The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-06-10
CHAPTER ".

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Ciasoed the necklace around her throat
Mr.. Birchmore shook my hand cor
daily, yet l fancied that he betrayed
signs Of embarrassment or uneasiness
He seemed glad to meet me on my own
account, and yet to feel constrained by
my presence. Had he any reason for
wishing TO conceal from me the fact that
he had q daughter? 1t now occurred to
me for the first time that in her CONVEX
sation with me Miss Birchmore had never
alluded to her mother. Perhaps her
mother was dead-had died In her chlld's
infancy. Perhaps the silence concern
ing her arose from some other and less
allowable cause; there might be some
matrimonial disgrace or tragedy at the
bottom of the fathers and daughters re
serve. The idea had a certain plausihll-
ia, and yet l found it unsatisfactory.
Inc true explanation OF the mystery
might not be worse than this, but fan
cied it must be different-it must be
something more unusual and strange.
This is an unexpected pleasure said
/, for the sake of saying something, as
we descended the steps down the river
embankment TO the ferryboat.
THE world is not so large place as
people pretend" replied Mr.. Birchmore.
''Have you been long in Dresden?'
"a week or so. I've been doing the
ueighNorhood and was told that Saxon
Switzerland must not be left out of the
list. | came near going by the boat
Here suddenly recollected that if Mr..
Birchmore had gone by boat, as his
daughter said he had, his presence in
Schandau before us was wholly inexpli-
cable.) GLOW did you manage to get
here 80 quickly exclaimed; "the
steaner can't be due for three hours
yeti"
He looked at me in apparent perple1-
ity, and Miss Birchmore, too, seemed
taken aback rather than sharing my own
establishment. There was n pause of a
few moments; then she said, in q low.
hurried tone:
You know, papa, l got word that from
some misunderstanding you had taken
the steamer instead of the train"
"Ah, to be sure" he rejoined, with q
short laugh, "I see the difficulty. You
must look upon me, suppose, as sort
Of magician, able to transport myself
about the country on some new tele-
graphic principle. Well, I'm afraid
can't lay claim to any such supernatural
power. / shall lose credit by the expla-
nation, but you shall have it neverthe-
less"
mo, no; give us room for the exer-
else Of our imagination" cried l, laugh
ing. The fact was / felt as if my query
had been in some way unfortunate.
There was q certain effort in Mr.. Birch
Inores manner and want Of sponta-
neity in his laugh, and the awkwardness
seemed shared to some extent by his
daughter. In my ignorance of the true
lay of the land was continually max
ing some irritating blunder, and the
more ! tried to make myself agreeable
the worse was my success.
Mr.. Birchmore, notwithstanding that
deprecated it, chose to make his ex-
PLANTATION. Kate was right" said he.
my first intention was to go by train.
Afterward decided ON the boat, and
left the hotel with the purpose of get
ting our passage that way and sending
But the boat turned out to be so crowded
that changed my mind again. 1t was
then so late that hadn't time to reach
the Central railway station. Ny only
chance Of catching the train was to
jump into q drosky at the steamboat
landing and drive as the 'kutscher'
never drove before for the lower sta
ton, which was half a mile nearer.
got there barely in time, and Kate, it
seems, was waiting at the Central all the
whilsP'
'And Of course" added Miss Birch
more eagerly, "the people at the hotel
fancied that he had gone by the boat
and sent me word. Oh, yes, under
stand it all now-dont you, Mr.. Gains
borough
~ don't take it kindly of your father
to strip away the illusions from life so
pitilessly," returned in a humorous
tone; 81 should have been much happier
in believing that he had flown through
the air ON the Arabian kings wishing
carpet" This sally suf6ced to raise the
smile Of which we all seemed so greatly
in want, and so we got into the ferry
boat in q comparatively easy frame OF
mind.
The valet to whom have already al
luded sat on n thwart near the bows IN
such a position that had u full view of
him. A more unconciliating object l
have seldom beheld. His body and arms
were long, but his legs were short and
bowed outward. His features were
harsh, forbidding and strongly marked,
but there was an expression of power
stamped upon them which fascinated
my gaze in spite of the ugliness which
would otherwise have made me glad to
look away. 1t was not the power of in
tenect, for, although there was plenty
of q saturnine kind of inttS igence in the
countenance, it was not to be supposed
that fellow in his position of life would
be remarkable for brains. No; this
power was of another kind. l do not
know how to describe it, but l believe
some people would get out of the diff
Guilty by calling it magnetic.
Whatever it was it produced very
disagreeable impression on me, and /
could not but wonder that Mr.. Birch
more should have chosen to take such .
creature into his employ. had the
sense, however, on this occasion to keep
my speculations to myself; / was re-
solved not to make fool of myself again
If could help tat least not with this
particular family. / noticed that when
ever Mr.. BirchmOrs had occasion to Ad-
area1 tAls man he AID se - . peculiarly
ssVago ed poromptery tSoa, vOrT akRaF.
tpt ANtA ~ AsAA lew xesSsA sITia.