The Opelousas courier., 1899-09-16
THE CASE OF MIR. MASON.

IL look some IlLle TO CONVINCE NIfS
Surge that the prune stone, which ha.
stuck crosswise in Pobby's throat, ha'
been pushed into a proper end-on posi-
ton which, Mr.. Mason said, "mad'
its deglutition easy" Bobby himsel
would not believe it for twelve hour!
after. But the profuse gratitude
showered on Mr.. Mason and all tn,
confusion following the incident gav'
him an opportunity to run away
which, I thought, he was evidently
glad to seize.
"Now, what do you think of thai
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," I said.
II wonder who Mr.. Mason isl" she
unused.
Gust Mr.. Mason" I said.
Lydia shook her head with convic-
ton.
"That man has had a 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 a hand here"
Now, I know what Lydia's Fehm-
gericht a 1t was a half %jocose club,
with a 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, Ihad never
believed very seriously in the terrors
of this secret organization; and yet
when Lydia mentioned it in connection
with Mr.. Mason I could not help half
expecting, half wishing, that something
might come of her threat.
That winter passed away, and the
spring followed it aud the summer. 1
met Lydia Surge at the county fair in
the fall. She had been away at the
seaside.
"You are particularly welcome"
she said, in answer to my greeting.
"You are just the man."
"Oh," I said, shave you found that
out at last?"
cit 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 I 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
timer"
"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 a con-
clusion, I believe, or nearly. We
want the help of some man tonight"
If there is any slaughter in it," I
said, II beg to decline"
II think you will do very WE'LL"
Lydia went on. "The west-bound
limited reaches the Union depot OF
1887 p. m. It 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 I 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 f%aithfulness in the
execution of my orders would equally
merit its good graces.
The young woman dressed in black
appeared with her yalise 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
with a chastened and subdued
"Did Mis- Fox ask you to meet
she said, timidly.
NO. said; ''Miss Fox, I believe,
will not be home for more than q week
yet. Miss Surge it VAS"
"Oh, yes, Miss Fox's friend. I knew
Miss Fox had gone to the White
after she left me at the
seaside"
I knew quite we'll that Brisy Fox
was n of the Fehm, and now I IN
lerstood that the business had been
;urned over to her. To he quite can
lid, I was burning with curiosity to
know exactly what the business was.
All / knew for certain was that it con-
,erned the identity of Mr.. Mason; be-
Tond that I guessed, but my guess
seemed so extravagant that I wanted
have facts in its place. More than
hat it all had to do with Mason, Lydia
lad refused to tell me, and I thought
t wise not to try to pry into the
secrets of the seven.
However, as the car STOPPED early
n the journey and Mason himself. got
IN, with some other men, I thought
to say to Mrs. Cook:
''Please let down your VEIL"
The warning vas Unnecessary She
lad seen Mason and recognized him
s soon as L. Through the rest Of the
l could feel that Mrs. Cook
vas trembling and sobbing. But we
cached the Surge residence without
adventure.
Ihave always thought that, consid-
ring my faithfulness and care in the
s-AlAu-aAe = ---l