St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-02-23
MISS LAVINIA'S LOVER
The Result of the Search For the
Man Who Went Away.
By VIRGINIA BLAIR.

''WelI. of course" Miss Lavinia con-
fded, 81 am glad to have it. but IT'S
unsettling."
Mrs. Briggs shifted 1T wouldn't
unsettle me if any one left me $4,000.
would know what to do with it,
Miss Lavinia leaned forward eagerly
what would you do, Jane?' she de
manded.
ooh. weIl.'' Mrs. Briggs hesitated
I'D get some new clothes right away
and fix up the house, and entertain my
friends, and take a trip and have an
automobile
ST have thought of those things. but
they don't seem to be just what i
want, after all. Maybe I'll just put it
out at interest,"
snow. look here, Lavinia Latimer,"
Mrs. Briggs said solemnly. don't you
do any such thing You've got enough
to live on, such as it is. and my advice
is to take some Of the money and have
a good time Goodness only knows
you haven't had many good times"
mo, / haven't" Miss Lavinia admit
ted somewhat wistfully 'Well, I'll
think it over. Jane
And after Mrs. Briggs had gone Miss
Lavinia picked up her big yellow cat
and told him her innermost wish. Pm
going to use some of that money to
find out where John Forbes isl she
whispered. tbut l wouldn't tell Jane"
But to look for the man who had left
town ten years ago was not an easy
matter And Lavinia Latimer was not
wise in methods. But she wanted to
know the fate of her old lover, and so
it happened that ten days after her
talk with Jane Briggs, Miss Lavinia
went to town.
"Pm going to buy clothes,'' was the
reason she gave. but when she came
to the big town it was not to the
stores that she made her way, but to
a dusty, musty little Office in a squalid
street.
"McDermott. private detective" said
the sign.
Miss Lavinia was all pink and white
and pretty as she stated her case. But
Mr.. McDermott set her at once at her
ease. He was brisk little man with
curly white hair and red cheeks.
$50 you want to find John Forbes"
he said. "Is he a relativeY'
"Oh, por' And Miss Lavinia blush
ed.
lowe you any money! McDermott
demanded.
"Oh, no, nor Miss Latimer cried dis
tressfully. 1--WE were engaged fifteen
years ago. and l couldn't marry him,
because l had to stay with my old
father and mother-and he-he went
away-and l promised that when
was free l would let him know.
"Ohw McDermott calculated, and
after a pause. Were you expecting to
find him still single?"
'I-Pm not sure"
McDermott tugged at his mustache.
1.-The chances are that he'll be mar
ried."
"Of course" Miss Lavinia agreed
''but l should like to be sure.''
Surely" said McDermott. You just
let me have the case, and I'll bring
you news of John Forbes before you
know it,
McDermott reported regularly once
a week by letter to Miss Lavinia and
as regularly received her answers.
paper that gave forth perfume of
fresh flowers in the stuffy little office.
McDermott found himself laying those
letters in little drawer by themselves,
and one day in early spring, when he
had travelled out into the country on
case. he spied some violets by the way
side. He picked them and brought
them home and laid them with the let
tiers in the drawer.
McDermott had money of his own,
so that Miss Lavinia's little fortune
had no charms for him, but the
thought of her delicate presence in his
home often came to him with a sense
of irresistible attraction.
But if she finds John Forbes single
she will marry him." he would say
with sigh. and the temptation to
overlook clews was great.
In June he called on her and found
her in her garden with a little low
table in front of her on which was set
forth a lemonade service. Miss La
vinia was in pale mauve with hat
wreathed with violets. when you
wrote you were coming" she said to
McDermott, Il thought you would en-.
joy it better here in the garden-it's
cooler"
well. if you knew what a nice
change it was from that Office in
town. sighed the little man.
After that he came often, and grad.
ually it began to be rumored in the
town that Miss Lavinia was keeping
company with a man from the city.
well, l must say that L like his
looks Mrs. Briggs told Miss Lavinia
when she came over one morning after
McDermott had called
He is just business acQuaint-
ance," Miss Lavinia protested
Mrs. Briggs shifted. 81 guess you
wouldn't be dressing up in those pretty
clothes and waving your hair just for
a business man.
Miss Lavinia blushed and sighed.
you don't know how many things I