The Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1927-1930, 1928-04-19
Cupid and the
Gossip
G&&&&%
BY II. IRVING KING
(Copyright.)

MYSTERY has a fascination for all
4VA normal people-male or female
Some of the males of the species pre-
tend not to be Intrigued" by mystery
but such people are promising candi-
dates for the Annanils club Anyway,
Gilbert Mar in was a mystery. He
had arrived in Forestdale, town of
about five thousand inhabitants-put
up at the best and only real hotel of
the town; had stayed there for three
weeks and had spoken to the hotel
clerk only when he registered, the
walters only when he ordered his
meals, and to the other guests of the
hotel not at all. All the luggage he
had brought with him was a suitcase
and a small trunk-a steamer trunk
apparently.
His case was discussed in full as
sembly in the hotel lobby. Sam Jur
gerson, the town gossip, decided that
the stranger was crook. Sam was
always of suspicious nature.
Once he had met the minister of
the First Baptist church making his
rheumatic way home alone at eleven
O'Clock at night, having just come
from seeing one Of his parishioners
who had become obsessed with the
q idea that he was about to die and
would like to see the minister before
he did so. Sam saw the minister
hobbling home and asked him: "Elder,
what are you doing out here so late at
night?" and the minister replied:
Gathering them in, gathering them
in," and passed on.
Sam was not much of sleuth by
nature, simply a gossip, but under
the stress of circumstances a man can
become almost anything-a bum or a
hero-capture machine gun nest
single handed or ask the casual pass
erby for beef and mustard" There
are limitless possibilities to the "pres
sure of circumstances"
Gilbert kept pretty close to the no
tel, going out twice a day for const
tutional walks but walking nowhere
in particular and speaking to no one
as Sam, who always trailed him on
these health exercises, found out. No
letters came for him and he sent none.
1t was springtime and the wealthy
people of the town who had flown
away for the winter months were be-
ginning to fly back again and open
the big houses on the HILL This was
SANS harvest time, for he had for
years acted as general handy man
about the estate of Col. Mathew Oak.
ley. The colonel regarded Sam as a
character and used to like to hear
him reel off the town gossip. While
affecting a stern and uncompromising
manner, the colonel was, In reality, a
rather weak man and secretly fond of
gossip himself. Like all weak men, he
was obstinate and called his obstinacy
firmness.
The colonels only child, his daugh-
ter Eleanor, was something like her
father in this respect-she was obsti-
nate Just order her to do something
and she wouldn't do it. Otherwise
she was as near perfect as they make
'em. And wher it came to looks she
was dream.
"Well, Sam, what's the news?' asked
the colonel when his faithful bench
man showed up at the Elms-the
name of the colonel's place.
"Oh, nothing very alarming" re-
piled Sam, except that there's fell
low stopping down at the hotel who
is mystery. Nobody knows what
. he's here for. My idea is that he's
the head of smuggling gang. There
was schooner caught down the bay
last week with two hundred mystic
rious packages on board, and if this
Gilbert Martin amt"
''Whatv cried the colonel colbert
e Martin? Eleanor, do you hear that?"
81 hear" replied Eleanor. Suppose
you dismiss Sam now and we will
er-confer."
"Father," said Eleanor when Sam
had disappeared, what does this
mean? Did you arrange for Gilbert
Martin to be here when we returned?'
mo. I didn't" snapped the colonel.
!"If he's here he's here on his own
hook. When we were in Rome this
winter I ordered you to marry Gil
bertrand you refused. That ended il
as far as I was concerned. You never
do anything I tell you to, anyway"
Eleanor was meditative. "WelI,"
she said at length, colbert seemed to
be so sure that would say yes-and
then you went and actually ordered
me to marry him. And l won't be
bossed about"
And here, greatly to the trepidation
of the, colonel, she began to cry. For
Eleanor was woman and human
after all.
The colonel fidgeted. "What was
the last thing you said to him?" he
asked.
81 said that when / wanted to see
him again | would let him know re-
piled Eleanor drying her tears.
SWELL" said the colonel you see
he has got here before us and placed
himself right handy in case you should
want to see him again. Sam" he cried,
going to a window which opened on