Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-02-13
HALLAM's BURDEN.
nY IEYELYN rHon,,pE

he had taken his passage from England.
After that he walked about the CITY
casually for ON hour or two. The next
day he inserted on advertisement in ono
i or two papers.
Replies camo to tho same IN large num-
bers speedily. Hallam selected one out
of the many, singing it out at once as
moro likely to suit his purpose. In tho
course of the forenoon of the fourth day
after his arrival he found himself CON
: Guiding arrangements with q little old
gentleman in gold trimmed spectacles and
baggy trousers for the occupancy Of two
of the latter's rooms. Tho advertisement
had said: IA quiet neighborhood." The
little old gentlcmans house stood in q
street which the onward rush of metro
politan life had left, somehow, SO COM
pletely behind that it had not even been
invaded by commerce. The advertiser
also had described himself rs person of
studious tastes in the occupations apper-
tanning to which no did not wish to be
disturbed. The little old gentleman had
never, apparently, done anything moro
active nor practical in his life than to
patter about among the dusty and musty
books that filled his den on the ground
floor.
The same evening Hallam was installed
in his new house.
"He looks like tho melancholy
jacques cried tho Doctors daughter,
judith.
Tho little old gentleman expostulated
wildly. Judith caught him about the
neck, laughed, kissed him and stuck to
her opinion. She had red hair, skin
like peach blossom, eyes that were never
twice of the same color and not regular
fcaScse.ia, her charming face.-
"Why does he want to make suchra
mystery Sof himsclfa" demanded this
young woman.
sMystery, my dear2 Nonsensel"
Judith again showed her dazzling
teeth.
tHe is mysterious, " she affirmed. ga
very mysterious young man"
The mysterious young man had slowly
and deliberately unpacked his effects.
Books he had in plenty, as well MS the
old gentleman down stairs. Hegel.
Schopenhauer, Plato's "Apology'-pon-
derous tones, brown coated and we'll
thumbcd. When he had leisurely dis
posed his new abiding place TO his liking
he drew forth pens, paper, ink, and, sit
ting down, wrote on sheets of foolscap till
late into the night. His document he
signed, affixing thereto his seal also.
Before retiring he looked out into the
still emptiness of tho street, its remote
ness dimly lighted by the flicker from
the corner lamp-post.
Yes, he had certainly chosen his re-
treat we'll. The philosophic Quiet he
had looked for he had found. Also the
secrecy from prying curiosity. If
there seemed one family dissonant chord
in this satisfying harmony it was that
which vibrated rs the face md figure of
the Doctors daughter was evoked by
memory. There was sarcasm in her
cnangeful eyes,a hooking in the dimples
around her mouth. If any consideration
SO trivial could still have moved him to
any sensation whatever. Hallam felt
that he would have disliked that red
headed girl exceedingly.
Tho next day he took the sealed en-
velope of the night before and presenting
himself to the old gentleman downstairs
begged him kindly to take charge of it.
"Until such time as 1, or some one else
shall call for it, or az circumstances shall
seem to demand that it be produced y
But In order to relieve him of any respon-
sibility, Hallam added that he had made
out little paper stating that he had in
trusted the Doctor with the envelope and
its contents, which paper he had signed.
He suggested that the Doctor also sign
this little paper, which the Doctor. good
man, incontinently did.
When Judith heard of this affair she
broke into another of her irreyeptial
spritc-like laughs.
aud ever more mysteries 20 she cried
1t was not to be denied that Hallam,s
mode OF life gave some colorinp to her
: suspicionsness. Shut up IN his room all
the day, he rarely went out save toward
nlghtfall. He had no friends or acouaint.
snces. He received no letters, no COM
munications from any source whatever.
With regard to his own affairs he was
lmmutably silent, and there was upon his
solemn face settled gloom which even
the good old Doctor thought, in his
vague, benign way, sistrange in such a
young man--in such u nice young man.
Judith was mounting TO her little room
one night when she heard latch KEY
rapidly inserted in the hall door. Her
father was still deep in his books and did
not look up as Hallam let himself In,
{ swiftly and with curious noiselessnrss
shutting the door behind him. But
= Judith, standing three or four steps
above their lodger on the stairs said in.
y SANITY. ir, n 1nxu voice.
What is the matter, Mr.. Hallam2p
Every trace OF color had left his
cheeks, Ills eyes had wild look. He
opened his lips rs though to reply, but
no sound came from them.
With unhesitating presence of mind
and calm deliberation judith came down.
the steps and softly closed the door into
the dingy apartment, half library, half
office, in which the unsuspecting Doctor
sat.
sNow, Mr. Hallam-n