The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-06-12
Mr.. S:
Double :::::.,
HOWARD
FIELDING
Copyright, 1909, by Charles W. Hooke

lie was returning TO the mouse just
before dinner when he saw approach
ing him a rat eyed fellow of a very
mean appearance, who Immediately up
on catching sight of Lancaster lodged
into a nook beside some stone steps and
proceeded to make queer and cautious
gestures that were evidently meant for
signals. 1t was perfectly plain that
these could not be intended for any
other eyes than LancaSter's, and the
obvious inference was that the odious
rascal miStook him for somebody else.
The incident was made the more pc
culiar by the fact that just as Lancas-
ter came to his landlady's gate a man
whose appearance was quite similar to
the others passed by with a hasty,
shuftiing step, and, without turning his
head or even his glance in Lancaster's
direction, as human being who had
q communication to make might have
been expected to do, he Whispered:
Il suppose you saw Quirk up the
street?'
He paused for no reply, but shuff1ed
away before Lancaster could recover
from his surprise.
Meditating upon this strange matter,
Lancaster entered the little yard that
is before the house and aScended the
two broad stone steps that lead up to
its portal He was fumbling mechanic
ally for his latchkey when the door
was suddenly opened and a young wo-
man in street costume came out. She
moved with the quick grace of youth;
she was a creature all alive, radiant
and vivid, and she was so amazingly,
stunningly beautiful that Lancaster
forgot everything else in the werld.
He had been mistaken for some sort of
Objectionable character by txRo worth
less rascals who were total strangers
to him, but if they had been his most
familiar associates and nearest blood
relatives and lad t,illrp him for the
horned devil in broad daylight he
would not lave given the matter a
thought in the presence of this girl
She started slightly at the sight of
him, but was passing on toward the
gate when he found his voice.
"AIiss Harwoodr' he called in a tone
which betrayed the fact that he was
making IN experiment.
The young woman turned quickly.
Il knew it must be you," he ex-
claimed, though I hadn't seen you
since you We're a little girl. OF course
you can't remember me-er-Lancas-
tertiary Lancaster; you were only
four years old"
Indeed l remember you very WELL"
said she, and instinctively she put her
right hand up to the side of her face.
He marked the gesture, of which the
girl was quite unconscious, and there
was sudden gleam in his gray eyes.
80 you remember that?" said he.
'How lasting are the painful impress
sions of childhood! And they are fool
ishly supposed to be fleeting."
at wouldn't have been particularly
painful" she replied, "if you had been
shaved, though l remember that was
very much afraid of you because you
always seemed so melancholy. But
that beard really hurt, and / made the
welkin ring. as you no doubt recall. !
wouldn't let my father kiss me for q
month afterward."
They both laughed at this memory
of old days, but In Lancaster's heart
there was twinge of self reproach. 1t
was nearly fourteen years since the
beautiful child, now grown to woman
hood, had been left an orphan, and
though she was the daughter of one Of
his best friends, Lancaster had never
seen her in all that time 1t flashed
across his mind that in those years she
might often have stood in need or in
peril. 1t is true that she had been left
sufficiently well provided for and in
the care of relatives.
He felt guilty as he looked at her.
So far as he was concerned, it was by
pure chance that this priceless jewel
had not been trampled upon by the
frenzied seltishnesS that rushes through
the highways of the world,
1t appeared, however, that she had
met with no great misfortune, and the
small property left by her father was
still sufficient for her needs. She
sketched her life to him in the frankest
way as he walked with her upon some
small errand that had brought her
from tle house. She had been living
in the city for several months and,
with a widowed aunt, was dwelling
beneath the same roof which Lancas-
ter had chosen as his shelter. This
was not an especially remarkable CO.
incidence, as Mrs. Barclay, the land.
lady, was distantly connected with
both the Harwood and Lancaster fam
tiles.
1t was very pleasant little walk for
Lancaster and was marred only by the
fact that at the corner of the avenue
two very flashily dressed men lifted
their hats to Lancaster with a some
what exaggerated courtesy. He did
not respond to this salute, and neither
of the men seemed to be in the slight
est degree disturbed or even surprised
by his failure to acknowledge their ex-
istence. He thought that he detected a
rapid questioning look in Miss Har-
woods eyes, and in response to it he
said somewhat stiffly that he did not
know either of the men and that they
must have mistaken him for somebody
else. -