The Mena weekly star., 1909-06-24
tContInuod from last issue.

cannon; but she would help get
 rcbie away; Mrs. Melville and Miss
 smith-'
 oWell-ur-Miss Smith, I am afraid.
 rpl not be easy to manage; you see, she knows
 "Knows? Did you tell herr" asked
 Fol Winter anxiously.
 aWen. not exactly. As the children
 say. it told itself. There has been a ind of an attempt, already. A box Fame. marked from a man l know in Kew York. properly labeled with ex- ross compaay's labels. Miss Smith 6nened 1t; 1 could see her. because sbe was in the bathroom with the foor open. There was another box spside. wrapped in white tissue paper. ;7TNery neatly. She examined that box. 4kgith singular care and then she drew some water in the lavatory basin, half cpened the box and put the whole hing under water in the basin. Then
 thought 1t was time for me and asked her if 1t was a bomb. Do you know that girl had sense enough not to try to deceive me? She saw that
 had seen every move she had made. She said merely that 1t was safe un- der water It was an ingenious little affair which had an electrical arrange ment for touching off spark when Ee lid of the box would be lifted"
 "Ah. yes. Thoughtful little plan 10 pmuse an invalid by letting him open
 he box, himself, to see the nice sur prlses from New York. Very neat, in deed What did you do with the box?' H Nothing. so far. It only came about an hour ago."
 Do you reckon some of the Black Hands are out on the street, rubber i ing to see If there are any signs of anything doing?"
 Perhaps; you might let Birdsall keep watch for anything like that. But they hear, somehow; there is leak somewhere in our establishment. Ii is not your aunt; she can hold her # tongue as we'll as use it; the boy, Ar chic, does not know anything to tell"
 He wouldn't tell 1t If he did" in- terrupted the colonel; and very con cisely but with evident pride he gave N Archie's experience in the Chinese quarter
 # Keatchams comment took the listen er's breath away; so far afield was 1t # and so unlike his experience of the m if uNNfnfnr a ffign fhut would be a good deal of comfort, wouldn't he?"
 \ Poor little chap!" said Winter. M He hasn't any father to be proud of him--father and mother both dead" # keatcham eyed Winter thoughtfully moment, then he said You've been married and lost children, your # aunt says That must be hard. But * did you ever read that poem of James Whitcomb Riiey's to his friend whose child was dead? It's true what he says & they were better on than he who had no child to die"
 Rupert was looking away from the speaker with the instinctive embar- 4 Fassment of man who surprises the deeper feelings of another. He could see out of the window the lovely April garden and Janet Smith amid the all mond blossoms. Only her shining black head and her white shoulders and bodice rose above the pink clus ters. She looked up and nodded, see Ing him; her face was a little pale, but she was smiling.
 T don't know" he said, 'It's hard enough either way for a man. T never lost any chldren"-Keatch- am's tone was dry still, but it had not qulte the former desiccated quality but was married, for a little while. II It's as bad to lose your children as IL is to lose the hope of having them, N-must be hard. You lost your wife, too?"
 Yes said Rupert Winter. At this moment he became con sciens that Keatcham was avoiding his gaze in the very manner of his avoid Ing of keatcham's moment ago; and gave him bewildering sensation. l wanted to marry my wife for seven years before we were married. heatcham continued in that carefully nionotonous voice. "She was the uaughter of the superintendent of the hline where I was working. l was only IS when first saw her. I was 70 when we were married. She used 10 give me lessons: she was educated ana accomplished. She did more than IS easy telling, for me Of course, her l'rents were opposed at first because .Hey looked higher for her, but she brought them round by her patience onu her sweetness and her faith in re Six months after we were mar ,'eu' she had an accident which left ner helpless invalid in a wheeled shalr, at the best; at the worst, suf- Nring-you'ye known what 1t Is to zee anybody, whom you care for, in norrible pain and trying not to show 1t when you come near?"
 ! have" said Winter; merry hell, Isn't it?"
 ] have seen that expression" said Neatcham; T never recognized it's peculiar appropriateness before. Yes, IS that. Yet, Winter. those two wars she lived afterwards were the napplest of my whole life. She said
 ue last night she was with me, that z.ey mad been the happiest of hers lne same flush which once before ""en he had seemed moved. had crepi
 " 10 Ills temples. burned his hollow cheeks He was holding the edge oi