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

station. and systematically marked
out a route Tor himself along the
main line OF the railroad upon
which he had elected to travel 20
| Virginia Of the smaller cities and
towns whose names even remotely
lesembied those suggested to him.
But he was beg.nnin To realize
that lie had embarked upon q
venture OF greater magnitude thar he
lad; stopped TO consider. Every
| where ne met with an old time
courtesy vastly different from the
matter of-fact indifference or sus-
pieion which his inquiries would
! nave ELECTED IN his native town, had
;.e come there a stranger.
Yet there was something battling
! about 1t. and more than once his
blunt questions had died On his
| tongue. No one in any town he
! visited appeared 10 have heard of q
"snirIey' IL their immediate vicinity.
| but they were voluble with sugges-
tons as To where they might be
| found elsewhere, and he was slowly
! becoming discouraged.
! Neither the clerk in the hotel nor
| the kinky white headed old waiter
! who served him in the dining room
had known OF any Shirleys in this
| community. either: but Geoff decid-
! cd to explore farther before taking
| the late afternoon train on TO
! Bainsford, the next stop on his
route. He sauntered on leisurely up
the street, deep in reflection.
! 1t was funny how the towns in
! these here parts were all called after
somebody instead OF like F'airhaven
/! or Belle Point or some such fancy
| name. Take this place, Beverleys-
| burg, now; it had an awkward kind
| of sound. but some fellow named
| Beverley must have settled here
| with his family long ago before con-
crete and stucco and open plumbing
| were heard OF. He built up what
| maybe looked like wide-awake,
| hustling community To him, and the
| folks that came after figured that it
| was, too, and called II his burg"
If any OF this problematical Bever-
ley's family still lived here, they
| could tell him quicker than scat
whether Lawrence Shirley or his
| folks had ever been heard Of around
| the neighborhood. On Il sudden inn
pulse. Geoff stopped q tall. distin-
guished BLOCKING old gentleman in i
| broad brlmmed straw hat and linen
suit, who was passing with the
courtly, grave nod which seemed to
be accorded all strangers, even if
they were just carpenters back
home.
Excuse me, sir, but mebbe YOU
could tell Inc IL there's a Beverley
| family stll livin' here Geoff re-
| moved his hat and smiled in the
deferential yet confidential friendly
fashion which lent a sort of charm
to even his homely countenance.
There Is no family left, sub, ex-
cept Miss Katherine. She lives
alone in the mansion up yonder." the
old gentleman responded after a
moments pause. Geoff was slightly
disconnected. He didn't know how
. TO approach any strange, possibly
formidable old ladies-Katherine
The name William Dunn had re-
nembered. The same name as that
of the girl young Shirley had hoped
to marry! Geotf did moments
lightning calculating. and then asked
with an added note Of respect in
his tone:
rs this lady-young. sir? l have
| message for IL Miss katherine
Beverley. but she would only be
round thirty to thirty five, tall and
blond. | was give description o
her because there was u mistake
| made in the name o the town, and
pcch tiylh soiile iittle I'm 10 iocate
her"
The old gentleman paused longer
now.
Miss Katherine is within the age
YOU mention. sub, but her hair has
not been blond for several years"
DO you know-coud you tell me
sir, If there was another family
named Shirley that lived here
once? Geoff stammered. I'D
know then ii twas the lady I'm
lookin' for. because the message
concerns them
The old gentleman drew himself
! up suddenly and glared.
Then | should advise you, sub,
! not 10 deliver it,"
He bowed and strobe off down the
, street with an air of offended dignity
But Geoff had learned what he
wanted and he started for the great
white house ON the corner which his
informant had indicated with a sort
! OF desperate courage. He hadn't
come all this way for nothing, and no
proud disdainfui Southern beauty
/ was going to freeze him till he'd
found out all he could about
! Lawrence Shirley. II she should by
! miracle happen to be the katherine
that unfortunate young man cared
! for.
The house with its broad. high
pillarod porch YVES set well back
from the street Ill u tangled. old
fashioned garden ablaze with flowers.
AS GeoH opened The gate and walked
UP the path. lie saw q slender, gray.
haired, elderly woman IN n plain
white gown standing by u blossom
ins hedge with a pruning shears in
aer hand. Tie old gentleman Lad
sad that Miss katherine lived alone,
so Geoff approached her with a
feeling of relief. albeit with his
most deterential mir. Folks were so
tcggone polite down in these parts
that it ditn't pay TO take chances.
GOOD afternoon. ma'am.' Re be
gan. onTe more sweeping OF the
nicNed straw nat. Il was told Miss
Katherine Beverley lived here. and
; got message for her. Could you
,ell me II she's TO home?"
II am Miss Beverley" A clear
gentle voice like soft-fallinS water
replied 10 him, ami he saw all at
| once that the woman wasn't elderly
at all. Not q line married the
smooth wilderness of her skin, and
Ter eyes were brightly blue beneath
the incongruous fun OF misty, gray
hair.
He felt n sudden sensation Of
panic and bowed again to cover lis
| confusion. He was feaZed at the
start, but not in the manner which
he had anticipated. Surely this
could not he the right Katherine ;
Yet the old gentleman had certainly
, recognized the name OF Shirley and
| warned him not to come TO her with
! message concerning the family
who bore IL,
Excuse me. Miss Beverley. I've
| travelled long ways to see n lady
! o. your name and the message I'm