The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-05-10

ed my eye with the agreeable green of
the national currency. Many bank
bills, tightly folded, were wrapped in
the single sheet of paper which | have
mentioned. The total sum was 5000.
l will not attempt to describe the
pcrpleXity into which | was thrown by
this mysterious communication.
After cudgeling my brains for some
hours l reached the very annoying
conclusion that this money must have
been sent to me by Mrs. Colvin,
whom l had come to know when l
lived at my grandfathers house in
Montclair
After The sudden death of her hus-
band l assisted her in settling the es-
r and in so doing spent some of
v own money, which fact l studious-
ly concealed. l was a sutton for the
hand of Mrs. Colvin's daughter at that
time and had a faint hope which was
speedily quenched though not my love-
alas
would rather that almost anything
else had happened than that Mrs. Col
vim should have discovered her debt to
me- To have put her under this obi
CATION was an offcnsc against good
taste, and she was one who would see
the matter in its proper light Perhaps
for this reason she had paid the money
secretly, desiring to avoid the dishon-
esty of pretending to forgive me.
Unfortunately she had considerably
overpaid me, yet the money must have
come from her, for there was no other
explanation. 1t remained, then, for me
to 90 to Mrs. Colvin, whom | had not
seen in more than a year, and render
her true account, returning the bal
ance now due her
With this purpose | went to Mont
clair in the afternoon of the following
day. 1t was mid-June, and the beau
tlful town was at its best, with all the
rose gardens blooming and the scented
mir thrilling with .gayety, as if there
were some public merrymaking. 1t is
needless to say that my own mood was
not festal | dreaded the coming in
terview, and my heart ached at the
thought of seeing Amy COlvin again. |
walked slowly and went out of my
way to pass my grandfather's house,
untenanted since his death, and there |
paused some minutes, looking up at
the shattered windows and recalling
the tragedy which had cut him off in
what he used chcerily to call the prime
of old age" We found him dead upon
the floor of his chamber one morning,
and his hands were clinched tightly
upon the collar and sleeve of Il rough
coat of dark cloth. This garment was
a burglars. My grandfather had dis
covered the man in his room. had
Iprung from his bed to grapple with
the thief and had died of his own too
violent eXertions, for his heart had been
weakened by a recent serious illness.
We discovered that the burglar had
entered by a window Of my room and,
after relieving me of a considerable
sum of money, had passed to my grand
fathers apartment, where the silent,
swift and fatal struggle had occurred
and whence the intruder, stripped of
his coat had escaped into the night
Mrs. Colvin's house, when | came to
looked CHEEKY and homcike in COM
-sparison with the great empty mansion
that l had just left. 4 servant an
swcred my summons and greeted me
with surprise and voluble joy She
had been for many years in my grand
fathers employ and had a strong sen
timent of loyalty to the family.
There's nobody at home" said she
after paying her respects TO me. But
Mrs Colvn will be back soon. Miss
Amy and Mr. Durland have gone to the
bal! game"
Mr.. Durlaud was young man who
upon my recommendation, had been
taken as boarder by Mrs. COlvin
shortly after her husbands death, for
1t seemed advisable for her to increase