Middletown transcript., 1906-02-24

ulSS uloG Hin1SSiA eeo 9 oNS5u4 Va g
way which would deceive Alice
yeisley and Martha Brayton. He
took me up on condition of being
allowed TO make the trial after
dark; and about an hour ago, as
we were all sitting in that old
fishing boat that's beached in
front Of the hotel, Joe came
along. His get.up was SO arts
tic that il he had been my owr
brother | wouldn't have known
him, and he told a story of being
the sole survivor of a shipwreck,
which he said had occurred about
forty miles down the coast. and
of wanting to raise money to pay
his fare to Portland. Before he
was half through Alfredo passed
him dollar; and / guess Alice
and Martha thought he had
touched the crowd for enough,
for neither of them offered to
give anything.
Miss Suarez seems to have a
genius for disturbing the finely
calculated equilibrium of our ex-
periments, observed Templeton,
putting at his pipe. However, it
doesn't SO much matter, except
that, in a case of this sort, it's
vexatious to have to postpone a
settlement. 1t has occurred to me
that we probably went about the
whole business in too offhand and
careless a way. There's some
thing to be said in favor of giving
a reasonable amount of thought
to scheme on the outcome of
which mans future happiness
depends. Now | positively must
leave on that early train in the
morning; but, after I have time
to mature a plan, | will drop you
a line.
Tempt ,ton, however, suddenly
summoned to Europe by the i'll
ness of his fancee, and succeed
ing, after her recovery, in per-
suading her to continue her tour
as wedding journey, thought and
heard no more of John DeCamp
and his affairs in nearly a year;
but one morning soon after his
return to America DeCamp burst
into his office and dragged him
out to lunch.
I'm going to set upa big spread
in return for the trick you played
me at Seabrook Beach last sum-
mer, said DeCamp, as the two
took their place at the table.
What trick? Templeton asked
innocently.
Oh, no use trying TO crawl out
of it, old man. Alfredo told me
all about how you interviewed
her before breakfast on the day
we made those fool tests and
begged her to do Certain things,
the purpose of which you would
not reveal. I fancy she thought
you mildly insane; but as your
suggestions seemed to be harm
less, she seemed to carry out your
requests.
Seems to me that, after my de-
parture, you and Miss Suarez
must have cultivated a cordiality
that was foreign to your relations
when I was at Seabrook Beach,
said Templeton, with an obvious
attempt to evade the point at is
sue.
Cordiality? cried DeCamp, a
sunrise radiance overspreading
his face. Why, man, Alfredo and |
were married more than two4
months ago. You see, Temple
ton, he continued, after the ebul-
Hence of feeling produced by this |
had subsidized, |
after you left, I got to thinking |
the thing over, and it occurred to |
me that Alfredo had met I'LL three
Of those tests successfully, and
that if I stood by our plan, as I
had said | would, she was the o le
to whom | should propose; and
somehow, as soon as I began
working along that line, / dis
covered that Alfredo really out
elassed those other girls.
You always were dead slow,
DeCamp, Templeton remarked. |
That impression fixed itself in my
mind about fifteen minutes after
met the three young women,
md that was why / sought the
intebreakfast interview with
Miss Suarez. Ithoughtit barely
possible that something might be
lone TO save you.
GIBSON DRAWING FREE
A series Of Ten articles on pm and ink
lrawing, illustrated with nictnres hv