The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-06-21

spcct he could ever feel toward Tom
Childers. But Tom at the end OF pis-
tel was hardly the old Tom who had
been beaten at astscuffs and sent home
more than once with bloody nose.
Mark, on cautiously peering over the
wall from his high perch, discovered a
ladder similar to the one on which he
stood placed near his own on the other
side. It was ostensibly put there for
convenience in plucking IKE fruit from
cherry tree-1arge oxhearts. now begin
ming to grow ripe and waxy in rich
abundance There is no more delight
full lure for birds and young damsels
than cherry tree hung with luscious
fruit. Mark, as he spied out the enemies
country, saw trim little maid IN pink
calico, white cap and apron, with
freckled cheeks and saucy, upturned
nose, come out of the kitchen with a
dish Of bones for Grip.
The dog snapped at her, showing his
great, solid white teeth, and gave low,
onlinous growl She put down the dish,
as if afraid Of burning her fingers, and
in moment Mark saw the pink calico
gown, the low Oxford ties and neat
stockings climbing the ladder. He drew
IN his head Like turtle behind the wall,
and crouched as low as he could, con-
scious that the little maid, after gather
ing handful of cherries, had begun to
peep through the. spikes into the Spot
fords' garden, possibly in quest of Mr..
O'Rafferty, the gardener, who was young,
by no means III looking, and great
ssswell' among the nursemaids, cooks
and chambermaids of the neighborhood.
But Larry O'Raherty, though he was,
with the natural INCONSISTENCY of his sex,
somewhat given to indiscriIninate firt-
ing, had fixed his affections on Susan,
Mrs. Spofford's pretty waitress and din
ing room maid, and was now savagely
jealous OF Denis, the Childers' coachman,
who had also cast a favorable eye in the
direction of the alluring Susan on the
way home from early Sunday mass.
Now a thought occurred to Mark,
whose mind. as we know, was fertile in
inventions. Some two or three years
previous, before the feud had broken out
between the two families, Mark, who
had dipped into variety of things, was
studying shorthand, and had taken pleas
ure in inlparting little of this knowl-
edge to his friend Kitty. On long win
ter evenings they often sat with heads
close together under the light of the lamp,
Mark eager and animated, Kitty with
an intent puzzled face, while he let her
into the mystery of dots and dashes.
Mark trusted that his Kitty did still re-
member some of the cabalistic signs he
had then impaired to her. Now quick
as thought he took out his notebook,
tore away a blank leaf and scrubbed
hastily ON it in pencil two or three lines
of shorthand. This he wrapped about
quarter of a dollar, and watching his
opportunity when the maids head was
turned away, he swiftly rose and threw
it into the Childers' garden, as near as
possible to the foot of the ladder. It
clicked against the dog house. He heard
it distinctly, and so did the maid, who
stopped eating cherries, looked about in
some surprise at the sound and then trip
ped down to see what itmight mean. The
little white packet had ricochetted to
some distance, and Grip was reaching
out his paw to grasp 1t. But the maid
was just in time to snatch 1t away.
Mark, who had cautiously advanced
hisTlead again, saw her slip the quarter
Of dollar into her apron pocket, and
then her eye rested blankly on the Curl
Gus writing, which might be Choctaw or
Chaldee, for all she knew. Puzzled bow
knots ran in her eyebrows, her mouth
pursed and she shock her head in utter
bewilderment. She could make nothing
at all, at all Of these ''hathenish" char
acters.
The idiot! thought Mark. VIII she not
have wit enough to take the scrap of pa
per to her young mistress? No; after
skipping up the ladder again, and peep
ing over to see If she could discover a
solution of the problem, she walked
slowly away toward the little alley by
the side of the stables, whore Master
Tom was peppering board with pistol
balls. Mark knew he had bungled aw-
fully when he heard Tom Childers say
in loud voice:
"By Jovel this is fresh insult. They'll
be sending White Cap notices next, with
cofins and deaths heads. The governor
shall hear of it."
Mark had occasion to reflect on the
perfidy of the female nature. The girl
had said not word about the quarter of
a dollar snugly reposing in her apron
pocket. He ought to have written open
ly to Kitty, and then corrupted the maid
of the tip tilted nose with a large bride.
Mark was naturally very respondent
after the miscarriage Of his little inven-
ton. Now that the scrap of paper
dropped over the wall had fallen into
Tom Childers' clutches, there was little
hope that it would ever come into Kitty's
hands. AS he smoked his pipe and
prowled disconsolately about in the
shady parts of the garden where he could
watch Kitty's windows unobserved, the
widest projects came into his head mixed
up with fire alarms, burglars and cy-
clones, in all of which he played the part
of Kitty's heroic deliverer. If Kitty
were willing to be carried off, how easily
he could effect an elopementi He
planned it all out even to the wringing
of Grips neck; but when young lady
declines to be carried off what is her I'M
fortunate lover to do?
CHAPTER II.
Meantime the long summer day drew
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