Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-04

| the telegram was despatched. Then ne would
put up for the night at the inn, and MS future
| movements would be regulated by the lntorma-
ton he received.
'By the way," said he to the porter, u sup
pose you have a decent hotel in the place,
though it is deficient in cabsY'
There are three inns" answered the man,
"but all full as an excursion train on GOOD
Friday. The poor folks that ha' been turned
out OF haase byt' water ha been ta'e en- into EN-.
Where art "A going, sir?"
ITO the house of Mr.. Pennycomeguick," an
swered Philip.
Fright you are" said the porter, Mrs.
| Baynes is also boun' to t'same, and can take
t'whole bag-o-tricks on one barrow"
Philip turned to Janet Baynes with an i'm
patient gesture which with all his self control
he was unable to repress, and said: "You are
| going to Mr.. Pennycomequick's, l understand,
madam"
There was no avoiding it. The tiresome asso-
citation could net be dissolved at once, 1t
threatened to continue.
YES" answered Janet, ~ spent all my life
there till married, and my mother and sister
are there now"
mot relations of Mr.. Peunycomequick?'
"Oh, dear, no. He has been like father to
us, because our own father was killed by an ac-
cident in his service. That was lorg time
ago, L cannot remember the circumstance
Ever since then we have lived in the house
We always call Mr.. Pennycomequicko our uncle,
but he is no real relative"
Philip strobe forward, ahead of the porter;
from the station the road ascended at a steep
gradient, and the man came on slowly with the
united luggage. Janet quickened her pace,
and came up beside Philip.
1t was like being beset by fly in summer.
Are you going to Mr.. PennycomeQulck's?"
asked Janet, painting. She was little out of
breath with walking to keep up with her COM
panion.
Yes"
81 am not strong. My breath goes If hurry,
especially in going up hill"
Then, madam, let me entreat you to spare
your lungs and relax your pace"
'But then-we shall be separated, and we are
going to the same house. Would you mind
going just wee bit slower?'
Philip complied without word.
He questioned for a moment whether he
should inform his fellow-passenger of the news
that the uncle was lost. But he reflected that
he knew nothing for certain. The message he
had received could hardly have been couched
in vaguer terms. 1t was quite possible that his
explanation of it was false; it was also not at
all improbable that the alarm given was prem
ature. If Salome was like the young scatter
brain walking at his side, she would be pre-
cisely the person to cry wolf at the first alarm.
He might have inquired of the porter whether
Mr.. PennycomeQuickh had met with an accident,
or whether anything had occurred at his house,
but he preferred to wait partly because he
was too proud to inquire of a porter. and
partly because he was given no opportunity to
question him out of hearing of his COM
panion.
Are you going to stay at uncle's?' asked
Janet
~ really am unable to answer that ques-
tion."
"But, as you have heard, all the inns are full.
Have you any friends in Mergatroyd?"
''Relations-not friends"
What delightful thing it must be to have
plenty of relations. Salome and 1 have none.
We were quite alone in the world, except for
mother. Now l have, of course, all my hus-
bands kindred, but Salome has no one"
There was no shaking this girl off. She stuck
to him as a burr. In all probability he would
be housed at his uncle's that night, and so be
brought into further contact with this person.
She herself was eminently distasteful to him
but sister unmarried!-Philip resolved to re-