The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-08

tive. Nevins a rare good fellow. but
too thorough a whist player TO engineer
any such frivolity. Old Campbell. an
octogenarian, with a willing spirit. but
far too equity flesh.
Who then remained? Why, Browne,
! the new man. TO whom he had taken so
kindly, bluff, hearty, middle-aged, one
OF the boys. I'm fact. What had he heard
about him? Why. he was a widower
with a perfect Hebe OF a daughter. whom
! he treated like a chum: he had an eX-
tensive plantation in the southern part
OF the state, where he kept open house
In roomy old mansion-oh OH what
dolt he had been Brownsers,
Brownies, Brownel Like a Latin adject-
i've, by Jovei He had been led to the
very Threshold Doubtless they had been
awaiting him with a jolly, good break
fast and jollier grins and jokes.
And he had steadfastly turned his back
on such felicity out OF conjunction for
"teenty tainty lamb" and had In
dulged in senile mourning ever since.
Well. well, that sweet little girl, with
her demure mockery had befooled him:
aye. she had bewitched him, and he re-
joiced in the magic Perhaps he might
find cunning key to the casket OF her
heart. At all events, he had no paternal
aspirations; no. not by the most en-
phatic kind Of sight. The Nodynes never
grew old, and he was the youngest of
a long line Of descendants.
There! What did l tell you?" said
Mrs. Maitland, approvingly, as she mixed
peculiarly stiff decoction of her pro-
phylactic. you look like your own grand
son from the very smell! and now, Tom,
do promise me TO abandon all these
ridiculous trips. When man simply
has TO settle down and be comfortable.
why should he make a wandering Jew
of himself?"
II shall follow your advice" agreed
Col. Tom, 'as soon as i return from the
West. l am called back on most import
ant business"
Ethel Browne stroled through the
flower garden surrounding her home, not
happy like the roses nor CHEEKY like
the pansies, but as pensive and downcast
as the violets. For days past she had
felt herself out of tune with the bolster
Gus spirit of the household. The eternal
laughter irritated her. it's subjects
seemed so trivial, so inane. After all.
there were some subjects too sacred for
jest. One should face the awful pos
sibilities of life and death with grave.
brave eyes. not a grin. One should be
true, constant, self-denyiIg, with
strong hand ard a sympathetic voice a
soldier in fact, with a slender, gray mus
tache, and just the suspicion of a grizzly
imperial; not simply funny, the most
odious of qualities; not in truth a Zany,
fit only for a piebald suit.
Could it ne that Ethel was thus CEN
surfing her own father. the most indulg-
ent of parents? After all, the most
amiable of daughters is apt to be cross
if disturbed in loves young dream.
And, indeed, CONSERVATION was begin
ming to affect a certain little coterie
1t seemed that Col. Tom Nodyne had
disappeared, was missing. kilograms had
come to Judge Blanders, TO Nevins, TO
old Campbell. to Browne himself, from
an eastern detective agency, asking
shar3y as to his whereabouts. a GER
tain mysterious item had appeared in
a Susville paper, of which each of them
had received a marked copy. A joke was
a joke, and no one knew it better than
Col Tom: but; by Jove. if carried too
far, it might become a serious matter
a tragedy He had not turned up at
the house as they had expected and
when they had sought him at daybreak
he was gone. FOotpads were not un-
known on that countryside. The colonel,
watch and studs. Suppose-ah, what
gastly hypothesis crowded! What if,
instead of a jovial reunion. there was
a stripped, disfigured corpse in a pit 2
This very day Browne, the new man,
sober. nervous, one of the boys no
longer. had gone to Poma to meet his
tellw-congratulators in anxious consul
tation.
To Ethel. in her disquiet reverie. came
a servant. There's a strange man, Miss,
a aslIin' for your father"
Papa is away for the day"
AN so 1 told him. Miss But he said
then he'd see the lady Of the house, and
twas most important"
Every we'll" replied Ethel. glad per-
haps, TO convert a little nervousness in
to dignity. Show him here The
stranger approached-a tall man in
very unnecessary greatcoat, and with
flowing beard adequately aiding
slOuched hat in concealing his face. His
voice was husky and harsh when he
spoke. which he did without any hest
fancy.
II may as we'll be above board and
business-lil1e,'' he began. I'm a secret
service agent piping a gent named
Thomas Nodyne supposed to have been
foully dealt with. Do you know him p
Piping a gentr repeated Ethel, with
startled look, Thomas Nodyner
Yes. an oldish man. Col. Tom. they
call him.
"Col Tom?"
"Why yes" continued the agent. with
an involuntary gesture brushing back
mis- hat and squarely meeting her gaze.
You must remember him. 'Tis said he
was kinder soft on you"
Ethel turned away for an instant.
Was 1t really to pluck flower or TO
hide the confusion of a sudden appre-
hensiOn? At least in that delay she
gained indifference and GOODNESS.
Some friend of fathers 1 presume"
she replied. He knows many nice old
gentlemen; but you shouldn't expect me
to keep a catalogue of such chamber
of horrors"
No" agreed the man, sadly. 81
should have remembered that age is
nearer to death than to youth Good
day, Miss. I'll never trouble you again..
and he turned away, "A most detected,
discouraged type of a detective.
tCol. Tom! Col Toni cried Ethel.
springing after him and laying that soft,
sentient little hand on his arm, Il knew
YOU by your eyes
Then" exclaimed the colonel as he
swept away all incumbering DISCUSSES,
then YOU also know what my eyes say
to you
perhaps" whispered Ethel, as she
nestled in his embrace.-N. Y. Times.
FLY-CATCHING MICE.