Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-25
COPYRIGHT BY y. 3. LIPPINCoTT co

| self as she fell to sleep. Before long, however,
she awoke. II was something unusual for Kate
| Kanp to wake in her Sleep She woke suddenly,
with an uncomfortable feeling, and jumping out
on the floor turned on the light. She surveyed
herself in the glass. Then she slowly and care
fully made up the bed she had left, turned out the
| light, and crawled into her own section next the
wall For the first time in her life Kate Kamp
had been afraid. After that she slept no more
| in Mr.. Townsend's portion of the twin beds.
W
Kate Kamp had occupied her lucrative position
| for some four months, and was about to sit down
to her solitary little dinnersohtary save Tor the
presence of the faithful Mullany and the portrait
perched across the arms of the chair at the other
| side of the table Mullany had served the soup
and was carving the fowl, when the doorbell rang
"Gracious! That must be Mrs. Townsend, she
whispered. Help me put this picture back on
| the wall before you go to the door, Mullany'
Together they lifted the heavy frame, but as
| the waiter was about to catch the wire on the
hook, the latter ratified down from the moulding
| to the floor
"Oh, dear! what shall do? I can't find i'll"
Kate cried in vexation, as she CROPPED about on
the floor under the couch, while the bell contin-
ued to ring furiously and the waiter stood pa
tently with the picture held in midair. uet
down and help me find it, Mullany. Mrs Town
send simply mustn't know what I've been doing
or she will be terribly vexed,"
So interested did the couple become IN the
frutless search for the missing hook that neither
heard the click of the latch-key nor the footballs
coming down the velvet-carpeted hall.
"What's the matter?" asked deep bass voice,
with siddenness that made the girl and the
waiter Jump to their feet to confront big bronz-
ed man standing in the curtained doorway. lie
was handsome, distingushed-lookin man OF
the world on the sunny side of middle age his
eyes were dark blue, merry and rowing. his lace
was smooth-shaven His hair was touched WIN
gray about the temples
"NIr Townsend! exclaimed the housekeeper and
the waiter in the same breath, they looked
from the man to the pastel.
Certainly. why not? laughed the man, de-
posting his hat and walking-stick on the corner
of the sideboard
"But how did you get in?" demanded the
housekeeper
"With my latch-key of course" he replied Fun
nv, isn't it. how I've held on to that ateh-key
all these years. We've been like brothers, he
and |. 1t seemed couldn't lose this insignificant
little bit of twisted iron. L have come through
all sorts of strange adventures and had many
narrow escapes, but my atch-key has never failed
me. was robbed in Toxic, l was held up and
beaten in my journey across Cochin China, I've
been chased by elephants in India, and burned
out in a ramshackle old hotel at Port SAID, but
after each one of those fracases, when got my
self together,I always found this latch-key to SUITE
II safe in my vest pocket" and the speaker drew
forth the enchanted memento and passed 1T to
the wonder-stricken Kate for inspection.
The wrath for so it seemed he must be to the
two bewidered people who still stood as if trans
fixed then helped himself to the cigars on the
sideboard and handed one to Mullany. where's
Mrs Townsend?" he asked abruptly, biting the
end of his cigar in most unghostly fashion.
'T am expecting her here almost any minute"
Kate was able to reply.
"Any objection to my smokingT inquired MIR.
Townsend drawing match-safe from his pocket.
"Not at ALL answered the girl.
"Has she been out long,?
eyes quite while"
az suppose so. Felicia always was gadder And,
by the way, do not believe have ever had the
pleasure of meeting you before, my dear young
lady. Or, possibly, you have outgrown my recol-
lection. I've been gone seven years now
"No, you have never met me before, MIR. Town
send. am Miss Kamp."
"a friend of my wfe's, I suppose?"
ooh no, merely the housekeeper." Here Mr..
Townsend went to the sideboard and poured out
three glasses of Scotch and soda.
"And now YOU will both drink to my health,
will you not? he asked, handing glass to the
housekeeper with one hand, and one to the wait
er with the other. "Win you not propose
toast, Miss Kamp"
| "Heres to the return to life and the con-
tinued good health Of the late Mr.. Stephen Town
send" the girl said mechanically She was still
dazed with the suddenness of the resurrection.
"WeT. I wouldn't have given Felicia credit
for such good taste in the selection Of whisky.
She's improving" he remarked, draining his
glass. "And say, Miss Kamp, if you don't mind,
| suppose we don't wait my wife, but sit right
down to dinner. see it is all served, and l am
ravshing hungry"
| In few moments all restraint and embarrass-
ment had disappeared on the part OF the house
keeper. who now laughed merrily at the story
of adventure which Mr.. Townsend related. Then
Ko&a f,r IN axnlaIr how she to
he there. He smiled in appreciation as she re-
neated the stipulations Of the Personal"
"Auburn hair, pretty, good figure" he chuckled,
casting sly, humorous glances at the pretty, ami
mated face of the narrator. Well, L must say,
Miss Kamp, that you fill all the requirements
perfectly.
"But what difference could it have made wheth-
or INV hair was red or black, whether I did or
didn't like music and cards?" Kate insisted.
"Wel" drawled Mr. Townsend, as he mixed
the salad dressing-the waiter had been dismissed
with instructions to back later for the dishes
-"well now, my dear Miss Kamp, you are asking
me a question which, if / answer truthfully, will
he rather embarrassing to me. I always admired
YOUR style of beauty, and like music and cards,
which my wife never did; so l suppose she
thought the best way to keep my spirit at home
was to give me the things 1 had liked in the
flesh and which, if she had possessed, I've no
doubt we might have got along together better
| than we did.
"Yes, Mrs Townsend realizes that now, her
self" said the girl, fastening to the absent wife's
defense. "I have heard her say that if she had
10 live her married life over again there would be
many things differently managed"
"Now I wonder what she meant by that" the
husband, still unconvinced mentally queried him
self, while aloud he remarked, 81 wonder why
L Is that women always find out those things
when it is too late?"
'Too late!" she cried. "But why too late?