Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-08-03
Hr. PartingtOn's Secret
By ESTER YANDERYEER

V - opened negotiations for q -four
mill and water power that had
long stood idle He was melancholy
looking man. never smiling, never
chatting Familiarity with those with
whom he came in contact and, above
all, uncommunicatiye 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 it was observed that these facts
were not forthcoming every one be-
came curious about him. Many a
covert move was made 10 draw from
him some information about himself,
but he parted 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 Darlington. and when it became
known that he WAS holding back in
formation about himself it was believ
ed that even that was assumed.
1t is a 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 a 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 a 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 it
were also kept in the dark
All of sudden Darlington disappear
ed from Pentonyille. 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 on 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 Il handsomely dressed woman ap-
peared in Pentonyille and was driven
ut 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
a 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 n
woman seemed to have been confirmed.
That was the last live episode in the
Darlington affair. Daggett remained
awhile longer; then. turning the prop
erty over to a Waterman, he too de-
| parted.
One day the world was shocked by
! the announcement that Austria had de
| elared war against Seryia. and within
| a short period there were more such
declarations. a week after the first
Mr. Darlington suddenly appeared in
Pentonville, the work of preparation
/ W DIS IttOD1lllSllftu, anu there VAS ldI
more clatter than there had been be-
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. In
deed, since 1t appeared that the prop
erty was to be used for some kind of
manufacture connected with the war
| In ~ oil
| There were 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-
marily on business, he had certainly
| been anxious to escape an angry wom-
an. These persons received confrma-
ton of their theory on the reappear-
ance of the woman who had been
there before, especially since she ar
rived at p. m. and Darlington left
at 1:55. thus escaping her by only FIVE
minutes.
! Meanwhile men were working night
and day getting the plant ready for
| production. Then one day q commit
| tee of citizens appeared at Mr.. Parting
toms Office and told him that it was
being rumored that he was going to
manufacture goods that would endan-
ger the lives OF the people and prop
erty of the town. II so they desired
/ to enter a protest, wherefore Mr.
/ Darlington announced to them that
the plant was to be a powder mill.
The main part of the secret was out
/ Mr.. Darlington having desired to man.
ufacture an explosive in close proxim-
| ity to the Pentonvillians and, fearing
| that If they knew what he was about
to do they would endeavor to stop him
| by process of law, had kept his inten-
! ton secret. Considerable capital had
been subscribed by a rich widow.
Darlington was disappointed In not
getting all the money he required to
start his works and was compelled to
/ eucppud nraparafions Tho uomon