The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-07-26
The Mystery
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
Copyright, 1907. by Story Press Corporation)
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Recall of the Wanderer.

served MISS carney renamed away
to be with Miss Weston, who was
confined to her room, II not to her
bed.
At dinner, which was formal af-
fair in honor Of the rector and his
wife, Miss Carney greeted me cordial
ly and unaffectedly, but, beyond an
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
ly unconstrained, impressed me as
being in a way, unusually thoughtful
and serious; yet at times her face
fairly glowed with the contented, sat
isfied expression Of one whose cup
of happiness was filed and overflow
ing.
l knew what it meant, for 1 could
no longer hide the truth from myself
if would, and yet l even then strove
to devise a plan by which could
take myself away and out of her life
so that in time her heart would again
be free.
l did this in good faith, for, realiz-
ing my unworthiness as I did and
knowing well 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, I 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 l regretted my act of tempo
rary weakness on the previous even
ing, and l cursed my indiscretion in
taking advantage Of her hour of sor-
row 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
could be no doubt, and I knew with
equal certainty that she returned my
love with all the ardor of her great
warm heart.
Mr.. Arthur Sedgewick, the rector,
proved to be a iovial sort of an indi-
vidual, of the ford type and port
wine complexion, while his wife was
demure little woman who regarded
him with unconcealed admiration and
whose greatest satisfaction in life
was derived from half-stifled exclama-
tons of mock horror at his constant
unconventional sallies and jests.
so you saw all the plays in New
York; he asked, as the conversation
imperceptibly took theatrical turn.
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Miss Carney,
in almost her childish enthusiasm
I'VE 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" l remarked,
for want 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.
Nov, Mr.. Ware, that is altogether
too bad" returned Miss Carney, in
an obviously assumed tone of bad
image. You said that in exactly the
way that 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,
| hope you are we'll; not that l care
a rap, but just to start the converse
toni"
The rector's wife looked properly |
shocked, while her liege lord laughed |
uproariously and cried:
Il heard that story when l was in
college, Miss Carney, but unless my |
memory fails me, the wording was
somewhat different"
81 expurgated it for your especial |
benefit, sir" returned Miss Carney sol
EMMY and then, in reply to my ques-
ton, she added:
Il think Miss Adams is just too
sweet and dainty for anything. Is 1t |
really true that she is married."
1T has been rumored that she is
married to her manager" l replied, |
but / hardly think it possible, for
they are almost never together. You
know, she spends her summers in
while he is in Lon
dan, and, Just as soon as he re-
turns in the autumn, she always |
starts for the west with the Little
Mercy" exclaimed the rector's
wife, in unfeigned establishment,
while we all laughed in spite of our
selves, and the reverend gentleman
Tell into a violent ht of coughing
and dropped his fork on the floor.
When the general levity caused by
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. must
lake you to see it the next time we
are in town" !