The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-06-11

board just over the photograph, but
without, for moment, noticing the
change l had made. Suddenly he saw
1t, and, with an exclamation of wonder,
started back.
"How came that here ?" he went on,
pale and agitated, as he looked i'll
quiringly from the picture to me. Ibid
you put it there?" Do you know the
lady," "You recognize it?" "Yes,
certainly; haven't seen her for some
years now; but should know that like
ness anywhere" He bit his lip and
paused, and then added 81 didn't
know you knew her." 81 don't"
answered; land never knew that such
person had ever lived till yesterday "
"1hen how did you come by this
portrait /? and why did You bring it Ia
me?" "To ascertain if it really was the
same person. "Same person us who
what? l don't understand"
"Why, whether 10y any strange coinci-
dcnce, this lady-my wife's old friend
and school-fellow-might happen to be
the lady you once-well, shall l say
once knew under very peculiar circum-
stances?" He looked Mt me new some
what angrily as he said: "See here, old
fellow, there are matters sometimes i'll II
mans life that he does not care to have
raked up again. tell you honestly this
is one of them, and l don't quite like this
kind Of Joke" "No joke, on my
word" continued, land if l am touch
ing on anything unpleasant, please for
give me; for | have n purpose. Not that
l imagined that you were so sensitive on
the subject, especially as you contem-
plated turning it to literary account"
"I-literary account? What do you
mean?" he asked, Indignantly. 81
should rs lief think of turning cannibal
as of turning anything connected with
that young lady to account, as you call
it." l was IL little puzzled now; SO L
said: "Well, hut who do you say the
young lady is 2" "Her name-if you
mean that-was Miss Naughton when l
knew her; but l confess l don't see that
because she happens to be Il friend of
your wife's you are warranted in refer
ring thus abruptly to my acquaintance
with her." "My dear fellow" l cried,
II had no idea of this, believe me. l
hadn't a notion that You knew her name,
and we are evidently little mt cross-pur-
poses. But bear with me minute
longer. Admitting that this is Il por-
trait of the Miss Rose Naughton whom
you seem to have known, thought never
could have guessed that, Just look at it
carefully again and see if it does not re-
mind you of some one else-some one
whom you once saw, Irepeat, under very
peculiar circumstances"
He bends forward to examine the pho
tograph, and presently says, "No."
Then l say, evil this help your men,
ory?" and while he lis still looking ut the
portrait, l put down on the ledge of the
easel, just under his eyes, an earring.
Good God!" 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 yon mean the place
where You keep your jewels" "Then,
what on earth" He hesitated, and,
taking up the earring, walks across the
room to his treasure store. l cannot
help, with my dramatic instincts, watch
ing him eagerly; and it is as good rs a
play to see his surprise and wonder
when, opening the cabinet, he takes
forth the earring picked up in the rail
way carriage, and finds that he has the
fellow to it in the other hand.
Yes: there they are, clearly the pair
two birds claws, each holding a re-
volving wheel. "Now look mt the por-
trait again." l say, when he had stood
for minute regarding me with blank
amaZement. Il don't say that you
will, because it is mere speculation, but
do You not see i'll the portrait of Miss
Naughton something to remind you of
the young lady, your mysterious trav-
cling companion?" 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 i'll it, and" He ponders,
WAS it she, then-Rosc-a all, that,
i'll a measure was reminded of that
night. On my honor, | seem to think
it must have been" Then, turning to
me, he asks, "But what is the mean-
ing of all this? Why do you want to
know whether l can see any resem-
blance in this photograph to that girl,
and where, above all, did you get this
earring from? Explain yourself, for
Gods sake.
because, as L say" l replied, sit
seems to me just possible that, if there
be such a thing as ghostly influence, or
spiritualism, or clairvOyance, or what
ever one may choose to call such mystic
ries-because, say, if such things exist,
you may have received the warning to
leave your seat ms you did through the
mysterious influence of Miss Naughton
herself, for she was in that railway train
that same night, and those earrings be-
longed to her." Again the wonder in
his face would have been amusing had it
not been mingled with an expression of
pain. "Incrcdible, preposterousw he
said at length. lyon say that Miss
Naughten is friend of your wife's o.
eyes; and l will explain how / came
upon the fact forthwith. Yesterday, as
my wife was dressing, she asked me to
fetch her brooch from the drawer in
her dressing-case. On opening it, the
first thing which caught my eye, amonG.
lot Of little trinkets, was that earring,
and moments examination showed il to
be the counterpart of the one you had SO
mysteriously come by. The device was
not easily to be forgotten. You may
Judge of my surprise, and how it led to
my telling her about your strange adven-
ture. Then we went into the matter,
and she on her part told me how the
earring had belonged to a schOol-fellow
of hers, Rose Naughton by name, who
had lately gone abroad, and how, two
years ago, she had been in fearful rail-
way accident one evening, while on her
way from Peterborough to ball ut
Grantham-hOw two of her party had
been killed while sitting beside her; how
she escaped, by miracle, minjured;
and how, among the trifiing events con-
nected with the terrible circumstance,
she had lost one of her earrings-one of
a pair which had been given to her that
night by the man to whom she was en-
gagged, and who was himself killed"
My friends face, wore strange per-
verify, seemed for a moment to lose it's
panied expression az l uttered these last
words. resumed: "When Miss
Naughton went abroad she gave my wife
her photOgraph--that ON the easel -
among other souvenirs that odd earring;
for it appears the tragical accident
brought about one good result for her
it cut short an engagement entirely dis
tasteful to her, and into which she had
been forced-well, 1 didn't hear exactly
how; at any rate, she never loved the
man-disliked him in fact, my wife says,
and 80 had no conjunction about giving
the earring to my wife, who was struck
with the quaintness of the device. You
will readily understand how this story
instantly associated itself with you and
my mind. A comparison of dates and
other circumstances left no doubt, 1 was