, 1873-05-25
THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, MAY a5, 1873
conversation to hint to mo that he had not mar
rieu the young woman, and seemed to regret It."
'tNo, he didn't marry Mehetabel.' "
HAlaY iua11ire 1c1u ha didn't marry Meheta-

conversation TO h1nt TO me that ne haQ noe UaI-
'rlea the Toung woman, and seemed to regret It..
'iNo, he didn't marry Mehetabol." =
.A1ay inquire tchy be didn't marry Meheta-
".Nerer asked ler. Might harc married tho
girl forty times. Old Elk,ns' daughter, over at
K. She'd haye had him quick enough.
Seven years or and on, he kept company with
Mehetabel, and then she died.
"And he never asked her Z"
"uo shilly~shallicd- Perhaps he didn't think
was struck aH Of Leap, land That's all about
Obviously Mr.. :sewel1 did not intend to tell me
anything more. aud obyiously there was moro to
tell The topic was plainly dlsagrceahle to him
for some reason or other, and that unknown rea-
son, Of COURSE piqued my curiosity. ..-.:''
!. As had heon absent from dinner and supper
that day, did not moot Alr. Jafrey again until
the following morning at breakfast, He had ro-
covered his bira-like manner, and vas full o.
placo in New York, all tho thrilling details Of
which we're at his fingers ends. It was at once
comica1 and sad to sec this harmless Old gentle
man. with his native. benevolent countcnance,
the foot~Ights at the theatre, reyelng in the ILL.,
tricacies OF the 11nmeutionab1e deed
ssYou come up to my room tonight" he cried
with 'horrid glce, =" and I'll give you my theory
Of tho murder Ill make it as clear as day to
you that it was tie detective hinaef who A1ed
the throe pistol-shots." . g..
1t was not so much the desire to have this
point eIncidated rs to make closer study OF Mr.
jatIroy that led mo to accept his Invitation: oIr.
JafYrey's bedroom was in an L Of the building,
/ and was in no way noticeable except for the nu-
merous flies of newspapers neatly arranged
against the blank spaces OF the walls, and q
huge pi1e OF old magazines which stood in one
corner: reaching nearly up to the cel1lnE, ana mr.
Leaning Tower at Pisa. There ~ere green paper
shades ut the windows. some faded c!liutz val
ances about the bed, and two or threo easy-chairs
covered with chintz. On o black-walnut shell
between the windows lny choice COLLECTION or
mearachaum and briorwood pipes.
Filling one Of the chocolato-colored bow wls Tor
me and another for himself, Mr.. Jafrrey began
prattHng; but not about the murder, which ap-
peared to have flown out Of his mind. In fact.
T do not remember that the topic WAS even
| touched upon, either then or aftersar1s-
ssCosy neat this" sa1d Mr.. Jaf<rey, glancing
| complaccntly over the apartment. ''What Ii
mora chcorfu, now, in the fail OF the year, than
an open wood Lire Z Do you hear those little
chirps and txittors coming out Of that piece Of
| apple-woed? Those are tho ghosts OF the robins
| and bluebir1s that sang upon the bough when it
| was in blossom last spring. In summer whole
| docks OF them come huttoring about the fruit
Trees trees under the window so lave singing birds
all the year round. take it very easy
here, I can tell you, summer and win
| ter. Not much society Tobias 1s not. per-
haps, what Que would term = great intellectual
lievos in coming dowa to what he calls the hard
PAM but his heart il in the night place, anu
! he's very kind to me. The wisest thing ever
| did in my life waa to sell out my grain business
over at < thirteen years ago. and settle down
| pctency, what does he want more? Besides, at
! that time an event occurred which destroyed
any ambition may have had. Mehetabel died."
| :The lady you were engaged to?. .e.
"N-o, not precisely engaged. I think it vas
/ hntNhnn
| had been said on the subject. Typhoid added
| Mr.. Jaffrey, in low voice
t For several minutes ho smoked in silence,
| vague. troubled look playing over Lis connten;
! ance. Presently this passed away, and he fixed
| bis gray eyes speculatiyely upon my face.
s1f had married Mehetaba1," :" said l1r. Jaf
froy. slowly. and then he hesitated. blew
ring OF smoke into the air, and, resting my pipe
ton. "If had married Mehetabel, you know;
! We should have kad-ahem!- IA family"
| "Very likely" I assented, yastly amused at
| this unexpected turn,
"a boy!" exclaimed olr. Jafrey, explosively.
| "By all means, certainly, a son."
"Grcat trouble about naming the boy. Mehet-
| abel'e family want him named Elkanah Elklns,
after her grandfather; I want him named An
drew jackson. Wo compromise BY christening
him Elkanah Elkins Andrew Jackson Jaf1rey.
| Rather long name for such q short Little fel-
low" said Mr. Ja1rey,. rnusingly--
=" Andy ien't bad nicknamo," suggested.
"Not st all. We call him Andy, in the family.
Somewhat fractious at firat,-co!ic and things
the usefulness Of measles, mu1nps, Group,
whooping- cough, scarlatina, and fits is not risi-
bio to the naked eye. wish Andy! would be u
model infant, and dodge tho whole lot"
minutes, Wns clearly assuming tile proportions
Of reality to AIr. Jatfrey. began to feel little
uncomfortable. am, as I have said, civil en-
gineer, aud it is not strictly in my line to asaist
| at the birth of infants, imaginary or otherwise
! I pulled away vigorously at the Pipe, and said
nothing. ...
What large blue eyes he has, " resumed Mr
Jaffrey, after pause; "just lilo Hetty's; and
the fair hair. too, iko hers. How oddly certain
| distinctive features are handed down III fami-
| lies! Sometimes mouth, sometimes turn OF
the eyebrow. Wicked little boys, orer at e,
| hayo now and thon de1iaiye1y advised me to fol-
low my noso. It would be IN interesting thing
| to do. I should find my nose flying about the
dodging this branch Of the family and reappear-
| ing in that, now jumping over one great-grand-
child to faaten itself upon another, and never
| losing its individuality. Look at Andy. There's
Elkanah Elkins' chin to the life- Andy's chin is
| probably oldar than the Pyramids. Poor little
thing" he cried, with sudden, inaoscribablo ten
! dernese, ss to lose his mother 80 early!" And
Mr, Jaffrey's head sunk upon his breast, and his
shoulders slanted forward. SO it he we're actually
bending over the cradle of tho child The whole
rasture md attitude was 30 natural that it star
tied me. Tho pipe slipped from my fingers and
fell to the floor. =.
"Hush!' whispered A1r: Jafrey: with depre-
eating motion of his baud. "Andy's aslcep!"
He roee softly from the chair and. walking
across the room on tiptoe, drew down the shade
at the window through which the moonlight was
streaming, Then he returned to his scat, and
renamed gazing with half~closed eyes into the
| dropping embers.
I refllsd my Pipe and smoked in profound
| silence. wondering Whist would come next But
nothing camp next. hlr. Jatirey had fallen into
so brown study that, quarter Of an hour after
wards when wished him goodnight and WITH
drew, do not think ho noticed my departure.
/ am not what is called B man Of imagination
it is nv habit to exclude most things not capable
mathematical but nagbt am an6 aof
think I understood Mr. Janrey's case. I could
easily how %an th h .aann an ahea!tny
ty, might take refuge in some foElorn place Ike
this old tavern, and dream his: LIE away: 10
such q 1nan-brooding forever On what might
hive been, and dwelling wholly in the realm OF
his fances-the actual world might indeed be-
come as dream, and nothing seem real but his
;1lusicng. dare say that thirteen years OF Bay