Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1902-05-15


was widely read, but | had not reck.
oned upon my letter attracting such at-
tention as ID did. The second night
after I had written II men and women
Of all conditions, but chiefly OF the
working class, were inquirlng their way
through the village, or hnding their
way along all the reads and lanes 10
tho Nightingale clcugh." Tile small
weekly papers Of course copied the let
ter, and ON Saturday and during the
following week parties came from long
distances In buses and vans to hear the
nightingale sing. went FIRST one
night, and then another, and another
TO SEQ the crowd thus drawn together.
II wasa strange and touching spec
taele: the men and women, the lads
and lassieH standing under the trees
down to the very edge OF the discolored
little lake, and the mischievous boys
among the branches--all husl:ed while
the summer twilight deepened into
dark about the n, waiting patiently for
the unseen little bird 10 break forth
like voice from heaven into rapturous
song. And when at length, after few
timid notes II poured out It's full heart,
| heard many low sob mingling with
the strains OF the artless music.
Whether the nightingale took alarm
at this invasion Of its solitude, or
whether some mlscliieyous persons
frightened il, II Ia certain that by the
end OF the week II was heard no more,
and the people went away disappointed
and noisy. One OF these evenings
was returning with the crowd, when an
old fellow wa 'ked alongside OF me, look.
ing at me hard, and at length speaking,
"Thou'rt parson as wrote th' letter
chr"
answered | was.
"Ah. An thou'rt TO Iondon--ehf
A git place that.wi" gardens, I've
heard say, full o. a kinds O. birds and
beasts"
] said | supposed he meant the Zoo
logical Gardens.
"Ah. Happen that's them. I'm
rare and fond o. brids and beasts;
mum go 10 London some day, and seC
them Ryardens. Happen may come
across thee: | hear ihou'rt leaving
Timperley."
lin very few weeks" said,
"Weel, now, like thee; and | mnI
come and hear thee praich afore thor
goes. Ee, mon, a. something here
tho ;"--he produced an old pocke
book, and from one OF the compart,
ments he took square OF PASTE boarC
which he gave ,ne--"happen that MAY
como In handy when thou goes back L
London. found il in Lacroix's Ian,
yond' more'n year ago, and says /, 4
nun keep this till go to London, bu
| do not think I'll ever ride in frs
class Carriage--so thoud'st better tax
IL, mon.
"What Is it2n | asked.
"To be sure, said he, '"thoo conr
see. It's u first class ticket.
thanked him, and put it in m!
pocket,
We we're then upon the cottage il
which / had seen Frank Steinhard
sitting at the piano. Sounds OF musi,
and singing were again proceeding from
1t, and | was not surprised to see tina
many Of those who had been disap
pointed by the nightingale stood listen
ing in silence to the girl
When / reached my lodgings | tool
out the old fellows singular little pres
ent. II was the return" half Of frs
class railway ticket from London Bridg
to Croydon. 1t was tolerably clean; |
must have been thrown away or dropped
soon after it was issued, and picked u
soon after 1t was thrown away. A sus
picion which had begun to creep upol
me when first | looked at 1t shot u
with startling suddenness when turne,
II over and read the date stamped ol
Its edge--"Mar 10 SO. -
This ticket had been found by the oil
man in Lacroix Lane: had the persoI
who had lost or dropped II there beel
the same as the person who had bough
it in London? II he had, had he beel
resident in TimperleyP In a word
had the person been Mr.. Lacroix? /
was impossible to say, until after sucl
inquiry as saw little chance of bein
able to make; for though visitors /
Timperley seldom passed along the la
croix Lane they sometimes. did.
might, however, discover from Louis
whether her father had had any conneC
tion with Croydon.
met her next day at Jacques's COT
tage Il had almost given up my visit
to Timperley HalD. After again answ
ering in the negative her constan
question as to news from Freeman,
began my attempt to get at this poin
concerning the ticket, wished t
avoid raising in her undue suspicion.
"Do you still wish" asked, "to 8,
to London yourself?"
~ do, said she; 'but I take you
advice, and wait"
''If you went" continued, "wher
would you stayP Have you any friend
in London2"
II hoped" said she, shyly, "yo
would tell me somewhere to go,
"You have, then" said I, ''n
friends about London, or anywher
round? It is not necessary, you know
that you should live in London to fol
low up inquiries. +"
"Well," said she, ~ know two Q
three girls living in London who wer
at school with me in Croydon, but
think could not ask them.P
Imagine how my heart leaped!
was afraid ] showed my emotion in m
look and tone. quickly urged anothe
question.
"Croydon is not far from London
..z,.. - 4 .ol,ool -. s-A- A I.