The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-03-14
5elrtt &isrrIIunQ.
A Dangerous Experiment.

at Culumhu, and while | was there
received an invitation to visit an old
friend whose very existence | had
almost forgotten. We had long ceased
to correspond, nineteen years had
elapsed since | had seen him last, and
during that period much had happened.
Tom Hartrr had married and com
mitted other indiscretions, and i
well, l have always been rover, but
not always ball. As it was mere
chance that | thought OF writing TO
inquire ii he was still in the land of
the living his invitation came as a
pleasant surprise. Having no encum-
brances and nothing to detain me in
Colombo. started early next morn
ing IN a fuur-w heelcd Amt rican wagon,
aid about sunset arrived at his bun9a-
low, the precise locality at which it is
unnecessary to indicate here.
Tom Har;er was tne of those few
curious beings against whom time
seemed 10 be utterly powerlcss AS
he stood in the porch to receive me, |
could detect but little change in his
appearance, except that his white suit
made him look larger than ever. He
was a perfect column of flesh and bone,
towering up to the height Of six-feet-
two. He had a ruddy brown smooth
shaven face, with pale blue twinkling
eyes, and his CHEEKY tones caused quite
scare among the crows hopping about
in the verandah. When lie afterwards
removed his helmet, | observed that
his fair hair was as thick as it had
been in his schoolboy days, and | was
annoyed at the incongruity of the
thing.
OF course, his wife was tiny dot,
for these extremes are always meeting
in matrimony. She might almost have
nestled in one of Toms coat pockets,
and from her bird like way of skipping
about the place and chirping, she re-
minded me of tame canary.
The rest of the family consisted Of
Amy, dark, slender, timid girl of
sixteen, who b!ushed with such painful
readiness that one was afraid to speak
to her-and Master Jack, regular
young pickle Of ten. Neither OF these
two had ever been out Of Ceylon, for
Tom, though an easy going, good
natured fellow, held strong opinions
upon some sui jects and ridiculcd the
idea that it was necessary to send
children home to England. lfparents
were not able to educate their own
children, what were they fit fol! he
asked. And when it was suggested
that the real objection was the climate,
he just laughed in the aggravating
manner that puts argument out of the
question.
At the time Of my visit, Mrs. Harter
had a friend staying with her. She
was young and handsome widow.
scarcely more than girl and with all
girls enthusiasm. Her name was
Mrs. Mornington, but somehow or
other | fell into the habit of calling
her Fanny, as the others did. There
was something singularly winning
about her face and manner; something
different from what | have ever seen
in any other woman What it was ]
have often tried to find out, but it was
as intangible as sunlight. | confess
however. that | nearly fell in love with
the charming Fanny, and the painful
way in which the disaster was averted
is the subject Of my narrative.
Toms bungalow was not unlike 9th
ers of its class Situated in a hollow
in order to escape the full force of the
monsoon, it had only one story, and
it's high, pitched tiled roof was sepa-
rated from the rooms by calico cell