The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-03-23
AT FOUR O'CLOCK.

For more than month there had
been growing among the men of Town
send 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
chung, nevertheless
Then Morton saw him one day on
the street in conversation with a young
woman of somewhat tiamboyant archi-
lecture. and although it was proved
beyond a peradventure that she was
the very respectable person who did
his mending, yet there We're many who
believed that Townsend was "masbed, .
Unexplained, however. was his dis
appearance from his usual haupts at 4
o'clock every afternoon. There were
rumors of his having been seen in din
gy streets in the port by men who were
walking out from Boston and were taxi
ingea 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 a. although the last
jack pot had been unusually exciting.
I'm not coming in he caiu In
fact, I'm going out an attempt at
wit that was greeted with derison
With the shutting of the door every
hand was tossed upon the table as if by
common consent,
Hes doing this every day 10 my
personal knowledge. said Chadwick
land / m going to see it out this after
noon
I'm go with you cried Morton
The rest had no theories. but went
from curiosity except Allen. who
was Il senior and who knew Townsend
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 al smart
pace through the better part of Cam
bridgeport. and then turned aside into
a 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 a 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
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 a 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 "bedam. Wild
eyes indicative of a disordered mind
blazed in a 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 OF at
the air
The onlooliers were in time TO see
Townsend greet her She responded to
his salutation 10y blow of her cane
which the young man lodged with a
GOODNESS born of experience
Seemingly unrutiled by this reception
Townsend went to a closet in the room
and taking from it a chatting dish and
eggs and milk and butter he yet about
the preparation of an o1nelet
well, Ill-be-hanged said Chad
wick slow in his amazement
by Jove exclaimed Morton
That's the silver dish his mother sent
him on his birthday | thought he d
put ii in hook
Allen said nothing. but he felt
twinge of remorse for he had thought
so too
Ii required some skill to serve the
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 hold
the plate che first threw bit of the
omelet to the cat "a hbation to Fels
whispered CRIMSON who had taken
honors in classics and antiqulties1. and
then flung her fork into the fire Town
send rescued it and substituted spoon.
which seemed more To his patient =
fancy
To air the overheated room Townsend
heads as they squatted on the ground
He lifted the curtain higher and looard
out blindlv INTO the darkness Alcu
thought that he heard him sigh ~ dad
Morton Morton was inst httle man
when once he was convinced
II say fellows be whispered excj-.
eddy when Townsend had been recalled
to his duties by boiling over of the
teakettle that threatened 10 put ont the
fire in the CRATE don't
believe he likes dom
Townsend had lifted ~. attIe from