The Washington herald., 1913-12-28

OdCHeioT, ABOUT 1oIty years OF age
the lady struck him as being the wifi,
he had been looking for for years
Three weeks after they were back ir
London they were married-that cpl
sode at Charing Cross Station was tht
result. The whole affair was decidedly
funny-except for the mourning
bridegroom.
About eighteen months afterward
went for yachting cruise-mine wa.
to the Morocco coat and all sorts oi
pleasant-sounding places. We had moi
been two days at sea when l had be-
come impressed by two facts. One
was that we had on board the proprie-
tor of "Ebenezer's Gray-Blue Pills
and samples of his large and ebullient
family, and the other was that among
the passengers was lady whose ap-
pearance had the most singular effect
on me. The moment / saw her / had
feeling that l had seen her some
where before, but for the life of me
could not think where and when.
She was a delightful person; full of
resource, skilled in all sorts of what
are known as "parlor tricks" she
could sing and recite, tell funny tales,
perform conjuring tricks, and play on
the piano and the banjo and the fid-
die and, what was the latest craze in
musical instruments, the balalaika. She
seemed to have lots of money, and
some pretty dresses and some nice
jewels. Before we were out of the
Bay of Biscay she was the most prom
inent and popular person on board.
Miss Marianne Tracy bore no ply
sical resemblance, from what / remem-
bered, to Mrs. Brookes, yet she re-
minded me of her. | had only seen
that lady once, and that was at her
wedding, and l had a more or less
vague recollection that she had fair
hair, which matched her complexion,
and that she was tall and slender, and,
to my mind, uncomforrably prim; just
the colerless sort of person one would
expect Mr.. Brookes to marry. Miss
Tracy was black as night-black hair,
black eyes, black eyebrows, and even
the faintest shadow of what might be
black mustache. She was no taller
that l was, but she was much plumper,
and she was full of vivacity and high
spirits. Before we were out of the |
Bay believe that most of the male |
creatures on board, of all sorts and !
kinds, were under the impression that
she was in love with them.
1t was that faculty which l possess
OF seeing so much more than many
folks guess which caused my vague
suspicion to take, by degrees, a very
form. 1t was the evening on
which We were leaving Gibraltar, where
we had spent the day. l was proving
about the ship when, in a corner on
the lower deck, l came upon an indi-
vidual the sight of whom gave me
quite start. He was in a stewards
uniform, but l had certainly never seen
him on board before His was a face
which, once seen by an observant pair
IF eyes like mine, was not likely to be
forgotten, even after lapse of eight
zen months-and that period of time
lad passed since l had seen him.
The last, and first, time l had beheld
hat gentleman was at Charing Cross
-ailway station on the afternoon on
which Mrs. Everard Brookes had dis
appointed her husband by vanishing on
he eve of their honeymoon. There
vas no mistaking those freckles. and
hat mustache-or, indeed, the man as
whole.
My surprise at seeing him there was
o great that for some seconds l did ,
Iot realize whom he was talking to Z
hen l saw that it was Miss Marianne ;
Tracy; and, as l watched what they s
we're saying, l began to understand. I
lie said to her:
The best of the old girls things he {
axes care of; those diamonds and :
earls which we got the office about, /;
Which the old girl flashes around, are
4 bag which he keeps in his locker. Z
ome of the girls things are in it, y
DO; l dropped into the cabin as if by
ccident the other morning, and 1 saw r
i'm put them into his bag" l.
l had had no intention of playing .
lie spy-I had made no attempt to
onceal myself; so that when Miss >,
racy looked round, as she did Just .
that moment, she saw me at once. =
With perfect presence of mind she !,
lme straight up to me.
Taking stroll about the ship, Miss =
ee?" = =
l do not know what possessed me; l r
D sometimes yield to impulse, and l &
d then. l looked her very straight r
the face, and with what l am sure :.
as the most perfect civility l asked u
.r a question: =,
Aren't you Mrs. Everard Brookess" r.
She did not change countenance-ib h,
c baggage! She must have had a y
ont of brass. She just looked at me n
,,rr1, L