The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-10-24

Point?"
Certain as am of my own existence.
There is but one tavern at the place, and
at it he is domiciled. Tt is highly proba-
BILE he will be disguised and under an
assumed name. But you must ferret out |
his identity, aided by the information L
have given you, and the fact that he has
been in the place just a fortnight come
Tuesday Here's enough money to cover
your expenses. In event of your failure,
+ warn you never to come my way again.
If you succeed, your future is assured.
Now CO."
And John, slowing away generous
coil of bills in his innermost pocket,
obeyed Mr.. Biggertons peremptory bid
ding.
Now, Beamis Point was an aimless
province of unfertile soil, somewhere
along the Massachusetts, coast; of which
one predicted at first seantiness OF pop
ulation and general poverty in the way
of human comfort. There were pre-
cisely seven rambling farm houses, an
equally rambling church, and, more
pretentious than the rest, a heap OF brick
and mortar, stigmatized, for brevlty's
sake, 1.-The Tavern"
John Leil got to this place on the sec
ond morning after his departure from
Biggerton's Office Once there, he set
about his duties with all the system and
regularity beftting them. Going di-
rectly to the tavern, he ordered room,
and, while subscribing himself upon the
battered register, took occasion to scan
the names enrolled thereon.
In most part they were good, sensible
Yankee names, such, he argued, as might
be, and probably were, the possession of
the itinerant peddlers who predominated
in that section. But two names were
one jot out of the stereotyped category; !;
these were Miss Spear, New Haven, and
Oliver Pierce, Brooklyn. He closed the
book suddenly when he saw the date
subjoining them, Tuesday, April H.
| That was the day on which Philip
Brashear had come to Beamis Point.
| He went to his room, there to await
the sounding of the dinner gong. It
rang at last, and with a strangely futter-
/ ing heart, John repaired 30 the dining
room, and the first person to be intro
/ duced to him was Mr.. Oliver Pierce, of
| Brooklyn.
| The fellow was manifestly in the last
epoch of respectable intoxication, and as
he lolled about the room, eating, gestic-
! ulating and talking all in breath, John
had no meagre opportunity to study his
rum -blossoming physiognomy.
| His intuition told him the fellow was
the one he sought. His face was COW
cred by struggling beard of several
weeks growth, he was quite dark, and
Johns height "to hairs breadth
That afternoon John telegraphed Big
gerton substantially as follows:
"UNCLE AMERICUs:-Everythin is in
excellent order, and awaiting your
pleasure. JOHN"
It was twilight when he again entered
the room, and scarcely had he done SO
| than he heard some one fumbling at the
door-knob A second later the door
swung quickly open, and leaning against
the panels was a woman. Quite a tall
woman she was-certainly several inches
above the accepted height of her sex.
Her face, outlined by the dense shadows
of the hall was strangely prepossessing
she had full, regular features, a damask-
rose sort of complexion, and pale gray
eyes, under dark, curling lashes.
| Mr.. Liel was the first to regain his
composure.
els there anything can do for you?"
At the first sound of his voice she
shrank back still further in the shadows.
She had not seen him until he spoke.
eyes," she articulated, family, in a
veIvety contralto voice, ''though should
never have intruded had I known you
were here. The door of my room has
become locked during my absence, and
your key and mine are counterparts OF
each other"
John stopped forward and wrested his
key from its lock, then passed into the
hail accompanied by the lady. Her
room lay directly opposite his own, and
it was the work of scarcely moment to
insert the key and turn the lock into its
rightful position. Then, with faint
murmur of thanks, the lady passed
within, closing the door behind her, and
making to him an impromptu Peri on
the outer edge of modern paradise.
He stayed there second or two listen
ing to the fall of her receding footsteps,
then turned about, and was sauntering
across the narrow hall, when suddenly a
man staggered with drunken force against
him. just then a momentary simmer
of light burned upward from the ftful
flare of the hallway lamp, and, lying half
senseless in his clasp, John Liel saw the
figure of Philip Brashear.
He led the fellow few PAGES, then set
him on his feet. and watched hum with a
keen sense of satisfaction stagger against
the door of room farther on and sink
into heavy sleep across the threshold.
John felt more interested in his mystic
rious visitor next morning than he did in
either Brashear or his breakfast He
watched for her until his eyes tired OF
their vain expectancy; and, despsiring at
last of seeing her, he questioned mine
host about her, and had his trouble for
his pains. Mine host knew absolutely
nothing beyond the meager fact that he1
name was Spear; that she came from New
Haven; that she paid her bills with un-
common regularity, and kept exclusively
to herself.
So John had to content himself that
day with watching the movements OF
Philip Brashear, and congratulating his
vanity upon the conquest he had won
over his old enemy-Fate.
Towards evening he saw the door OF
Miss Spears room slightly ajar, and ven
tured in with neatly-worded pretense OF
having mistaken the apartment for his
own Miss Spear was manifestly sur.
prised, and unquestionably displeased
However, she went through the formula
of half-hours chat with a becoming
show of good nature. When he went
away, she told herself that she must sub
NIT to his well-meant overture; for suspi
cion was precedent she did not care tc
establish just then.
| So time ran blithely away, and spring
! .%c4l - 1DI,r