Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-30

''Last December-four months ago
''Pray proceed"
''NIr Woodley seemed to me to be {
most odious person. He was forever
making eyes at me--a coarse, puffy
faced, red mustaehed young man, will
his hair plastercd down on each side
| Of his forehead I thought that he was
perfectly hateful. and | was sure thai
Cyril would not wish me to know such
person"
ooh, Cyril is his name" said Holmes
smiling.
The young lady blushed anu laughed
Eyes. Mr.. Holmes, Cyril Morton, an
electrical engineer, and we hope to be
married at the end of the summer
Dear me, how did I get talking about
him? Wat l wished to say was that
Mr.. Woodley was perfectly odious, but
that Mr.. Carruthers, who was a much
older man, was more agreeable. lie
was q dark, sallow, clean shaVen, silent
person, but he had polite manners and
pleasant smile. He inquired how we
were left. and OH finding that we were
very poor he suggested that l should
come and teach music to his only
daughter aged ten. l said that l did
not like to leave my mother, on which
he suggested that should go home to
her every week end. and ne offered me
hundred year, which was certainly
splendid pay. So it ended by my ac-
cepting, and I went down to Chiltern
Grange. about six miles from Earn
ham. Mr. Carrutlers was widower.
ut he had engaged lady housekeep-
en- very respectable. elderly person,
called Mrs. Dixon. to look after his es-
adjustment. The child was q dear, and
everything promised well. Mr.. Car
ruthers was very kind and very music
al, and we had most pleasant evenings
together. Every week end went home
to my mother In town.
1.-THE first flaw in my happiness was
the arrival Of the red mustached Mr..
Woodley. He came for visit of a
week, and, oh, it seemed three months
to me. He was dreadful persona
bully to every one else, but to me some
thing infinitely worse. He uade odious
love to PIE, boa sted Of his wealth, said
that IL married him could have the
finest diamonds in London, md finally
when l would have nothing 20 do with
him he seized me a his arms one day
after dinner-he wa. hide usly strong
and s>yore that Re would MT let me go
until mad kissed him. Mr.. Garruthers
came in and tore him from me, ON
which he turned upon Ills orrn host,
kntc'.ing him down and cutting his
face open. That wac the end Of bis
visit, as you can imagine. Mr.. C~rrut!l-
ers apvloglzed to me next day and as
sured me that I should never be ex-
posed to such an suit az -in. / have
not seen Mr.. Y God ey since.
"And now. Mr.. Holmes, come at
last to the special thing which has
caused me to ask your advice today.
You must know that every Saturday
forenoon ride on my bic. Gle to Farm
'laal station in order to get the 1922
to town. The road from Chiltern
Grange is lonely one, and at one spot
1t is particularly so, for it lies for over
Q ,nie between Charlington heath up
on one side and the woods which lie
round darlington Hall upon the other.
of road anywhere, and it is quite rare
to meet so much as cart OF a peasant
until you reach the highroad near
Crooksbury hill. Two weeks ago
was passing this place when l CHANGED
to look back over my shoulder. and
about 200 yards behind me saw
man, also on bicycle. He seemed to
be middle aged man, with short,
dark beard. looked back before I
reached Farnham, but the man was
gone, SO I thought no more about it.
But you can imagine how surprised
was, Mr.. Holmes, when on my return on
the Monday saw the same man on the
same stretch of road. My establishment
was increased when the incident &C.
CURED again, exactly as before, on the
following Saturday and Monday. He
always kepthis distance and did not mo-
lest me in any way, but still it certain
ly was very odd. / mentioned it to Mr..
Carruthers, who seemed interested in
what said and told me that he had
ordered horse and trap, so that in fu-
ture should not pass over these lonely
roads without some companion.
The horse and trap We're to have
come this week, but for some reason
they We're not delivered, and again I
had to cycle to the station. That was
this morning. You can think that l
looked out when came to Charlington
heath, and there, sure enough, was the
man, exactly as he had been the two
weeks before. He always kept SO far
from me that l could not clearly see
bis face, but it was certainly some one
whom did not know. He was dressed
in dark suit with cloth cap. The
only thing about his face that I could
clearly see was his dark beard.
Today l was not alarmed, but was
filed with Curiosity, and 1 determined
to find out who he was and what he
l slowed down my machine,
but he slowed down his. Then stop
ped altogether, but he stopped also.
Then I laid 2 trap for him. There is
sharp turning Of the road, and 1 ped
aled very quickly round this, and then
stopped end waited. l expected him
to shoot round and pass me before he
could stop. But he never appeared.
Then Wen back and looked round the