Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-01-14

through the front hall and porch; no
one was there. He fingered few mo-
ments, a slight chagrin beginning to
mingle with his uneasiness-She might
have been on the lookout for him-she
or Sophy must have seen him return
ing. He would ring for Sophy and
leave his thanks and regrets for her
mistress. He looked for a bell, touched
it, but, on being confronted with Sophy,
changed his mind and asked to see Miss
Bows. In the interval between her de-
parture and the appearance of Miss
Sally he resolved to do the very thing
which he had dismissed from his
thought but an hour before as ill-timed
and doubtful. He had the photograph
and letter in his pocket; he would make
them his excuse for personally taking
leave of herl
She entered with her fair eyebrows
lifted in a pretty surprise.
81 declare to goodness, 1 thought yo'd
ridden over to the red barn and gone
| home from there. 1 got through my
work on the vines earlier than 1
thought-oneof Judge Carrots nephews
| dropped in in time to help me with the
last row. Yo' needn't have troubled
| yo'self to send up for me for mere COM
pany manners, but Sophy says 20
looked sort of anxious and particular
| when yo' asked for me-so suppose yo'
want to see me for something"
Mentally objurgating Sophy, and
with an unpleasant impression in his
mind of the unknown neighbor who had
been helping Miss Sally in his place, he
nevertheless tried to collect himself gal
lantly.
81 don't know what my expression
conveyed to Sopny," he said, with a
smile, ''but trust that what have to
tell you may be interesting enough to
make you forget my second intrusion. -
He paused, and, still smiling, continued:
For more than three years, Miss Bows,
| you have more or less occupied my
thoughts and, although we have actual
ly met to-day only for the first time,
have during that time carried your i'm
age with me constantly. Even this
meeting, which was only the result of
an accident, l had been seeking for
three years. find you here under your
own peaceful vine and fig tree, and yet
three years ago you came to me out of
he thunder cloud of battle"
MY good gracious!' said Miss Sally.
She had been clasping her knee with
her linked fingers, and now leaned back
ward with affected CONSERVATION, but
an expression of intense amusement in
her bright eyes. CORTLAND saw the
mistake of his tone, but 1t was too late
to change it now. He handed her the
loclxet and the letter, and briefly, and
perhaps little more seriously, recount
ed the incident that had put him in pos
session of them. But he entirely sup
pressed the more dramatic and ghastly
details and his own superstitious and
strange prepossession towards her.
Miss Sally took the articles without a
tremor or the least deepening or paling
of the delicate faint suffusion of her
, cheek. When she had glanced over the
letter, which appeared to be brief, she
said, with smiling, half plying tran
quillity:
II "Yes!-it was that poor Chef Brooks.
Surel l heard that he was killed at
/ Snake river. 1t was just like him to
rush in and get killed at the first popl
And all for nothing, too, pure foolish
ness!"
Shocked, yet relieved, but uneasy IN
} der both sensations, Courtland went on
: blindly:
} But he was not the only one, Miss
= BOWS There was another man picked
up who also had your picture"
II "Yes-Joyce Masterton. They sent
9 it to me. But you didn't kill him, too2'