Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-07-29

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NEST oiioos person. Tie was forever
making eyes at mes coarse. puffy
faced. red mustached young man. with
his hair pIastered down on each side
OF bis forehead thought that be was
perfectly hateful. and I was srre that
cyril would not wish me 70 know such
n person
''Oh. Cyril is bis manner said Holmes.
smiling
The young lady blushed and laughed.
Yes. Mr.. Holmes. Cyril Morton. an.
electrical engineer. and we hope TO be
married at the end OF the summer.
Dear me. how did l get taking about
him? What I wished TO say was that
Mr.. Woodley was perfectly odious. but
that Mr. Carruthers. who was a much
older man. was more agreeable. He
was a dark. sallow. clean shaver. silent
person. bat be had polite manners and
a pleasant smile. He inquired how we
were left. and on finding that we were
very poor he suggested that / should
come and teach music 10 his only
daughter. aged ten. l said that l did
not like TO leave my mother. on which
her every week end. and he offered me
a hundred "a year. which was certainly
splendid pay. So u ended by my ac-
cepting and l went down TO Chiltern
Grange. about six miles from Farm
ham. Mr.. Carruthers was q widowcr.
but he had engaged a lady housekeep
I or. very respectable. elderly person.
called Mrs Dixon. q look after his es
Establishment The child was a dear. and
everything promised we'll Mr.. Car
rutbers was very kind and very music
al. and we had most pleasant evenings
together. Every week end went home
% my mother i'm town.
The first flaw IN my happiness was
the arrival OF the red mustached Mr..
Woodley. He came for visit OF
week, aud. Oh. Il seemed three months
10 NE. He was a dreadful persona
bully 60 every one else. but 20 me some
thing infinitely worse. lie made odious
love 10 me. Boosted OF his wealth, said
that II l married him could have the
finest diamonds IN London. and finally
when ! would have nothing 10 do with
him he seized me Ia his arms one day
after dinner-he was hideously strong
and swore that he would mot LET me 90
until had kissed him. Mr.. Carruthers
came in aud tore him from me. on
which he turned upon his own host.
knocking him down and cutting his
face open. That was the end OF his
visit. as you can imagine MIR. Carruth-
ers apoloeized 90 me next day and as
sured me that I should never be ex-
posed 90 such an insult again. ! have
not seen Mr.. Woodley since
And now. Mr.. HOLMES. 1 come at
last TO the special thing which has
caused me 20 ask your advice today
You must know that every Saturday
forenoon I ride on my bicycle 20 Farm
ham station I'm order TO get the Il -
10 town. The road FROM ChIltcrn
Grange is lonely one, and at one spot
II Is particularly So, for IL lies for over
mile between Charlington heath UP
on one side and the woods which lie
round Charlington Hall upon the other
You could not ind a more lonely tract
OF road anywhere. and IL Is quite rare
20 meet 80 much as n cart or peasant
until you reach the highroad near
Crooksbury hill Two weeks ago |
was passing this place when Glanced
10 look back over my shoulder. and
about zoo yards behind me ! saw a
man. also on a bicycle. He seemed 60
be a middle aged man. with short.
dark beard. ! looked back before I
reached Farnham. but the man was
gone, so I thought no more about II.
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 astonIshment
was increased when the incident oc-
CURED again. exactly as before. on the
following Saturday aud Monday. lie
always kepthis distance and did not mo
lest me In any way. but still II certain
~ was very odd I mentioned IL 10 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 were TO have
come this week. but for some reason
they were not delivered, and again |
had 10 cycle TO the station. That was
this morning. You can think that
hooked out when came 10 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 could not clearly see
his face. bot IL was certainly some one
whom | did not know. He was dressed
In dark suit with a cloth cap. The
only thing about his face that | could
clearly see was his dark beard.
"Tod0y was not alarmed. bat was
hlied with curiosity. and I determined
10 ind out who he was and what he
wanted. l slowed down my machlre,
but he slowed down his. Then | stop
ped altogether. but he stopped also.
Then ! laid trap for him. There Is a
sharp turning OF the road. and / ped.
aled very quickly round this, and then
l stopped aud waited. ] expected him
10 shoot round and pass me before be
T, could stop. But be never appeared
Then went back and looked round the
corner ] could see a mile of road, but
he was not on IL. To make II the more
extraordinary. there was no side road