Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-09-10
A Double
Exchange
By REGINALD D. HAVEN

me my overcoat. | put it on and left
the place. While walking along l put
my hand In a side pocket of the over
coat and grasped a letter. Not being
aware of having anything In that
pocket. pulled 1t out and looked at
the superscription. To my surprise.
the letter was not addressed to me at
iii. 1t was postmarked the city where
then was and where | lived and was
written In feminine hand. | put 1t
back where found 1t, returned to the
restaurant and tod the proprietor that
/ had changed coats with some one.
He said that whoever had taken my
coat had not yet discovered his error.
or Mt least had not returned 1t. | gave
him my address and went away. re-
solved to keep the coat had until l
got my own.
The same evening after dinner
read the note | had come upon, with
view to finding some clew to the
fellow who had taken my coat What
was my surprise to find a promise
from girl who signed herself Anne"
to meet the man to whom the letter
certain hour that very evening and to
marry him.
This was the only Chew I found. II
I wanted my coat back could go to
the place Of rendezvous and demand
1t. I thought 1t would be rather hard
b. Nor 30, he
ried to call on him to rectify such a
mistake. Such commonplace pro-
ceeding would spoil romance. New
ertheless l concluded to go for this
reason: Probably the man. having dis
covered that the letter had passed into
other hands, would call off the elope-
ment. but would go to the place of
rendezvous, presuming that / had read
the note and would go there myself to
find 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
IL O'Clock at night only some late home
goer would pass 1t. went there at a
quarter to II, or. rather, walked up
one of the cross streets. around the
block and passed the corner by anoth-
er. I kept this up until exactly at II
passed lady. noticing that she was
yelled. l walked on. turned and took
position behind tree box.
The lady was doing the same thing
had been doing. and she kept 1t up
till nearly half past IL. Then / saw
her go to street lamp, look at her
watch, hesitate. and by the way she
started Off l knew she had made up
her mind to give up whatever she was
there for.
hurried up to her and said, Par
don me, but you may be looking for
some one who having lost note men
tioning the time and place Of the meet
ing has been Enabled to keep the ap-
pointment." Then told her the reason
for my being there. To prove my story
handed her the note she had written.
She was very much agitated. AS
soon as she had convinced herself that
l had given her what | pretended to
give she tore 1t Into bits. She didn't
seem to be thinking of me or the story
| 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 Of
Nonsense" she exclaimed. stamping
soot .sJJn hos fafIn5 rpn-fDtantiOO-
ally failed me-"
May l see you to your home" 1
asked
Moves"
my second thought" said, ''ts al
ways more valuable. and. presuming
that yours Is the same, shall accept
your second mandate. I shall see you
home; but. though l am a stranger to
you. | trust you will not believe l am
going for the purpose OF learning where
you live. If you prefer it 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 latch
key In the door and opened 1t.
81 don't like" she said at parting.
that even a stranger should leave me
without an explanation of this affair.
but 1t is too long a story to be told
here. Come to see me tomorrow even
ing and will give you such informa-
ton as trust may indicate that | am
not such a fool as would appear from
what you have seen of me-"
accepted the invitation and listened
to her story, which she was two hours
in telling. l have not room for it here.
and don't care TO dwell on 1t. | can
only say that Notwithstanding the hope
she had expressed in giving me the in
vitation she had not been especially
wise In trusting a man who, from GER
tain of his doings that she told me,
would lead any man not fool to set
him down as cad. But men are fooled
by women who could not fool their
own sex. and women are fooled by men