The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-26

ttu& Sb LnS Dau QOOtp ana S0S 8I once went to open it. When she did so, a man threw in the letter and ran away. Greatly frightened and perplexed, she tore it open and thus learned what had happened.
 The porters at our railway station had not observed any stranger arrive by the last train, though one hour earlier they had both noticed a tall, sandy-haired man, who walked of in the direction of Langford Villa. If this were the person, what had he done with himself during the hour, and how had he returned Poor Mrs. Rangel could give us no assis- tance, as she had been too agitated to re- member anything of the hurried glimpse she got of the bearer of the fatal tidings.
 There were tl ose in our community who considered Rangel thoroughbred scoundrel, and refused to believe that he had committed suicide at all, declaring he had run away from his wife and cred itors, equally anxious to be free of both. Bat l, who knew the Rangeis most inti- mstely, and had been witness of the ten- der affection which subsisted between the husband and wife, angrily secuted such an idea, and was quite convinced that poor Mrs Rangel was widow indeed. Ot course, she was altogether quite destitute of means of support, so we got up little subscription among ourselves, which was augmented by some city friends until it reached about Loo. The rector, too, had made Mrs. Brockman acquainted with all the details of the sad story, and the good d-hearted woman at once wrote to the youg widow and told her that she might remain in the house rent free, until her own return the following year.
 The moment we heard this it struck us that it would be an excellent thing if Mrs. Rangel were to let two of the rooms, and we suggested the idea to her. At first the little woman showed great ob. jection to doing so. She was naturally retiring and shy, and shrank from having stranger in the house. She was, more over, too young and pretty to receive a young gentleman lodger, and like most women, she had horror of one of her own sex, as likely to be too exacting and in the house all day.
 It seemed difficult to avoid one or other of the objectionable Species but in the midst of our perplexity, most eligible person appeared on the scene, "iust as if he had been specially made for poor Mrs Rangel's rooms," as Kitty enthusi- astically remarked, when she had seen him and heard about him. This was a certain Mir. Crusher, who arrived, bring ing with him letter of introduction from one of the late MT. Bangel's acquaint- ances, who had heard of Mrs. Rangel's circumstances, and expressed himself de- lighted to help her in any way.
 MT Crusher, he said, was devoted to the pursuit of chronological studies, and just then wished to find some quiet, re- spectable house where he could complete his great work on (" The Individual Dis position and Habits Exhibited by the Common Domestic Black Beetle" The gentleman might, perhaps, be little ec- centric but as he would pay well and re- quire scarcely any attendance, he ap. peared to his introdIcer to be specially suitable in every way.
 We all came to the same conclusion when we saw him, and even poor Mrs Rangel laughed heartily when describing to us the appearance of the entomolo- gist. He was a tall, lank man, of so mummified and fossilized an aspect that he might be any age from fifty to five hundred. He wore greenish brown wig and tightly cropped mutton-chop whiskers of dark red color. We never got look at his eyes, as he constantly covered them up with huge pair of blue goggles. His dress, too, was as anti quated looking as his person. He wore old-fas hioned snuff-colored garments, the peaks of his collars came up to his cheeks, and high black stock made him look as if his head were fastened to his body by means of block of wood in- stead of a neck. He was slow and stiff in his words and movements, and appar- ently so absorbed in his own thoughts as to be oblivious of all that went on around him. He brought large box of ento- mological books and several cases of dried specimens, which Hannah, the serv- ant, declared gave her "the creeps to look nigh"
 But when, in addition to these defunct creatures, MT. Crusher arranged his cap- tured living specimens under glasses, all over the chimney-piece and tables, the dis gust and terror of the female inmates of Langford villa became intense, and they were always careful to tuck up their skirts when passing ms precincts, to avoid gathering up any stray beetle which might have made its escape from, or been set free by the lodger.
 Early every morning this lodger was to be seen peering about the back and front garden, inspecting the grounds and the walls, and returning with some insect for the days observation. But so far MT. Crusher's habits, if objectionable, were comparatively harmless. When, how ever, Hannah came across him one night, on the cellar stairs, and pistaking him for Mir. Rangels ghost (which she de clared walked) went of into violent hys- terics, the affAir became very disagree able. Mrs. Rangel demonstrated with | her lodger, but he would not be brought to sec that he was at all to blame. The | creatures to whom he was devoted came out more readily, he said, and exhibited | their interesting peculiarities more freely