Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-04-03

aess anywhere" He bit his lip and
paused, and then added: ''I didn't
know you knew her." "I DON'T" 1
=" and l never knew that such
person had ever lived till yesterday"
&C Then how do you come by her portrait,
and why do you bring it to me?' "To |
ascertain if it really was the same per-
son." g Same person as who?-what?
don't understandr'
Why, whether, by any strange coin
this lady-my wife's friend and
hoolfellow-might happen to be the
lady you once-well, shall I say once
knew under very peculiar circumstance
esp" He looked at me now somewhat
angrily as he said: '' See here, old fel-
low, there are matters sometimes in
mans life that he doesn't care about
having raked up again. I tell you hon
estly this is one of them, and don't
butte like this kind of a joke" No joke,
on my word,'' continued &c and if l
am touching on anything unpleasant,
please forgive me; for have purpose.
Not that that 1 imagined you were so
sensitive ON the subject, especially as you
contemplated turning it to literary ac-
count"
"I?-literary account? What do you
mean?'' he asked, Indignantly. 81
should as lief think of turning cannibal
as of turning anything connected with
that young lady to account, as you call
it, I was little puzzled now; SO
said: 'sWell, but who do you say the
Young lady is?'' .sHer name-if you
mean that-was Miss Naughton, Rose
Naughton when knew her; but con-
fess I don't see that because she happens
to be friend of your wife's you are war
ranted in referring thus abruptly to my
acquaintance with her, 'sMy dear fell
low,' cried, 81 had no idea of this, be-
lieve me. 1 hadn't a notion that you
knew her name, and we are evidently
little at cross-purposes. But bear with
me a minute longer. Admitting that
this is portrait of the Miss Rose Naugh-
ton whom YOU seem to have known,
though I never could have guessed that,
Just look at it carefully again and see if
it does not remind you of some one else
some one whom you once saw, re-
peat, under very peculiar circum-
stances
He bends forward to examine the
photograph, and presently says, ''No.'
Then say, 'sWill this help your MEM
ory?'' and while he is still looking at the
portrait, put down on the ledge of the
easel, Just under his eyes, an earring.
GOOD heavensr' he cries, "what are
you up to? What have you taken this
out of the cabinet for?" 81 have not
been near the cabinet, if you mean the
place where you keep your jewels"
"Then what on earth-n He hesi-
tates, and taking up the earring, walks
with it across the room to his treasure
store. / cannot help, with my dramatic
instincts, watching him eagerly; and it is
as good as play to see his surprise and
wonder when, opening the cabinet, he
takes forth the earring he picked up in
the railway carriage, and finds that he
has the fellow to it in his other hand. .
Yes; there they are, clearly the pair
two birds claws, each holding revolv-
ing wheel. 'sNow look at the portrait
again." say, when he had stood for a
minute regarding me with blank amaze
ment. 81 don't say that you will, be-
cause it is mere speculation, but do you
not see in the portrait of Miss Naughton
something to remind you of the young
lady, your mysterious travelling compan-
ionp' He is examining the photograph
again. 'Well, it is very absurd, but
really, now you put it to me, there might
be something Of the same look in it,
and He ponders. "Was it she, then
Rose-after all, that I in measure was
reminded of that nightp On my honor /
seem to think it must have been" Then,
turning to me, he asks: But what is
the meaning of all thisP Why do you
want to know whether I can see any re-
semblance in this photograph to that
girl, and where, above all, did you get
this other earring fromP Explain your
self, for heavens S saker'
Because, as 1 say,n I replied, &c il
seems to me just possible that, if there be
such a thing as ghostly influence, OF
| spiritualism, or clairvoyance, or what
ever one may choose to call such myste.
ries-because, I say, if such things exist
you may have received the warning to
leave your seat as you did through the
mysterious influence of Miss Naughtor
herself, for she was in that railway trair
that same night, and those earrings be-
longed to her.
Again the wonder in his face would
have been amusing had it not beer
mingled with an expression of pain
y" Incredible, preposterousn' he said a
length. ''You say Miss Naughton is ;
friend of your wife's?''
Eyes; and / will explain how I cam,
upon the fact forthwith. Yesterday, a
my wife was dressing, she asked me t,
fetch her brooch from the drawer il
the dressing-case. On opening it tn,
first thing which caught my eye, amons
lot of little trinkets, was that earring g
and moments examination showed j
1 to be the counterpart of the one you hat
so mysteriously come by. The devic
was not easily to be forgotten. Youma
judge of my surprise, and how it led t
my telling her about your strange ad
venture. Then we went into the matter
and she on her part told me how the ear
rings had belonged to a school-fellow Q
hers, Rose Naughton by name, who ha'
lately gone abroad; and how, two year
ago, she had been in fearful railwa
accident one evening, while on her wa
from Peterborough to ball at Gran
) tham-how two Of her party had bee
killed while sitting beside her; how sh
escaped by a miracle, uninjured, an
how, amongst the trifiing events con
nected with the terrible circumstances
she had lost one of her ear-rings-one c
pair which had been given her tha
night by the man to whom she was Ell
gagged, and who was himself killed.
My friends face, with a strange pei
versity, seemed for moment to lose il
panied expression as 1 uttered these las
words. / resumed: "When Miss Naugl
ton went abroad she gave my wife he
photograph-that on the easel-an
: among other souvenirs that odd earring
! for it appears the tragical accide1
brought about one good result for her
it cut short an engagement entirely di
tasteful to her, and into which she ha
: been forced-well, didn't hear exact
l how; at any rate, she never loved tt
t man-disliked him, in fact, m
t wife says, and had no compun,
3 ton about giving the earring I
, my wife, who was struck with the quain
ness of the device. You will readily III
derstand how this story instantly ass
e ciated itself with you in my mind.
L comparison of dates and other circun
stances left no doubt 1 was bound
come and tell you; and I hope, my de;
: fellow, you will acquit me now of id
> intrusion upon your affairs. [ assn
$ you that l had not the faintest idea tn
4 you knew Miss Naughton by name.
d thought you might have seen her, as
r believe you did; for assuredly her pre-
y ence-either in the flesh or in the spin.
; whichever it was-saved your life. n
: friend, full of amazement, held out /
s hand, and, in shaking mine warml
q r