Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-26
A
BLUNDER
By F. A. Mitchell

8 D.. M, was shown to my room on the
third floor and dressed for dinner. The
apartment was the first to the right
after leaving the staircase. During
the evening had occasion to go to my
room for something l needed and went
upstairs thinking of Edith Dudley.
whom | had met at dinner for the first
time and with whom | had suddenly
become violently smitten. Indeed, |
was so absorbed in her that had a
p%recipice instead of a staircase been
before me | think | would have walk
ed over its edge.
Turning into a room on the second
floor instead of my own on the third, |
advanced to a chair on which | had de-
posted my suit case. There was a
bright light in the hall, SO l did not turn
on the one In the room. The suit ease
lay open, and. putting my hand where
/ expected to find a letter for which |
had come, 1 seized 1t and without look
ing at 1t went downstairs and rejoined
Miss Dudley.
"Now, | will prove to you," | said to
her, "that Bordeaux is in the depart
ment of the Gironde. | received a let
ter from there today from a cousin OF
mine which will convince you
There was little light where we were
sitting, so l tool the letter to a lamp
on a table near by. Taking the letter
from its envelope, | was astonished to
read the words Dearest Ralph
Something was wrong. CHANGING at
the signature. | was still more amazed
to read Edith" Hastily replacing the
letter in its envelope. l said:
ut seems that | have got hold of the
wrong document"
Returning to Miss Dudley, I STAN
mered something. ! scarcely knew
what, and went on trying to convince
her by other means that Bordeaux.
France, was In the department of Gil
ronde. But | didn't care If Bordeaux
was at the north pole. had evidently
got into the wrong room and appropri-
ated some ones private correspondence.
Since Miss Dudley was. SO far as |
knew, the only Edith In the house. 1t
was quite likely that | had taken a
love letter from her to some one named
Ralph.
The only true course for me to have
taken was to bring the matter out at
once, but I was SO ratified at discovering
the mistake that 1 erred in the first
place and, having once erred, it was all
the more difficult to get on the right
track. Miss Dudley must have noticed
from my incoherence that something
was not right with me, but If she did
she made no comments.
I made an excuse to retire early and
went to my room on the third floor.
If ever a man was in a contemplate
position l was. Added to the fact that
/ had appropriated private ccrrespon-
dence was the fact that l was smitten
with the girl from whom I had taken it.
She might discover its loss at any time.
When she did would she suspect me?
What should l do? Confess? If l did,
what excuse had / for not having con-
fessed in the first place?
1 lay awake half the night trying to
make up my mind what course to take
In the morning. l must take some
course, for l could not meet Miss Dud-
ley with her letter in my possession
and say nothing about It,. l arose in
the morning feeling that a load was on
me and I had formed no plan of remov-
ing 1t. l met Miss Dudley at breakfast,
and the pleasant smile she gave me, In
stead of relieving me, made me feel
more guilty than If she had treated me
contemptuously. Perhaps if she knew
the truth she would decline to speak to
me. Oh, the horror of her contempt!
After breakfast l asked her to walk
In the grounds, intending to force my
self to make a confession. We went
into the flower garden, and | wrestled
with myself to get out what / wished to
say. 1 only showed that my mind was
on another subject than my companion.
Finally / sighed hopelessly and turned
toward the house.
You have something ON your mind"
said Edith.
i have"
"You need not tell me what it is, for
know already
You known
Il do. | have very sharp eyes. Last
hight WueH yOu lOOh tuul lcllCA "
your pocket | recognized it as belong
ing to me-"
l groaned.
soon as | returned to my room
looked for my letter. 1t was gone"
And you knew that | was the thief"
mo thief at all. You got into my
room instead of your room and took
my letter. thinking it was yours"
If | was smitten with Miss Dudley
before | now adored her.
THANK Godi' | exclaimed.
For whatf" she asked.
''That you do not charge me with
Nonsense. How much of the letter
did you see before you discovered your
micfaIxor"