The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-07-05

THAT STICK BELONGS TO A BOSTON
ACTOR.
greatly bcrated for having left the rear
door of the barn unfastened. Mean
while l went to the front OF the house
and found Celia still leaning upon the
gate, but Mephistopheles had van
ished
From the evidence in my possession
there was only one conclusion-Celia
was involved in nonsensical romance
with Il man who was highly obiection-
able to her parents. I was deeply
grievcd, for we were cousins True.
the tie of blood between us was as,
thin as homeopathic thirty-second di.
luton, still | had always called her
parents uncle and aunt and had thought
Of her rs Il member Of my family.
Such being the case, what was my nat
ural duty-to find the man. lead him
by the ears to the end of Long wharf
and drop him overheard? That was at
least my first impulse, yet | could not
help feeling the need of little more
information before proceeding to exc
cute vengeance. l would wish to act
in such Il way as would serve Celia
best. In order to act wisely I must get
at the facts
was not prepared to believe that
Asa ana the unknown Romeo had been
so Overbold as to choose my uncle's
barn as their dressing room. More
probably the exchange Of raiment had
been made in a thick grove of spruces
which stood II the field. and the inva-
sion of the barn had been an after
thought Of ASa's.
Upon this SunDoSition the place 10 Ell
trap the bogus AIcphisto was the grove.
and 50 1 Withdrew to that spot as Sc
cretly as possible and waited more
than an hour in vain. Meanwhile the
procession had formed in front of the
town hall, and the air was shuddering
at the music Of the Bentonville band.
| emerged from my hiding place and
intercepted the procession Mephisto
was not among its attractions, and his
absence was Il subject of comment He
appeared later in a manner sufficiently
mysterious to match the part that he
played, and l satisfied myself that he
was the real Asa Colby this time. |
did not dare to question him. for if he
supposed that his harmless burglary OF
The barn was unsuSpected he might
Keep still about it, whereas, if accused,
he might attempt a too public justiica-
ton.
My only real cleW lay in the initials
fhA 'Ihsy- Nr-,,-lI
lame of any young man in that com
munity; they puzzled me completely.
And yet &c. $" must have been in
Bentonviile. for Celia had not been
away within year. Perhaps he had
lodged at the Bentonville hotel and
upon this theory approached the land
lord Of that place OF entertainment and
exhibited to him the cane, which l said
had found in the woods
THAT stick belongs to a Boston actor
named Gilbert Seabury' said he
Don't you take it up to your uncle's
house. If you DO he'll have a fit"
"Why?' I asked, with counterfeit
surprise.
"Seabury was here couple of weeks
in June" he replied. His folks live in
Lynde"-a town about fifteen miles
north of Bentonville. He got to know
tour cousin Celia, and he was talking
her head full of theatrical notions.
She's a bit stage struck anyhow, you
know. Your Aunt Anne got on to it.
and-well, you know your Aunt Anne"
Here was very serious situation in
deed, and no doubt it was my duty to
lay the whole case frankly before my
aunt Yet no man likes to do that sort
of thing. l resolved to find out, first.
whether Seabury was still in town, and
so | spent the whole afternoon hunting
for him, assisted by the landlords de-
scription and my own view of the
actors clothes By supper time l was
convinced that he had gone away and
that Celia was safe from his histrionic
vapOrings for the present
There was to be 4 display of fire
works in the evening within the fort
on the hill, relic of English occupa-
ton in Revolutionary times. Celia had
laid aside the vcstments of Columbia
and had appeared during the afternoon
in a gown of white duck, which was
very becoming. After supper, how
ever, she clothed herself in a dark
gray costume with Il black hat
wac seriously alarmed, for the plain