Year: 1870

3
out other covering. In the early morning
she had fed. Had a cat or dog strayed
away, think it would have affected Eph-
rain Pennypacker as much. He asked nl
questions, ate, as usual, half of what was
on the table, and then went to his business
From that time forth no one mentioned
the name OF his daughter to him or in hi,
presence, and she remained as a thing thct
had never existed, save in the whispered
conversations of the clerks or in my
searches, which for months occupied al
my vacant time. they were wholly fruit
less, and, what was strange, seemed to
awaken the especial opposition of Johu
Barrett, who told me, when he found how
my time was disposed Of, that | might as
we'll desist, as | was only getting myself
into trouble; he even tried to abri|ge my
of-hours as much as possible And SO
went Lydia Pennypacker off the scene.


Once or twice after that | met Graham
in the street. He looked hard at me, but
there was no expression in his face as
though he mOurned the missing girl, and
so | was obliged to believe tha, there had
been nothing between them but fiirta-
ton. \ few weeks passed and | saw him
no more, and on inquiry learned that he
had received an engagement IN some South
American city, to which he had departed


| come now to the third incident, which
for a time puzzled me extremely, but
which can here be disposed OF quickly
One warm evening in the summer follow
ing the events already narrated, | was fol-
lowing out a rule had adopted of walk
ing, every evening | could get away from
my desk, at least five miles rapidly, as a
health preServative. On this particular
evening | had crossed the Schuylkill at
the Wire Bridge, and was trottinc away
under 2 bright moonlight, my back being
turned to the orb, when | saw a couple
coming toward me with the rays full in
their faces at glance | took in both
figures. The one was John Barrett, and
the other-good Heavens was the lady
of the forged cheque, changed as to the
style and every point of her dress, but the
same In every llneamcnt ana In the ex>
preston OF the face; for never could |
mistake that cold blue eye and stony look,
which made her in the moonlight seem
like an animated statue. | stared her full
in the face, but to this day | cannot tell
whether | stood still as they passed or
went on at my regular pace. remember
looking after them and noticing that John
never turned his head something told me
that he had not rrcog1 Zed me. By the
time had recovered my presence Of mind
they were cut OF sight, and as all my efforts
to trace them were in vain, | drew the
conclusion that my first supp0sition was
wrong, and that had been seen and pur>
posely avoided. The storm of conflicting
emotions in which [ went home that night
was terrible. Never before had any suS
pici0n OF John entered my mind but here
was real evidence, and the duty Of reveal
ing it seemed clear and unavoidable. We
had never been very friendly, but the daily
intercourse OF years had produced a certain
intimacy, and on my part at least feeling
of regard ard | was now in a state OF
agony. | walked the streets till the last
allowable hour, and when ! reached my
room found John already there. 1t was
plain from MS com posed, even cheerful
look, that had not been seen, but soon a
steady glance showed that he noticed
something in my face that differed from
his usual expression. | could sec the
change myself as | glanced AT the glass
AT last the question came from him:


"What is the matter 2


Il saw you this evening"


'Ah! did you? Why didn't you
speak? ?"


This staggered me little, Ger tkerc was
a pleasant smile upon his face.


You know the reason why


"Oh, you needn't have minded that.
| would have introduced you


Good Heavens! What did the man
mean? | only exclaimed,


introduced me


Yes. certainly! She's a very clever
girl. | III very fond OF her, and had | met
her few months sooner, there's no know
ing what might have happened. was
bringing her home from her brother 5,
where she had been spending the after
noon,


| echoed his words:


a clever girl -


Yes, very clever. What do you
mean?"


Mean Why, John, do you know with
whom you was walking, or do you think L
have forgotten herr"


"Forgotten her!' DO l know with
whom | was walkingI What the deuce
do you mean.


DO you talk to me in this way, know
ing that the woman you were walking with
is the one to whom you paid the forged
cheque?"


The smile went out Of his face now, but
his lip curled IN derision. | was getting
frightened. There was dead silence OF
some seconds. At last he spoke:


See here, Narrener! If / had ever
seen you drink, | should say you were
drunk. As it is, | can only believe you to
be laborius under some hallucination, tor
| know you would not dare to try such a
thing as this on me as joke.


was speechIess. He went on:


The young lady with whom you saw
me is of unimpeachable character. | new.
er met her until within few months, and
she no more looks like the woman who
brought that accursed cheque than she
looks lite you. Your madness and folly,
possibly, would lead you to repeat this tale
to others, anI in so doing, though you can
not permanently injure her or me, you
could revive the sorcst subject of my life,
and bring an estimabie girl into notorlety
and suspicion. TO avert all this, if you are
not too positively insane to see truth when
it is set before you, | will give you q
chance to meet me with the same lady. al
the same place and same hour, TO morrow
evening; speak to her and satisfy your
self of your delusion. In the meantime,
let ne advise you to sleep off the wild All
your countenance wears. 1t won't look
we'll in the Office tomorrow. Go3G