The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-09
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* Miss Tompkins' Mystery. =
q By Eugene. D. bsha" q
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| hours ten and twelve.''
! Miss TOmpkinS kept her own counsel
but Il substitute was in her place at the
! school the following Thursday morn
| ing.
| About eleven of the clock on that
day, there Were hitched in front of
| Perriwink's fine house a buggy. Il close
carriage. and saddle horse. A young
| lawyer had ridden the horse, a
preacher and commercial traveller
had come in the buggy, and Miss
| Tompkins had stepped from the car
riage. The four We're ushered into a
| handsome room. where they sat In
stony silence, taking stolen glanceS at
each other. calculating, no doubt. as
to the excellence of the several lots
of brains represented. The lips of the
commercial traveller several times
showed symptoms of a smile, and he
dared look nowhere but at the centre
| table.
| They We're not kept waiting long. A
most gracious. fine looking old gentle
| man entered, bowed and seated him
| self so as to command the faces of the
| four Few words were wasted. and
it was soon clearly understood what
was wanted: a person of education and
high morality, who would at once take
up residence ut me farm, and assume
entire charge of half witted son and
his property
I'm short" said the gentleman, Il
want to provide ease and satisfaction
! for myself the few more years l may
| live and brains for my son against the
| time when / shall not be here to guard
! him. helpless
The preacher could not accept be-
cause of his calling; the lawyer be-
| cause of family ties: the traveller be-
cause OF Discrimination: and Miss Temp
| lzins because she had enough brains
| to see that II man was required to fill
the position. Al least that is what she
said. But there was Il queer tiutter i'll
| the fragment she used as Il heart. her
face being so much colored thereby
thar she looked more like her girlhOod
SELF than she had in many Il day be-
fore The old gentleman gave her more
than the fourth Of his attention. and
when the conference WAS ended eS-
corted her to her carriage When he
should have bid her goodbye he hest
tated, Stammered, colCreu. and then
managed to ask:
did l understand you to say you are
Miss Linda Tompkins?'
a really natural, merry ripple of
laughter sounded in the carriage, and
Miss TompkinS said
NO, you did not so understand, for
I did not say it. But that's who l am
nevertheless. Howd'y do, Philip"
With that she put her hand in his as
if just meeting him. Il knew you the
moment you entered the room,' she
added. laughing again.
The Mr.. Philip pnssmore upon whom
Miss Tompkins had so unwittingly
called was the rt-Oreaker. accord
ing to the public. of Miss TompkiI>5'
youth, and after many years resi-
dence elsewhere, he had returned ITO
die" he said. near his hoyhood home.
But after this meeting with his old
friend, and after meetings with va
rious other old friends ut Petersburg,
he decided that he would live some
years yet. His advertisement did not
reappear, and i'll Il short while the Fet-
tersburg people had IL sweet morsel to
roll under their tongues: Miss Temp
kins had an almost constant visitor,
and seemed ridiculously happy. despite
the shadow resting on the family name.
That her visitor had addressed her in
her teens. and was now Il wealthy
widower, gloritied both of them in the
eyes of unlocking young people.
Miss TompkinS ceased to borrow the
daily. Then it was rumored that she
was buying her wedding outfit. And
she was.
But all i'll an evening the engage
ment was broken. That no one knew
why but added to the interest. and Mr..
PaSSmOre affirmed that the cause OF
Miss Tompkins' unusual behavior was
no better known to him than to the
public. He looked very detected. and
once more began to think of the time
when his son would be without a pro
tector. People gave him all their sym
pathy, and called Miss Tompkins heart
less.
But by-and-by that lady lost the
cheerful demeanor she had Kept up
Immediately after the storm broke, and
she seemed humble, even meek join
ing i'll conversation as if it We're an
honor to be allowed to do so. She
again began to watch the want column.
and to ask for little jobs of sewing.
Then sympathy began to veer in her
direction. People said there was
something rotten i'll Denmark" and
to nose it out would have been their
dearest delight. Soon they Were pet
ting Miss Tomp!lins as in the days be-
fore Mr.. Passmore reIppeared in her
life. and We're really grieved that she
did moi bripbfpD The cnanpp in the