St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-05-10
AT FOUR O'CLOCK.

For more than month there had
been growing among the men of Town
sends set 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
clung, nevertheless
Then Morton saw him one day on
the street in conversation with young
woman Of somewhat famboyant archi-
lecture, and although it was proved
beyond peradventure that she was
the very respectable person who did
his mending, yet there were 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
gystreets in the port by men who were
walking out from Boston and were 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 as
the clock struck 4, although the last
jack pot had been unusually exciting.
I'm not coming in, he said. in
fact, I'm going out An attempt at
wit that was greeted with derision.
With the shutting of the door every
hand was tossed upon the table as if by
common consent.
He's doing this every day to my
personal knowledge" said Chadwick,
land I'm going to see it out this after
noon.
"Ill go with you'll" cried Morton.
The rest had no theories, but went
from curiosity-all except Allen. who
was senior and who knew Townsend s
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 90 minutes he led them at 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
obscure alley and the early dusk of the
winter afternoon concealed the group
of spies in its fast deepening shadows
Townsend passed the tenements 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 latchkey
from his pocket and enter before the
door could be opened from within.
With one accord the eavesdroppers
moved toward the vacant lot. where q
shaft of light streamed from side
window Once around the corner they
did not see 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 good view of the
room and its occupants. was Of ma
ture to surprise every one of them.
Before the fire sat an old woman
whom the novels of so years ago would
have described as "beldam. " Wild
eyes Indicative of a disordered mind
blazed in face crowned by mass OF
unkempt white hair Her thin figure
ever swayed to the promptings of an in
ner restlessness, and her nervous hands
clutched necessarily at her dress or al
the air
The onlookers were in time to see
Townsend greet her. She responded tc
his salutation by blow of her cane,
which the young man lodged with g
cooness born of experience.
Seemingly unruffled by this reception
Townsend went to closet in the room
and taking from it chatting dish and
eggs and milk and butter he set about
the preparation of an omelet.
well, Tll-be-hanged !" said Chad
wick, slow in his amazement
by Sovel' exclaimed Morton
That's the silver dish his mother sem
him on his birthday thought he {
put it in hook. "
Allen said nothing, but he felt 6
twinge of remorse. for he had thought
SO too
1t required some skill to serve thu
meal once it was cooked. Townsend
placed small table before the old lady
She promptly kicked it over,
When at last she was induced to hole
the plate, she first threw a bit OF thu
omeet to the cat GA libation to Felis,
Whispered Grimston, who had taker
honors in classics and antiquities), ano
then flung her fork into the fire Town
send rescued it and substituted a spoon
which seemed more to his patient
fancy
To air the overheated room Townsend
opened the window directly over thei1
heads as they squatted on the ground
lie lifted the curtain higher and looked
out blindly into the darkness Allei
thought that he heard him sigh. So die
Morton Morton was just little maj
when once he was convinced.
II say, fellows, he whispered excit
edly when Townsend had been recalled
TO his duties by boiling over of tn