Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-02-04
ABiter Bit
By F.A. mitchell

lit is obvious from this story that the
story teller was u young man bent on
an adventure.l
One morning the postman left me a
letter with the firm name of Outcault,
Hardy & Dunn, attorneys-atlaw,
stamped on the left hand corner of the
envelope. | opened it and read the
following, signed by the lawyers:
Your proposition to unite the properties
so long in legal dispute by marrying Miss
Auchincloss has been referred to her with
our assurances that the tangle between
the two can never be unraveled except by
such a union. Present circumstances II
continued will in time eat up a property
which removed from litigation would pro-
duce an income of $1,000 6ear of all ex-
penses. Miss Auchincloss, never having
seen you, desires US to send her your pho
tograph.
1t was evident to me that the letter
doubtless intended for another An
thony Page had come to me. I In
closed my photograph in a note stat
ing in substance the note l had re-
ceived from the attorneys and adding
that l did not care to act further
through them, but would be pleased
to form her acquaintance direct. l
chose this course, thinking that the
real Anthony Page might be known
personally to Messrs. Outcault, Hardy
& Dunn and my photograph if SEN
to them would give me away.
In due time | received a note signed
Bertha Auchincloss acknowledging the
receipt of my photograph and In
aIocin. o,o nf how t. ,oNy.n,t1I
a young girl of eighteen Or nineteen,
pretty as a peach and in whose eye
lurked an ineXhaustible fund Of mis-
chief. This will be q case of diamond
cut diamond. l said to myself, and l
see a lot of fun ahead. The letter was
very short, stating that the writer
agreed with me in direct action instead
of the "horrid lawyers" and inviting
me to call.
Without proper consideration as to
the risk ran of being horsewhipped
by some of the young lady's relatives
l went to see her. She came into the
room smilingly and extended her hand,
which l grasped and pressed. We be-
gan our acquaintance without the
slightest reference to the subject of the
union of property and, so far as that
first meeting was concerned, made
no progress in coming to an under
standing with regard to a union of
properties. This wa gratifying to me,
for the moment we should enter into
details l would betray myself. On
leaving l asked permission to call
again, which was g~raciously accorded.
Having made no reply to the note of
the lawyers, | did not hear from them
again.
So delighted was / with my success
that on my second visit to Miss Au-
chincloss l yentured to mention the
object of my calls. She dropped her
eyes to the floor and said that be-
fore the matter could be considered
she must take time to have inquiries
made concerning me. She could not
even contemplate such a step without
knowing more about me. l WINGED at
this, for it seemed impossible for her
to make such inquiries without dis
covering that l was an impostor.
Nevertheless | brazened it out and
offered to give her references. To this
she replied that she already had the
names of some persons who could give
her the required information. OF
course she meant friends of the real
Anthony Page and l hoped he had a
better character than 1, though l did
not express the hope to her.
Notwithstanding the perils by which
I was surrounded my bark sailed on
over an ~untroubled sea. At times l
wondered how l could escape the dan
gers that beset me, but the truth is l
was falling heels owe head in love
with Bertha Auchincloss and was infat-
uated not only with her, but the part I
was playing. My calls grew more and
more frequent, but instead of taking
up the matter on account of which we
had come together she not only refrain
ed from mentioning it, but discouraged
my doing so. This, taken with the fact
that nothing adverse had come from
her injuries. gave me quite a clear
coast.
Plunging headlong into love as I was,
the time soon came when l made a
declaration without confessing my
identity. | told her that l loved her
anu were lle property Oh dccOuHC OF
which we had come together sent to
the bottom of the ocean still would I
love her, still would l marry her If she
would consent. She did not drop her
head on my shoulder and whisper
Yes" She burst into a laugh.
1.-THE next time," she said, you play
a game like that, keep your wits about
you. My aunt, for whom l am named,
is the lady you have supposed you were
visiting. Since you first came to see
me she has married the other Anthony
Page. She is forty years old, and he is
fifty. l took an interest in that case