Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-25

I ribbon about her waist Beneath the
! steady gaze of her eyes GeoR weak
! ened still more, but he fioundered on
| with respectful but dogseo
earnestness.
"Yes, ma'am. 1 was told the lady
I'm lookin' for mightn't care to hear
/ his. name mentioned, but-but L
| gotta find out IL you're the right one.
| Pm speakin' O. a Mr.. Lawrence Shlr-
| ley"
/ He could see the slender shoulders
| beneath the thin white culver as
!: though a lash had been laid across
| them. She drew herself up slowly.
tey small head with its ashen hair
held high.
Won't you come into the house,
| The gentle, liquid tones trembled
| little. Il think am the lady you
have been looking for"
| Miss Beverley led the way up the
| path, and he followed. maryeling.
| Her face was soft and sweet and
human, not proud and disdained as
| William Dunn had said. If she had
ever been beautiful. her looks must
| have faded like an old picture. mel
| lowing into delicate tones. She had
| remained Miss Katherine all these
! years: was it because of young
| Shirley? Had she cared for him,
htoo? If so, what was the cloud be-
| tween them that Dunn had mention
ed?
With involuntary professional in
terest Geoff cast a quick glance over
| the house, and then followed his
hostess up the broad. shallow steps
| of the porch. 1t was mighty old
place and needed paint worse than
any he had seen in a long time; the
porch roof sagged, too, the boards Of
the steps were loose and the Intel
was worn down. Inside the big
square entrance hall Geoff saw
further evidences of despair. But
only when Miss Beverley led him into
4 long, dim parlor and motioned to
one of the ragile-looking, S pindle-
legged chairs did he recall what Will
liam Dunn had said about her family
meeting with reverses. Actual
those curtains. Immediately fresh
but mended till the original pattern
of the lace could scarcely be dis
cerned and for the furniture set
every which way to hide the I'M
patchabl holes in the threadbare
medallion carpet.
Miss Beverley touched a silver bell
on quaint little table beside her,
and then turned to him, smiling
family.
Il knew a gentleman of the same
name as that you have just men,
toned, but he died up North ten
years ago. None of his family are
left here now-but your message
MY names Godfrey Peters.
ma'am, but | don't matter. I've
come from Il friend O Mr.. Shirley's
in New York; bout the closest
friend he had there. I reckon, and
the only one he ever spoke to bout
bout what he'd planned for the
Not the gentleman in whose
Rome he died that New Years Day."
Her voice was vibrant with pain.
NO, ma'am. he's dead, too; only
last week, twas. The friend I'm
speakin' O. is u Mr.. William Dunn
who had rooms just across from Mr.
Shirley's the last year O. his life
Likely he mentioned him if he wrote
to you, but | s'pose you wouldn't
recollect after all this time-?"
Il remember every word he ever
wrote to me-" she replied simply.
He spoke often of his neighbor.
Mr.. Dunn-And you say the other is
dead. that Mr.. Benkard?"
"Iess, ma'am. Mr.. Dunn and me-
we got to talkin' bout him and Mr..
Shirley, and it come up what Mr..
Shirley had said bout you. Mr..
Dunn thought you'd ought to know
1t and-and Somethin' else, too, and
| told him that bein' as 1 was COM
In down this way I'd mebbe drop in
and tell you Tiff you felt like hear
in it," Geoff hesitated First. I'll
| have to ask you question. though.
know nd xr,14 hT,,
ley died, ma'am, but did you hear
tell how twas, and why?"
Bravely she faced the issue.
Yes. Mr.. Peters. | heard that he
killed himself because he had stolen
great deal of money from people
who trusted him. people he worked
for. | even had the New York CITY
papers sent for-I have them vet
and | read every word, but / do not
believe it. | have never believed it
for one instant Of these ten years
| cannot. Some dreadful mista ke
has been made?"
a mistake, ma'anr,-" Geoff eyed
Fer wondcringly, but at that mo-
lnent dccrepit old manservant en-
tered the room bearing Il tray. His
brown face was as scanned as n
withered apple and his woolly head
almost white, but he bowed with
vast dignity rs he set the tray on
the little table and poured two
glasses of a frosted fruit drink from
tall. slender pitcher One of these
he placed at Geoff's elbow, bowed
once more and retired.
Miss Beverley waited until the door
had closed behind him and his shut
Ting footsteps died away down the
nan toward the rear. Then she
turned again to her guest.
Knew Lawrence Shirley not
only as woman knows the man she
loves and--and means to marry. but
We were boy and girl together MIR.
refers. We grew up in the intimate
daily companionship of a small town
ike Ours here where only a
rev families associate with each
other. His character was an open
book to me and 1 know that
he could not have done this
thing. Reckless, and daring, and
night spirited, he was never n thief
a coward. Il he killed himself he
must have been out of his mind
irom b.ooding over the unjust, mis-
taken accusation which was about
10 be made against him. I know
that lie was Innocent"
aeiore her simple. steadfast faith
IeoT feit a wave of emotion stir him
wnich was foreign to his practical.
phlegmatic nature. The Adams ap-
pc in. his Crawny neck bobbed
violently as he swallowed once or
twice in the silence that followed.
At last he found his voice.
Yes. maam. Reckon that's what
Mr. Dunn and few more O. his
friends think. Not that he was out
o his head I don't mean. but that
there was a kind O. mistake made