Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-12-20
CHAPTER VIII,
A MYSTERY,

CHAPTER VIII
A MYSTERY.
Mr.. Parker never forgot that mempr-
able walk. With Margaret's hand upon
his arm he felt a manhood and dignity
within him such as he had never lex
perienced before. They resumed he!r
conversation almost at the point Where
baby interrupted it with the spoon and
Margaret took pleasure in bringing out
the thought and sens that were only
kept back by the diff lence hl had
found uncOnquerable till now.
If / never see you again. IL said,
as they parted; ''if we are never better
acquainted than we are at pesent. /
shall always remember this da. You
have taught me to havemore cniidence
in myself. l shall never foget that
you, with your beauty and higl position
so far above me as you arefn every
thing-considered me good mough to
sit with and walk with"
You will see me again. Margaret
said. II shall be very ofte1at M sis
ter's now. Ihave to thankEou. for you
saved me from q great Disappointment.
| could not have seen baly. or stayed
with him, had the room belonged &c
anyone but Yourself"
They said goodnight, ani 4 cab drove
up at the moment. 4 gentleman alight-
ed-a tall, stout, h~eayilybuilt man. at
whom Mr.. Parker, at q distance of ten
yards. stared in bewildeedamazement.
He looked at his feet, epecting to see
a ponderous felt shoe 0vering q equity
foot, and saw instead shapely boot on
a foot OF the proper size. He looked
from his feet to his face for q pair of
blue spectacles, and NV inste2d a pair
OF clear, bright eyes, and then this gen.
tleman went up thefew steps with AZ
alert, powerful stgde, carrying the
weight of his erect igure with Ease and
dignity. Mr.. Parker saw him raise his
hat to Margaret, md distinctly heard
her say:
Uncle MichaeL'
Il am going ont of my mind" Mr..
Prker said to himself. Il must be;
tiat beautiful creature has turned my
train. l am gong out of my mind, OK
disc | have seen a ghost. Uncle Michael.
Why it was bfr. Barker without his
youty foot and the blue spectacles!
Uncle Michael!-but these people may
wonderfully alike. Steady! | shall
-un against a post presently and hurt
myself. Uncle Barker-Michael | mean;
he most extraordinary thing l ever
Iaw.n
He told Mary when he reached home,
md she listened with a gravely amused
Had not Mr.. Barker told her
hat he and Uncle Michael were some
hing alike? 1t was no mystery to her.
,ut Mr.. Parker could not get over it.
"IIe was so much like the old gentle
nan upstairs" he said. ''that when ne
ooked at me--and he certainly did look
t mel half expected to hear his ter
ific voice roar at me-"
II daresay you will see him here"
IIary said, land then you can Judge for
Yourself how much resemblance there
$. You took Miss Allenby home
afely?"
MY dear lady, YOU do not know how
much pleasure YOU have given me-" he
thoughtfully. II never met any
me, except yourself, who understood
ne as your sister does, or cared TO. What
! noble creature she ISL
"As good" Mary said. ''as she is
BEAUTIFUL. She has a very high opinion
# you. Mr.. Parker. and her friendship
S worth much to any man or woman. ]
would accept anyone on trust whom
The had faith in; her instinct is SO quick
md true"
That sense Of manhood and dignity
never left Mr.. Parker again. 1t would
nave Jared badly with his riotous friends
had they attempted to play their un
;eemly jests upon him now. He stood
npon a different footing in the house,
md Miss AllenbY, who came nearly
every day. rarely passed his door with
out stopping to say a few words to him
in mercy for him she never
too long; she knew the poor fel-
low was STEPPED to the heart i'll love for
her.
They had almost given Uncle Michael
up ibi Tic Ht@Ht NHtH iS aAtifto IA Va
Square; buteverything was ready
for him. Mrs. Allenby had tried her
best to remember what she could Of her
brother-in-law's tastes and habits; she
had prepared the large front room on
the second-floor as a bedchamber, and
put some solid, handsome furniture i'm
the room behind it, for him TO read or
write or smoke in-not that he had ever
been a favorite of hers, but he was her
lata husbands brother. and he was rich;
the pains she took to please him We're
not entirely based on ~selfishness.
Nothing could have pleased the old
more than did the unexpected
meeting with Margaret at the door. No
sooner had he raised his hat than she
said "UncIe Michael!" and threw back
her veil to kiss him with a glad welcome
in her eyes. II shouldhav known you
anywhere" she added, softly-"you are
90 like my father"
"God bless you, my child" he said;
ssthis il worth . thousand welcomes in
He had looked with dread and dis
taste upon the prospect of a formal and
prepared reception, aud he knew that
NarRaret,s was genuine. Accustomed
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