The Florence daily tribune., 1899-03-21
AT FOUR O'CLOCK.

send : set II suspicion that he was go-
ing to the bad. Once he had been seen
coming out of house which seemed to
the eyes of Chadwick. who met him
to conceal possibilities of faro To be-
sure, it was found afterward that
Townsend had been to visit his
'goody's' husband. who was laid up
with broken leg; but the impression
chung, nevertheless
Then Morton saw him one day on
the street in conversation with n young
woman of somewhat Aamboyant archi-
lecture. and although ii was proved
beyond IA peradventure that she was
the very respectable person who old
his nending yet there We're many who
believed that Townsend was ''mashed
Unexplained however was his dis
appearance from his usual haunts at
o'clock every afternoon There were
rumors of his having been seen in din
KY streets in the port by men who were
walking ont from Boston and We're TAX
ing short cut through that region
Such being the state of public opin
ion, no one was surprised to have Town
send throw down his hand one day us
the clock struck A. although the last
Jack pot had been unusually exciting
''I'm not coming IN. he said In
fact, l'm gc:ng out"-an attempt at
wit that was greeted with derisiou
With the shutting Of the door every
hand was tossed upon the table as II by
common consent
Hes doing this every day To my
personal knowledge, said Chadwick
"and | III going to see it out this alter
noon
II II 20 with you T. cried Morton
The rest had no theories, but went
from curiosity all except Allen. who
was a senior and who knew Tcwnscnd 5
mother and was in love with his sister
and hence felt it incumbent upon him
to take the interest of an elder brother
in his welfare
For 20 minutes he led them at Il smart
pace through the better part of Cam
bridgeport, and then turned aside into
short bystreet that extended toward
the river
There was no electric light in this
.s-----..->., -.'-.-e,s,-
winter afternoon concealed the group
of spies in its fast deepening shadows
Townsend passed the tenemen,s and
went up the steps of cottage, the on,
ly detached house ON the street 1t was
at the end-beyond it tin can strewn
vacant lot, extending to the marsh
Allen looked grave as he saw Town
send knock as if to warn the inmates
of his coming and then take II lntchlley
from his pocket and enter before the
door could be opened from within
With one accord tine eavesdruppers
moved toward the vacant lot, where a
shaft of light strealned from side
window Once aroupd the corner they
did not see a woman who left the house
almost as soon as Townsend had enter
ed
What they did see as they pressed TO
the window whose partly raised cur
tain allowed them II good view of the
room and its occupants, was of nn-
ture to surprise every one of them
Before the fire sat an old woman
whom the novels of 80 years ago would
have described us "beldam Wild
eyes indicative of disordered mind
hla2ed in Il face crowned by mass of
unSempt white hair Her thin figure
ever swayed to the promptings of an in
per restlessness and her nervous hands
clutched necessarily ut her dress or at
the air
The onloukers We're in time to see
Townsend greet her She responded to
his sulutation 10y blow of her cane.
which the Young man lodged with
couluess born of experience
Seemingly unruified by this reception.
Townsend went to a closet in the room.
and taking from ii chatting dish and
eggs and milk and butter he set about
the preparation of an omelet
We'll. ll--be-hanged - said Chad
wick. slow in his amazement
by Jovel exclaimed Morton
That the silver dish his mother sent
him on his birthday | thought he'd
put il in hook
Allen said nothing, but he felt
twinge of remorse, for he had thought
SO too
1t required some skill to serve the
meal once it was cooked Townsend
placed Il small table before the old lady
She promptly kicked II over
When at last she was induced to hold
the plate, she first threw bit of the
onelet to the cat CA libation to Fells,
whispered Grimston, who had taken
honors in classics and antiquities). and
then flung her fork into the fire Town
send rescued it and substituted spoon.
which seemed more to his patients
fancy
To air the overheated room Townsend
opened the window directly over their
heads as they squatted on the ground
He lifted the curtain higher and looked
out btndly INTO the darkness Allen
thought that he heard him sigh So did
Morton Morton was Just little man
when once h" was convinced
Il say. fellows he whispered excit-
ed'y when Townsend had been recalled