Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-05-20

oned upon my letter attracting such at
tention as it did. The second nigh
after | had written it men and womel
| of all conditions, but chiefly of th
working class, were inquiring their wa,
through the village, or finding thei
way along all the roads and lanes t.
"the Nightingale Clcugh.'' The small
weekly papers of course copied the let
ter, and on Saturday and during thu
following week parties came from Ions
distances in buses and vans to hear tn,
nightingale sing. / went first on,
| night, and then another, and another
to see the crowd thus drawn together
1t was a strange and touching spec
tacle: the men and women, the lad:
and lassies standing under the trees
down to the very edge of the discolored
little lake, and the mischievous boys
among the branches-aft hushed while
the summer twilight deepened into
dark about the n, waiting patiently fol
the unseen little bird to break forth
like voice from heaven into rapturous
song. And when at length, after a few
timld notes it poured out it's full heart
1 heard many low sob mingiing with
the strains of the artless music.
Whether the nightingale took alarm
at this invasion of it's solitude, OF
whether some mischievous persons
frightened it, it is certain that by the
end of the week it 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 tn letter.
eh?''
l answered I was.
"Ah. An thou'rt fo' London-eh?
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; l
mum 60 to London some day, and see
them gyardens. Happen I may come
across thee: hear thou'rt leaving
Timperley."
'In very few weeks" said.
'fWeel, now, I like thee; and I nun
come and hear thee praich afore thou
goes. Ee, mon, a something here,
tho he produced an old pocket
book, and from one of the compart-
ments he took square of paste board
which he gave ,ne-''happen that may
come in handy when thou goes back to
London. [ found it in Lacroix's Lane
yond' more'n a year ago, and says I, Il
nun keep this till go to London but
do not think I'll ever ride in a first
class carriage-so thoud'st better tax
it, mon."
"What is it?" I asked.
"To be sure," said he, "thoo conn
see. It's first class ticket.
l thanked him, and put it in my
pocket.
We we're then upon the cottage in
which l had seen Frank Steinhardt
sitting at the piano. Sounds of music
and singing were again proceeding from
it, and [ was not surprised to see that
many of those who had been disap-
pointed by the nightingale stood listen
ing in silence to the girl.
When reached my lodgings I took
out the old fellows singular little pres
ent. 1t was the "return" half of first
class railway ticket from London Bridge
to Croydon. 1t was tolerably clean; it
must have been thrown away or dropped,
soon after it was issued, and picked up
soon after it was thrown away. A sus.
picion which had begun to creep upon
me when first L looked at it shot up
with startling suddenness when turned
it over and read the date stamped on
its edge-"Mlar 10 So"
This ticket had been found by the old
man in Lacroix Lane: had the person
who had lost or dropped it there been
the same as the person who had bought
it in London? Ii he had, had he been
a resident in Timperley? In word
had the person been Mr.. Lacroix? 1t
was impossible to say, until after such
inquiry as l saw little chance of being
able to make; for though visitors to
Timperley seldom passed along the La
croix Lane they sometimes did. l
might, however, discover from Louise
her father had had any connec-
tion with Croydon.
met her next Gay at Jacques's cot
tage q had almost given up my visits
to Timperley HalD. After again answ-
ering in the negative her constant
question as to news from Freeman, l
began my attempt to get at this point
the ticket. I wished to
avoid raising in her undue suspicion.
''Do you still wish,' asked, ''to 60
to London yourself?''
81 do" said she; "but I take your
advice, and wait"
'If you went" continued, "where
would you stay? Have you any friends
in London?"
81 hoped" said she, shyly, "you
would tell me somewhere to CO."
"You have, them said I, "no
friends about London, or anywhere
round? 1t is not necessary, you know.
that you should live in London to fol-
low up inquiries"
"WelI," said she, ''I know two or
three girls living in London who we're
at school with me in Croydon, but l
think could not csk them"
Imagine how my heart leaped! l
was afraid l showed my emotion in my
look and tone. I quickly urged another
question.
"Croydon is not far from London:
might not your old school mistress take
you in?''