The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-10-26
Bletheroe's
Romance
By CLARA DELAFIELD


the cop, as he took old Bletheroe into
the station house. "Lootenant, found
this man lettering In wlllett ayenOo
at two this morning. with apparent
felonious intent"
How about III Take his pedigree.
sergeant Now. what have you got to
sayf"
aIt's a long story" mumbled Blethe-
roe "I-I-you see
"You can sit there. Jurgens you
might ms well telephone DIR. Hansard
to step round. He looks pretty sick 10
me; can't risk another death happen
ing in the cells. Now. Bletheroel"
II was an extraordinary story Blethe-
roe the aged wanderer. told, and II
began forty years before, apparently.
when he was a young clerk In a ship
Il ping house. He'd strolled down 10 the
docks every lunch hour, looking at the
ships, and wishing he had the pluck
10 take passage on one. That was his
dominant idea, and he'd saved up three
hundred dollars.
i But then there was a girl he was
getting fond of, and he didn't know
what 10 do. lie had shrewd sus-
4 picion that what she wanted was an
apartment with golden oak furniture.
1 SO he was troubled.
II He was riding home one day on
i car when there was a disturbance. A
/ passenger had gone raving mad. His
/ wrists we're covered with little scars.
and he was jabbIng a strange sort OF
needle about.
i "Your turn :" he Missed, and stabbed
Il Bletheroe I'm the arm.
Il II was only a puncture. The man
was thrown off, but the hypoderrnie
/ seemed 10 have made another man OF
Bletheroe He stopped the car and
walked for sheer exuberanee He had
been a fool to stay on with Jenkins
when Romance beckoned
/ He saw an attractive girl In the
/ street and knew at once that she
was for him.
He stopped her. MY MINES
/ Blether0e" he said. 'T'm sailing for
i Cuba in the morning VIII you marry
/ me toiight1" THAT was before the
days Of license laws) 'and come with
me- We can find a minister easy"
/ She stared at him in terror. cts
like an answer from heaven" she re-
/ piled How did you know"
Know what3" asked Bletheroe.
"That I'm getting married tonight,
and that | hate him. We quarrelled
only this morning, and he swore he
wouldn't appear"
~ tell you what" said Rletheroe.
an come home with you. and If he
doesn't appear. marry me instead"
You're the strangest man | ever
met" whispered the girl.
Acquaintance comes after mar
rage. my dear" said Bletheroe.
They got on car again and rode,
rode uptown into a block Of houses
that al looked exactly alike. OF
/ course there were no apartment
houses up there then, but here were
these rows OF little houses stretching
away and away.
They stopped at one and went in.
An old man and a minister were In
I the parl0r.
"where's Jack7" asked the girl
Late, darn him :" said the old man.
81 love this gentleman, and If Jack
doesn't appear I'm going to marry
him instead. I'll give Jack ten min
utes more"
Its all one to me. You always
was a headstrong gal" said the old
man.
Ten minutes passed, and, as there
was no Jack, Bletheroe and the girl
stood up before the minister He
went slow. in case Jack came before
1 the crisis OF the service. but no Jack.
And they departed man and wife, and
walked and walked. happy as larks
/ together.
/ Suddenly the girl stopped. II forgot
my sultcase" she cried
"You don't want IT, darling"
81 do. | tell you It's got my thing
I in H. How can | sail for wherever
It Is without themf"
Don't be long, darling" said Bleth-
eroe
The girl started or at a run, and
Bleiheroe waited and waited. One
hour went by--two hours. Then
Bletheroe went back and began to
search for the house. Bet they were
all The same
"You never found herr" asked the
Z doctor. who had come In.
"They wouldn't let her out again. /
+ She's there, somewhere-and I've been
I looking for henry wife-these forty
+ year"
4 The doctor felt his pulse and
whispered to the Lieutenant
"Irs Bellevue he wants. not the
cells. lootenant ] guessed It when he /
spun that yarn about the hypodermiS. /
It's morphine poisoning; look at his /.
wristsr
japanese Mushroom Culture.
During q visit paid BY the prince u 4