Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-07-13


and perspirin5 brow and with his
right adroitiy concealing the back
scratcher.
Bobby, half exhausted already, did
as he was told, while his mouth fell
open automatically. Then Mr.. Mason,
with the swiftness and precision of a
juggler, it seemed to me, sent the butt
end of the whalebone straight down
Bobby's gullet. A turn of Mr.. Mason's
wrist and up came the whalebone
again. Mr.. Mason smiled it seemed
rather sheepishly, as he let Bobby es-
cape, and turned to Mrs. Surge with,
'No cause for alarm, I assure you
none whatever"
1t took some time to convince Mrs.
Surge that the prune stone, which had
stuck crosswise in Bobby's throat, had
been pushed into proper end-on posi-
tion which, Mr.. Mason said, 'made
its deglutition easy" Bobby himself
would not believe it for twelve hours
after. But the profuse gratitude
showered on Mr.. Mason and all the
confusion following the incident gave
him an opportunity to run away,
which, I thought, he was evidently
glad to seize.
"Now, what do you think of that
man and his 'deglutition, Lydia
said to me after he had left. ''Do you
think he learned to perform surgical
operations Just to go into the real es-
tate business?"
Hardly" 1 said.
81 wonder who Mr.. Mason is?" she
mused.
"Just Mr.. Mason" I said.
Lydia shook her head with convic-
ton.
That man has had past life," she
said, 'because he is over 80. He
never talks about that past life. There
must be a reason why he never talks
about that past life. That reason
must be discovered. The Fehmgericht
must take hand here"
Now, know what Lydia's Fehm-
gericht was. 1t was half jocose club,
with membership of five girls and
two young matrons OF Burkville. 1t
never held formal meetings that any
body knew of, had no badges that
anybody ever saw, and yet the ''soci-
ETY." boys and girls of the place were,
somehow, more than half afraid of the
Fehmgericht. For myself, I had never
believed very seriously in the terrors
of this secret organization; and yet
when Lydia mentioned it in connection
with Mr.. Mason l could not help half
expecting, half wishing, that something
might come of her threat.
That winter passed away, and the
spring followed it and the summer. I
met Lydia Surge at the county fair in
the fall. She had been away at the
seaside.
'You are particularly welcome
"You are Just the man."
"Oh," said, ''have you found that
out at last?"
''It only took me one minute to
make up my mind" she said. "You
see, you were there when I resolved
to enter seriously into this matter"
"What matter garden truck or
quilts?"
''You were there when said it was
a subject for the Fehmgericht, she
went on, ignoring my righteousness.
"You don't mean about Mason?
Have you remembered that all this
time?"
"Well, in spite of your sneers, it
seems you have remembered it," she
retorted. "No, we have not forgotten.
The affair has been brought to con-
clusion, believe, or nearly. We
want the help of some man tonight"
''If there is any slaughter in it." I
said, II beg to decline"
81 think you will do very we'll"
Lydia went on. "The west bound
limited reaches the Union depot at
1887 p. IN. 1t will bring a young
but rather emaciated woman, dressed
in mourning. You must be there to
meet her. Ask for Mrs. Cook, carry
her valise for her, board the street
car and bring her to our house."
AS this mission entailed no blood
shed undertook it. Before I left the
fair grounds Lydia had warned me
that a word of this important matter,
breathed to anyone before see should
give me permission, would be visited
with the displeasure of the Fehm-
gericht; silence and faithfulness in the
execution OF my orders would equally
merit its good graces.
The young woman dressed in black
duly appeared with her valise on the
platform of the day coach as the linn
tied drew into the depot that night.
She was emaciated. as Lydia had de-
scribed her, but decidedly good look
ing, with chastened and subdued
beauty.
"Did Mis- Fox ask you to meet
me?" she said, timidly.
"No," said; ''Miss Fox, I believe,
will not be home for more than q week
yet. Miss Sturgs it was"
"Oh, yes, Miss Fox's friend. knew
, Miss Fox had gone to the White
Mountains aftsr sho left me at the
saasids"