The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-08-25

see-a ghost7"
l must have started slightly at espyins
suddenly Arthur Pickering not 20 feet
away
risen. and Pickering and a girl were de-
tached from the others for moment.
-. she was young-9uite the youngest in
me group about Pickering's table. A
certain girlishness OF height and outline
may have been emphasized by her jux-
opposition TO Pickerings heavy figure
She was In black. with white showing at
neck and wrists-a somber contrast to
the other women OF the party, who were
arrayed with degree of splendor She
had dropped her fan. and Pickering
stopped 10 pick IL up. In the second that
she waited she turned carelsssly toward
me. and our eyes met for an instant
Very likely she was Pickerings sister.
and ! tried to reconstruct his family,
which had known In my youth: but
could not place her. AS she walked out
before him my eyes followed her-the
erect figure free and graceful. but with
charming dignity and poise. and the
gold of her fair hair glinting under her
black toque
Her eyes. as she turned them full upon
me, were the saddest. loveliest eyes /
had ever seen. and even in that brilliant.
crowded room | felt their spell They
were fixed In my memory indelibly-
mournful. dreamy and wistful. In my
you're taking unfair ADVANTAGE" he
observed quietly. Friends OF yours 7''
The big chap in the lead is my friend
Pickkering " ! answered; and Larry turn
Yes. | supposed you weren't looking
at the women" he observed dryly. I'm
sorry / couldn't see the object OF your
interest. Bah! these men!"
i laughed carelessly enough. but was
already summoning from my memory the
grave face Of the girl in black--her mourn
Pickering was certainly finding the pleas
ant places In this vale OF tears. and |
felt my heart hot against him. IL hurts
this seeing man you have never liked
succeeding where you have failed
why didn't you present me? I'd like
70 make the acquaintance of a few rep
resentative Americaps-I may need them
TO go bail for me-"
Pickering didn't see me, for one
thing; and for another he wouldn't go
bail for you or. me II he did. He isn't
Larry smiled quizzically.
You needn't explain further The
sight Of the lady has shaken me She
reminds me OF Tennyson
" The star-like sorrows Of immortal
and the rest OF Il ought TO he n solemn
warning TO you-many drew swords and
died and calamity followed I'm her train
Bah! these womenl / thought you were
II don't know why a man should be
past IL at twenty seven! Besides Pick
ering's friends are strangers to me. But
what became OF that Irish colleen you
used to moon over? Her distinguishing
feature, as / remember her photograph.
was short upper lip. You used TO force
her upon me frequently when we were in
Africa"
''Humphl When I got back 10 Dublin
l found that she had married a brewer 8
son, think OF IT,
Put not your faith In short upper
lip Her face never inspired any con-
fidence In me-"
That Will do. thank you I'll have
bit more Of that mayonnaise II the
walter isn't dead. I think you said
your grandfather died In June A letter
advising you OF the fact reached YOU at
Naples In October. Has II occurred "a
YOU that there was quite an interim
there? What, may l ask. was the execu
tor doing all that time? You may be
sure he was taking advantage Of the op-
portunity to look for the red. red gold
I suppose you didn't give him n sound
drubbing for not keeping the cables hot
with inquiries for you7"
lie eyed me In that disdain for my stu
pdity which I have never suffered from
any other man.
We'll. no; TO tell the truth. I was
thinking Of other things during the in
terview"
(To be continued on Monday.)