The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-30
WAs M I'm
: CALLED HIS BLUFF.
BY SADIE oLcoTT.


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Copyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union.
Miss Cherborough had the reputa.
tion OF being the most pronounced CO.
quette In the city In which she lived
A man would be seen to be attentive
60 her, would become more and more
attentive, would send gifts-of course
without intrinsic ENTHUSIASTICALLY
flowers, and everybody would suppose
that an engagement was 10 be an
nounced, when, presto! the gentleman
would suddenly be called away. At
any rate his attentions to Miss Cher
borough would cease. Then In the
course Of few months or few
weeks, he would be replaced by an
other sutton who would proceed along
the same lines. Not infrequently there
would be several OF these gentlemen
trying to climb the ladder at the same
time.
One morning when the postman call
ed, as usual at breakfast time, he
left letter for Miss Cherborough,
on the left-hand corner of which was
the official stamp: "Willetts and Les
lie. Attorneys at Law" The young
:ady looked at the stamp curiously.
then opened and read the letter:
1--WE are instructed by our client. Mr..
John Fleetwood. to bring suit against
you for breach-of-promise of mar
rlage. He claims damages to the
amount Of $4,000. We write you.
Srt.O In <kof he hA -
tied out of court, with view to avoid
ing litigation. and the consequent ex-
pense."
Members of the family were at the
table, but Miss Cherborough was
In the habit OF keeping her own coun-
sci about her love affairs, she tucked
the letter in her blouse without COM
menting on 1t. When she had finished
the meal she went to her room and her
composure gave way to rapidly beat
ing heart.
1t was not that she judged the note
to be serious in a legal point Of view. |
but in game Of hearts she had been |
playing she knew it to be bold stroke
on the part of her opponent. She knew |
that Mr.. Fleetwood would not take |
money from her even II she had money !
TO pay. Nor would he stoop to pun
ish her for having led him on to pro-
posal, and then rejected him. He was |
too good sportsman at the game for
that. But what did it mean? That
was the question. After due consid-
Grafton she decided it was bluff, and
wrote the attorneys that she had never
promised to marry Mr.. Fleetwood,
therefore she owed him nothing.
Back came a letter from them stat
ing that Mr.. Fleetwood had in his pos
session letters from Miss Cherborough
which would proSe his case. At this
Miss Cherborough WINGED. She was
not conscious of having written a line
to Mr.. Fleetwood, but she was not sure.
letters she had written various suit
ors, she had been surprised at her
lack of caution In expressing herself.
Miss Cherborough did not know !
Mr.. Fleetwood loved her or
not; and she was quite sure that as |
iOE any Teul love IOT Hliu she Ildu kept
him in the dark. This threatened suit
was likely, In some way unknown to
her, intended to draw out an answer
to this question. She wrote the law
yers saying that if she had ever writ
ten love letters to their client she did
not remember having done so. The re-
ply was that unless some proposition
for settlement was forthcoming with
In a week suit would be commenced. '
This would involve the publication Of b
her letters which Mr. Fleetwood would Z
very much regret. Il
Miss Cherborough's weak point was b
hat she did not know if these letters Z
existed or whether they were gi- q
yantic bluff. There was something in
Nr. Fleetwoods audacious method that a
Won her, and for the first time In her q
life she was ready to tumble to this
singular wooing. But-suppose she
rave in and offered to settle the case
" agreeing TO fulfill her promise to
marry the plaintiff, might he not sting
Ter by saying that he had changed his
nindP After vainly trying to find
ome way out of the dilemma she VI
wrote the attorneys that II Mr.. Fleet
wood would show her any written evil