The Red Cloud chief., 1889-12-13


quite often; and sometimes she imagined
you were here, you know"
'.Ycs," l said.
"And several times she seemed as If she
were talking to a gentleman, and would cal
him allan In such an affectionate way that
l supposed she aw, in her delirium, her
dead husband. Then I had no hopes Of her
at all, for they say that il q very sick per-
son thinks they are cOnversing with those
that are dead, why, it is q sign that they
will soon follow them"
let Mrs. Courtney have her way about it
being the dead husband, and also about the
''sign," for I have another evidence to
prove my suspicion, and care nothing for
her beliefs. l sit there, however, listening
to her whispering Of tho details of Miriam's
illness with seeming great attention. OF
course I had asked her for it, and I must
listen to every word, although my th0ugl,s
IN another channel. I was back at Heath
erleigh; I saw the light of unworded love
shining in Allan Percival's handsome eyes
as he handed me q letter; heard him say,
with q little exultant hope ringing in his
fine voice: ''Give this letter to Miriam with
your own hands," I remembered his look
of wistful, glad expectancy when I parted
with him at the pier; and then quickly I
connected to those golden links Miriam's
words of the past dark sennight, and in the
future l had spread put before met reunion
Of lives, now seemingly SO far apart.
But I wake from my fanciful omance
when Mrs. Courtney stops her rambling
recital and asks me question point blank:
"Had I ever seen Mrs. Fairfax'S hus-
bands" No. l had not
"Well, had I ever seen his picture, thenl"
Yes, l had; but the detective instinct was
again uppermost and I did not tell her that
that was his portrait over there on the wall,
just visible from where we sat, through the
folding doors.
At my reply in the affirmative she gets
up and motions me to follow her. 1 do so,
believing that there is yet another link in
this golden chain I am trying to put to-
gether for Miriam; one which I had missed.
She goes to q small secretary at the end Of
the hall, by h window, and takes from the
inner recess of the middle drawer some
thing and fumbles it over. "Well," she
calculates, 81 can't open it. The doctor
took it of Of her neck" she continued,
handing it to me, land told me to put it away
until she recovered; or until you came
home, If she did not" I took the baublc, as
I thought, and walked to the window to
more closely examine it, the hallway being
dark. Pushing aside the curtain / saw hat
it was q costly locket attached toa very fine
gold chain. One side was resplendent with
diamonds, and on the other the arms of the
Percivals, q sword and shield beneath Q
Latin inscription in ~semi-circle. ! knew the
sword and shield o. once belonged to the
Percival house, a / had seen it o. the seals
at Heartherleigh i n the great. lonely library.
Mrs. Courtney m over to the window
where I am and watches my eudeavor to
open it with eagerness.
81 thought may be her husbands picture
and n of the baby's might be in il" she
said, land / should like to sec them Just
once"
eyes," I say, after trying in vain to open
it in the usual way. 81 have seen both por.
traits" Then, as I IN about to give it up
and put away the locket unopened, I dis
cover q secret spring just at the edge Of q
respondent diamond. I pressed it, and to
my qualification and Mrs. Courtney's sur-|
prise, the locket few open, revealing q
handsome face.
"Wasn't he handsome, thought" ex-
claimed my companion, rapturously, "but
the little ones picture isn't here" she add.
ed in disappointed tone. Tstood staring
at the miniature. That's him, / reckon"
queried Mrs. Courtney. noticing my alb
stracted look.
"Oh! yes" I answered, pulling my
thoughts together, 'that's him." But, al
though it was ''him," it was not the face Of
Arthur Fairfax which looked up 80 bright
~ from its costly setting. 1t was the face
of handsome Young Allan Percival.
sit is too awful bad,' said Mrs. Court
ney, that they must be separated"
ayes" answer, 'sit H." but she means
one and I mean another. She thinks that
this picture il some Of the deceased husbands,