Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-06-16
VOL. 7O.-35s3. NO. 35.

/ upon the stage tins time with lirht bouud
and ON almost dancing measure. smiling and
howing gayly as il he had mover thought
of anything somber.
For myself. | was aized with an mex.
pressblc restIessuoss. In vain made these
words Of Ives only idle, boyish defamation.
They haunted me, they drove me 70 desper.
ation aud ] determined no longer 10 live
under this shelter OF my own forming
Treat turned to mo while the band was play
ing. before The next and last speaker should
come IN, and said
That was n ctrious fact the voting man
brought out at the end. True, too, but hor
did he happen to ferret il 0ut2 SUPPOSE he
was struck with the fact Of its having come
upon This very day. ! remember the fact
perfectly. ltmade q stir at the time. but
was an un7oivei enigma. Suspicion rested
ON some one who disappeared at the time.
nave forgotten bis name. But it never was
clearedup. confess, t'is young fellow made
me oldas am, feel rather creepy"
] lott the audience 70 seek the air AZ the
moment lcit the door young Ives passed
down the walk. With an impulse stepped
up 20 his side and made as Il would walk
with him.
That was a singular. fact" said I. all
uptlY " that you closed your oration with
How did you get hold Of it2 It especially
Interested me, because it happened in my col
legc-days, or rather, just after them. | was
of tho class of thirty-four.' He answered:
came upon the story in one os my walks
the other side of the mountain. have
liking for such stories, and ! tried my best
10 get hold OF some clew 20 it, thinking IL
would b. fine thing for me TO discover it.
IN fact, IL | had discovered it. | meant 10
disclose The whole story here on the stage.
10 would have made q sensation, ell The
only clew could get TO it was very inter
esting gone" hsadded with sang-froid. "The
person last soon with the numbered man, and
never seen aiterward bore the same name
that have ives What is more he bore
my fathers name' Mymouth grew parched
my tongue moved heplessy could only
look at him aa If be had accused me Of the
crime.
" His name was Philip Ives i" he added. II
hunted him down as well as | could, but
thuty@eyen years cover mp a good many
triln' and | could find nothing concerning
him. Tie went on to tell me Of his expert
ence ia ieucting out this tragedy. and my
head grew clearer Al last could speak
Whore is your home 2" asked.
In TexIs, in san Antonio Ny father
ana uncle were states people my mother
was Spanish
" Your uncle =" managed to say but
could not trust myself TO say more. He
looked ut me curiou9ly, detecting some m-
explained emotion in my tone.
" Yes, my uncle. Nothing strange in that.
] suppose Ny father died when was a
child and my uncle has always been my
guardian"
Pardon my inquistivcness," | said, but
once bad a very dear friend, a classmate
here at ~. John'si his name was Ralph
Ives"
d" That is my uncla's name, but never
heard Of his being here at ST. Johns.
must look into this"
Very likely they were two distinct per-
sons " Ives is NOT at all an uncommon
name"
"What WIS he like 2" demanded my com
panion. "Describe him TO me-"
II your uncle WAS my friend said J,
"ha wonld hnye grown out of his old like.
ness. can ouly say that thought / saw a
likeness in you TO him."
" 50 everybody says Come, I believe ]
ann getting at something"
Z" DO YOU 60 back to Texas at once ?" /
asked.
"That is just what am on my way TO
find out" said he. | am going in hers, to
the post-otiioe, now I've been every dav lock.
ing for l,tter' l was perplexed beyond
measure. felt sure that I could determine
without doubt, whether or not his uncle aud
my friend were one, but, il they were, il was
/ plain that for SOME reason Ralph had con-
cealed the facts Of his early life from his
| nephew. and had | a right to reveal them ?
and wnuld they set this Young inquisitor at
work uuon q new clew? We entered the of-
flee together lie opened his post-ofhce box,
took a letter out and read it,
Good I" said he, rs il talking to fiieud-
"Im going to Europe My uncle writes me
togo at once. lie viii Join me in New York"
! hoped that the excitement would hold
his mind and make him forget our previous
conversation, but in a moment he added
" See if the handwriting is familiar" |
glanced at The letter.
"YeS," | said, as carelessly as | could,
d" 10 might be his" Then | added You
win see your uncle in few days am
NOT far from New York-at Bloomfield in
fact. Give him this card" | wrote upon
the back Of a visiting card, 3" Thought is the
devil and handed it to Candido. That
il piece of nonsense said |, laughing it
OF. If your uncle is my friend, he will un-
dcIstand it," | felt that ought to leave it
10 Ralph to do what he would in this case.
A week aitor | sat in my study. was
reading my morning paper My eyes fell
upon the list of passengers in one of the At
lantic steamers. saw the names of Ralph
I've. and Candido Ives. | sighed; So it
could not have been he He never would
have refused the recognition" Yet | re-
mcmbered that he had kept silence for thir-
ty-scvcn years Why should he break it
noW I wondered, too, that Candido had
mot written; yet | knew so little of him
l D.
network of speculation. 1t was with
heavy heart that | turned back to my work.
The mystery seemed darker, for the little
light had begun to fancy was thrown upon
it, longod for soma sign that would show
nae the worth or worthlessness Of the spec
ulations which had inevitably been forming
in my mind. ! was not left long without
this sign. The next day. came a letter,
which held long IN my hand before could
open it. ID bore the old, familiar hand,
changed as only time would change it.
am not ashamed to say that could not open
it till had first dropped on my knees and
asked courage to bear Whatever message it
brought. It was without date, without sig
nature Ii read Since | sent back that
scrap of writing by Philip, that awful night,
/ telling you that | would write as soon as
/ 80 was possible, these years have passed, and
still l cannot explain 1t, cannot come 10 you.
| Ny nephew wrote me of your being an ex-
amiuer, innocent OF the sharp t..in that
| would run through me- II filed me with
uncasucss and have resolved to take him
for several years stay in Europe His mother
is dead. His father is dead. | am alone
with him. God knows all. My lips are
sealed forever. Should die, and he return
and seek you, be his friend, oh, be his friend;
but do not tell him that we knew each other
and loved each other
The letter fell from my hands and the
tears rolled down my checks as | again drop
ped on my knees and blessed God that he
had given me back my friend Yes, he had
given him back, though ! should never see
him more-giveu him back without stain,
and with all his old nobleness glorifed in
the light of these years Of grand silence. 1t
was an clear 10 me now. These fragments
came together, and could sec the noble life
before me. Ga that night when Ralph lay
beside mo, happy and hopeful, his brother
had slain man, and, fleeing, had sought
this Young man for refuge He had found
| him and drawn him away for counsel.
| Ralph had sent him back with the note,
which he never left, but in place robbed me
as / slept. They had left this strong, young