Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-19

| = But 1t Is a concern or NINE, he an
sweTed hotly.
Mr.. Padger made mental note of the
! admission for future consideration.
''Will You answer my question, Miss
| Ennis? be asked, taking no further no
tice of the man
Miss Ennis shook her head without
! speaking, and glanced despairngly at
her champion
You refuse to make any statement as
/ to your whereabouts?
Miss Ennis nodded with the same ST.
| lent reserve.
Who, then, was the man you met in
the public garden at a quarter to one
! that day?'
Miss Ennis gave q cry of CONSERVATION :,
and the nan broke out with an oath.
"By -! this is too much. She was
with me, sir. What Is that to you?''
''I beg your pardon, said Mr.. Pad
ger dryly, "you were right, and l was
wrong. The question does not concern
you
More than it does you, it seems to
me, - said the young doctor.
Hardly = said Mr.. Padger, still more
dryly; what may I ask were you doing
between then and half past one, when
saw YOU on the beach if l remember
rightly"
"May you ask? cried the man, beside
himself with rage, or terror. ''No, sir,
you may not ask; and if you do, you Will
get no answer. -
els that your answer, also, Miss En-
MS? said Mr.. Padger gravely.
cit is, she said in a low, shaken
voice.
Mr.. Padger had intended, if he found
her altogether impracticable, to explain
to her the suspicious which her continued
silence drew down upon her, but she
could not, he thought, be ignorant of
them, and the matter had assumed so
gloomy complexion that he could not
afford to risk hasty and lll-cOnsidered
step, so after one more unsuccessful at
tempt to induce her to change her de-
termination he left the room, closely fol-
lowed by DR.. Benton, who waited to see
him fairly outside the front door before
he returned to Miss Ennis
To re-enter by the back one did not
take Mr.. Padger long, and he found
Mary in state of extreme apprehension
at the possible result of his temerity.
els it all right?' she asked eagerly,
as he walked into the room.
81 hope so; hope so - said Mr.. Pad
ger uneasily. 81 say Mary; she IS got
will of her own, that young lady of
yours
''I should rather say she had, - as
sented Mary willingly, and not without a
touch of pride. ''When She has once
made up her mind about anything
she ism It the one to stick at a trifle to get
her own way.
Mr.. Padger shuddered slightly at the
hideou suggestiveness of this simple,
every day phrase.
''Stick at a tritie, - he thought.
"Stick at-!'
''Who is the young gentleman with
her, Mary, my dear?'' he asked.
DR.. Benton, l suppose, said Mary
indifferently.
:'Ah! Nice man, +" said Mr.. Padger
grimly. recalling his overbearing con-
duct
$50 Miss Gertrude thinks, - said Mary
with bewitching slyness. 'FBut missus
couldn t abear him. It's my belief
they d have been married before now if
it hadn t been for her.
This innocent announcement started
Mr.. Padger's mind off on a new train of
ideas. and he cut his farewelIs to Mary
as short as possible, being anxious to be
safely posted in an advantageous place
of observation before DR.. Benton left
the house, in order TO follow that gentle
man whose moments, past and present,
had suddenly assumed a new excessive
Goodbye, Joshua, dear, said
Mary at last. ''You won t be long
away, will you? You'll come back as
soon as ever you can, won t you?''
Don't you worry yourself, Mary,
my dear, - he said, thinking more, it is
to be feared, of the new lights that day
had brought him than of the girl. q |
shall be back i'll Westcllffe just as quickly |
as ever [ can manage it.
He need not, as it turned out, have |
abridged his adieux so ruthlessly, for he |!
wandered up and down on the other side |
of the road for a tediously long time be- |
fore he beheld DR.. Benton from dis |
lance advancing down the long avenue |
from Monplaisfr.
AS he emerged from the gates, he cast |
a rapid glance around him, but Mr.. Pad |
ger had had ample time to survey his |
position, and was thoroughly accustomed |
to efface himself effectually when neces-
sary AS a consequence the man, re-
assured apparently, almost immediately |
started off at brisk walk down the hill, |
quite unconscious of being watched, and |
Mr.. Padger proceeded to follow at a safe
distance.
This man, somewhat contrary to his
made no attempt to throw
/ possible observer off his track, but
made his way straight to a small house,
)ne of a row Of semi-detached villas near
the sea, into which he admitted himself
with d latch-key, and in which he pre-
'umably lived.
There was now nothing further to be
lone until he had again left the house,
out MIR. Padger awaited that desired
event in vain. Hour after hour rolled
away, until it became clear to him that
f he really intended to go to town that
hight he had no time to waste.
He had, for moment, entertained the
Gea of sending telegram to say that he
vas unavOidably detained, but the busl-
less which awaited his return was far
90 pressing to be neglected, and he
could not afford to throw partridge we'll
worth plucking, which lay in his hand,
IN the chance even of bagging a whole
.ovey who were still in the bush.
He was compelled, in consequence, to
console himself as best he might with the
to get it over as quickly as
possible and return
There was no lack of food for his re-
iections in the train. The appearance
IN the scene of Dr.. Benton, to begin
With was as DerDlexiD0 as If Uas uDev