his worth he would
not have expected to get very far
down the list. He wrote out the
names alphabetically and began with
the first name, which was among the
BIS. Burwell, lady of thirty seven or
thirty-eight and devoted to missionary
work. He had known her for some |
time, having met her at public places,
but had never called at her house. In
deed, he wasn't quite certain where /
she lived. He wrote several notes in |
the spirit that was moving him-that /
is, without the slightest sentiment |
and tore them oil up. No true woman
would accept him on such terms. FL |
nally with an effort he wrote very
short one-"I love you; viii you be |
my wifeT He sealed 1t 80 that he
could not read IL again and left 1t on |
the library table addressed simply TO
Miss Burwell, City" intending to get
the address in the morning from a |
directory.
But the next morning the spirit that
had moved him was with him no long
err, and he went to his Office, leaving
the note on the table. During the day
he abandoned his matrimonial plan as
absurd and went home, intending to
burn the note. 1t was not where he |
had left it. He called his housemaid /
and asked for 1t Supposing that he
had forgotten 1t, she had given 1t to
the postman when he called.
Strickland went out at once to
drug store, looked at the name Bur
well in the directory and found twelve l
Burwells. There was sense of re-
lief such as a gambler might feel who
had shut his eyes and covered a num-
Der on faro table with his last dol
lar. Even IL he didn't know a Miss
Burwell into whose hands 1t should n
fall, there was nothing In it to indi-
cate that 1t was not genuine pro-
posal. II love you; will you be my
wifep was a statement that covered
good deal of ground. The woman
might even infer that she had been
worshiped by an unknown man.
Possibly he might get reply the
next morning, so he waited at home
for the mail. A note addressed to him
In scrunched feminine hand set him
trembling. Where had the lightning
struck He tore of the envelope and
read:
When left you after that whirI we had
on Thursday evening at the dancing club
little did know OF the happiness in store !
for me. IL you only knew the thrill that
ran through me the moment you touched
my hand IT must have been mutual
was out for my hrst evening as a young
lady, and no enc knows how a girl at Z
such time is delighted with attention.
especially from an older man lr
There was q good deal more of this
in the same vein. Indeed, the letter
was as expansive as bis own was con-
densed He remembered a girl to :
whom he had been introduced at the ,
meet of the club, but had not caught ]
her name. She was evidently new b
conner, had therefore little attention, s
and ha had sfrSrk nv her rnda.S ha |