Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-07


| saw him burning the letter and
envelope in the open fire in his
| study. There was aE informal re-
ceptIon that afternoon and a small
dinner party at night-they didn't go
| IN for society so much then. sir
but all day Mr.. Bernhard looked as
| though he was seeing ghosts"
| And when did the second letter
! come
| ION the tenth Of October. sir, as
| Mr.. Dunn says, and it was just the
same, only Miss Mildred being away
| at boarding school Mrs. Cayley made
a bit of a scene. IL you'n excuse me
| for saying SO. wanting to see the
letter and demanding to know what
| il was all about. Mr.. Bernhard got
| in a rage, the worst | ever knew him
| to have, and told her not to NEEDLE
| in MS affairs Or-Or she would re-
| gret il. don't know that Mrs.
| Caylcy would like me TO speak of il,
} especially now. sir, but you said she
; wanted me to tell all the TRUTH"
Henry paused, but the doctor reas-
! Sured him.
! That's right, Henry. Go on"
! Let me see. then. sir. That will
! be three years ago next October,
/ and the following New Years Day
| looked over the mail right care
fully, you may be sure, but
couldn't zee anything suspicious,
nor was there. The letter didn't
| come. All day I watched Mr.. Ben
| kard AID / noticed that Mrs. Cay
| ley did, too, and we've all three
| waited. but nothi"g happened. Miss
! Mildred didn't know anything about
| 1t, having forgotten what happened
! the previous year. of course. 1t
was the next day, when Mr.. Bernhard
came home from the office and |
| was helping him off with his coat,
| that | saw in his face he must have
| had the letter down town."
He did" Dunn affirmed. when
| ! reached the Office at my usual time
/ found him there before me, burn
| ing some papers in n big brass ash
| tray. and he was in towering fury.
That was the first | heard about the
letters. when lie burst out and told
me about the first two; he said
just what I've told YOU. doctor, no
more and no less. and he gave me
instructions then about the mail for
| the next October
Where was the fourth letter
scnt?"
ITO the house. sir, and the fifth,
too; In October, and then on New
Years. Day--that was two years ago
last New Years" Henry took up
the recital He bore it better. but
you could have seen it was wearing
him down, like Il man under SEN
tcncc. Mrs. cayley and me. we'd
never spoke of it, but there was a
kind of an understanding between
us and we could tell! Different kinds
of envelopes must have been used
each time, for | never knew which
to look for. and Mr.. BenllG rd always
burned them directly afterwald. My
memory isn't what it used to be. but
the next one must have gone to the
office"
lie looked at the secretary. who
nodded without speaking and Henry
went on:
'"The last to come to the house
was ON New Years Day n year ago.
and Mr.. BCnkard shut Himself up in
his study tor hours afterward. but
when he came out he was more like
his old self than lie had been for
days. You sec, sir. | could tell the
strain lie was under and how he'd
begin to wait when 1t ncarcd the
time for the date to come around.
| fancy Mr.. Dunn mus. have taken
notice of it. too"
Il did, of course. and although no
one else ut the Office had an linking
of the matter | think the whole
staff felt that something was in the
air at those times remarked Dunn
when the final letter came last
October | was relieved that he mere
~ laughed at it instead OF becom-
ing cnragcd. but he was unusually
thoughtful for days thereafter
absent minded. | might say. and his
keen business acumen seemed to slip
Il cog.
HE pulled himself together.
was plunging more actively into the
uarv.'
lie paused and the doctor OBJ
III no anonymous letter reached
him then. either a; home or his Of
iicc. it might have been sent to one
of his clubs"
Henry shook his head and Dunn
replied quickly:
1t wasn't. Doctor. because oil
that month he insisted on opening
and examining his own mail and
his business affairs went to pieces.
Every zeal he undertook fell through,
and it began TO he whispered about
that lie was losing his grip, breaking
up. They were all down on him then
like pack of wolves. but toward the
latter part of the month he began to
Change gradually, to come back, 1t
WAS as though Il burden We're slip
ping from him Il trihc more each
DAY. and on the first of February
he flung the whole heap of mail I'M
opened on my desk and said: Here.
Blll. heres Your old job back. My
anonymous friend has thrown up
the sponge" Since then Mr.. Benk-
ard has been Just as he was before
the first OF those letters came, and
lie not only made up for his Jan
gary losses. but he's pulled off some
OF the most sensationally successful
,oups of his career
HE was the same at home, sir"
Henry supplemented. From New
ears on he scarcely ate or slept and
every hour he WIS waiting, waiting,
Then little by little his old spirit
came back. and it's been as if those
letters was never written: But it
must have come at last. sir, the
thing he was waiting for, 1t must
have come last night"
The weak tears of age Sprang to
his eyes. and as he threatened to
collapse once more, DR.. Hood rose
hastily.
Come along. Henry. you'd better
so back and rest now. and try not
TO think about II, ''l'll give you a
! little something that'il help you to
sleep. Wait here until | get DOWN
stairs again. Mir. Dunn. and if any
one should happen to come in, don't
mention this conversation. You
understand. don't you?"
The secretary nodded. and the
! other two left the room while Geoff
| slipped from his hiding-place and
| through the outer door of the
| kitchen. which opened on a pergola
| beside the terrace. He'd had enough