Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1891 — A NARROW ESCAPE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A NARROW ESCAPE.

We wore a party of traveling men, stopping over Sunday at Dixon, JU., and had been talking about peculiar happenings in our lives, and how at times even a trifling circumstance determines the course ot one's ex stenee. “Yes," said one ot the crowd, Mr. William Halpin, who, by the way, was on his wedding tour. “Did you ever notice how particularly applicable to marriage are these occurrences of fate? / For instance, the merest introduction will sometimes decide your future in that direction. My own experience,” he continued, “is somewhat romantic, and if you care to hear the story I’ll tell it.” We all acquiesced eagerly “Well, boys," sa'd he, as we all became Bilent and attentive, “it isn’t much of a narrative, but it is a bit odd, and a little out of the usual. Several years ago I was employed at Chicago in a large and was doing fairly well. In fact, I had in a measure settled down for life. I was about forty years of age at that time, and had given up all ideas of marriage, and was, by many in thb house, known as ‘the oid bachelor.’ “I was a sort of head man in my department, and among those under my supervision was a lady stenographer’, who had charge of my correspondence.

She was very bright, and frequently was itru'StecFjjWrth' -trhportdht and ednndentlabWork if? tike ’proprietors’ , oificeST One evening, just j,s„ I was departing from thfl> me io reWafrt dmoment, saying he wished to spchk to me. After being seated, he a letter to read, yyhich ran Bomethiug'dn this way, as nelir as"! can remember, and war"flated at Dixon, 111., this very tfatoti:. . /WM'iA t krfowyou Will- b&sut*prjs»j»a and vexed at what goipg ts> say. blS.Xhayd a and tjjat must *b’o nw CX&iisA I wantc<sa»e to V|»lcagb jh>r at least a year, but I shall not ’ come unless,'l atii enip.oyed while there. That Is part of kiow I have had the ad■vtfnttiges of education,, but, beside all thiis. tarn‘tticfemghiy’-versed In typewriting and stenography, , I believe ’’-you can ! give me employment. 1 shall come at once, on condition tbafcyou promise to engage me, and then I shall be glad to telj you the rernalnot my fancy.’V A reply will be awaited with auxißty by your devoted niete.* < f tHjinattiT Hale. ‘Now7*WfHiam,’said Mr.’“WfUis, to me, softer. J,had jlpish.ed reading, ‘f have .'tt|attera|l over, and have concluded to sendr for Miss Harriet, and I have'detained' Vou so say’ I shall put her in your charge to act as stenographer instead„p!. yojir present one, for whom there is plenty of work in our other departments. 1 only request one promise from you, and it is that no one in our house but yourself shall khow that she is my niece. She requests this also. “After biding my employer good-night, I departed on my way home. I thought considerably over the newcomer, and especially at the oddity of a young lady not wantifig to bo known as the niece of a rich merchant. A few days later she arrived, and I thought that Dixon must be proud of herself, if she possessed many beauties like the one I beheld. We were introduced, and as she seemed anxious to know her duties, I entered into explanation at once. I found her very industrious, and in time she simply succeeded in charming every employe in the house. “Well, boys, I began getting particular as'to how I arranged my necktie. I got

my hair cut oftener. My shoes shined regularly, until I, an old bachelor, had pitched recklessly into love. She didn't seem to notice it, and I went on wondering how on earth I'd ever tell her, and what she'd think of it, “SVe rrequeilt'V got into friendly conversation, and what perhaps started us in the right direction was the discussion of a set of building plans showing this elevation design and floor plan. “MJs* Harriet and j were examining the plans and commenting upon their conveniences and arrangements ‘lf 1 ha lo t made up my mind never to marry,’ said I, ' looking her ‘eagerly in the e e, ‘that cottage Wduld be ,ust my selection for a e sy 1 ttle horns. ’* ‘Why, Mr Halp n.’ said she, ‘the idea of you remaining a bachelor. It’s ridiculous’ “I was f uttered with her remark, as evidently she was interested in me. and considered me a worthy candidate for matrimony. We were talking on in a confidential waz when a boy came over, - saying, that Mr. Willis said if we were not engaged he would be pleased to see me “Those o’ the employes who heard the remark laughqd tojthe nselves. and b fore I betrayed any symptoms of embarrassment 1 simply told the lad to say I would be at leisure in a few minutes. “That evening I accompanied Miss Harriet to her uncle’s house, and almost unknown to myse f I told herof my love. She did not discourage me. although she Mid that there were matters tht.t pre-

vented her from talking freely on the subject She acknowledged being friendly to me, and said she only requested my si'ence until she could explain more fully. We parted very happily, and I concluded that I was highly favored. “We became more friendly than before, but I did not broach the subject of which I thought so much. “Occas onally I wou d find Harrietin a deep study, and one noon, after she had seemed particularly sad. she told me, in a few words, that she intended leaving that evening on a visit to New York, and that she would be giving up her position for good. I was annoyed and astonishea. She desired that we part wfthout ceremony, and said that when she returned we could meet in a less restrained way. 1 did not appreciate this indifferent parting and I was really angry. I began to think there was no love on her part, but a sort of sympathy and a desire not to hurt my feelings by telling me so. I felt slighted aud found consolation the first night of her departure in anger at being so heartlessly treated; but after a ruffled night's slumber, I awoke in the morning as deep in love as ever I busied myself at the office next day, and in rearranging Miss Harriet's desk for the new stenographer I came across a note neatly folded, addressed to Mr. Wm. H., I read it and as I perused the following lines, I fairly boiled with indignation. “Dear Friend—l have thought over all you have said, and it must forever cease. I will be plain with you. I love another. I am leaving Chicago to-night. There is no need to answer, as all is at an end. Forgive the seeming cruelty of your friend, Harriet Hale. “N. B.—Please don’t d “Well, when I read that note I wag hot, sure enough. What did she mean by ‘Please don’t d ?’ Please don’t damn, or perhaps she meant please don’t drink. This was awful. Did she believe she was going to drive me to drink,when I don't believe I had touched a drop oi liquor during the whole time of our acquaintance -And she loved another. That was bitter indeed.

“Oh. how i hated women that day. First I would laugh, then get angry, then make up my mind to leave town; but amidst all resolves I was positively decided on one point, that I was forever through with the other sex. I went tc her uncle, obtained her address, and then telegraphed this message, as I did not want her to be in suspense a moment on my account. “ ‘The feeling I expressed for you recently was a mistake. Forget it. Don’t be uneasy about me; I still eat three meals a day and don't intend to drink. “ ‘Wm. H.’ “Days and weeks slipped by and no communication ever passed between us. I should have left the city for a while, but pride forbade it now. Her uncle and I talked over business matters frequently, and occasionally I visited at his house Whenever I called there now I became particularly gay, because I knew Harriet heard from her folks regularly, and perhaps they would allude to me as the ‘jolly old bachelor,’ and I desired that she should not know the real condition of my feelings. However, gay as I appeared, I found it only a make believe, for, try as 1 would to forget her, I could not drive her image from my mind. “Two months had nearly passed awav. I had only heard of Harriet incidentally, through her uncle. One night he informed me that she was going back to Dixon, and would remain one day in Chicago on her way home. Her uncle became quite communicative on this occasion.

“ ‘By the way,’ said he. ‘I never told you the sequel of Harriet’s employment at our house.’ I was nervous, but interested. and listened eagerly as he went on. ‘You see,.’ said he. ‘there was a dissipated young fellow in Dixon, madly in love with Harriet, and he annoyed her so much that she took a fancv to leave her home until time might eradicate his infatuation. She did not wish to be cruel or severe, so she broke off from his society by coming to Chicago, as you remember. Even while she was with us he bothered her with his attentions, and knowing her to bi extremely fond of flowers, he would send her bouquets clear ’.from the town of Dixon. He recently made a last appeal to her and said he was coming to Chicago This worried her, and that was the reason w)iy she left us so suddenly. “As Mr. Willis went on, I began to get uneasy, but I listened with a sort of dazed attention. “‘Well,’ went on her uncle, ‘ths young man has recently left Dixon for good, with a surveying party, for South America, and now Harriet is coming home to earn the peace her fancy and patience have brought about. ’ “ ‘What is this young man’s name?’ said I; “ ‘William Hazlitt,’ was the answer “Great Scott, thought I, that note which I found and read was intended for him, and was lost by her, and then 1 became excited, sure enough. What should I do? See her persona ly? That wouldn’t do. Write? That would take too many bottles of ink to explain. I began to pace the floor, and Mr. WilFs wanted to know what was up. I finally told him the story. He was interested and promised to help me, but doubted, as Harriet, he said, was very proud. The morning of her arrival in Chicago, as a sort of stratigem, I procured a handsome basket of flowers and wrote on a card simply these words: “Forgive me. William H. • (“The Chicago one.”) “Well, I was invited to the house, and the first sight I got of Harriet I knew I was forgiven, and I have found out since that it was through that basket of flowers, boys, shat I escaped being a bachelor." , James Hanneriiy.

How He Learned to SpelL There is said to be an old negro in Talbot County, Georgia, who learned to spell in a curious way in slavery times. His owner lived in a sparsely settled neighborhood, and he. being a small boy, was sent along vo accompany the children to school. The teacher would not allow him to go into the schoolroom when the pupils were reciting. This aroused his curiosity, and he would stealthily approach the door and repeat after the spellingclass until he could spell eve;y word in Webster’s blue-back spelling book before he knew the alphabet. He notv reads and spells very welL The Difference. “Well, Rastas,” said Mr. Fre<hfield to the waiter, handing him a five-dollar bill to pay a fifty-cent check; “I understand you have discovered the difference between a gentleman and a gent.” “Yessir,” returned Rastus. “De gentleman neber waits for no change, Mh.”-“JZarper’« Bazar

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