Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-06-07
MIR. Partington's $
Secret
By ESTHER VANDERVEER

One uay udn appeared at feuCOu-
vile, farming village, and opened
negotiations for -four mill and water
power that had long stood idle. He
was a melancholy looking man, never
smiling, never chatting familiarly with
those with whom he came in contact
and, above all, uncommunicative about
himself.
At first his reticence was not no
ticed, and no one cared who he was
or where he came from, but as soon
as 1t was observed that these facts
were not forthcoming every one be-
came curious about him. Many a
covert move was made to draw from
| him some information about b1mself,
but he parried them all so adroitly as
| not to give offense and so skillfully as
not to tell anything The only thing
| known about him was his name, Al
| bert Partington, and when 1t became
| known that he was holding back In
| formation about himself it was believ-
| ed that even that was assumed.
| It is q human trait when people are
| denied a knowledge about other per-
sons affairs to supply that knowledge
by inference. Each person In Penton-
Vile who assumed reasons for Mr..
| Partington's antecedents did so on his
| or her account. The women account
| ed for his mysterious appearance
among them on the ground Of love
affair. Some Of them believed that he
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 a vixen and was hiding from
her or that he had interfered with
some mans domestic affairs and was
keeping out of the way of the injured
husband.
The fitting up of the mill and the
business matters connected with 1t
were also kept in the dark.
All of sudden Partington disappear
ed from Pentonville and it was no
ticed that from the day Of his depar-
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 OH what before was busy as
beehive. He resisted all efforts on the
part Of inquirers for an explanation.
A few days after Partington's depar-
ture handsomely dressed woman ap-
peared in Pentonville and was driven
at once to the plant. There was blood /,
in her eye, but her lips were drawn
tightly together as if she feared that
her ire might lead her to say something
it would not be well to reveal. After
long conference with Daggett she
was driven away, no one knew where,
and the theories of those who had
claimed that Partington's reticence was
occasioned by complications with
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 watchman, he too de-
parted.
One day the world was shocked by
the announcement that Austria had de-
clared war against Servia, and within
short period there were more such
declarations. A week after the first
Mr.. Partington suddenly appeared in
Pentonville, the work Of preparation
was recommended, and there was far
more clatter than there had been be-
fore. There was now no secrecy with
regard to the plant, but every one con-
nected with it was so busy that he
had no time to answer questions. In
deed, since 1t appeared that the prop
erty was to be used for some kind of
manufacture connected with the war
In Europe curiosity was allayed.
There We're those who remembered
the woman who had come to Penton-
Vile Immediately after Partington's de-
parture and who claimed that. wheth-
er or not he had come to the place pri-
marlly on business, he had certainly
peeh anxious to escape an angry wom-
an. These persons received confrma-
tlon OF their theory on the reappear-
ance of the woman who had been
there before. especially since she ar
rived at p. m. and Partington left
at l:oo' thus escaping her by only five
minutes
'tooii " hlle men were working night
anu Gay getting the plant ready for
PRODUCTION Then one day commit
Tee OF citizens appeared at Mr.. Parting
TON office and told him that it was
peils rulnored that he was going to 4
manufacture goods that would endan-
ger the llves of the people and prop
eity OF the town. If so they desired
" enter protest wherefore Mr..
harrington announced to them that
'ne plant was to be powder mill
Inc main part of the secret was out,
MI harrington having desired to man.
uiaeture an explosive in close proxim- 4
Ivy TO the Pentonvillians and. fearing 4,
Ina. II they knew what he was about
~ uo they would endeavor to stop him
oy process Of law. had kept his inten-
Ion secret. COnSidorah hIo oopfto1 hod