2
NNNE____ BISSELL
By AUGUSTA ”LABNED
She found her math or sitting in the arm-
chair bolt uproght.
Anne was obliged to help get the din-
ner, to burn her pretty cheeks over the ,
cook stove, and blacken her white hands
with dishwashing. Miss Carver came
to tile kitchen as often as possible to see
the auburn ‘h‘aired princess in her fallen
state. Anne turned her back on her 3
brusquely, for she disliked dishwashing,
and greasy pots and kettles filled her soul ‘
with abhorrence. It was painful to be
....exulted over by her enemy, who, in her -
hypocritical voice, assumed that Anne
was very fortunate to have the oppor-
tunity to learn housework, which, in her
position in life, would prove useful.
There was no time now for piano prac;
tice or those little skirmishes of pleas-
antry in which Anne and the doctor had ; means. He told me so himself. I have
She could not %
been wont to indulge.
even snatch a moment of time to regale
l
his horse, Bucksln'n, with lumps of sugar. I
The doctor made excuses for frequent '
visits to the kitchen, and came to the :
conclusion that Anne was prettier there . .
' . . . , thm answer. You are to. do exactl as
than when they were smgmg the”. songs i I sag:s You must keep him on here, End
HIS Cm- : act as if nothing had happened, and I’ll'
together in the little parlor.
,derella needed no fairy godmother to
heighten her charms.
Miss Carver had now great budgets of
news to carry to the Widow Harkaway.
The two dear friends spotted rather
more than usual, as the widow had .
made up her mind that the doctor had
taken the money, and could not be moved 'i I. “But suppose I should speak to him
i and he should try to lie out Of it?” asked
from her intrenched position. The doc-
tor knew that the part he had assumed
in the matter was telling against him in
the town. His zeal in what Was con-
sidered a wrong direction had led the ‘
Irish to include him in the general boy-
cott against the Bissell family. and had
stirred up some prejudice in other quar-
ters, but when he looked at Anne he felt
he would have imperiled his position five
times over for her sake.
One August afternoon a telegram came
to the doctor summoning him to a friend
suddenly taken ill in a city hotel. There
was just time to catch" the train, with
hardly a minute to spare, but as he was
rushing out of the door, bag in hand, he
remembered something left undone and
turned back to the parlor, where his
landlady was sitting. “By the way,
Mrs. Bissell, here is my board for the
Week,” and he placed a folded bill in her,
hand, then turned and again dashed
away. When Anne came to the room a
few minutes later she found her mother
sitting in the armchair bolt. upright,
quite stiff and rigid, as if stricken with
paralysis. Her brows were knit, ber
. white lips pinched together, and she sat
gazing .8tupidly before her, with the bill
the doctor had given her tightly clinched
in her hand. -
“Mother! motherl” cried Anne, “is it
that bad stitch in your side?” and the
girl stood panic stricken gazing at her
mother’ 8 white face.
“Oh, Anne! what a blow this will be
to you!” and she mechanically held out
the bill.
Anne took it and turned it over in her
hand.
“Don’t you see?” said Mrs. Bissell 1n
an agitated whisper. “He was in a great
hurry to .catch the 2:40 train, and he
this bill out of his pocket hurried-
ly and thrust it into my hand for board
mane .”
The color had left Anne’s face. She
brought the bill close to her eyes and
examined it all over, and' in one corner
she detected a faint’oapital B with a lit-
fle cross in blue ink' close beside . it.
'Don’t you see fit, Anne?” she. asked
.feebly, rocking back and forth with her
apron to her eyes. “AndIhadgrown
mattechtohim, almostas if hewas
oneof ourownfolh. Iwesso gladto
invevhim here, a'n'd'now it seeins as
though my heart would break.”
It was nowAnne’s turntosink down
on the sofa trembling and white as
chalk.
you think Zhe robbed you? You would
not dare tO'Say it,” and the color rushed
gain: in an impetuous flood Ito Anne’s
“I don’t know what to think, Anne.
I’m completely stunned. He might have
been up. You know he told ushow p001-
he was when-he was trying to. get up a
practice at Kettletas. Perhaps it was a
sudden temptation, and he thought he
could put the money back before I
. should discover the lam. You know
some folks thought it was queer he
should take such an interest in trying to
catch the thief, and his efiorts have
come to just nothing at all. It might
have been done to cover up.”
“Only such town gassips as Miss Car-
for and Widow Harkaway ever sus-
’ pected any wrong motive on his part.
Why, he was just goodness itself. Moth-
er Bison, and you know he was, and
now you are turning t him.”
“I don’t behave you would think he
ooulddoanywrong if you sawhim in
the act,” returned Mrs. Bissell with
mild asperity.
“I refuse to believe this, mother, for
itis unreasonable and impossible,” and
Anne boldly put on an air of- perfect as-
1 time.
5 on a visit to Uncle Hiram, at Bell’s
.“You don’t mean, mother, that '
su'ranoe. “He has received this horrid
bill in change somewhere and hasn’t
looked at it.
, tude of ‘afiuirs.
.Do you think he would” in- l :6 doctor was a thief. and that the 'BiS—
. happened ”
WEEKLY - NORWALK - GAZ ETTE.
|
cnmmatelnmself if hewa‘sathief and
had robbed the bureau drawer?” I»...
’1; seem like it, Anne,” said Mrs;
B188911 gluomily, sinking her chin into
the hollow of her hand. “But a body
never knows what folks will do when
they think themselves safe from getting
found out, and he came to us a perfect
stranger, and we did take up with him
and trust him to beat all. It all comes
back to me now as clear as daylight. He
was up chamber a good while that day
gran’ther was sick, and the old man is
. most blind anyway and in a doze. He
wouldn’t have noticed what the doctor
was doing there round the bureau.”
“Don’t talk that way,” cried Anne,
getting up with fury and flinging. herself
round the room.
I tell you he’ s a gentleman. and I’ll stake
my life on his honesty.” ’
“Now, Anne, you needn’t go into hys-
terics. Didn’t he say he was poor that
day he came, that he was starved out of
Kettletas? I forgot all about it when I
saw his nice oflice furniture, and the
horse and carriage that cost him over
three hundred dollars. Mebbe he was
wee tempted and fell for the first time,
and as for his giving me the bill, it was
all a mistake. 'He’ Wasin a hurry and
forgot himself and'pulled’out the wrong
one. I can’t keep him here any longer,
Anne. I don’t know how to treat him
or even how to look him in the face. I
must make some excuse to get him out
of the house.”
Anne felt it was time to clap on the
screws, and exercise the full force of her
daughterly authority. ."You. won’t do
any such thing, Mother Bissell. You
don’t mean to ruin his prospects for life.
You don’t want old Carver and the.
Widow Harkaway to trumpet this little
1
“It’s vulgar and low. -
thing from one end of Littlefield‘ to the-
other. ,All- that talk about his being
starved out of Kettletas was a joke. His
mother is traveling in Europe and has
drawn the hundred dollars saved from
my school teachings out Of the bank, and
you are to pay it on the mortgage. I put
it by to get a new cloak and furs next
winter, but now I shall- make' the old
pledge my life he will clear himself in
I shall start to-morrow morning
Cove, and if he doesn’t clear himself and
come out bright and shining like the
sun, I will never come back to Little-
field so long as he stays' 1n town.”
Mrs. Bissell, now submissive to her girl’s
will. “Oh, dear, Idid like him so much.
Q I trusted him asif he had been my son.
and, Anne, I am so sorry for you.’
Anne did not ask why her mother was -
- sorry for her, but she intensified her
'autocratic'tone, knowing that she was
well under her thumb. “You must not
think of speaking to him, mother. You
must treat Spehim exactly as if- nothing had
CHAPTER v1.»
“ley’ec caught the thief who stole your
money.
Anne went otf in a hurry by rail next
morning, about an hour, before Dr. Tib-
bets came home from the city to find
her gone. The house seemed strangely
cold and empty and unge'nial, and he
was glad to be called away to a scarlet
fever case at Deadman’s Hollow.- At
tea Mrs. Bissell seemed to have changed
into a petrifaction of her former self,
the Holines family had crept back into
their inexpressive, flat featured shells,
”and Miss Carver was furtively watch-
ing the scene and drawing her own con.
vclusions about Anne’s sudden flight.
Evidently the Bissells had discovered
something unfavorable to their paragon.
Shecommunicated her suspicions to the
Widow, Harkaway, and they waited im-
patiently for an explosion that did not
come. There were no more jokes at
table about the doctor's growing prac-
tice, no more fun or life or actiVe sym-
pathy. Without Anne’s girlish laughter
and bright presence the house had sud-
denly turned into a vault. ‘
The change in Mrs. Bissell struck cold
on the doctor’ s heart. He suspected that
she blamed him for not having traced
the stolen money or captured the thief.
and speculated as to what further steps
he could take to show his zeal. He was
under a cloud, and he fell into the way
of entering'and leaving the house stealth-
ily, shutting - himself in his office and
smoking more cigars than were good for
him. He watched the smoke wreathe
up about his head by the hour and Anne’ 8
face appear and vanish away, and his
blues grew daily of a deeper indigo hue.
He noticed as a significant sign that the
floral offerings that once adorned his
oflice table had cease-l to appear. Once
he thought seriously of asking Mrs. Bis-
:sell what he had done to forfeit her es-
teem, and then his pride rebelled, and
he concluded to fall into the business at-
titude of'b'Oarder aud landlady. He did.
not even dare "to: inquire after Anne 01'
when she was coming home. for all. his
questions were met with polite but frigid
discouragement.
He could see that Mrs. Bissell suflered-
silently, but. the loss of her interest
money, the. shiftlcssness of Bissell and.
the worries of poor help were sufficient-
to account for her. low spirits. Only
Miss Carver throve in the changed atti-
S‘:1e now firmly believed
I
ammo were bushing matters up; but
shewaswilling toindulge' in scientific.
conversation even with. a man of his
suspicious character. now that she had
the field an to herself, and Anne’s irrié
toting beauty was no longer beaming on
the opposite side of the table. In spite
of her belief in his turpitude she was
half disposed to go over to the little pill
theory, for the doctor was very generous
in his medical opinions he gave gratis on
her pet diseases. Miss Carver had tried
her best to fathom the mystery of Anne’s
absence and Mrs. Bissell’s freezing up
toward the doctor. but without very
brilliant success.
“They’ve found out something pretty
black about him, you may be sure,” she
said .to the widow, “for I never saw a
girl make a bolder push than she did
afterthat man. and they were all just
ready to eat him up.”
A month had gone by and Mrs. Bis-
sell showed no sign of relenting toward
the young doctor. She was more and
more polite and - formal and ceremo-
nious, and it occurred to her that‘ he
would soon be looking out for a fashion-
able boarding plaoe, where the climate
was more salubrious, for the spread of
scarlet fever in Deadman’s Hollow had
given him plenty of hard work, and it
was no uncommon thing to have the
door bell broken twice a week by the m-
sistency of night messengers. One au-
tumn evening she was sitting in her own
room with a great pile of stockings be-
fore her. fresh from the wash and await-
ing the darning needle, when the doctor
burst in without stoppingto knock. He
held a longofiicial looking document in
his hand, and his face was flushed with
eager. happy excitement.
“Excuse me. Mrs. Bissell. for forget-
ting my manners. l hurried in to tell
you that l have just had great news
from the Boston chief of police. They’ve
caught the thief that stole your money,
and got back all those marked bills but
one that has mysteriously. disappeared.
But it is sure to come to light in time.”
“What do you say?” Mrs. Bissell aSked
sharply, clutching the arm of her chair
and looking up bewildered through her
glasses.
“They’ve caught the thief,” said he,
raising his voice with the impression
that she had suddenly gone deaf. “He
was an old state prison bird,” who had
just been discharged from the peniten-
tiary. He pretended to be a plumber
and roofer by trade, and was engaged
here with Fraser early in one summer.
He intended, 'it seems,'to clean out Lit-
tlefield, but got scared after he; had
robbed you and left town suddenly.”
"Why, that’s the very man that 'pre-
tended to mend my roof!” cried Mrs.
Bissell.
“Yes," said the doctor, smiling, “and
it seems the fellow took the opportunity
to go through your bureau drawers.’
A hot flush burned on Mrs. Bissell’s
thin cheek, and she put her hand before
her eyes for very shame. “Oh, doctor,”
she cried in a stifled, choked voice,
broken with sobs, “I ought to gogdown
on my knees and humbly beg you? par-
'don.’
The doctor looked startled and mys-
‘I tified.
“What in the world do you mean.
' Mrs. Bissell?”
She rose slowly and tottered to her
closet, and unlocked a little writing
: desk on the lewer shelf and took out the
ten dollar bill. and came shamefaced
‘ and trembling and laid it on the doc-
; her ears.
I with a little cross in blue ink.
’ prise.
tor’ s knee. He took it up, scrutinized it
. all over, as Anne had done, and discov-
ered in one corner the faint letter B,
‘Why, ”
said he, astonished, “this is the missing
bill. How did you come by it. Mrs. Bis-
sell'."
gray hair, and tinged even the tips of
“Don’t you know, Dr. Tibbets,
you gave it to me for board," she said
slowly. “I gave it to you’ He ran his
hands through his light locks and sat
dumb for a moment, stricken with sur-
Then a light broke in on him. “I
see now,” he exclaimed. "It was that
scoundrel Doyle, whose thief-’8 name is
Shifty Mike. He called me in that night
for the baby, the first night call I had' In
Littlefield. I see now it was all a trick
to pass this bill 012 on me and save him- _
self from suspicion, for there really
wasn’t anything serious the matter with
the child. When he offered to pay me I
remember at first I thought I could not
make change for so large a bill, but
finally I did. manage, and then I stufied
it into my pocket. and thought no more
about it—never looked at it, in fact,'un-
til that day I gave it to you.” .
Mrs. Bissell did not look _.up Her face
was still scarlet, and she was trembling
' like a leaf. The doctor rubbed his fore-
head, still perplexed. “It has just oc-
curred to me,” he said, smiling a little
wistfully, “that you might have thought
-—but no, you did not think I was a
thief; ” his frank, sunny smile broke out
all over his face: “the thing is too ab-
surd. Yen oculdn’ t Suppose that I had
sneaked up there into the attic and taken
your money out of the bureau draWer?’
The poor woman looked so dmtremed
he wanted to spare her. “And Miss
Anne," he stammered, “did Miss Anne
-:—could MissAnne really think I had
stolen?” Tue words choked him and he
stopped short.
“No, no." protested Mrs. Bissell,
stretching out her hands. “She could
’ never think anything to your injury.
She believed y on were a perfect gentle-
man, and as honest and true as the sun. .
She said she would stake her life on it,
and she got down on her knees and made
me promise I would never let you know,
would never breathe a word to, harm
you in this town. She knew if it ones
got wind such as she,” motioning tOWard
Miss Carver‘s room, “would soon tear
your reputation piecemeal. She said
she’d go away and not come back until
you were cleared, as she knew you
w0uld be' 1n some way, and the poor girl
has been sick waiting, but she never lost
faith. " Mrs. Bissell paused, and then
went on in a low. broken voice, “I" was
to blame. doctor, and I. ask you to fer-
give me. though I don’t know as you
ever can, and now I guess I must go and
telegraph to Anne to come right home,”
and she rose from her chair
The color flooded his landlady’s thin
' brown face away up to the roots of her
, “No.”-said the doctor, quite pale, and
putting his hand on her arm. “Let me
go to Bell’s Cove. I have 80m to
say to Anne. If we come bacEtogether
to-morrdw afternoon we shall 'come‘ back
4 pledged to. each other for life.”
“Oh, doctor!” and Mrs. Bissell began
to cry. “I always did say you were the
only young man I ever should care to
have for a son. But we are poor, hum-
ble folks, though” I will say it for Anne,
she s a good gir.
The doctor and Anne came home to-
gether the next day, and now. Dr..Tib-
bets has the largest practice in Little-
field. He has paid OE the mortgage on
the Bissell place, and Bridget O’Neil has
been living 'in the family for several
years. The Littlefield people have long
ago forgotten that the doctor’s wife was
ever outside the pole of the best set.
Miss Carver has enthusiastically adopted
the little pill practice, and now speaks
of Mrs. Tibbets as “dearest Anne,” im-
‘ plying that she hm always lived with
her on terms of the closest intimacy.—
New York Times. 1
4 Pleasant Itencwal.
One of the pleasantestI renewals of
middle age of either sex is the recOv—
cry of the hair, or its change to the
precise hue it bore 1n earlyd ays. Or if
the hair 1s turning prematurely gray or
falling out—perhaps through the pres-
ence of dandrufi'—-.~to have it rejuvena-
ted In full luxuriance and color. In-
sure this result by the use of pure, bot-
anic, stainless WALNUT LEAI‘ HAIR RE-
STOBER. Price 31; Sold everywhere.
A BABY _S.AVED —Since birth my baby
had running sores all over his head,
and the doctor said that he muSt die
for they could not heal him. I used
everything I ever heard of, but it. was
no good. DHe got so bad that he would
not nurse. My husband’s sister told
me to try Sulphur Bitters as she had
great fa1th 111 them. I used a bottle
and the 801 es commenced to heal. After
using 'two bottles more, the sores all
heal led and I cohsidered my baby sav-
—[A M other, Concord, N. H.
Dairymen, stockmen, livery-sable
men and horse- -car meu unite 1n saying
that no such herse and cattle lotion as
Salvation Oil has ever been put upon
the market. It should be kept at every
stable and stock yard in the land.
Price 25 cents a bottle.
Have you read the “Improved M. D.”
advertisement, in another column ?
Read it now.
For the Most Popular Working Girl in Norwalk.
8 BALLOTS-
Daily Gazette’s Gold Watch,
Name
Employed
PATRONIZE THE OLD RELIABLE
ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY.
Low Rates. Prompt Delivery.
Branch Office. Norwalk, at Morris Benedict’s,
Main Office at Depot, South Norwalk.
L. HUNT. Agent.
PENSIONS mm mm.
GEN. WM. ll. NOBLE.
No. 91, Srnxrronn AVE., BEIDGEPonr.
H all bl k needed under New Law for
Sold‘Isers Wildlovgs, Parents and Childre on Can
or send for questmn blanks at once.
. E. cusowsxr,
MERCHANT TAILOR,
I Is ready to show the Finest Stock of , '
GLOTRS,GASSIIEBES AND OVEBCOATING
And a great variety of Fancy Pants Patterns
E. GUSOWSKI,
Corner Wall and Water Streets
. ~s. B. WILSON,
Carpenter and. Builder.
AWING, Window Frames. kc. Mouldings
S made to order. Jobbin prompt] attended
to. Shop—Gross st.; Besi ence,92 11st
First floor at Belden avenue to let at $9 per
month. Houses and lots for sale on easy terms
LADIES “FEE
4 Do Ions- 0wn Dyeing, lit Home.
The willd eeve thin They ore-old everyt-
whereFPrice I’Oo. argsckage. They have no equal
for Strength, Brightness, Amount in Packages
or for Fullness of Color. or non—fading Qualities.
They do not crock or smut; 40 colors. For sale by
‘ J. G. Greg or k 00.; J. A. Riggs, 11 Main
street; George” .Plai'sted, Druggist.
HENRY TILLY,
CARRIAGE MAKER,
so UTH N01; WALK, CONN.
8.
. ——Manufacturer of—
I-‘amlly Carriages, Victorlas, Buggies, to.
ALL KINDS OF REPAIRING.
OLD AND '
3 cts.
.1 u i'
0 cos ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ' nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
3E Sx—‘—-‘ *5
:Oo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo coo-o «é. oooooooo {junta-I; oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
D WI) STREET
Will open and offer for sale to-day one case mor of those popular 36-inch
DRESS 00008, in the Best Styles Evor0llorod‘al150nls l’or Yard
They are the same goods we have had such a run on lately.
Th1rty dozen more of those , .
Derby Ribbed Children’s Hose at l5c. per
Worth 15 cents; Sizes 6 to 9;; fast black. Those who were disappointed
in comin too late at the last sale will now have an_ opportunity.
ne of the newest wash fabrics this season is the
PARl-SIAN :- CREPE -:- CLOTH.
We have a Choice Line; price 17 cents per yard.
Look at the 111- W001 moors at 25 cents per yard.
We are the only house In town that have the
GENUINE TISSUE PONGEES,
Black Grounds. Can show you
THE FINEST LINE OF MUSLIN UNDERWEAR.
FINE GOODS. LOW PRICES.
EdWard Street,
No.5 Gazette Building, Norwalk.
DNH
' WILL HAVE THEIR ,
Spring Opening of loss Goods
On Wednesday, March 4, and will offer a larger stock of Fine Goods
than ever before to the residents of Norwalk, and AT PRICES THAT
DEFY COMPETITION for good goods. We don’t Intend to sell trash.
We think there 18 enough offered 1n town already.
@PLEASE CALL AND EXAMINE Goons AND PRICES.
We have our line of CHEETS complete with all the New Styles 1n
market. Alsolarge lines of Bugs, Deor Mats, all sizes, Mattings. Linoleum,
Oil Cloths, kc, kc.
Our Kitchen Department 1s well stocked with all kinds of Wooden
and Tin Ware from a 9c. Broom to _an 890. Wash Tub.
Our trade 18 rapidly Increasing and we intend to supply all the wants
of our customers to the best of our ability.
Goods not' 1n stock will be u‘rchased next day.
Agents for J ouvm Kid G oves, Butterick’ s Patterns,
Forms, kc.
Special Agents for Agra, Angora and Glenham Mills C
SCOFIELD & HOYT.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo ocean u on coo-coon m ousn......I..... S.°
“ ’s Bazar
WILL FOR A; FEW DAYS MORE PASS OUT
Unmacha le‘ Bargains
[FROM THE:
AMBLER so- can.
I,5000loaks Bonito Boug‘hl for “Each.
Wonderful Bargains _in Rugs.
ossss oooos At about summon
Laces, Corsets and Cotton Underwear at fully one-half
under prise.
Ribbons, Small Wares, Buttons, Umbrellas, Fancy Goods and 11 1'11]
assortment of General Dry Goods at some low prices.
All.
Norwalk Chronicler