Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-11-19


bachelor. about forty years of age
the lady struck him as being the wife
he had been looking for for years.
Three weeks after they were back in
London they were married-that cpl
sode at Charing Cross Station was the
result. The whole affair was decidedly
funny-except for the mourning
bridegroom.
About eighteen months afterward I
went for yachting cruise-rnine was
to the Morocco coat and all sorts OF
pleasant-sounding places VIC had not
been two days at sea when / had be
come impressed by two facts. One
was that we had on board the proprie-
tor of "Ebcnezers Gray-Blue Pills"
and samples of his large and ebullient
family, and the other was that among
the passengers was a lady whose ap-
pearance had the most singular effect
on me. The moment | saw her | had
feeling that I had seen her some
where before, but for the life of me I
could not think where and when.
She was 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 Bscay she was the most prom
nent and popular person on board.
Miss Marianne Tracy bore no ply
steal resemblance. from what l remem-
bered, to Mrs. Brookes. vet she re-
minded me of her had only seen
that lady once, and that was at her
wedding, and 7 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 intentionally prim; Just
the colorless sort Of person one would
expect Mr.. Rrookcs to marry. Miss
Tracy was black as night-black hair,
black eyes, black eyebrows, and even
the faintcst shadow OF what might be
a black mustache. She was no taller
that ] was, but she was much plumpcr,
and she was full of vivacity and high
/ - ~
Bay l 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 I possess
OF seeing so much more than many
folks guess which caused my vague
suspicion to take, by degrees, very
| concrete form. Il was the evening on
which we were leaving Gibraltar, where
we had spent the day | was prowling
about the ship when in a corner on
the lower deck, ! came upon an indi-
vidual the sight of whom gave me
quite start He was in a stewards
uniform, bat | had certainly never seen
him on board before. His was a face
which, once seen by an observant pair
Of eyes like mine, was not likely to be
forgotten even after lapse of eight
cen months-and that period of time
had passed since had seen him
The last, and first, time had behed
that gentleman was at Charing Cross
railway station OH the afternoon on
which Mrs, Everard Brookes had dis
appointed her husband by vanishing on
the eve of their honeymoon. There
was no mstaking those freckles and
that nustachc--or, indeed, the man as
whole.
My surprise at seeing him there was
50 great that for some seconds I did
not realize whom he was talking to;
then ! saw that it was Miss Marianne
Tracy; and, as ] watched what they
were saying, ! began to understand.
He said to her
"The best of the old girls things he
takes care of; those diamonds and
pearls which we got the Office about,
which the old girl flashes around, are
in bag which he keeps in his locker.
Some of the girls things are in it,
too; | dropped into the cabin as if by
accident the other morning, and | saw
him put them into his bag"
| had had no intention of playing
the spy-I had made no attempt to
conceal myself; so that when Miss
| Tracy looked round, as she did ust
at that moment, she saw me at once.
With perfect presence of mind she
came straight up to me.
Taking stroll about the ship, Miss
| Lee"
| do not know what possessed me;
do sometimes yield to impulse, and
did then, | looked her very straight
in the face, and with what | am sure
was the most perfect civility | asked
her question:
Aren't you Mrs. Everard Brookes 2"
She did not change countenance-
the baggagel She must have had a
front of brass. She Just looked at me
inquiringly, and she smiled and she
said
80! We have met before, Miss
| Leep
| lr lien, l,,.. bar nd Il,