Ethelyn's Mistake

The next day brought the Joneses--Melinda and Tim--the latter of whom

had heard from Mrs. Amsden's son of Andy's strange errand there. There

was something in the wind, and Melinda came to learn what it was. Always

communicative to the Jones family, Mrs. Markham told the story without

reserve, not even omitting the Van Buren part, but asking as a

precaution that Melinda would not spread a story which would bring

disgrace on them. Melinda was shocked, astonished, and confounded, but

she did not believe in Frank Van Buren. Ethie never went with

him--never. She, like Andy, would swear to that, and she said as much to

Richard, taking Ethie's side as strongly as she could, without casting

too much blame on him. And Richard felt better, hearing Ethie upheld and

spoken for, even if it were so much against himself. Melinda was still

his good angel, while Ethie, too, had just cause for thanking the kind

girl who stood by her so bravely, and even made the mother-in-law less

harsh in her expression.

There was a letter for Richard that night, from Harry Clifford, who

wrote as follows: "I do not know whether you found your wife at Mrs. Amsden's or not, but

I take the liberty of telling you that Frank Van Buren has returned, and

solemnly affirms that if Mrs. Markham was on board the train which left

here on the 17th, he did not know it. Neither did he see her at all when

in Camden. He called on his way to the depot that night, and was told

she was out. Excuse my writing you this. If your wife has not come back,

it will remove a painful doubt, and if she has, please burn and forget

it. Yours, "H. CLIFFORD."

"Thank Heaven for that!" was Richard's exclamation as in the first

revulsion of feeling he sprang from his chair, while every feature of

his face was irradiated with joy.

"What is it, Dick? Is Ethie found? I knew she would be. I've prayed for

it fifty times to-day, and I had faith that God would hear," Andy said,

the great tears rolling down his smooth, round face as he gave vent

to his joy.

But Andy's faith was to be put to a stronger test, and his countenance

fell a little when Richard explained the nature of the letter. Ethie was

not found; she was only proved innocent of the terrible thing Richard

had feared for her, and in being proven innocent, she was for a moment

almost wholly restored to his favor. She would come back some time. She

could not mean to leave him forever. She was only doing it for a scare,

and to punish him for what he did that night. He deserved punishment,

too, he thought, for he was pretty hard on her, and as he surely had

been punished in all he had suffered during the last forty-eight hours,

he would, when she came back, call everything even between them, and

begin anew.