New Britain herald., 1916-11-04
How Dicky Met the Unknown.

How Dicky Met the Unknown. l My heart almost stopped beating when l heard my mOther-in- laws 1 query concerning the man who, she 1 said, was looking at me so intently l from the table near ours in the | Sydenham grill room
 My intuition told me at once the 1 Identity of the gazer. It must be- the
 man whose uncanny mournful look 1 had so distressed me when I was wait
 ing for Lillian Underwood at the l Sydenham the preceding Monday the man who had followed us to the little ! tea room, who had even taken the same train to Marvin with me-
 I rem embered Jim's hurried story 1 of the mysterious stranger who had ! hribed the Crest Haven taxi driver to 1 reveal my identity to him, after I had ! cvaded his scrutiny by getting off the 1 train at Crest Haven instead of Mar ! yin.
 1 I felt as if I could not lift my eyes | to look at the man my mother-in-law | indicated and yet I knew I must ! glance casually at him if I were to ! avert the displeased suspicion which 1 already saw creeping into her eyes.
 So with a mighty effort, l pulled | myself together and looked casually
 over Dicky's shoulder to the table of ! which his mother had spoken. l ] really feel proud of the composure
 with which I met the gaze I dreamed, | for my intuition was correct. With
 his elbow resting on the table and his
 hand propping his head, the man
 whose espionage had so disturbed me,
 sat gazing at me- utterly ObliviOus Of
 hoth the viands before him and the | poOn1e surrounding him.
 When my eyes met his he gave not
 the slightest sign that he knew l was
 looking at him, simply continued hlS
 steady gaze, which had something or
 wistful mournfulness in 1t. l aVerted
 my eyes as quickly as possible, ana
 tried to look absolutely uncOncerned. "I am sure he cannot be looking at me- I said lightly. 1T do not know | him at all.'
 Between Two Fires. E l hoped that my mother-1n-laW l would not notice my evasion, but she
 was too quick for me.
 , ] You may not know him, but have you ever seen him before?" she asked,
 | skreWdly.
 ''Really, mother,' Dicky interposed, 1 his face dark ening; "you're going a , 1 little too far with that catechism If z Madge says she doesn't know the man
 that settles it. By the way, Madge, is ,, he annoying you? If he is can
 settle him in about two seconds"
 "Oh, mo-" I said, nervously, "I cont think the mans really looking
 at me at all; he's simply gazing out = into space, thinking, and happens to =. be facing this way It would be
 supremely ridiculous to call him to , account for it."
 ,nth hnJ ii f made no further comment, evidently
 sjlenced by Dickys reproof. f may have imagined it, but il O seemed to me that Diclly looked al me a little curiously when I protested : my belief that the man was simply a absorbed in thought and not looking O 1 at me at all.
 g But I had no time to speculate or
 his thoughts. I knew that if l kept a my mother-in-laW silenced and Dlcky k from growing suspicious of the req O state of affairs I should have to masl 5. my very real nervousness and concerr n over the strangers scrutiny, so l ad g dressed myself seriously to the tasl $ of keeping the conversational bal e yelling so fast that neither Dicky no ,- his mother would have time to thinl
 again of the stranger whose gaze = felt even with my back turne'
 
 e toward him.
 ', 'PCrhaps He Mistakes e chatted about everything ant a about nothing, piled Mother Graham st with questions as to the hotels am lc restaurants in the city where she ha' y formerly lived, quizzed Dicky as to tn
 names and idiosyncracies of the mel Il and women to whom he nodded, an' T. generally acted the part of rattle
 brained woman enjoying to the full ~ her evenings pleasure r- Tn the midst of my chatter m E srcother-in-law rc interrupted me.
 "Your mysterious admlfer ma E eone," she said, cautiously. n !, \ sure he must think he knows yot t Margaret, for he kept looking back . he went away, as if hoping you woul look arOund.''
 . \ "Perhaps he mistakes me for som - one, or sees a resemolanco to som