Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-15

pathy for the stranger. and many others
under the impulse of curiosity, ventured
the experiment of calling. but none ever
repeated it. for in the few instances In
which Mrs. Altenburg did not excuse
herself from seeing them, her manner
was SO cold and constrained as, when
taken In connection with her failure to
return the courtesy. to drive the boldest
from further experimenting. Yet. there
We're some who ventured the assertion
that the woman was. apparently, famish-
ing for human companiOnShip, and by
these. at least her refusal of their adj
vances was charged an added marital
sin to the husband.
No one could say when first it was dis
covered that there was a daughter con-
nected with the family Just what her
place was no two were quite agreed. but
there was a set toward the belief that
she was a daughter of Mrs. Altenburg
by a former marriage, that she was at
school somewhere and that she was any
thing but favorite with her stepfather.
though this last was conclusion drawn
from the premise that a young lady III
the family would be looked on as an ex-
pensive luxury by an old skinfiint such
as he was held to be. The sum of all
real knowledge was that she was about
ten years old at the time of her first
coming. that she was generally at the
farm for few weeks in summer. when
sit HlittltIliA IiNtu Ill Iti iiiolIIel
rooms and that her Christian name was
Judith. She was tall for her supposed
age and rather dark. but beyond that all
assumed knowledge verged on guesswork
Five wears after Aitenturs's arrival
youth of about twenty came to Lance
boro and the farm. His inquiries at
tracted attention. ana those who saw
him declared lis close resemblance to
ATTENDING. The general belief was that
he was Altenburs's own son. but if that
I in, ia tsl1, iiStli inc
il former marriage Of the husband as
we'll the wife, it added new compica
tons To the affairs of the family, for
curioSity-mOngerS asserted that he was
not allowed within the house. and il was
hinted that his visit was the occasion of
an extremely hi ter quarrel between huS-
band and wife. He returned to the sta
ton foot, but before The hour for his
train To leave he was joined by the girl,
now some fifteen years of age. who per
suaded him to go to the I.anceboro
House where he remained for three or
four days The village learned within
five minutes after the event that lie reg
istered as Horace Calden During his
stay the girl was frequently seen walk
ing with him i'll lonely roads or through
wood-paths, but it was asserted that he
did not again visit the farm or meet any
other member of the family.
The mare puzzled the members of the
Society for Attending To Other Peoples
Business. but it finally evolved the in
seniols theory that Calden was the lad s
middle name which he had determined
to from indignation at his fathers
unkindneSS This at Least. served the
excellent purpose of saving the girl criti-
cism because of her lonely walks with
the young man. whose assumed step
brotherhood preserved the proprieties
Ii was not known that the lad had ever
again visited Lanceboro, but it was as
serted that more than once he had been
met late at night on the Plains road.
coming from the direction of the Alien
burg farm. One close observer. whose
keerneSs for whatever was none of his
business had often proved a bright and
shining light To fellow craftsmen, averred
that one night. seeing a light in Mrs.
.Altenbure's part of the house at I'M
usual hour. he had crept close. under
favor of clump of bushes. and about
midnight was rewarded by seeing young
Cadcn climb out of side window. Mrs
Altenhurg and Judith kissed him In turn
leaning from the window for that pur
pose The watcher alleged that he heard
the women sobbing but sobbing was so
far ont of the line of ordinary experience
that this part of the story did not COM
mand the largest degree of credence.
At any rate. from that hour young Cal
den seemed wholly 10 disappear. and ii
was generally assumed that his father
had finally and absolutely disowned him.
With the acceptance of this theory came
into existence the corollary that he must
have been guilty of some most heinous
offense, and gradually his name became
a synonym for disobedience and want of
f.ial duty, over which the lead was to be
shaken, with many representation of
dire disaster.
1t undoubtedly had an effect upon the
village judgment that about this time
various circumstances led to the appar- |
emily we'll founded conclusion that Alien |
burg was possessed of u considera Bile |
amount of money. At once all the puz-
Zles of the past vanished and his CON |
duet became simply eccentric, his brutal |
hoorishness became bluff simplicity, and !
he was accorded that Difference and con- |
sideration which thrifty New England
always admits as the due of the man
who succeeds III getting together more |
than the average share of dollars
Ito be continued tomorrow