Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-01-04

By ANNA KATHARINE GREEN.

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Just said himself.
"I'mho lady's ma" these were the
next words I heard-"but then, !
judge, yDu're NOT in for fattery and all
that kind Of thing yourself So now
I've got the chance, I'll just say the
thing I've got ON my tongue to say.
Miss Rutterworth, I'm 5S and ! have
been widower two years. I'm not fit
ted for q solitary life, and ] am fitted
for comfortable life with an affection
ate wife to keep my hearth swept clean
and my own affections in good working
order. Will you be that wife? I have q
neat cottage
aYes, said /, sin Lost Mnn' g lane. :"
..Oh. 4 he exclaimed, syou do not
like fhis placer Well. we could 60 else
where. p am not set against the city
myself
,.Nor against the comfortable little
income somebody has told You Ipos-
sessed, pcriedL aI see your disinterest-
ednsss, but I should be sorry TO profit
By it. Why, man, ] never spoke to you
before ii my life and do you think
eOh, said she, 81 see you are not
above battery and those things Well.
madam, I know a tremendous fine wom-
an when Isee her without talking away
dozen evenings ON politics. religion
and what not. I don't need to know any
more about yon than I can take in with
my twd eyes, but II you would like .
little more acquaintance with me, why,
lean wait . couple Of weeks till we've
rubbed the edges q little off Of our
strangeness, when' - ~
"When you think Twill be 90 charm
ed with Deacon Spear that Twill be
ready 10 settle down with him in Lost
Mans hne, or II that viii not do carry
him of to Gra1nercy park, where he
will be,the admiration. Of all New York
and Brooklyn TO boot. Why, man, If ]
was 30 easily satisaed as that ! would
not be i'm position today for you to
honor me with this proposal. lam NOT
easy to suit, so ( advise you TO turn
your attention To some one much more
anxious 10 be married than am, but
not before this mystery is settled in
Lost Man g lane, H you were an honest
man, you would ask no one to share
;ssSa fsunss while any tcfoud rest.-
upon ycur honor. =
"My honorl Madam. be careful /
admire yop, butt
stNdofense, said l. .sFor q stran-
ger have perhaps indulged in little
freedom. ] only mean that any one who
lives il this lane must feel that the
shadow which enyelops it rests also q
little upon him. When that Is lifted, !:
each one will feel himself q man again.
From indications yonder that day may;
not Be far away. Mother Jane is a like 1
ly soarcefor such 3 mystery. She knows
Just little enough to have no proper
idea of the value Of a human life :.
Madam" said Deacon Spear, II
have not that much interest in what is
going on over there" Here he snapped
his fingers. "H men have been killed
in this lane-which I do not believe
abe never had no hand init. What /
think is that it's all coincidence
Each and every person who has disap-
peared has disappeared naturally. No
one has been killed That is my theory,
madam, and You will find it correct.
On this point I have expended much
thought"
vas irate; l was also dumfounded
at hs audacity. Did he think was the
woman to swallow that? Bet I shut
my lips tight lest / should say some.
thing, and he, not finding thatagreeable,
being no conversationalist himself, drew
off after awhile with some pompous ex-
preston of hoping to see me again after
his honor was cleared up in my very
particular eyes
II was the second proposal T had re-
oeiyed that day, but the first-wel, i
did not accept that either, though my
'decination was q little kinder than the
one thought best to infiict upon Deacon
Spear :.
A day of unparalleled anxiety broken
by such episodes as thesel