The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-07-05
AT FOUR O'CLOCK.

seemed to the eyes OF Chadwick, who
met him, TO conceal possibilities OF
| faro. To be sure, IL was found after
ward that Townsend had been TO visit
his ''goody's' husband, who was laid
up with a broken leg-but the impress
sion chung, nevertheless.
| Then Morton saw him one day ON
the street in conversation with a
| young woman OF somewhat flamboy-
ant architecture, and although II 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 4
o'clock every afternoon. There were
rumors OF his having been seen In the
dingy streets In the Port by men who
| were walking out from Boston and
| were taking A short cut through that
region.
Such being the state of public opin-
4 iOll. uO OllC was Sdl IA lStu W ho' =
| Townsend throw down his hand one
| day as the clock struck 4, although
| the last jackpot had been unusually
exciting
I'm not coming in he said. I'm
fact. I'm going out" an attempt at wit
that was greeted with derisien.
With the shutting OF the door every
hand was tossed upon the table az il
| by common consent
Hes doing this every day To my
personal knowledge" said Chadwick.
land I'm going 10 see it out this after
| noon"
IN go with you cried Morton.
The rest had no theories, but went
from curiosity-au except Allen, who
was a senior, and who knew Town
sends mother, and was in love with
the sister, and hence felt il incumbent
upon him To take the interest of an
elder brother In his welfare.
For % minutes he led Their M a
smart pace through the better part of
Cambridgeport, and then turned aside
into a short by-street 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 tene>
ments and went up the steps of a cot
tage, the only detached house on the
street II was at the end-beyond II a
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 a latch.
key from his pocket and enter before
the door could be opened 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 woman who left the
house almost as soon as Townsend
had entered.
What they did see as they pressed
10 the window, whose partly raised
tIIldlu dllOWtd LAtlll IL sOOh view VI
the room and its occupants, was of a
nature TO surprise every one of them.
Before the fire sat an old woman
whom the novels of fifty years ago
would have described as 'beldam."
Wild eyes Indicative OF diSordered
mind blazed in face crowned by
mass of unkempt white hair Her thin
figure ever swayed 10 the promptings
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 a
coolness born of experience.
Seemingly unruffled by this recep-
ton, Townsend went TO a closet in the
room. and taking from 1t a chatting
dish and eggs and milk and butter. he
set about the preparation of an ON
elet
Well Tll-be-hangedv said Chad
wick. slow in his Amusement.
by JONt. tACldllutu 1hOl loIs tldl
the silver dish his mother sent him on
his birthday. l thought he'd put 1t 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 il was cooked Townsend
placed a small table before the old
lady.
She promptly kicked il over.
Wnen at last she was induced TO
hold the plate she first threw a bit OF
the omelet to the cat GA nbation to
Felis," whispered Grimston. who had
taken honors in classics and antiqui-
ttes,, and then dung her fork into the
ere. Townsend rescued IL, and sub
stjtutsd spoon, which seemed more
70 hfs patisnts fepey.
To air the ovSvhtAted room Town