The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-27

at Mother Jane, he stopped to tell me
some or the idioSyncrasieS of that old
woman A very harmless courtesy, Mr.
Knollys.''
very. he echoed, not without a
touch OF sarcasm. II only hope that is
an, ne muttered, with sidelong look
back at the house "Lucetta hasn't a
particle of belief in that mans friend
snip, or, rather, she believes he never
goes anywhere without particular in
tention, and 1 do believe she's right or
why should he come spying around
mere just these two days when"-he.
caught himself up with almost a look
of "when-when you are here?''
he completed lamely
90 not think, I retorted, more
angf1Iy than the occasion perhaps war;
ranted, that the word spying applies
TO Mr.. Trohm. But If it did what is
there to gain from pause at the gate
lance as 1 amp
:! don't know" he still persisted sus-
piciously. "Trohm's sharp fellow. If
there was anything to see. he would
see it even from his place down there.
But there isn't You don't know of
anything wrong here, do you, which
such man as that, hand in glove
with the police as we know him to be.
might consider himself to be interest
ed in?'
Astonished both at this laundering
comm1ttal of himself and at the GER
tam sort of anxious confidence he
showed in me, [ hesitated for a mo-
ment, but only for moment since, if
half my suspicious were true, this man,
above all others, must know that my
persp1cacIty was more to be feared
than ever Mr.. Trohm's was
If Mr. Trohm is interested in this
house, said l. with a heroic defiance
of ridicule which 1 hope Mr.. Gryce has
duly appreciated, and since a period
of two days, beg leave to call your at
tention to the fact that on yesterday
morning he came to deliver a letter adj
dressed to me which had inadvertently
been left at his house, and that this
morning he called to inquire how | had
spent the night, which, in considera-
ton OF the ghosts which are said to
haunt this house and the strange and
rncanny apparitions which only three
nights ago made the entrance to this
lane hldeous to one pair of eyes al
asst, should not cause a gentleman's
son like you any establishment. 1t does
not me, | assure you"
He laughed. L meant he should, and,
losing almost instantly his air of doubt
and suspicion, turned toward the gate
from which [ had just moved away,
muttering:
Well, it's a small matter to me any
way It's only the girls that are afraid
of Mr.. Trohm. / am not afraid of any
thing but losing Saracen, who has pined
like the deuce at his long confinement
in the court. Hear him now; just hear
him.
And / could hear the low and unhap-
Ply moaning of the hound distinctly. 1t
was not pleasant sound, and | was al
most tempted to tell Kim to unloose the
dog, but l thought better Of it,
by the way" said he, speaking
of Mother Jane, I have an errand from
the girls to her. You will excuse me if
l speak to the poor woman
Alarmed by his politeness more than
I ever have been by his roughness and
incorsiderate sareasns, I looked at him
inQuiringly IS he left the gate and did
not know whether to stand my ground
or retreat to the house. / decided to
stand my ground, an errand to this
woman seeming to me matter of
some interest.
| was glad [ did for after some five
minutes absence. during which he had
followed her into the house. [ saw him
come back again in a state of sullen
displeasure, which disappeared as he
came upon me still standing by the
gate.
"Ah, Miss Butterw orth, you can DO
me a favor. The old creature, is in one
give me a hearing. She may not be so
deaf to you; she isn't apt to be to wom-
en-. VIII you cross the road then and
speak to her? will go with you. You
needn't be afraid"
The way he said this, the confidence
he expected to inspire, had almost a
CHASTITY effect upon me. Did he know or
suspect that the only thing [ feared in
the lane was he? Evidently not, for he
met my eye quite confidently.
1t would not do to shake his faith at
such moment as this, so calling upon
Providence to see me safely through
this adventure I stepped into the high
way and went with him into Mother
James cottage.
Had I had any other companion ]
would have. been glad of this oppor-
tunity. AS it was, I found myself ignor--
ing any possible danger might be run
ming into in my interest in the remark
able interior to which I was thus in
troduced.
Having been told that Mother Jane
was poor, 1 had expected to confront