The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-04-17

safe enough, the wheel suspended from,
the birds claw. A wheel of fortune If
had indeed proved to me.
''And do you mean to tell me this ;s a
fact?'' asked, ironically, as l finished
my friends manuscript. EVERY word
of it, as l am living man, he an
swered. "See, here is the EARRING ;,
and he handed me the trinket. ..Wef1r
1 continued, after examining it, "wbat
are you going to doP How are you going
to finish your story?'' 80, / don' f
know. Can you give me notionp' He
knows have an eye for dramatic situa-
tons. mot 1, indeed; you will have to
invent that, / suspect And he talked
a good deal more, of course, about the
strange affair before / left him: and
equally, of course, at the end of two
years the story was not finished. NV
friend is only a dabbler, and seldom
brings any of his efforts in art or litera-
ture to fruitful issue. little thouoht
that itwould devolve on me to takeup the
thread of this one. and finish it for him.
Before parting, however, l asked:
"Did you see the girls faceP' "Not
very clearly. The light was dim. |
could not distinguish her features pre-
cisely, nor the color of her eyes, nor any
details exactly, you understand; vet
there was look''-he went on after a
pause" which reminded me of some
body, or 1 thought it did, could not tell
whom, that | had seen before. TWAS
mere impression, quite uniformed, Vague
to degree. had forgotten, eyez 9t
anything of the kind crossed my mind
until you asked the question" "Would
you know her again?"
"Humph!'-he hesitated-"I hardly
know. 1 think l shouldif shewere SINH
larly dressed and posed" Then he said
goodbye; and for two years I do not
think we have mentioned the subject
above twice-once, when | inquired if he
had finished the story, and once later on,
when, if l did not clear it up, l at least
threw weird light upon the mystery
the light by which l am enabled to make
sort of second part of the first which l
found him writing.
My friend rooms agsin; looking much
as usual, save that he is at his easel in
stead of at his desk. Again, as usual,
keen for the time being upon what he is
doing he does not rise when | enter, and
| stand talking to him for awhile behind
his chair. We have not seen each other
lately, and he rallies me od-humoredly
about dropping the acquaintance of care
less bachelors like himself since my mar
riage-for that momentous event has
happened within the last six months. He
was abroad at the time, and does not
know my wife yet. Soon we passed
from this interesting topic, and | said
something about the water-color draw
ing he was working at, as l still stood
watching its progress over his shoulder.
1t was small study, done the previous
evening at life-school, as he told me,
from what artists call the draped model
"a rustic figure of a girl seated on a
stile.
"But stay he cried, "you should see
it under white mount. Ihave one here
cut out to the size. Wait, let me getit. ="
He rose and went to the other end of the
room. An idea struck me, and taking
from my pocket certain cabinet sized
which | had brought to
show him, stood it on the easel in front
of his picture, which it exactly covered
Returning with the mount and talking
volubly about what he was going ts Do
in painting, he automatically put the
hollow center of the white cardboard lust
over the photograph, but without, for q
moment, noticing the change had made.
Suddenly he saw it, and, with an excla-
nation of wonder, started back.
/" How came that here?" he went on,
pale and agitated, as he looked inquir-
ingly from the picture to me, did
you put it there? Do you know the
ladyP" Z" You recognize it?'' Eyes,
certainly. haven't seen her for some
years now; but l should know that like
ness anywhere" He bit his lip and
paused, and then added: 81 didn't
know you knew her." q don't" l
" and never knew that such
person had ever lived till yesterday"
/" 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." Same person as whop-what?
l don't underestimate
" Why, whether, by any strange coin
cidence, this lady-my wife's friend and
schoolfellow-might happen to be the
lady you once-well, shall 1 say once
knew under very peculiar Circumstance
esP' He looked at me now somewhat
angrily as he said: {" See here, old fell
low, there are matters sometimes in o
mans life that he doesn't care about
having raked up again. 1 tell you hon
estly this is one of them, and [ don't
quite like this kind Of Joke" mo joke,
on my word" continued; g and if l
am touching on anything unpleasant,
please forgive me; for / have purpose.
Not that that l 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. al
should as lief think of turning cannibal
as of turning anything connected with
that young lady to account, as you call
it." / was a little puzzled now; SO /
said: "Well, but who do you say the
young lady isP'' "Her name-if you
mean that-was Miss Naughton, Rose
Naughton when l knew her; but con-
fess / don't see that because she happens
to be friend of your wife you are war
ranted in referring thus abruptly to my
acquaintance with her." "My dear fell
low - | cried - had no idaa of +b;e bo