The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-07-13
MIR. arlington $
Secret
by ESTHER VANDERyFER

'nie' FARMING village, and onono,
negotiations for -four mill and wntor
power that had long stood Idle H.
was melancholy looking man rovos
smiling, never chatting familisrlv with
those with whom he came In cor,ao,
and, above all, uncommln,cot,vo ohon.
himself. 'o''
AT nrst his reticence was no,
~ ana no one cared who he was
Ut Where he came from. bur ~ soo,
as IL was observed that these fac,.
were not Forthcoming every one hn
came curious about him Nonr j.,
'o'ert move was made to draw fran
MIN some information about hims.lf
Out he PARTED them all SO adroitl, os
not to give offense and so skirfu,,,. j.
not to tell anything. The ONLY thino
known about him was his name a.
bert Darlington, and when II hec,no
known that he was holding harL i,
formation about himself IT was beliey
ed that even that was assumed
IL is human trait when people are
oenled a knowledge about other nor.
sons affairs to supply that knowledge
Dy inference Each person in penton
Vile who assumed reasons for Mr.
fartlngton's antecedents did so on his
or her account The women account
ed for his mysterious Appearance
among them on the ground of n love
AFFAIR. Some of them believed that hn
had been crossed in love, some that he
had Wronged some woman and was
hiding from the vengeance due him
The men favored theory that he had
married vixen and was hiding from
her or that he had interfered with
some mans domestic affairs and was
Keeping ont of the way Of the injured
husband.
The fitting up Of the mill and the
business matters connected with it
were also kept In the dark
All Of sudden Partington disappear
ed from Pentonvllle, and 1t was no
ticed that from the day Of his depnr
ture all work on his plant stopped.
The property was left In charge Of
one Daggett. Mr. Partington's right
hand man, who discharged every work
man, and solemn stiffness settled
down on what before was busy as a
10 Of, 4,
part Of inquirers for an explanation.
A few days after Partington's depar
ture handsomely dressed woman ap-
peared in Penlonvile and was driven
at once to the plant. There was blood
in her eye, but her lips We're drawn
tightly together as II she feared that
her ire might lead her to say something
it would not be well to reveal After
a long conference with Daggett she
was driven away, no one knew where.
and the theories of those who had
claimed that Darlington $ reticence was
occasloned by complications with a
woman seemed to have been confirmed.
That was the last live episode in the
Partington affair Daggett remained
awhile longer; then. turning the prop
erty over to Waterman, he too de
parted
One day the world was shocked by
the announcement that Austria had de-
clared war against Servia. and within
a short period there were more such
declarations A week after the first
Mr.. Partington suddenly appeared Ill
Pentonville, the work Of preparation
was recommended, and there was far
more CHATTER than there had been he
fore. There was now no secrecy with
regard to the plant, but every one con
nected with 1t was so busy that he
had no time to answer questions. lu-
deed. since 1t appeared that the prop
erfy was to be used for some kind OF
manufacture connected with the war
in Europe curiosity was alaycd
There were those who remembered
the woman who had come to Pent"n-
Vile Immediately after harrington ue-
parture and who claimed that, wheth-
err or not he had come to the place pm
marily on business, he had eertaihA
heen anxious to escape an angry WOlh-
an. These persons received cohhrlia-
tion of their theory on the reappear-
ance of the woman who had Deeii
there before. especially since she ar
rived at . p. m. and Partingtoh leI'
at 1.55. thus escaping her by only nNe
minutes.
Meanwhile men were working night
and day getting the plant ready TOT
nroduction. Then one day a commit
fee of citizens appeared at Mr. Parting
toms office and told him that 1t was
baing rumored that he was going 10
manufacture goods that would ehuah-
ger the lives OF the people and prop,
er,v Of the town. II so they deslred
RI enter a protest, wherefore Mr'
harrington announced 70 them INA
the nlant was 10 be powder mill
The main part Of the secret was ~
Mr. harrington having desired 70 man
rfacture an explosive in close pr'Aih-
itv 70 the Pentonyillians ana ied'ilH
thar If they knew what he was apou'
70 do they would endeav"r to stop INN
" W t ba1 Lebt his inten-