The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-12
MISS BEECHER'S JOURNEY.
An Exciting story of Chicago
Girls Trip to the Maine Woods.

GIFTS IriD to the Maine WOODS.
Miss Maud Beecher was Chicago girl.
She came to Boston on a visit to her
cousin, Miss Teresa Holland, a girl with
fad and that fad was old historic houses.
of which Miss Teresa had made a large
number of photographs. If Miss Beecher
had fad it was the adornment of her own
stylish person. especially with jewels. of
which she had rare collection.
The two cousins did not find themselves
very congenial and Maud soon tired of
wheeling through the historic. parts of
Massachusetts in search of the most tum-
ble-down houses there. She got on better
with Tom Holland, and begged him to
take her wheeling with the other 'fel-
lows" Tom was II, and he found his
cousin very amusing.
At last Tom and the other fellows wens
to the Maine woods for a hunting trip.
Mrs. Holland and the younger children
left for their seaside home, and Maud and
Teresa were left alone in the great city
house. Teresa had almost finished an
article on historic houses" and Maud
generously offered to remain with her until
it was completed.
She repented her rash offer as the hot
summer days came on, but Teresa protest
big city house than on the piazza of the
beach house, where the glaring sand re-
Elected in ones face, or in the Maine
woods where mosquitoes and black flies
made life miserable.
Maud curled up in big leather chair
and read till her head ached. then she
spent long hours doing her hair different
ways, and trying on different costumes,
to see if one might not be trif1e cooler
than the others.
When Teresa announced that she had de-
cided 10 write an article on Photographic
art studies before going away Maud walk
ed out of the room wi hout a word.
Teresa was surprised an hour later when
Maud appeared with her travelling bag in
her hand. She wore a covert cloth skirt
and silk shirt waist. She had fastened a
costly diamond pin in her hair, and an
other in her breast, to hold in her watch
with it's jeweled pendant. On her fingers
wen" exclaimed Teresa, "where
now?'
ITO the Maine woods TO see Tom"
Maud replied gayly. Teresa dropped her
pen in dismay.
"Going to see Tom" she calculated, land
wearing all those jewels! Really, Maud, I
shall have to telegraph mamma if you
insist on this wild prank. Come, I will
give up this article and go with you to the
beach if you wish. 1 thought you were
quite contented."
mo, Teresa, I will not let you sacrifice
your precious article. I am quite deter
mined to go fishing with the boys. Don't
be a goose, Teresa, let me go. Mrs. Bur-
ridge is up there cooking for the boys. 1
shall be chapcroned all right. It's no worse
than wheeling with them all over Massa-
chusetts."
Teresa gave 1t up and went back to her
article after remarking that at least Maud
ought TO have sense enough to take off
her jewelry if she didn't want to get
robbed.
Maud protested that 1t was safer on her
person than anywhere else, and that she
had a channels bag around her neck with
all her stones in it. Then she started off
down the street and Teresa forgot all
about her, remaining absorbed in her work
till the dinner bell rang. Then she re-
membered with a pang that her cousin had
done a very uncrcumspect thing and felt
bound to write Mrs. Holland about it.
Maud enjoyed her journey immensely
and was not at all alarmed to find that
she must spend the night in Portland and
leave at an unreasonable hour in the morn
ing. She accomplished all her arrange
ments without difficulty and was treated
with respectful courtesy by all the rail-
| road and hotel officials.
AS the train bowled along northward in
| the early morning, she was congratulating
herself and thinking with scorn of timid
young maidens who never Travelled alone,
when she became conscious of a pair Of
| eyes riveted on her face. Wheeling in her
| chair she encountered them. They were
gray, unpleasant eyes, and they did not
| drop before hers, but their owner smiled
boldly.
She turned quickly away and buried her
self in a newspaper. The eyes still fol-
lowed her and she ventured to turn to-
do Dratpn6a6 To fall
asleep, thus gaining an opportunity to
study the offender through half shut eyes
He was a well dressed man, though
Maud's mental comments was that he was
cheap"
probably wants to frt." she thought
| angrily well I'm not that kind and
she involuntarily tossed her head. Again
the man smiled.
Just then an older man with a smooth
hard face joined him. and both began 10
talk earnestly, frequently glancing across
at Maud as though she were the subject
of their talk At last she could endure
it no longer and beckoned to the conduc-
| tor.
"Those men," pointing directly at them
ARE annoying me very much by their
| holiness"
Il am very sorry" returned the polite
conductor. Il will see that it does not hap
! pen again." And he moved toward the
! young man.
The elder man rose as the conductor
! crossed the car and engagsd him in a con-
versuticn which Maud cou moi hear. but
| the conductor glanced back at her sew
eral times and she knew there was some
mystery She would have shrieked aloud
could she have heard what the COOL strang-
er was saying about her.
The young lady is my niece" he said.
land this young mans sister. She has
been insane for some months, though quite
harmless and quiet. At last her mind be-
| came so deranged that we decided to take
her to a quiet littie camp in the woods.
| Her mother is there already waiting for
her. She likes to fancy herself travelirg
| alone so we humored her by getting seats
over here, and letting her pay for her