The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-04-15

have often heard me call him"
Miss Mason bowed in her ordinary
stately way. Jack came forward a
step, looked, stopped, colored and
quite amazed me by the awkward
manner in which he acknowledged
my introduction. No one seemed to
notice him, however, but me, and in a
moment more we were seated at break
fast, the blessing asked, the buttered
toast brought in, and Jenny Brewster
chattering In her pert, provoking lit
tie way to Jack, to the exclusion of
any one else getting a word IN.
As soon as breakfast was over Miss
Mason got her hat and shawl, took
her roll of music and went off to her
morning duties / busted myself wash
ing the silver, as was my Old-fashiOn-
ed custom; and Jenny diIly-dallied
on one pTetence and another, await
ing, | knew, to see if Jack would not
offer to walk to school with her. [
asked presently, just to tease her:
What allied you, Jack, when L in
troduced Miss Mason2 p smltten at
first sight, weren't yeuY"
A peculiar expression went over
Jacks face.
mo, he answered, not that pre-
cisely, but" he hesitated asmoment,
" l have seen Miss Mason before, and
l was rather surprised to see her
again, here"
You have seen her befOre2" |
asked And then / felt sudden re-
pugnance to discuss the matter fur
Their before Jenny. 1 couldn't have
accounted for this repugnance; it
went through my mind that If Jack
was really going to be fond of her, of
course he'd tell her everything; but,
for the time, some instinct put me on
my guard against admitting her into
any condolences concerning Camilla
Mason. / felt like defending the one
against the other. / turned the sub
ject, saying, rather sharply, to Jenny,
seems to me you're going to be late
to school this m0rning-aren' your
When Jenny had finally gone, we
went from the breakfast-room to the
garden, and into the Summer-house,
where | began lacking little straps
across the new shoots of the Michigan
rose which ran over it. He brought
the morning paper out there, and
stretched himself on the seat.
And where did you ever see Miss
Mason before?"
. / saw her last evening. "
" Last EVENING"
" Yes" He waited a little, as
though reluctant to say more
Did you know who it was when
you saw her2" I asked.
Certainly not, but she is one
should not have to meet more than
once to remember"
. Very true"
4 will tell you all about it, he
went on, at the end of a mo-
ment's irresolutiOn. / jumped of
the cars, you know, where they slow
at the corners, and man who had
sat near me did the same. | noticed
him particularly for two or three rea-
sons-one was that l fancied he was
following me, another was for his evil
eye. He kept few PAGES behind me
as l struck across through Hollis
woods, and suddenly | came face to
face with a woman who was walking
toward US. 1t is impossible that |
should be mistaken 10 recognizing
Miss Mason as this woman | noticed
even her clothes: she was -dressed In
black, and carried long spray Of ar
bUtus buds IN her hand. There was
something pinched and hard about
the expression of her face, which it
did not have this morning. The mau
stopped as she approached, so | did
not see the meeting, but | looked
back and saw them talking together,
walking slowly back toward the cor
ners"
1t is certainly singular" | said.
Il should think she must have known
you this morning"
Of course she must-as well as L
her" .
Was the man young or old, and
what sort of looking pian?'
Bad" He sat scribbling reflect
lively on the margin of the paper he
held. What doyOu know of Miss
Mason?' he asked.
Why" replied the Ortons
spoke of her in the highest terms.
Oh, well said aek, dare say
it was some raseally dog of brother
or cousin whom she has to hep out of
his scrapes, and she don want it
talked about, which Is natural enough. "
But l couldn't accept this version
so readily. [ felt troubled A bad
looking man, you say. How bad?-
evil, or vulgar, or what?.
Something ike this
He penciled a face upon the mar
gin of his newspaper. It was a
mans face, Of certain sort
of beauty. but sinister, treacherous.
bad, sure enough, Ia its express
sion.
Dear dear" I said, half il fright