Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-02-18


many gabled manor house on a lawn
dotted with stately oaks. Its companion
--and the light hardly permitted me to
decipher it-seemed to be a group Of
people seated on the grass and horse
bending over them, glanced at these
objects as my eye made the tour Of the
shop, but my head was filed with Short
Cutoff and this grim dwarf before me.
Presently Padiham laid down his file
and took up a pair of pincers from the
confusion on his bench. He gave a Bit
Of wire twist, and as he did SO looked
at me as he said: Now then, Young
man, what are you staring ats Do You
want anything with me? Say so, if you
4 do. II not, don't stand idling here, but
60 about your business
Il want you to do a job for me-"
Suppose say | don't want to do it:'
''Then I'll try to find better man"
"Umph? where'll you look for him?'
y ''In the first shop where there's one
that knows enough to give good words
to stranger"
"Well, say what your job is"
4 you're ready to do it theng"
Tin not ready to waste any more time
in talk
'Nor !. / want some working models
| Of new patent Cutoff
Il won't undertake any tomfoolery. .
IF you can make tonfoolery out of
this, you're cleYerer man than l am"
THAT may not be much to say. I've
had SO many shams brought to me in
the way Of Cutoffs that shall not spend
time on yours unless it looks right at
first glance"
You'll see with half an eye that this
A means something"
''Show me your drawings; that will
settle it.
produced the working drawings.
Padiham studied them few moments.
volunteered no explanation.
Presently he looked up, and fixed me
with his square eyebrows, while he ex-
amined me from head to foot again.
sDid you invent this." said he.
I "No."
didsa
eMr. Short
'Don't mister the man that thought
4 out this. His whole name / want, with
out handles. He don't need them"
"George Short"
'1George-that's my name too. sup
4 pose he is Yankee. know every man
in England likely to have contriyed this
reproach, that had given them only a
careless glance and SO passed them by.
The drawings stared at me and at
them.
An ancient, many gabled brick manor
house on a fair lawn, dotted with state
I ly oaks-that was the first
Had not already seen a drawing, the
fellow of this? Yes. In Biddulph's
hands at Fort Laramie The same ga.
bles, the same sweet slope of lawn, the
same broad oaks, and one the monarch
( of them all-perhaps the very one Words
worth had rounded into sonnet.
And the companion drawing that !
hardly deciphared in the dimness-tbat
I group Of figures and horse bending
/ over them?
How blind ! was!
+ Fulano,
Fulano surely. He and no other.
And that group
4 Ourselves at the Luggernel springs
Brent lying wounded, while gave him
water, and a lady bound up his wounds.
Can this be so? Am not the victim
of u fancy? Is this indeed my noble
Z horse? Is he again coming forward to
be;.r MS along the trail of our lost friend.
| stared again at my mental image Of
the two drawings. Irecalled again every
word Of my interview with Padiham.
/ The more l looked the more confident
/ 1 became. Shorts Cutoff had held such
N entire possession Of me in She afternoon
I that could only observe with eyes, not
with volition; could not value the treas
ure | was grasping ignorantly. But ]
had grasped it. This is Fuianol Except
for him might doubt. Except for his
II presence the other drawing Of an old
brick manor house would be a common
4 place circumstance.
MY facts are slender basis for conclu-
4 sion, SO | avowed to myself on this re-
\ view.
But would rather have hope than
no hope. The flmiest clew il kinder
than no clew.
Il will finish my letter to old Short,
dear boy, inventor Of well omened cut
off; viii sleep like top, with no mys-
terious disappearances to disturb me;
viii be with the dwarf by seven. If that
is Fulano in the drawing he shall carry
\ double again. He shall conduct the lover
and friend to the lady"