Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-05-29
THE.r1YSTEE1. E1.oF.THE
= Robert Bonner's Sons. J


could come near.
The last day of the stay of the three
friends arrived. and they made one
dcspairing attempt to bid her good-by.
Clifford had preserved his reticcncc
concerning the girl but the other two
more than suspected him. Willie had
softcned in his views of the mystcri-
Gus affair, and it was now only Cony-
bcarc who persisted in harsh judS
mcnt of tho i2nkccper's niece.
She was just the sort of girl, he said,
to attract young fools and make them
lose their wits and their money. He.
however, was as anxious for n fare
we'll peep at the mysterious beauty as
his companions.
This time they were fortunate. When
they had gone past the inn, they
caught sight of the pretty figure whom
they all had In their thoughts, and
they all pretended to view IT with in
difference. Willie was the first to break
down in this assumption.
"There she isl lie said, in quite a
trcmulous voice. ITS no use pre-
tending we don't see her. DO you
think she'll run away if we get over
the fence"
Clifford had alceady made the expert.
ment.
To the great relief of the whole
| party, Nell turned slowly and waited
fn xvtbnnt a emilio
! witn, indeed, a sort of quiet defiance.
II suppose" she said to Clifford. as
| soon as he came UP, you have come
20 say good-by, you and your friends,
before you go back to town.
She had remembered the date he had
| given her for that event then. Thia
was ray of consolation, but she
gave him 10 other. She was cold, re-
served, almost hard. He felt 50 an.
cry with her for her contcmptuouS dis
regard of his feelings that he thought
for the moment that his passion was
cXtinguishcd by it. However. she I'M
bent so far as TO invite them all in 10
tea, and the three young men were
much puzzled as to which of them it
was who had procured them this fav-
or. Conybeare seemed to be, on the
whole. the one to whom she talked
the most; Clifford was, without any
doubt, the one OF whom she took the
least notice.
The meal, ON the whole. was a
pleasant one, although Claris himself
was more taciturn than he had been
on that unlucky day when he and Nell
and Clifford had spent such n merry
hour in the little sitting-rOom.
Vow the weather had changed: the
autumn winds were whstllng about
the little inn, and the blue sea had
become dark gray line, fleclsed with
white crCsts. There was n fire in the
little CRATE, and it was when Otto
Conybcare moved quickly forward to
poke it for Nell that the incident oc1
cured which was to throw shadow
over the meeting.
In passing n side-table upon which
stood wicker work basket, Otto
dragged the cloth off, and brought the
basket and all the rest of the things
on the table with Il crash to the floor.
Willie, who was near him, went down
on his knees With apologies for Ottos
clumsineSs.
'IIc thinks it's manly, you know, to
show cOntemptuouS Indifference to
such feminine triflcs. A sure sign of
genius, you know, Miss Claris, and
you must excuse 1t, as It's the only
sign he's got. oh. and just look at
the pretty things he's been trampling
under his great intellectual feet"
And Willie held up to the astonished
gaze of the rest glittering jewel
which sparkled in the freight
For moment there was an Opprcs.
sive silence Then Nell, pale and agi'
tated, snatched it from him with fin
gers SO unsteady that the trinket fell
to the floor again. 1t was Clifford who
picked it up this time and gave it to
the girl without word. Nell would
have put it back into her basket, but
| George Claris, on whom the appalled,
| silence of the young men had not been
lost, told his niece in rough tone
to give 1t to him.
"What is the thing?" he asked
sharply.
"Only one Of pair of oid-fashioned
earrings, uncle" answered Ntil, wtch
emotion, which no efforts on her part
| could hide.
Earrings! didn't know you had
any! Where did you get them? Who
gave them to your!
For one moment the girl fenced with
| him, trying to treat the matter lightly,
as she got upon a chair and placed the
work basket at the top Of the high
cupboard by the fireplace. But George
| Claris was not a man to be trifled with.
| Selling the girl by the shoulder so
roughly that he almost dragged her
to the ground, he tore the work basket
out of her hands, flung back the lid,
and turned out the contents upon Tic
| table, the chairs, anywhere, until he
had found both the earrings
Then he held them up to the light
| critically; then he looked at Nell with
a puzzled frown.
"Who gave 'em to your? he asked,
sharply.
The young men, trying to hide their
interest in her answer by talking
among themselves, yet listened eager
ly. She blushed, stammered, then
| turned white as she said: