Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-09-17
CHAPTER XIII.

laDlet
CHAPTER Kill
MASKS AND FACES.
The next afternoon Nancy Steele stepped
nto my shop and asked for bottle of Law
,nder water. She did not take up her parcel
rom the counter, but stood for a minute or
;wo reading the labels and directions on the .
rows of bottles that faced her, with an appear
,nce of great interest and attention. When
ihe had made an end of looking at these she
nrned to inspect a small case Of patent med
cines at the end of the shop.
II have something very particular to tell
you, DOCTOR" she said, with an air of de-
,ision. Having once opened her lips, her
hesitation vanished. "There is no use in
keeping up any affectation, for real difficulties
lave to be met, continued Nancy. ~ shall
peak to you quite freely, even If you should
ihink me wanting IN modesty."
"No fear of that, Miss Nancy" / said,
| wishing to help her out.
"You are Willie Shows most intimate
friend, I thinkF' inquired she, looking me
straight in the face.
ssPretty near, should say" replied l. q
"Did it ever strike you that be had
liking for me?" III r
1t was natural that young woman should
latter and pause a little when asking such
question. Nancy bent her head and rubbed
aer finger nervously along the edge Of the
counter tfl'sA>t- Vss9s
"Ever strike me!" cried l. II know oil
about it.n
Ibid he tell you himselff'
He did,
''He never told me-" rejoined Nancy, draw
ing her finger backward and forward more
slowly, snever. I guessed it, though" And
she hung her head little lower, aud blushed
quietly out of sight. 1T made me very
happy to think he cared for me,p she con-
sinued, after pause. you may consider
that strange speech; but it is truth, and I
lon't see why should be ashamed to own
tn
| ttAG:-~ N--~-- ~ --:-l ttLA' -.
20 on better than it does if women would only
speak their minds, and not say no when they
mean yes. Ashamed to own it! A girl
ought to be proud at winning such young
mans heart.n 80 %
81 have not won it, she said shaking her
head.
| She waited moment, to see if / would
speak; but the promise had given to Willie
sealed my lips. Presently she looked at me
again-straight in the face, as before.
He has fallen in love with young woman
| who lives in that horrid old farm up the hill "
"Has he, indeedq said I, feeling in honor
bound to know nothing.
"Yes," she proceeded deliberately; ''and
he is going to marry her," "e' 40
"Whew' I exclaimed, raising my eye
brows ''How do you know thatY
/ .I, IfnI II
This was staggering question to put to
me, and it quite confounded me- caught
Up duster which lay beside me, and made a
great show of wiping the counter
''You may clean this counter twenty times
a day." said I, ''and when you come to give
lit polish ten to one you find it as dusty as u
turnpike road in August" % as
'T suppose" continued Miss Nancy calmly
she took no notice of this clever speech
''you are bound to keep what you know a
secret Not for the world would ask you
to betray Willie's confidence. But he is
going to marry this person." ts9 49,
She made the statement feeling pretty
sure should say no if no could be said This
is how women worm secrets out Of one, pro-
testing the whole time that they know every
thing, Or don't want to know anything. I
was silent, and Nancy saw that her arrow
had hit the mark. {G3N III tt
il II come here not to search out your Sc
crets," she continued. seeing L would not
speak, ''but to ask your advice. n am in a
most difficult position. have found out
something about Miss Hardware--if that is
the odious woman's name-which Willie
ought to know. And yet, if tell him, he
willthink me jealous Perhaps am jealous, y
she whimpered; and when encouraged her
to speak on she told me the whole story about
Gracious Me. G f~sit =i Bay11E9 VI
Well knew the fellows character; but
felt far too much interested in the matter of
her communication to think much about the
channel through which it travelled We
talked things over for an hour or more, and
resolved to lay the discovery before VIII in
complete and convincing form. l rfsi
Depend upon it," said I, as Nancy was
leaving, 1--WE shall get Willie's feet out OF
the net. Miss Hardware will continue Miss
Hardware, SO far as heSis concerned
II doubt il Hardware is her real name, Y
she remarked. II forgot to mention that the
wound on Clocks hsan was bound upswith q
Ilady dy'spocket handkerchief-her most likely
and when he took this handkerchief OFT be
noticed q name in the corner-S ,BarnfH."
"Barnittp I cried, recollecting all Of O
sudden that this name had occurred in the
conversation which had overheard between
Vanity and her father in the field. "Hel
handkerchief-with the name Barnitt upon
it-Oh, there is some deep, deep villainy here?
i wrote line to Will, asking him to come
over and see me in the evening" and i alsc
made another arrangement, which will dis
cover itself as proceed. Then carefully
thought the whole matter over, and felt my.
self ready. "}t4." GiH&
My last shutter was being put up wher
Win appeared, and we stepped into my littl.
par.or, where l asked him to sit down an1
make himself comfortable. sa@f yty-a M
"For. mark, what IJsay, Will, cried /
Before you rise from that chair you viii
hear something to make your ears tingle
something to surprise you, Will--to alarm
you; something to make you thankful that
other people are wild AWAKE, while you arr
dreaming In Delilah's lap z Deliiah's lap
VIII What do you say to thatg" 1 4
He showed less establishment than ex
pectcd. but he read my meaning.
You have made some discoveries abou,
Miss Hardware. have you n he said, leaning
back in his chair with supercilious smile
which might have made me angry, only
that knew had my fact ready to let slip
a fact like bulldog, you observe, thai
would give one grip of the jaws and ther
hang on, and let the other party make th,
fuss. Besides, pitied the lad. a III
YES" said, discoveries about a young
woman who calls herself Miss Hardware, bui
who" G49ilHa@ @aG
Il VIII leaped from his chair.