The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-29
The MAN UNDER The HAT.
BY FAYR MADoC.
Author of "rhe Story of MeIicent," Etc.
convrigbted 1875 M, E,,,, NJ.

4.or1 they belonged to- signed BAltls-
- looking as sentimental as his large
Hnortions, his hirsute visage and his
Mrty-fve years permitted.
Hawley laughed-not loudly, but with
pleasant enjoyment of a man who has
- through loves sickness and knows
H. it is durable.
I"lv dear fellow, I wish could help
an he said, stretching his legs to the
Irackling wood fire and putting a cloud
smoke from his pipe. IF it had been
L. other way / might have obliged you.
Il you'd seen the ladys hat I might have
Irown some light on the affair-not that
r. ever tried. because the women, bless
m don't hang up their bonnets, but
H. gbt have made the endeavor. I can al
Tvs trace a man downwards from the
tsad-piece. but upward from the buskin-
II MOI That doesn't belong TO my lido
trncrasv. You must watch and have pa
orce Fortune favors the bold, and
rsr,-tninr comes to him who waits
"Don't be an aphoristic donkey, Dut eX-
ain yourself" said Baltiscomb. What
YOU mean by tracing man downward
ron the head-piece? If you are mad say
at once. and III take Mabel home
nd have the marriage declared null ana
old"
cravlev only laughed again. He was not
magnificent specimen of humanity, IKE
his companion, but he was very good
.,scinnen of a prosperous and happy Eng
sbman. He was also a philosopher VINO
Il .,uld contemplate misfortune through an
ofher mans eyes with great equanlhllly,
and in answer 10 ms coiniauss "a, ossrN
. n he VclNW
y into his pockets, and shifted hlnseh
INTO a more comfortable posture Inc W.
.men were not old friends, and each haa
|sdu much to learn about the othSI ~, oue
|7ravVlevs had recently married BalllS-
'comb's sister, and the husband ana Dr0tn-
IL had amalgamated agreeaply baltls-
'comb had Joined the CraWleys AZ r.
mote country inn, and here, after long
|dav on the river the bachelor nad seen
|cutside a bedroom door, par OF ua ia .,
which had arouseu an tnS
susceptibilities of his ardent nature. Mrs.
Crawiey, in all the pride and plsnJjtu 1I
of her young married happiness, ilau "a
lied her brother unmercltully on ms pc
sion, but she, by and by, letIeu u ~,
and besides the NOTWITHSTANDING theIe
was only one other occupant OF the coIlee
room. This was an old gentleman stray
and bent, who YVES seated at taDles
little distance, apparently Dusty 80, had
not needed him when they drew toWdIu
the fire with their pipes, ana by TINS tiino
they had quite forgotten MS presSllcte;, g.
Il saw Jack, what do you mean Dy uaSS
ing a man downwards from MS hedu-
piece ?" repeated Baltiscomb. ,-.
Il mean what l say" replied CrAWley.
whenever 1 see hat hanging up can
always see the full-length figure OF the
man 1T belongs to under II.
IF / were stiI a schoolboy, Jack !
should say-rot." ,r,,,,ol >,
Nonsense Your imagination sees tne
figure of man. but how can you piOFo
YOU have imagined the man. 49, -
r 'sNeU I've proved IL several times az
friends' house-proved it by exactly des-
crbing men had never seen IN my ~, me-
MS rather a nuisance sometimes oIlSS
sat next a fellow on the TOD OF an oiiir,
bus. and / kept looking at hlnl lee zen
sure I knew him, and yet unable 70 p ut d
name to him. When l had peeh p1Hz1riilii5
over him from the Bank 70 the MAJ .i. -Jie
Arch. / suddenly recoilected l nad seen
rim under his hat at the dentists the
week before That time it was rather re-
marFabIe, because he had left his nat on
the table in the waltlng-rooIh uP9Av ~ u. y
so saw the man with his feet IN the al
And did you see him Afterwards 49,.
mo. l was fetched away INTO alotiei
room before he appeared. 49,, .,,,,,7 -,
,"Then your story falls to the gTounu!
cried Paitiscomb, triumphantly. II was
a mere coincidence that, having plctu l.,.
= cOmmon-place man to youFself, you saw
a similar commonplace Fellow on Inc wy
Wait a. bit. Billy. was so conyinced OF
NV man that before 1 got down, l SAID 10
him 4 beg your pardon, sir, put ul ~ , ~
speak to me last nurse ny 81 ggon a. TecolIect
Won sir hut had an eye-tooth OUT az . LA
COMPOUNDED place on the DAY YOU me- 80 T.
and thought the ruffian Woal1; ~ Won %
en- my head off, Does that sd'iSiS
asked Crawley, quietly ,4 fa,.tila
"Tf If isn't your boundless ana IeI tlio
imaginationw said Baltiscomp' scep'io"i-
~: .r IT,. ,,o,,,. incredulitv." said Crawley,
ir,Tart1rbahlv. Il tell you no hat 10 me
is unoccupied. I inherit the GIT v,+a,,-
"Giftr' interposed Baltlsco oli had
plativelv. Say the madness! Il nau
known this sooner, Mabel shouiu "e'e'
have been yours. =, 1,-,o-v ,,-a,,+ M,
The madness, then, CraWIey we slra nd nd.
81 inherit this madness from my 8 ,, -
mother, who did great MANY
full things by it, and .s,,o,-ad 90
Would probably have been uuckeu d.
a witch is she hadn't been lady. $50,
Probably As il was, she once saESu
a very valuable life by its means. Sne
was in a Swiss pension IN the mo ll mans
and little boy, the heI IT. ~ asecident 10
one knew what to do, and while every
one else was buZzing round the po9I emu,
suggesting the most toollsh deilTui To- lo i,
contradicting each other, she ran 70 ,
at row of hats and said to the IaheloIu'
Fetch the owner OF TINS nat, IN, lhqlS 80
ing the hat of gentleman VINO ndu J44sSt
arrived and had gone to ped urea. ne
proved to be an eminent physician anu
my grandmother, seeing him under his
hat, had detected his professional man
ner, even in his travelling dress.
''Indeedr' calculated BaluscomD, star
ing.
It's not altogether bad madness on
occasions" remarked Crawley, compla-
Gently.
Pardon me, sir, but you would make
Your fortune as detectiYet cried
strange voice. which made both the young
men turn their heads quickly.
The old gentleman, who had seemed 70
be engrossed with his writing, had risen
and come toward them. He had pecu-
liar appearance-tall, thin and ungainly
10 person, coarse in feature, and harsh
of voice. Nothing but his keen, bright
eyes, which seemed to blaze with some
inward excitement saved him from the
Teproach of absolute ugliness. As ii was,
NE presented the spectacle of undignified
and unlovely old age, and as he stood
before the younger men, his body sWayed
fresolutely to and fro, his under-lip fell
and quiVered, he clutched and tore at his
o!d-fashioned and pendent whiskers with
ms lean and trembling fingers. He SEEM
ed to be devoured by some unspeakable
passion, but so ignoble were his gestures
and his attitude that they rendered him
a most as much an object of disgust as
Of pity.
Pardon me, sirP' he said again. i
ought not to have listened but I caught
2 word, and am interested in that sort
Of thing"
The deucer muttered Bsltiscomb I'M
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