The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-07-19
The Mystery
Carney.Croft
By
S E BROWN COOKE
Copyright, lo7. by story-PressC orporatIonJ
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Recall Of the Wanderer.

| did not come down to breakfast
next day, and when luncheon was
served Miss Carney remained away
to be with Miss Weston, who was
confined to her room, IL not t. her
bed.
At dinner, which was a formal af-
fair In honor of the rector and his
wife, Miss Carney greeted me cordial
ly and unaffectedly, but, beyond IN
evanescent flush that lighted up her
face, and vanished as quickly as 1t
came, she gave no sign that my te-
merity of the night before had made
the slightest impression upon her
mind. She was superbly gowned, and
her manner while natural and entire.
1y unconstrained, impressed me as
being in a way, unusually thoughtful
and serious; yet at times her face
fairly glowed with the c%ontented. sat
isied expression of n whose cup
of happiness was filled and overflow
ing.
| knew what it meant, for l could
no longer hide the truth from myself
If | would, and yet | even hen strove
to devise a plan by which l could
take myself away and out of her life
so that in time her heart would again
be free.
| did this in good faith, for, realiz-
ing my unworthiness as / did and
knowing we'll that many circum-
stances had conspired to give her an
exalted opinion OF me and my abil-
tiles, which, otherwise, she never
would have reached, / felt it my duty
to step aside and not stand in the
way of the far greater conquest that
she was surely destined to make.
No tongue can tell the extent to
which | regretted my act of tempo
rary weakness on the previous even
ing. and ] cursed my indiscretion In
taking advantage Of her hour of sor-
ROY and despair when l should have
been strong enough to withstand the
tempter, if only by virtue of the great
and ever increasing magnitude of my
devotion. That she knew it now there
4 could be no doubt, and / knew with
equal certainty that she returned my
love with all the andor Of her great
war; heart.
Mr.. Arthur S~edgswick, the rector,
proved to be a jovial sort of an indi-
vidual, of the florid type and port
wine complexion, while his wife was
a demure little woman who regarded
him with u~nconcealed admiration and
whose. greatest satisfaction in life
o was derived froIl half-stifled exclama.
tons of mock horror at his constant
unconventional sallies and jests.
$50 you saw all the plays in New
York;" he asked, as the conversation
imperceptibly took a theatrical turn.
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Miss Carney,
in almost her childish enthusiasm.
"We went every night and to all the
matinees, too. We had not been in
an English-speaking country in SO
long that we fairly reveled in the.
alter and we even saw Maud Adams
four times"
You like her, then" | remarked,
for amt of something better to say,
but feeling it my duty to show an in
terest clearly at variance with the
true object Of my thoughts.
Now, MI. Ware. that is altogether
too bad!" returned Miss Carney, in
an obviously assumed tone Of bad
image. "You said that in exactly the
way hat the traveller at sea greeted
his roommate one morning, when he
observed politely, but with about as
much enthusiasm as you yourself have
just shown, Good morning, old man
I hope you are we'll; not that l care
a rap, but Just to start the converse
tion!'"
The rector's wife looked properly
shocked, while her liege lord laughed
uproariously and cried:
81 heard that story when / was il
college. Miss Carney, but unless m,
memory fails me, the wording was
somewhat different"
81 e%xpurgated 1t for your especia
benefit, sir" returned Miss Carney sol
EMMY and then, in reply to my ques
ton. she added:
81 think Miss Adams is just too
sweet and dainty for anything. Is 4
really true that she is married.
1T has been rumored that she II
married to her manager" l replied
but hardly think 1t possible. fol
they are almost never together. Yo,
know, she spends her summers II
Massachusetts while he is in Lon
dan, and, just as Don MS he re
turns in the autumn, she Away
starts for the west with the Littl,
Minister"
Mercy" exclaimed the rector
wife. In unfeigned establishment
while we all laughed In spite of our
selves, and the reverend gentleman
fell into q violent fit of coughing
and dropped his fork on the floor
When the general levity caused b,
my remark had subsidized somewhat
and he was able to speak. he explain
ed; The Little Minister my dear
is a play, and not a man. ! mus