Middletown transcript., 1905-09-16
4 WISE YOUNG JUDGE
BY MINNIE W. BAINES-MILLER

stiff necks it had given her, times Will
ont number, and ended up with the sage
remark, "And if l had plinty OF money
it's not here I'd be Twin, to be dyln' oil
pneumony and consumption. guess not
says Con-
But do what he could, he could not
lead Mrs. OHalloran into any confiden-
tiaL disclosures concerning the mysterious
"Miss Murray )" SO, having learned all
that he desired to know, and rather more,
about his property in the bottoms ne
returned Mrs. O'Halloran's tin cup, with
SILVER dollar in the bottom OF it, and
pedaled city-ward.
But Mr.. Whittlesey's afternoon IN the
bottoms had brought him to a certain
decision. On his return to his office he
rang up Central and called for the firm
from whom the offer to buy had been
made. SIS that you, InghamY All
right. Yes. Say, are you still OF the
same mind about buying that property
of mine? Eth? Well, very good. Just
the location for a manufacturing plant.
Suppose you come over this evening" ana
we'll close the bargain.
Then Mr.. Whittlesey called up car
penter and gave him explicit directions
about the roofing of Mrs. O'Halloran's
domiciIe. "And look here" said he,
"work must be begun tomorrow MORN
ing, ana continued until finished. No F?
But it must be, | say, or I'll have to look
for another man. What's that? All
right. then. See that you do. No dilly-
dallying. Ill be over there, myself, to
see about it."
In the days that followed Mark Whit
tlesey lost his interest in the things that
had formerly constituted large portion
Of his employment outside OF business
| hours. He refused invitations to plat
form dances, and invited none of the
swagger girls to accompany him in bis
smart new trap. He was seldom seen on
the links, and had slight enthusiasm over
putting, holing-out, drives, steals and
stimys.
He ransacked the city directory for
Murrays, and found them in appalling
numbers. Their name was legion, for
they were many. There were "Miss
Murrays' in abundance. One OF them
was an artist, another a book-binder,
another a domestic, and still another,
whom he knew, lived We're de We're life
| in one Of the suburbs. Rose Murray was
employed in a paper-box factory. That
name seemed to suit her-it was sweet
and pretty. So Mr.. Whittlesey trumped
up some sort of business with the manu-
facturer, with whom he was acquainted,
and saw all the employees receive their
pay envelopes on Saturday night. Rose
Murray was frumpy-looking, sulky-
faced girl, with no resemblance whatever
to the mysterious Miss Murray.
Lorena Murray was a grade-teacher in
one Of the public schools. By the exer-
else of almost Machiavelian unscrupu-
losity, and a fox-like cunning, he found
out her exact location, and rapping at her
door, inquired for some teacher whom he
knew to be training tender youth in a
building about mile distant.
| LoreDa was considered good looking,
but when a wishy-washy little blonde
opened the door in answer to his sum-
mons, Mr.. Whittlesey's interest in her
suddenly departed.
He made futile following of other mis-
leading Miss Murrays, which brought
him into hitherto unknown and peculiar
places. If he had remembered the COM
parison in Hudibras, he might have con.
sidered each separate Miss Murray
"An ignis fdt,,ts that bewitches
And leads men into pools and bitches. :
But if he only had known that, through
some mistake or negligence, or oversight
Of the agent collecting the names, the
lady whom he sought was not mentioned
in the directory, he might have saved
himself much anxiety and trouble.
When lie rode in the park, or watched
the passing show" from sidewalk OF
window, in town, he was always peering
into different conveyances for girl in
a pink gown and black hat. He little
knew how rare treat carriage ride wa:
to the one for whom he searched. Ii the
play-houses only were running, he might
find her in one of them, he fancied. How
he would have opened his eyes at the
suggestion that what was SO common al
amusement with him, she did not fee
free to indulge in more than once or twice
year. With what rapture she had onct
bought tickets and reserves for hersel
and her mother to see Irving and Terry
They had once heard Melba in granC
opera, together, and one season had beer
made memorable by their having behelt
two famous artists i'll close succession
How nice it had been to check herself
when she wanted this, that or the other
to pinch herself reproyingly, and say
"No, Doris. you can't have it. How
absurd in you to think of such thing
Don't you know mansey and you arr
going to the playF'
One day after the usual fruitless out
look for the mysterious Miss Murray
Mr.. Whittlesey was suddenly startled b!
an interior voice which made itself audi
BILE to his consciousness alone, framin,
these questions :"What do you want 0
Miss Murray? When you have fount
her, what then ?''
Up to this moment he had never en-
tertained millionth part of though
beyond the finding, upon this subject
Now. he hesitated little, and then salt
as the voice had done-mentally, :"
wish to convince her | am not the rasca
she thinks "And then what p 81
oh, want to be with her to see tn
changing expressions in her beautiful
dark eyes, and the varying shades of colo
on her childlike cheek. To witness he
spontaneous impetuosity, and" "AnC
| what then 2n nercilacsIy y,tirsupd the i'm