The Dickinson press., 1894-09-29
0e79eaQeQ a3d
~NaPors

Ut uyluS Ut ludIilcu, lOF uu&uS L AllcWS
that I was sojourning, SO to say, In a
strange land, whose chief was bitterly
hostile to me; and that the affair upon
had not advanced an inch during those
long and lonely weeks.
I sometimes thought indeed, that I
was being punished for my presump-
ton In seeking. by my own puny ef-
forts, to get Mt the truth concerning
LacrOix's fate. which, thus far. had
been discovered to me. hut had been
as IL revealed to me by an Unseen Intel
iigence, directing the details Of the re-
velation; md this thought would calm
ME for Il time. and make me more pa
tient. Let me wait. I told myself; the
rest of the truth would come when the
Unseen saw fit. At other times I
would regard this view as mere super
stition. and would again exert myself
tramping about, conversing with the
villagers, and racking my brain-an to
no purpose.
l do verify believe. however, that, in
spite of the conviction which usually
sustained me of the final revelation Of
the truth-in spite. too, of the obsti-
nancy of my nature, and the high
reward of success which I had hoped
to gain, I would. indeed, have soon
beat a retreat, IL it had not been for q
visit I had from my old friend Birley.
and the results that Immediately fol.
lowed upon that.
One evening I heard a loud, CHEEKY
voice there was no installing ask my
landlady, us TIL parson ut whoam.
Betty?"-a question which I answered
myself by calling. "Come upstairs"
WELL" said he. you haven't come
to see me since I've come back" Che
had been i'll. and absent from home
for some weeks; 80 I ha' looked you
| up"
I said I was very pleased indeed to
see him (he looked much older md
| graver than when I had seen him last,
poor gentleman).
Now I've come" he continued, ito
ha' Il bit of serious talk with you, my
friend. You know I wish you well,
lad. and that I'd do all for you that a
broken old chap could do; but there's
no sense, tina knows, and no policy
in sticking here wi nought to do-not
ever counting. You love a lass, and,
of curse. naturally, hang about her;
but, deuce take it, lad, what do You
expect to get by hanging about the
pave WHICH Suc L1lllCS uuU 1lllltS
away? Is 1t that the ground wherein
her gentle feet have trod-ch? Come
now, lad, let's talk the thing out; we
can't ha' the folk about here that used
to think as much Of you getting to look
at you as a sort o. harmless 'luney.'"
There is at least one person in the
village" said ], somewhat nettled,
that docs not believe me harmless,
whether he thinks me a lunatic or not"
'Well," said he, "you munna be Of
Tended at my saying that"
mo, certainly" said I. IF there is
one man who could never offend me,
1t is you, Mr.. Birley. But when I
think of 1t, l am not surprised that
people should begin to look upon me
as a maniac, since nobody but myself
knows altogether what I keep staying
here for"
"Ah! we'll, of course" said he, look
ing mystified, but talking on at a ven
ture, according to his wont, you know
your own affairs best-but you think
nobody else Knows this altogether.
Well, l d~aresay--"
II daresay," said I, i%nterrupting him,
II am a monomaniac." The impulse
seized me to take him into my cent?
dence; I felt 1t would relieve and cheer
me to talk to him about the matters
that occupied my thoughts so much; he
must know them one or later, and,
by knowing them at that juncture, he
might give me a useful hint. ''Per-
haps," said I, you will think me mad
If l tell you what really keeps me here.
1t Is not, as you imagine, that I am
In love with your ward, or with the
ground she has walked on; I don't deny
that I am in that condltion-but it Is
not that that keeps me here. I wish
to tell you what 1t is, but you must
promise M to keep 1t locked up in
yourself"
"Nay, lad, If it's some very private
affair of your own, do not tell me-"
But" said I, lit is no private affair
Of my own; indeed, 1t concerns you
at least quite as much al me; and I
think, perhaps, you might help me a
little in it."
1 then related my story, point by
point, not even emitting mention Of
Louise's repeated dream, or of my own
recent adventure in the chemical works.
The effect my story had on him caused
me great anxiety. Being, by nature,
more of a talker than q listener, he
could not refrain, ut first, from break
ing In nov and then with a ITO be
sure" a "Just so," or an "Ah, yes
there you are" but as the point Of the
story took hold of him, his talking in
stinct sought vent merely in occasional
grunts, while he became paler and
paler, and more and more moved. He
did not for n moment doubt that my
suspicious pointed to the truth; he
adopted them at once, and was enraged
Al~k L. L~x1 n@k R~~,~1l kh0-n 600 1H~r
self before.
"Stupid or idiot" he exclaimed, "that
I was, not to ha' guessed afore that
Paul eaten completely up! And Paul
was a hot temper, and, If he had words
WI Manuel, there would be the devil
to settle! And, of course, Paul was like
ly to come home unexpected, to catch
Manuel on tn hop, so to say, WI that
COMPOUNDED patent again! Lord Lord! il
I had only thought Of all that a year
ago. it might ha' been easier to clear
it up! Well, now, what can we do-eh1
What can we do?"
I answered that I had been striving
for weeks to discover what next to do,
but l had not yet discovered it. I was
anxious, too, now, I said, about Louise.
"Oh!" said he. II expect she is all
right with my sister, in tn Isle Of
Man"
II Think" said 1, Its rash ever to
expect that anything is altogether
right that Steinhardt is concerned in"
"True for you, lad" said he.
Besides" I continued, "she promis.
ed to write to me, and she has not
written; a week or more ago, when I
had found out the Douglas address, /
wrote and asked her to send me only
a line to allay my anxiety-but I have
had non
He looked very grave.
Manuel" said he, 'is q double.
dyed villain, If he does aught to harm
Paul's girl! I can see what he's up to.
though; he has given no account Of
Pauls affairs, yet, and If he can get
Louise to marry Frank he needn't.
He may want all the money he can get
hold Of soon; the plaintiffs in that pa.
tent case have appealed, and he'll ha'