The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-10
Mr.LanCaSter'S
Double ::::::.,
HOWARD
FIELDING
Copyright, 1902, by Charles ". Hooke


house was commodious, well kept and
In the highest degree respectable.
He was returning to the house just
before dinner when he saw approach
ing him a rat eyed fellow of very
mean appearance, who Immediately up
on catching sight of Lancaster lodged
into 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 hasty,
shutting step, and, without turning his
head or even his glance in Lancaster's
direction. as a human being who had
a communication to make might have
been expected to do. he whspered:
Il suppose you saw Qurk up the
street,
He paused for no reply. but Shutfled
away before Lancaster could recover
from his surprise.
Meditating upon this strange matter,
Lancaster entered the little yard that
is before the house and assembled 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 world.
He had been mistaken for some sort of
Objectionable character by two worth
less rascalS who We're total strangers
to him, but if they had been his most
familiar associates and nearest blood
relatives and had taken him for the
horned devil in broad daylight he
would not have 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.
miss Harwood!" he called in tone
which betrayed the fact that he was
making an experiment.
The young woman turned quickly.
II knew it must be you," he ex-
claimed, though l hadn't seen you
since you were little girl. OF course
you can't remember me-er-Lancas-
tertiary Lancaster; you were only
four years old"
''Indeed l remember you very WE'LL"
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 Il sudden CLEAN in his gray eyes.
$50 you remember that?" said he.
"How lasting are the painful impress
sions of childhood! And they are fool
ishly supposed to be fleeting."
ut 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 l made the
welkin ring, as you no doubt recall.
wouldn't let my father kiss me for n
month afterward."
They both laughed ut this memory
of old days but in LancaStcr's heart
there was Il twingc OF self rcproach. 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 we'll 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 seliShness 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 somt
small errand that had brought hel
from the house. She had been living
in the city for several months and
with Il widowed aunt, was dwcllin:
beneath the same roof which Iancas
ter had chosen as his shelter. Thi
was not an especially remarkable CO
incidence, as Mrs. Barclay, the land
lady, was diStantly connected wit
Both the Harwood and Lancaster fam
lilies.
1t was very pleasant little walk 70
Lancaster and was married only by tn
fact that at the corner of the avenu
two very flashily dressed men lifte
their hats to Lancaster with a som,
what exaggerated courtesy. He Iii
not respond to this salute. and neitht
of the men seemed to be in the Sigh