Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-15
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ture. He walks up Viking Square
where he sees an elderly English
parlormaid standing on the steps OF
q house. When the maid sees him
she jumps down the steps and with
"Oh. Mr.. Charlie. you've come at
last" The novelist allows himself
to be led into the house in which he
finds costly furnishings.
An elderly man In evening dress
as Charlie" He gets the impress:
sion that both the man and the maid
know he is not their man. The
elderly man informs him that his
aunt Is very i'll and is waiting for
him. The novelist tells the maid
they think he is but offers to play
his part in whatever drama they
have for him.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
'Of course you can" I went on In
q reasonable voice. Can't you see
that I am rather an adventurer? If
I weren't, should I have taken the
risk of entering alone and unarmed
a strange house? When your maid
called me Charlie, shouldn't have
told her she'd made a mistake and
gone on? Come, tell me what this is
about, and I'll help you If can"
Then. after a hesitation. twinkle
came into the old mans eyes: "All
right. I will. Though 1t would have
been better IL you'd said nothing. It
would have been more adventurous. ]"
IF I'd said nothing" l replied. II
should have known less than I'm
going to know now. and the adven-
ture would have been less worth
while Now Mr.. Smith. shall
we say, tell me what you want me to
do"
. After a pause. he began. first en-
barrassed, then fluent: Look here,
l hope you won't think this very un-
conventional. but 1t simply couldn't
be helped. The situation is this: My
sister. who Is supposed to be your
aunt, is lying upstairs very, very i'll
indeed. She is older than l am, over
seventy. and has been in delicate
health for some time. Unfortunately.
this afternoon, as she was coming
downstairs. she slipped. and she has
broken two ribs. The doctor has
been twice and will be coming again
q little later on, think. But he says
that at her age it's practically hope
less, that she can't live"
YES" said, II see. But why do
you :"
well :" he seemed a little
embarrassed, cts like this. She's
very weak because she's lost a lot of
blood; you see, I forgot to tell you
that in falling she also got a deep
cut across the forehead, just over the
eyes. Now. you see, now you see."
he went on excitedly. that's what
makes it possible"
Makes what possible?" l asked in
a puzzled tone.
'Of course. hadn't told you. I'm
sorry, but my brains rather mud.
died. What is the matter is that
she is asking for my boy Charlie.
He's always been her favorite. You
see, she never married, so he's been
like son to her. And she wants
awfully badly to say goodby to him
before she dies"
"Oh! ! understand. So that's
why :"
Yes, OF course. ! do hope youll
excuse this, but / told Pomfret to
stop any young man she met. a
young man whose voice would be
well. the kind Of voice she'd
expect to hear" He stopped, pant
ing. his excitement making him
speeches..
"All right" I said. What you
want me to do is to see her and i'm
personate Mr.. Charlie. I'm willing
to make her happy. poor old lady.
But. by the way. she'll know me-"
mo. Of course, she won't. Didn't
/ tell you, owing to that cut in the