The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-09-17
A Double
Exchange
Bv D HAVEN

One day after | had taken a lunch
con III Il restaurant the waiter handed
me my overcoat. l put it on and left
the place. While walking along l put
my hand in IL side pocket of the over
coat and grasped u letter. Not being
aware Of having anything in that
pocket, ! pulled it out and looked at
the superscription. 10 my surprise,
the letter was not addressed to meat
all. 1t was ~postmarked the city where
l then was and where I lived and was
written In q feminine hand. l put It
back where l found 1t, returned to the
restaurant and told the proprietor that
l had changed coats with some one.
He said that whoever had taken my
coat had not yet discovered his error,
or at least had not returned it. I gave
him my address and went away, re-
solved to keep the coat I had until ]
got my own.
The same evening after dinner !
read the note I had come upon, with
a view to finding some clew to the
fellow who had taken my coat. What
was my surprise to find a promise
from a girl who signed herself "Anne"
to meet the man to whom the letter
was addressed on a certain corner at a
certain hour that very evening and to
marry him.
This was the only clew + found. II
I wanted my coat back I could go to
the place of rendezvous and demand
1t. I thought 1t would be rather hard
IN a man who was about to be mar
ried to call on him to rectify such a
mistake. Such a commonplace pro-
ceeding would spoil a romance. New
ertheless l concluded to go for this
reason: Probably the man. having dis
covered that tho letter had passed into
other hands, would call of the elope-
ment, but would go to the place of
rendezvous, presuming that l had read
the note and would go there myself to
hnd him and get back my coat
The meeting was to be at II o'clock.
The place was a crossing of two streets
on which were only dwelling houses
and at no time much ~freQuented. At
II o'clock at night only some late home
goer would pass II. I went there at a
quarter to II, or, rather, I walked up
n Of the cross streets, around the
block and passed the ORR by anoth-
er. kept this up until exactly at II
I passed a lady, noticing that she YVES
yelled. l walked on, turned and took
position behind a tree box.
The lady was doing the same thing
I had been doing, and she kept It up
till nearly half past II. Then I saw
her 60 to a street lamp, look at her
watch, hesitate, and by the way she
started of I knew she had made up
her mind to give up whatever she was
there for.
I hurried up to her and said, "Par-
don me, but you may be looking for
some one who having lost a note men,
tioning the time and place Of the meet
ing has been Enabled to keep the ap-
pointment." Then I told her the reason
for my being there. To prove my story
I handed her the note she had written.
She was very much agitated. As
soon as she had convinced herself that
I had given her what I pretended to
give she tore It into bits. She didn't
seem to be thinking Of me or the story
I had told. Her mind was evidently
on the man she was to have met and
not very pleasantly on him.
HE doubtless lost your note" l re-
marked. "before having fixed in his
memory the time off,
"Nonsense!' she exclaimed, stamping
her foot. HE has failed me-intention-
ally failed me-"
MAY I see you to your homer l
asked.
.No-yes."
my second thought" I said, 'Is al
ways more valuable, and, presuming
that yours is the same, l shall accept
your second mandate. I shall see you
home; but, though l am a stranger to
you, I trust you will not believe I am
going for the purpose Of learning where
you live. II you prefer it I will leave
you before
"Come as far as you like" she snap
ped. "You can't do me any HARM"
She lived not far away, and we were
but a few minutes reaching her home.
Instead of stealing In, she put a latch
key in the door and opened 1t.
II don't like" she said at parting,
shat even a stranger should leave me
without an explanation of this affair
but it is too long a story to be told
here. Come to see me tomorrow even
ing and I will give you such informa'
lion as I trust may indicate that I an
not such a fool Is would appear from
what you have een of me-"
accepted the Invitation and listened
to her story, which she was two hours
In telling. I have not room for it here
and I don't care to dwell on it. l car
only say that Notwithstanding the hop'
she had expressed In giving me the In
vitation she had not been especial!
wise in trusting a man who. from Ger
tain Of his doings that she told me