The Portland daily press., 1900-08-30


property in Mapchester, England
He addressed this remark to the
clerk of the hotel, who sat on a high
chair that belonged in the billiard
room, but was always in the Office
nowadays because without it the clerk
could not reach the top of the new
stove with his feet.
The clerk, Who had been regarding
the back OF the stove with gently af-
fectionate interest, began to frown up
on it,
"Oh, he was, was he?" said he in a
somewhat unpleasant tone.
would desert him in an emergency
Presently he and the doctor ana the
clerk had their heads together in ear
nest consultation, leaving the English
man alone 10y the stove.
He remained alone from that time, a
quarter past H. until half past IL,
which was the dinner hour. In the
meantime several men whom he had
met at a fair in aid Of one Of Walden's
churches, held OH the previous evening
in the town hail, came into the hotel Of
flee, and most of them greeted Perez
val cordially, bit some mysterious in
huence at once took hold upon them,
and they strayed away. Soon after
they would be seen in earnest CONVEX
Bation with the clerk, the doctor or old
Jones.
Perceval ate his dinner all by him
self and at a little table in a corner Of
the dining room, and an acute observer
could have seen that he was doing some
hard thinking. Certainly the mysteri-
GUS change in popular sentiment re
garding him was enough to make any
man 50 situated pause and consider.
But Englishmen think slowly, and this
particular Briton seemed not to have
solved his problem when he rose from
the dinner table and walked out into
the Office.
At the desk he made inquiry for the
clerk, but that parsonage had gone
down to the railroad station to meet
train. Perceval presently followed in
his footsteps,
Passing SSle postofice, which is on the
main street about midway between
the hotel and the depot, Perceval en-
countered Miss Annie Wheeler an
agreeable young woman, whose ac-
Quaintance he had made at the fair.
Miss Wheeler was a fine type Of the
blond New England girl and there is
no telling how deep an impression she
might have made upon the rather sus-
feptible Mr.. Perceval if she hadn't
been totally eclipsed a few minutes aft
er she first dawned upon his view at
the fair by the dark, bewitching beauty
of her particular friend, Miss Dora
BarroWs, daughter of the physician al
ready mentioned But the truth is
that after Perceval saw Dora Barrows
he didn't know that there was anybody
else at the fair. 1t was natural that he
should prefer brunettes, for he was one
Of those big, blue eyed, yellow haired
Saxons.
When he saw Miss Wheeler coming
toward him on the street. he planned to
turn about and walk little way with
her in order that they might talk about
Dora, but Miss Wheeler passed him
with no recognition except a queer lit
tie nod that could hardly be called
bow.
This proceeding was so obviously re-
lated to the events Of the last few
hours at the hotel that not even a slow
thinking Englishman could be mistak-
en- about it. He lifted his hat with
grave courtesy and proceeded on his
way to the station, bordering deeply.
The Boston train had arrived, and
the clerk Of the Walden House had
gone back to the hotel in a bus, so Per-
ceval remained only a moment at the
station
On Main street and almost in the ex-
act spot where Miss Wheeler had come
so near ''cutting" him Mr.. Perceval
met Dora Barrows When his eye first
lighted on her, he was conscious Of a
thrill resembling fear lest she should
treat him as her friend had done. No
such catastrophe occurred, however.
Dora greeted him with the heartiest
cordially consistent with maidenIy
modesty. He was so delighted that he
forgot to let go Of her hand at the mo-
ment when she seemed to expect him
to do so. Nevertheless she was not Of
Tended.
THANK heaven, I still have a friend
in WaldenY said he.
"Well it's fact that you haven't
many" she replied, with a directness
of speech and an earnestness of man
ner which indicated that she consid-
cred the subject too serious for the
complimentary commonplace of ordi-
nary social intercourse.
'In the name of all that's odd" he
cried, "will you tell me what's the
matter? Is it New England prejudice
against the mother countryY
ut is even more absurd than that"
said she. IL scarcely know how to tell
you what 1t is. You'll be mad clear
through"
He besought her to be frank and not