The Denison review., 1899-06-16
AT FOUR O'CLOCK.


been growing among the men Of
Townsend's set q suspicion that he
was going 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, 1t was found after
ward that Townsend had been to visit
his "goody'ss husband, who was laid
up with broken leg-but the impress
sion clung, nevertheless.
! Then Morton saw him one day on
the street in conversation with a
young woman of somewhat hamlroy~
ant architecture, and although 1t was
proved beyond peradventure that she
was the very respectable person who
did his mending vet 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 werU
rumors Of his having been seen In the
dingy streets in the Port by men who
were walking out from Boston and
were taking short cut through that
region.
Such being the state Of public opin-
ion, no one was surprised to have
Townsend throw down his hand one
day as the clock struck 4, although
the last jackpot had been unusually
exciting. i'i's
i"I'm not coming in,' he said. ''1n
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 IL
by common consent. 5a
"He's doing this every day to my
personal knowledge said Chadwick.
"and I'm going to see 1t out this after
noon"
''I'll go with you," cried Morton.
The rest had no theories, but went
from curiosity-all except Allen, who
was a senior, and who knew Town
sends mother, and was in love with
the sister. and hence felt 1t incumbent
upon him to take the interest Of an
elder brother in his welfare.
For % minutes he led ther, ut a
smart pace through the better part Of
Camblddseport, and then turned aside
into short by y-street that extended
toward the river. ;5,5,.,s
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 tene-
ments and went up the steps Of a cot
tage, the only detached house ON the
street. It was at the end dAbeyond 1t a
tin-can- -strewn vacant lot, extending
| to the marsh. z t,ippesj
Allen looked grave as he saw Town,
send knock, as IL to warn the inmates
Of his coming, and then take latch.
key from his pocket and enter before
the door could alopened from within.
With one. accord the eavesdroppers
moved toward the vacant lot, where. a
shaft of light streamed from a side
window. Once around the corner they
did not see a woman who left the
house almost as soon as TOWNSEND
had entered. 'v''' s - = I s.
| What they did see as they pressed
to the window, whose partly raised
curtain allowed them q good view OF
the room and its occupants, was of q
nature to surprise every one of them. 4
! Before the fire. sat an old woman
whom the novels of fifty years ago
would have described ias q .beldam. y
Wild eyes Indicative Of q ,disordered
mind plazed. in a face crowned by a
mass of unkempt white, hair. Her thin
figure ever ,swayed to the proraptings
Of an inner restlessness, and her nerv-
GUS hands clutched necessarily at her
dress or at the air.
The onlookers were In time to see
Townsend greet her. She responded to
his salutation by blow Of her cane
which the young man, lodged with q
coolness born of experience.
Seemingly unruffed by this recep-
ton, Townsend went to a closet in the
room, and taking from IT chatting
dish and eggs and milk and butter, he
set about the preparation of an ON
elet,, ~,
"Wen, I'll-be- -hangedv said Chad
wick, slow in his amazcment
"By Jove" exclaimed Morton, "that's
the silver dish his mother sent him on
his birthday. thought he'd put It IN
hook" Nsi'l''s'ts ~.
Allen said nothing, but he felt q
twtnge of remorse. for he had thought
SO, too.
It required some skill to serve the
meal, once it was cooked Townsend
placed small table before the old
lady.
She promptly kicked It over. ,,.4
Wnen at last she was induced to
hold the plate she first threw bit of
the omelet to the cat GA Hbation to
iIFelis," whispered Grimston, who had
taken honors In classics and antqui-
ties), and then fung her fork into the
lfre. Townsend rescued It, and sub
stituted spoon, which seemed more
Ito his patients fancy. ~
IL. -