Speeches & Writings File "The Tell Tale Trunk" The Tell Tale Trunk. "I'll get out of here before Christmas, sure as shooting. I'll be miser able enough anywhere, I suppose, but it will be obdurable here." Arthur Carson stood beside the mantel in his room looking like a condemned "criminal", as his office boy would say. It was the old, old story of first an engagement and then an estrangement between the two parties to the contract, and the man at least was taking it hard. Alice Colliers friends declared that the breach had not affected that young lady's spirits at all, so far as mortal eye could see. She carried her head as high as she did before the engagement was broken and she was as serene of countenance as ever, they said. From all this they judged that the wound in her affection was not very deep, or if it was, it had rapidly healed, Nobody knew exactly what the trouble was all about, but everybody knew there had been trouble. The two young people had been engaged for several years and were always in each other's company. Now all that was a thing of the past and they never spoke as they passed by. Arthur Carson was still standing by the mantel, his eyes fastened upon the floor as though he expected to find consolation there, when somebody rapped loudly at the door. "You're as deaf as a door nail", Arthur Carson said the visitor, as he entered. I've knocked three times at least, as sure's my name is Jack Stowell. What's the matter with you anyhow? For Heaven's sake jump cat of the dumps. Be sunny. I'll bet money you're grieving over your fuss with Miss Collier." Stowell paused a moment, as though he expected a reply, but none came. "If it was going to affect you that way, what did you do it for?" Carson sat silent for a moment and this expression was a cross between waeriness and disgust. Talk about something you can discuss intelligently Jack. If I should try to explain the affair to you, you could not grasp it he snapped. You're too dense." The conversation was After this exchange of compliments the two young men who had grown up together began to talk about various things in which they were both interested. Stowell had his hand on the door 2 door knob ready to leave, when he turned suddenly as though a new thought had occurred to him. "Blessed if I wasn't going without telling you the very thing I came to say. But you were such a picture of distress, when I entered the room, your face scared it out of mind. I got a letter today from Dick Henderson, who lives in Philadelphia, you know, and he says there will be great times in that little burg during the holidays and that [he says] I must come without fail to join in the sport. He wants you to come too. Now brace up and say yes. You can arrange to take a little vacation just as well as I can. Lets leave Monday before Christmas eve [morning]." I cannot possibly go insisted Carson. Carson insisted at first that he could not possibly leave his business during the holidays but the persistent Stowell would not take no for an answer and so the matter was settled. "My trunk will have to be repaired", said Carson aloud, when his friend had gone "and I must send it to the shop tomorrow. Jack's right, I guess I am a little cracked in the brain, or I would not change my mind so often. I had just decided to take a trip so as to steady myself, before he proposed going to Philadelphia, and now that I have promised to do so, I am more wretched than I was before but women are the most mysterious unreasonable creatures in the world. I'll go to Philadelphia, have a gay tome, and forget that such a queer, unreasonable, mysterious creature as woman exists or die in the [?]." Even a poor student of human nature would have serious doubts as to Carson's power to live up to this resolution, however. If Alice Collier's friend who declared that the broken engagement had not disturbed the even tenor of her way, could have thrown an X ray on that young lady's heart, they would have changed their minds. For a long time she refused to discuss the matter with her most intimate friends, but she finally confessed to her chum that she was anything but gay. She insisted, however, that since her fiance was at fault, he must be the first to attempt a reconciliation. She had written several letters to him, she said, but he could neither persuade not force herself to send them, so 3 they had been laid away in her trunk. Her spirits flagged so perceptibly and her mental distress became so apparent to her mother that she urged her daughter to spend the holidays with a friend, who invited her to come to work. After, various pros and cons had been argued by miss Collier and her mother the question was finally settled in the affirmative. The young lady would start Christmas Eve and preparations for the visit began at once [*It was soon discovered that the trunk must be repaired and the factory was rung. The man who answered the call told him that he would send for the trunk immediately but that they were so rushed his man who*] "My trunk will have to be repaired", Mother said the daughter, "it was banged and battered soon that western trip last summer, that it neither looks presentable nor is it strong enough to be used." The telephone adjusted that matter immediately, The trunk would be sent for that afternoon and it could not possible be finished before Christmas Eve was the word sent by the man who answered. [*While Miss Collier conversing*] In the midst of a conversation with a friend who had called, the wagon & he came for the trunk. [Mrs. Collier instructed] The maid was to clear it out thoroughly and it was whisked away. [*The morning that his friends were to start on their pleasure trip Stowell rushed into Carsons room in great excitement looking around his friends had said he looking [about] around Without stirring Carson smiled pleasantly at his was his reply said Carson looking at his friend with a pleasant smile *] "It's nine o'clock this minute, and there is no indication whatever that you are even thinking about taking a journey", said Stowell, the morning they were to start for Philadelphia. "The train leaves at noon, too. Where's your trunk? Have you sent it to the station?" "it hasn't come yet I sent it to be repaired. Don't be so rushed, though. There's plenty of time. It doesn't take me a minute to pack. We can call a cab and get to the station in a jiffy[a minute]. I haven't had my breakfast yet, compose yourself take a bite with me and we'll get off in time, take my word for it". As the two men had gone but a short while when [went down the front steps to breakfast], [the trunk was carried up the back way.] the trunk arrived and was safely deposited in Carsons room. "Where in the world did [that trunk] it come from anyhow", [said] asked Carson, [when] in reply he returned a few minutes later. [*Well I'm glad this creature has arrived. Just said Stowell as he spied the trunk after they returned. From the store where you sent it to be repaired of course replied Carson. But it isn't my trunk said Carson. Stowell looked at his friend a minute in perfect silence Im really conerned about you Carson*] "It is not mine, I know." "It must be, said his friend, You are so addled now that you dont know your own things when you meet them face to face. Your initials are on the trunk all right The letters A.C. are there as plain as the nose on your face." While his friend was speaking, Carson was opening the mysterious trunk, It was easy to see that What about your trunk asked the mother The number hand of gowns new and old which should be taken had been decided when the [?] number of hats [determined] had been discussed when the attention of the two women was turned to question the trunk [?] will leave to be repaired, said the young lady. It was decided [to send it to the shop] for to have it repaired at once and the [telephone] man who answered trunk factory telephone was pressed into service the man pronounced to send for it [right away] in a few without delay but stated quite positively that it could not be finished on mention that was quite positive that they were so rushed that it could not be delivered until Christmas eve. Carson was not disturbed in the least and looked up at his friend with a pleasant smile 4 He had removed two of the trays, when his eye fell upon somethong in the bottom which made him stop as though he had been shot. "Do you see snakes asked his frien good naturedly. Paying no attention to the jest of his friend Carson stooped and picked something up. It was a letter. He opened it, glanced at it quickly and sat down without saying a word. "Is there anything in that letter relating to you, since the trunk is not yours? inquired his friend. "Come hurry up, Carson, we haven't a minute to spare. If that is not your trunk, [*whose it is, where is yours*] where is it and how are you going to get it?" "You'll have to go to Philadelphia without me, Jack", said Carson? Now dont bother about me at all. I cant go, that's all there is about it. I'll explain the matter later. Go to Philadelphia, have the time of your life and leave me here." Stowell looked [uncomfortable and] disgusted. "You're a hopeless case", he replied, and the first thing you know, you'll be sitting in the lunatic asylum. "Carson was uncomfortable and bit his lip. "Dont be mad Jack. I'd go if Iccould. It's my duty to stay, but I cant tell you why, now I'll explain everything to you soon." "Well, good by, then, if you're determined to break your engagement." "Talk about luck", chuckled Carson to himself, the moment the door closed behind his friend, but this is a windfall worth having"[that which [?] no mistake*].Then he devoured the contents of the letter greedily again. "But what will she say, when she knows this letter has fallen into my hands?" Before he could answer the question propunded to himself, a loud knock interrupted his reverie. "Scuse me sir", said the man, who rapped, but I made a mistake in them trunks. Both yours and a young lady's was promised this morning, and they both had the same initials on em, so I jes mixed em up. Awful sorry bout it, for the young lady's takin on awful about it. She was goin to New York to day, the [maid] girl told me, and now she cant catch the train she wanted to take on account of this mixin up of trunks. They'll bout tar and feather me down to the shop." Carson did not have time to offer an explanation [*make a statement*] or ask any questions whatever. For the man had no sooner replaced 5 the trays and closed the lid of the trunk than he was gone. I've got the letter all right, soliloquized Carton, as he [raised it] began to read it again. I don'tkknow whether it would have been better to leave it in the trunk, or to keep it, as I did. Fate is for me to day, and I [guess] take it everything has happened for the best. This is a Christmas present worth having." Sure Not content with having gone through the letter several times, he began to read it aloud. Dear Maud:, it ran "I am writing you to day, because I am perfectly moserable, and t is easier to [confess] explain with a pen than it is with the lips. You know I told you that Arthur and I had broken our engagement. There was a little misunderstanding, and I presume I was to blame. But the thing which has made me so stubborn was Arthur's parting vow, as he left me, the night, when the disagreeable affair occured. He declared that he would not inflict himself upon me again as he [?ex???ed], until I sent for him. Then you'll never come again, said I, for I'll never send for you, rest assured of that. I am sorry enough that I made such a rash vow, but now that I've made it, it seems so weak in me to break it. It does not seem possible for me to let Christmas pass without seeing Arthur, and yet I cannot let him know how I feel. I have decided to spend the holidays in New York, although [I know I'll] it'll be miserable of course. If I stay here I8ll send for him, and I really do not want to do that [after all]. What would you do? I am sure Arthur would come, if I [sent for him] asked him to. I am afraid he won't for a long time if I don't. It would be hard for a man with a grain of self respect to [do so] thrust himself upon a girl who said as many, after the mean things I said and the [*and who in so*] scornful a manner in which I left him. The letter had not been finished and there was no signature, but it was not difficult for Carson to identify the chirography. Miss Collier was at home, when, Carson called a few minutes after he had finished reading the letter aloud to himself. When that young lady entered the room, he made a profound obeisance and notified her that he had found something of great value to her which she had evidently lost or allowed 6 allowed to stray. In her effort to recover possession of the letter, her & her [was] hands were caught and tightly held. When the struggle was over and the captive was berating Jane for leaving the tell tale letter in the trunk, Carson declared that Jane was an angel of light. "She assured me that she had removed every thing in the trunk said the young lady whose head seemed if by resting comfortably on her restive shoulder. I would not have entrusted that important work to anybody in the world, if I had not been talking with a friend when the man came for the trunk. Do you suppose the men in the shop were mean enough to read that letter, she asked? Jane received a handsome Christmas present from Carson, as a token of his gratitude to her, he said. A telegram was sent to the friend in New York notifying her that Miss Collier could not possibly come, and when [the] she saw Mr and Mrs Arthur Carson on their honeymoon just a few days later she understood why there had been such a sudden change of plans [announcement] cards were sent out a short while after announcing that Mr. Arthur Carson were married on Christmas day, the friend in New York understood why the bride's visit had been postponed. The Tell Tale Trunk. "I'll get out of this [town] burg before Christmas, sure as shooting. I'll be miserable anywhere, I suppose, but it will be unendurable here." Arthur Carson sttod beside the mantel in his room, looking like a condemded "criminal", as his office boy would say. It was the old story of first engagement and then an estrangement between the two parties to the contract and the man, at least, was taking it hard. Alice Collier's friends declared that the breach had not affected that young lady's spirits at all. She carried her head as high as she did before the engagement was broken and she was as serene and placid of countenance as ever, they said. From this they judged, either that the wound in Miss Collier's affection had not been very deep, or that it had rapidly healed. Nobody knew exactly what the trouble was all about, but everybody knew there had been trouble. The two young people had been engaged several years, according to common report, and were always in each other's company. That was a thing of the past now, and under such circumstances the world always knows what conclusion to reach. Arthur Carson was still standing by the mantel, his eyes fastened upon the floor as though he expected to find some consolation there, when somebody rapped loudly at the door. "You're as deaf as a door nail, Arthur Carson", said the visitor, as he entered. "I've knocked three times at least, or my name's not Jack Stowell. I thought you must be out. What's the matter with you anyhow? For Heaven's sake, get out of the dumps and be sunny. I'll bet money you're grieving over your fuss with Miss Collier." Stowell paused a moment, as though he expected a reply, but none came. "If it was going to affect you that way," he continued, what on earth did you do it for?" Carson sat silent for a second, his expression a cross between weariness and disgust. "Talk about something you can discuss intelligently, Jack," he said. "If I should try to explain the affair to you, you could not grasp it. You're altogether too dense." 2 "Thanks for the compliment", replied Stowell with a smile, "lets talk about something else then". They had discussed various subjects in which they were both interested and Stowell had his hand on the door know, ready to go, when he turned suddenly, as though a new thought had struck him. "Blessed if I wasn't going without telling you the very thing I came here to say. But you were such a picture of distress, when I saw you, your face scared it out of my mind. I got a letter to day from Dick Henderson, who lives in Philadelphia, you know. He says there will be great times in that little burg during the holidays and that I must come without fail to join in the sport. He wants you to come, too. Now brace up and say yes. You can arrange to take a little vacation, just as well as I can. We'll leave here the day before Christmas." Carson insisted at first that he could not possibly leave his business during the holidays, but Stowell would not take no for an answer and so the matter was settled. "My trunk will have to be repaired", said Carson aloud, when his friend had gone, "and I must send it tomorrow to the store. I guess I am a little cracked in the upper story, just as Jack says, or I would not change my mind so often. I had just decided to take a trip so as to steady myself, before he proposed going to Philadelphia, and now that I have promised to go, I am more wretched than before. But I'll go just the same, have a gay time, and forget that such a queer, unreasonable creature as woman exists." [If he had] He looked closely at Carson's face, as he uttered this remark, (Even a poor student of human nature, would have doubted that young man's power to keep the resolution which he had just made.) As time wore on, some of Alice Collier's friends began to suspect that she was more deeply moved by her broken engagement than they had at first supposed. If they could have thrown an x ray upon her heart, they would have been sure their second conjecture was correct. For a long time she refused to discuss the matter with her most intimate friends, but she 3 3 finally admitted to her chum that she was anything but happy over the affair. She confessed that she was really at fault, but declared that she could never take the first step toward a reconciliation. Her spirits flagged so perceptibly that her mother became somewhat alarmed and urged her to accept an invitation extended by a friend to spend the holidays in New York. After the various pros and cons had been presented by Miss Collier and her mother, the question was finally settled in the affirmative. The young lady decided to start Christmas Eve and preparations for the visit began at once. The kind of gowns, how many new and how many old was agreed upon, the number of hats was determined and then the attention of the two women turned to the question of trunks. "The old one will be all right, if it is repaired", said the daughter, and the telephone was pressed into service without delay. The man who answered the call promised to send for the trunk right away but he was quite positive that it could not be finished until the day before Christmas on account of the great rush. The morning the two men were to start on their pleasure trip, Stowell rushed into Carson's room in the greatest glee. His mood quickly changed, however, when he saw that his friend had apparently made no preparation for the journey at all. "Here it is", said he, "after nine oclock and there is nothing to indicate that you are even thinking about taking a trip. The train leaves at noon, too. Where's your trunk? Have you sent it to the station?" Carson laughed at his friend and begged him to take a seat. "Don't be in such a rush, Jack", he said pleasantly. "There's plenty of time. I've sent my trunk to have it fixed, and it has not come back from the shop. It won't take a minute to pack. it will be here pretty soon, I'm sure. We'll call a cab and get to the station in a jiffy. I haven't had my breakfast yet, and I must eat a bite. Come with me and we'll get off all right" [*Over*] [The two men had hardly turned the corner, before the trunk arrived and] "It's all tommy rot taking a trunk anyhow" exclaimed Stowell in disgust--"Anybody would think you were a young bird who had to have a regular trousseau for her debut [instead of a hardened old sinner.] No self respecting man takes a trunk for a short trip--I haven't used one since I was a small boy in kilts when I was to be absent from home only a week. Page 4 4 was safely deposited in Carson's room, "Well I'm glad this thing has come at last", said Stowell, as his eye fell upon the trunk, when they returned. "But where on earth did it come from?" exclaimed Carson staring at it in surprise. "From the store where you sent it to be repaired, of course" answered Stowell. "But it isn't my trunk", insisted Carson. For a minute Stowell's face was a puzzle. It was difficult to decide whether he was angry or amused. "If you go on like this much longer, you'll be sitting in some lunatic asylum soon, and no mistake, Arthur. You're so addled now that you don't know your own goods and chattels when you meet them face to face. That's your trunk all right. Your initials are on it. You can see A. C. staring at you as plain as the nose on your face." "But it isn't my trunk," protested Carson, "initials or not." He went to the trunk and examined it more closely. He had removed two of the trays, when his eye fell upon something in the bottom, which made him stop, as though he had been shot. "Do you see snakes Arthur? asked his friend. Paying no attention to the remark Carson stooped and picked something up. It was a letter, which he quickly opened and read. Before he had finished it, he dropped into a chair, as though he were stunned. "If that is not your trunk, why on earth does that letter interest you so much?" asked Stowell. "Come hurry up, Arthur, put that letter down and throw your clothes into that trunk." It seemed difficult for Carson to collect himself sufficiently to reply. "You'll have to go to Philadelphia without me to day, Jack. Sorry to dissapoint you, but it is impossible for me to go, and that's all there is about it. I'll explain this whole thing to you later, but let me off today. Go to Philadelphia, have the time of your life and leave me here." Stowell was disgusted and annoyed, but he immediately resigned himself to the inevitable with as good grace as he could command. "You're a hopeless case, old boy," he said. "Good bye", and he was gone. Carson's face was wreathed in smiles. "Talk about luck," he soliloquized, 5 "but if this is not the article, it doesn't exist." He chucked, as he devoured the contents of the letter greedily from beginning to end. "But what will she say, when she knows this letter has fallen into my hands?" he asked. "Perhaps I've made a mistake, after all. Maybe I had better left it in the trunk." Before he could speculate further, a loud knock was heard at the door. "Scuse me, sir", said the individual who entered, "but I made a mistake in them trunks. Yours and a young lady's was both promised this morning, and they both had the same letters on em, so I jes naterly mixed em up. Mighty sorry I did, I tell you, for the young ladys's takin on awful about it. She was goin to New York, the girl says, and now she cant catch the train she wanted to take on account of this mixin up of them trunks. They'll bout tar and feather me down at the shop, I reckon." Before Carson could make a statement or ask a question the man had shouldered the trunk and was gone. "I understand the mistake throughly", said Carson, continuing the conversation with himself. "But what a glorious mistake it is." The letter was then read aloud. "Dear Maud:" it ran. "I am writing to you to day, because I am perfectly miserable, and because you asked me to tell you why Arthur and I broke our engagement. It is easier to explain the affair with the pen than it is with my lips, though I am not sure I shall send this letter, after it is written. As I think over our misunderstanding, I am sure I was to blame. But the thing which has made me stubborn was the remark Arthur made, when he left me that night we quarreled. 'I'll not inflict myself upon you again' said he, as he left me, 'until you send for me.' 'Then you'll never come again,' I replied angrily, 'for I shall never send for you, rest assured of that.' " I dont blame her for saying what she did", muttered Carson to himself. "What a brute I was after all." "I am sorry enough I made such a rash vow, continued the the letter, but now that I have made it, it seems so weak to break it. But how can I let Christmas pass without seeing Arthur? If I send for him , I know he will come. What would you do? 6 I have promised to spend the holidays in New York, and I am sorry enough that I have. I shall be miserable, I know. There is no way out of it now. How I wish there was." Your wish shall be gratified, if I have anything to say about it", exclaimed Carson as he donned his hat and coat. The letter had not been finished and there was no signature affixed, but it was not difficult for Carson to identify the chirography. He had seen it often before. Miss Collier was home, when Carson called shortly before noon. When the young lady entered the room, he arose, made a profound bow and solemnly notified her that he had found something of great value which she had evidently lost or allowed to stray. He drew nearer to her and showed her the letter which he had found in the trunk. One glance was sufficient for her to grasp the situation. In her effort to recover possession of the valuable document, her hands were caught and tightly held. The struggle was short, and when it was over, the young lady's head rested comfortably on the shoulder of the man. " The morning the trunk was sent for", she explained, I was talking to a friend who had called. Mother told Jane to remove everything from the trunk, before it was sent to the store for repairs, and we thought she had done so. How dreadful it was for her to be so careless. And to think of the wicked mistake that reckless driver made, so that this letter [should] fell into your hands." "It was a Christmas present for me", declared Carson drawing her closer, "and what a present it is. How can i ever repay Jane? I ought to give a brown stone front to the man." Jane received a handsome gift, a token of gratitude from Carson. A telegram was sent to the friend in New York notifying her that Miss Collier could not come. And when Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Carson, who were married Christmas day, called on her a week later, the New York friend understood why Miss Collier's visit had been postponed. Mary Church Terrell 326 T St N.W. 4 eat a bite. Come with me, and we'll get off alright. "Its all tommy rot taking a trunk anyhow" exclaimed Stowell in disgust. "Anybody would think you were a young bud who had to have a regular trousseau for her debut. No self respecting man takes a trunk for a short trip. I havent used one since I was a small boy in kilts, when I was to be sent from home only a week." The two men had hardly turned the corner, before the much discussed trunk arrived and was safely deposited in Carson's room. "Well I'm glad this thing has come at last," said Stowell, as his eye fell upon the trunk, when they returned. "But where on earth did it come from?" demanded Carson staring at it in surprise. "From the store where you sent it to be repaired, of course," replied Stowell. "but it isn't my trunk?" insisted Carson. For a minute Stowell's face was a puzzle. It was difficult to decide whether he was angry or amused. "If you go on like this much longer, you'll be sitting in some lunatic asylum soon, and no mistake, Arthur. You're so addled now that you dont know your own goods and chattles, when you meet them face to face." But it isn't my trunk"? protested Carson, "initials or not." He went to the trunk and examined it more closely. He had removed the traye, when his eye fell upon something in the bottom, which made him stop as though he had been shot. "Do you see snakes Arthur? asked his friend. Paying no attention to the remark Carson stopped and picked up something to which his eyes were fairly glued. It was a letter, which he quickly opened and read. Before he finished it, he dropped into a chair, as though he were stunned. "If that is not your trunk why on earth does that letter interest you so much?" asked Stowell. "Come, hurry up, Arthur put that letter down and throw your clothes into that trunk." 4 [where for a short trip since I was a small bot in kilts."] The two men had hardly turned the corner, before the much discussed trunk arrived andwas safely deposited in Carson's room. "Well, I'm glad this thing had come at last", said Stowell, as his eye fell upon the trunk, when they returned. "But where on earth did it come from?" demanded Carson starting at it in surprise. "From the store where you sent it to be repaired, of course," replied Stowell. "But it isn't my trunk?" insisted Carson. For a minute Stowell's face was a puzzle. It was difficult to decide when he was angry or amused. "If you go on like this much longer, you'll be sitting in some lunatic asylum soon, and no mistake, Arthur. You're so addled now that you dont know your own goods and chattels, when you mee thm face to face." "But it isn't my trunk"? portested Carson, "initials or not." He went to the trunk and examined it more closely. He had removed two trays, when his eye fell upon something in the bottom, which made him stop as though he had been shot. "Do you see snakes Arthur?" asked his friend. Paying no attention to the remark Carson stopped and picked up something to which his eyes were fairly glued. It was a letter, which he quickly opened and read. Before he had finished it, he dropped into a chair, as though he were stunned. "If that is not your trunk, why on earth does that letter interest you so much?" asked Stowell. "Come, hurry up, Arthur put that letter down and throw your clothes into that trunk." It seemed difficult for Carson to collect himself sufficiently to reply. "You'll have to go to Philadelphia without me to day, Jack. Sorry to disapoint you, but it cant be helped. It's impossible for me to go, and that is all there is about it. I'll explain the whole thing to you later, but let me off to day. Go to Philadelphia, have the time of your life and leave me here. Stowell was disgusted and annoyed, but he immediately resigned himself to the inevitable with as good grace as he could command. "You're a hopeless case, old boy," he said. "Good bye," and he was gone. 5 Caron's face was wreathed in smiles. "Talk about luck,"he soliloquized, but here's the real thing sure." He chuckled, as he devoured the contents of the letter greedily from beginning to end. "But what will she say,when she knows this letter has fallen into my hands?"he asked. [*Over*] ["Perhaps I've made a mistake after all. Maybe I had better left it in the trunk." Before he could speculate further, a loud knock was heard at the door.] "Scuse me, sir, said the individual who entered, "but I made a mistake in them trunks. They'll about tar and feather me down at the shop, I reckon." Before Carson could make a statement or ask a question, the man shouldered the trunk and was gone. "I understand the mistakethoroughly," said Carson, continuing the conversation with himself. "But what a glorious mistake it is. The letter was then read aloud. Dear Maud; it ran, I am writing to you to to day because I am perfectly miserable, and because you asked me to tell you why Arthur and I broke our engagement. It is easier to explain the affair with the pen than it is with my lips. I am starting this letter, but I am not at all sure that I shall send it to you, after it is finished. As I think over a our misunderstanding, I am sure I was to blame in the beginning. But the thing which made me so angry and stubborn was Arthur's last [the] remark [Arthur made], when he left me the night we quarreled. I'll not inflict myself upon you again", said he, as he left me, "until you send for me". "Then you'll never come again", I replied angrily, "for I shall never send for you, rest assured of that." "I dont blame her for saying what she did", muttered Carson. "What a brute I was anyhow." I am sorry enough I made such [a rash vow" continued the letter, but now that I have made it, it seems so weak to break it. But how can I let [Easter] Christmas pass without seeing Arthur [One beautiful Easter Sunday] It was on Christmas Eve that we became engaged. If I send for him, I know he will come. What shall I do? What would you do?] [*Perhaps it will be a mistake to let her know I've seen it "while Carson was still holding the letter speculating as to what he should do with it, a loud knock was heard at the door - 6 a rash vow, continued the letter, but now that I have made it, it seems weak to break it. Arthur and I were engaged [one Easter Sunday] Christmas Eve, and how can I let [Easter] Christmas pass without seeing him? What shall I do? What would you do? I have promised to spend the [Easter] holidays in New York, and I am sorry enough that I have. There is no way out of it now. How I wish there was. "Your wish shall be gratified, if I have anything to say about it", exclaimed Carson, as he donned his hat and coat. The letter had not been finished and no signature affixed, but it was not difficult to identify the chirography. he had seen it often before. Miss Collier was home, when Carson called shortly before noon. When that young lady entered the room, he arose, made a profound bow and solemnly notified her that he had found something of great value to her and showed her the letter which he had found in the trunk. One glance was sufficient for her to grasp the situation. In her effort to recover possession of the valuable document, her hands were caught and tightly held. The struggle was short, and when it was over, the young lady's head rested comfortably on the shoulder of the young man. "The morning the trunk was sent for," she explained, "I was talking to a friend who had called. Mother told Lucy to remove everything from the trunk, before it was sent to the shop, and of course we took it for granted that she had done so. If I had remembered that letter, I should have attended to the matter myself. How dreadful of Lucy to be so careless. And to think of the wicked mistake that reckless driver made, so that this letter fell into your hands". "It was my [Easter] Christmas Card", declared Carson, drawing her closer, " and I'll wager it was the handsomest one received by any man in the United Sates this year. I ought to give Lucy a brown stone front as her reward and give that driver a million at least." A telegram was sent to the friend in New York notifying her that Miss Collier could not come. And when Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Carson, who were married Easter morning called on her a week later, the friend understood why the visit had been postponed. Mary Church Terrell 326 T St. Wash D.C. 326 T St. Wash D.C Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.