The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-11

- BaSc0m Or no BdsCOlD
81 declare, MIR. Molesworth certainly
has a faculty of getting at things in a
hurry. He says he was called on today
by old Mrs. Stone, brother, and she
wants him to call on Colonel Bascom.
and ascertain where Miss Ellen Bascom
is at this time
"What in thunder has old Mrs.
Stone or the Rev. Mr.. Colesworth to do
with that?''
"Molesworth, brother, and really do
no5 see any call for your extraordinary
excitement.
"Your Wordsworth seems to be some
thing Of a newsmonger, isn't he?''
"Why. no, not just exactly. As he
says, he is new to the place and the peo-
pie, and it is perfectly natural that he
should seek for information in legiti.
mate channels.
Legitimate channels being the La
dies Aid society. Well, I suppose poor
Miss Bascom S story was served up with
the tea
"Of course we told him all we knew,
and that was little enough. told him
that she was very beautiful girl when
was young lady, but that she had
always been weakminded, and that her
brother, when he came home after his
mothers death, had taken her away
from here to put her under the care Of
a specialist, and Apologize county had
lost sight of her for a great many years. %
"All of which is strictly true. Is
there anything to set gossip's tongue
wagging over that?''
''Oh, now, Lester, all the uncharity in
your soul is saved for ministersl Mr..
Wordsworth was not gossiping. He was
just trying to arrive at an intelligent
understanding of people and their affairs
in his new field, and as for Miss Bas-
com, old Mrs. Stone declares that she Is
wandering around the country alone. "
Croft [ don't believe one COMPOUNDED
word of such stuff. %
cold Mrs. Stone says that she stopped
at her house one rainy night last week,
and she kept her, meaning to send word
to the colonel next day, but that when
they went to take her some breakfast
her room was empty and no one on the
place had seen her leave"
Little Potts looked troubled. He was
genuinely fond Of the colonel, and it
seemed as IT, troubles were thickening
about his genial head. Piecing Miss
Mechanics story out with that unlocked
for call from DR.. Hillary Northcote, the
story Of Miss Bascom' S disappearance
took on an air of probability.
With airy inconeequence Miss Mela-
ME harked back to the story of Reginald
Belknap's folly.
could he really gamble Belhaven
away, Lester-young Belknap I mean?'
''I know Of no impediment if he
wanted to play the fool to that extent. "
"But his brother and sister-have they
no rights in the case?"
Unfortunately old Tony, with his
English notions of primogeniture, left
the place to his Oldest son, with the
understanding that as the others came of
age they were to receive an equivalent
in money"
"And now there will be no equiya.
lent
mot likely, if he has beggared him
self and them, as your reverend reports. y
but what can they do?''
"Nothing. They weren't reared to do
anything. I'm sorry for the girl. p"
And then the call to dinner diverted
the attention of the Pottses in another
direction. The meal was an unusually
silent one for that cheerful household.
Mr.. Potts was thinking of Bascom's
girl. In point Of fact Bascom's girl had
been very much in his way ever since
he had looked into her pictured eyes,
with their haunting loneliness, and
heard her father almost pleading for a
kindly reception for her.
Mr. Potts was grain and produce
merchant "Wholesale'' was painted in
largo letters Oh his sign. 1t was saw
ing word. Being a wholesale man, he
was eligible to membership in all the
clubs and other organizations patronized
by the cotton lords who composed the
best people Of Apologize. If he had
measured his grain by the peck or sold
his pork by the pound, little Potts
would never have occupied the social
position he did in Cloverdell, nor would
it have mattered much if his daughters
smiled or frowned on Colonel Merriman
Basoom's daughter. AS it was, it did
matter, and he Knight as well take the
bull by the horns now as later.
On the rare occasions upon which he
asserted himself in opposition to Miss
Melanie he did it with startling sud-
denness, as if surprised at. his own te-
merity His methods were jerlzy, but
generally effective. He asserted himself
now.
81 say, my dearies, we might as well
como to an understanding about Miss
Basoom at once It is my desire that
YOU call on her as soon as etiquette re-
quires. I should, of course, prefer Aunt
Nellie to go with you, but if she doesn't
care to-
Here he paused, with his head held
inouiringly On one side, looking fear
lessly at Miss Melanie.
"Why, Of course, Lester, if you make
such point of it,