, 1912-06-06
CHAPTER VIII.
SOME EXTRAORDINARY LETTERs.

GOhE Ah1 LETTBh9s
"HE reader must not forget that
Miss Gtayman had no knowi-
edge whatever OF the real
character OF this man. She
saw that he was a gentleman by birth
and training, she enjoyed the charms
of his manner and conversation. and.
despite the popularity OF her situation
and the shadowy doubts that had fit
ted into her mind. she felt no distrust
of him personally. On the contrary,
his temperance seemed like the re
turn of an intimate friend. and she was
glad In her heart TO see him once more.
oh. Miss Grammar" ne exclaimed.
approaching with outstretched hand.
you cannot know how | have been
annoyed by my enforced absence! If
there had bee anybody here to re-
ceive 1t | should have sent you q dis
patch. but
But my frtends-my fatherr' b
interrupted
81 was about to tell you; but. in fact,
1 have here something better than any
explanation / could make. Look at
this and then say whether l have not
brought some good news." And,
laughing. he held up q letter. which
he then put into her hands.
Miss Helen Grayman.
At Bear Lodge.
By the hand of Commodore B. Brown
So ran the superscr1pton. n Miss
Grayman's neart bounded on recogniz-
ing her father's handwriting b tore
open the envelope and read:
Pettytown. June Is. 1885
Ny Very Dear Daughter-A miserable
series of accidents has spoiled the sur
prise thai we had in store for you Il
was a foolish piece OF business from the
start, but 1 thought that II might give
you pleasure. and the Mitchell girls and
their brother had their hearts set upon II
and gave me no rest until I consented
We intended to meet you at Commodore
Browns lodge. then we were to spend a
week fishing and hunting. winding up with
a visit to a little Indian village whose
inhabitants have long been proteges OF
Mr.. Brown'sL
OF course you were astonished to be
carried on as you were. and 1 have been
more than astonished at myself for cor
senting to II, and | should never nave
lone SO II l had not known SO well the
antecedents and character OF Frederick
Brown. The Mitcheils. who are very In
innate with him and admire him greatly.
nave taken 1t into their heads that you
and he ought to be acquainted. and Agnes
Mitchell Invented what she called "a love-
iy plan" to bring about the introduction
n an aboriginal manner l can only
say. Helen. that my consent to entrusting
you to his charge was wrung from me
through my esteem for the young man
We expected. OF course, to Join you al
soon as you arrived at the lodge. but from
the start the aero engage BY the Mitch
ellis proved a relatively slow hier. and
then came the accident
Now. you will want to know why l send
you n letter instead OF coming myself. II
Is a most extraordinary and provoking
series of mischances! When we sent tor
Brown to come to our aid We supposed
that the injury could quickly be repaired
instead II turns out that II In irreparable
except in a shop, and we shall have to
send the aero back by train And then.
20 cap the climax. when Brown had turn
d out half his men to make room for Us
nd had embarked US his aero through
some fault of the steersmaD ran into Q
Tree. and we all had a narrow escape IL
turned out that the machine was so Grip
pied that only Brown and mis- engineer
could go In her You are a hundred and
fifty miles away in a wilderness with no
roads We do not know where TO send for
another aero. and. In truth. / should hard
ly care to entrust myself In one again.
and | am distressed to think that you will
have to do so In order to return.
But | nave every confidence in Mr..
Brown. and ne assures me that such an
accident never ccurred to MIN before
and that he car put his aero into perfect
shape again with the machinery which ne
' has at the lodge The upshot Is that l
and thA Mitohsihs are -A-- a. 49, 49,