The Detroit times., 1911-07-05
CHATTER vlli.


How We Made An Unconventional
Journey 70 Town.
Very carefully, and wondering the
while In listless fashion why l
should do so at all. tore out the mo-
tice and put II carefully away In my
pocketbook. I had the explanation
now; I understood II all-the hidden
ring at the end OF the chain and the
shadow OF which II was the symbol,
the mystery and disturbance Of the
house, the continual pretexts TO get
-ria-ef me, the EFFORT TO disguise any
strangeness Of appearance In the HE
OF the family. And understood why
Il was true that | must go away and
utterly forget. And yet--was the ex-
PLANTATION so perfect. after allY
Mechanically pulled the paper ont
OF the drawer, and searched for the
date II was only three years back;
but even that length OF time would
have made Lady a mere child when
she was married. She could not be
very far beyond twenty now, certain
ly not more than twenty-five or
three. And in any case. why should
the marriage be concealed and the
husband retained as a member OF the
family, masquerading az brother
And how, after the ordinary an
nouncement In the press, could the
marriage have become q secret at
all? Then once more the whispers
and pointings Of score Of Abnormal
circumstances, uncertain, suggestive,
indefinite, crowded In upon MY un.
Outstanding, like the confusion OF
simultaneous voices. II was no use
/ could not imagine what II all
meant, and for the moment was too
sick and weary to wonder: The bare
fact was more than enough: she was
married and beyond my reach, and
must 20 away.
went through a pantomime OF sup
per. making the discovery that my
appetite was supplemented by an un'
quenchable thirst and an immeasur'
able desire for tobacco. After that
| walked, read, made dull converse
ton with casual acquaintances-any'
thing to kill the interminable time,
and quiet for the moment that weary
spirit OF unrest which kept urging me
to useless thought and Improbable
action. to examine my trouble as one
irritates q trivial wound. to decide OF
do something where nothing was to
be decided or to be done. An tnhabi'
tant of the nearest comfortless piaz
IA chair contributed the only episode
worth remembering.
Say" he began, do you remember
that guinea that was here the otnei
day and started the argument with
the old gent out In 'front.' Well
what did you make OF that Teller, any
wayf"
II don't know. He was drunk.
suppose, and got the wrong man..
well, now. you take It from me
there was more to II than that. Yes
sir, there's shady story around there
somewhere. You hear what ! say.
rs the man still around neref
asked.
We'll, not now, he amt. That's
what I'm telling you. He hung abou
town for two or three days, ! guess
Maybe he got after the old mar som,
more. He was In here after drinl
once, and the barkeep threw him out
He's good mixer, Harry Is, men o.
drinks; but he don't like guineas
Well, I don't 60 much on them for
eigners, myself"
! Where does your shady story come
linz"
well, now, that's just It Yo'
listen. I was coming along the stree
the other night, and ! passed THU
guinea standing under a street lamp
talking to that Reid Teller that lives
Iup to Tabors'. Doc Reid, you know
whom I mean? Well, was goinl
past and I heard Reid say: Now, yni
understand what you got TO do h
says, keep quiet and keep away The
minute you show up here again o.
give any trouble he says, the
money stops. You understand that ?
he says. And you can call me linl
liz you like, but swear | saw hin
slip the guinea a roll Now, what d.
you know about that?
put him of as well as | could
Here was another point In the laby
rinth, but had no energy TO thinl
about IT, got away from the GOSSIP
at last only by taking refuge In m,
room. And the rest OF the evening
was a dreary nightmare OF unrealit,
which only expanded without chang
ing when I tried to sleep. TOSSED
about endlessly, thinking thought
that were not thoughts, dreaming evi
Sr.ana eyen while- I watchot IN,