USA > Kentucky > Livingston County > Chronicles of a Kentucky settlement > Part 20
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"That the note was written by Hinton Gowan," replied Adair, "and that it refers to Miss Ritchie, I have no doubt. What importance, if any, should be attached to it, no one can tell. It may have been dic- tated by malice, or it may have been pity for the man who, he supposed, would be deceived and made to suffer as his brother had suffered : or it may be only evidence of such a deranged mind as we would expect to find in a man who was upon the point of committing suicide. But, be this as it may, it would be unjust to Miss Ritchie to permit this note to lessen your confi- dence in her without further proof. On the other hand, it may be that your love for her has heretofore blinded you somewhat as to her true character ; and, if so, the caution contained in that note may not prove amiss. Then, too, the importance of the subject itself -a true understanding of the mind and heart of the woman you seek for a wife-should, even in the ab-
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sence of any such warning, put you on your guard. But, here comes Nero with my horse, and I must soon be off. And, Benton, before I go, I must tell you I have thought much about that note-I have even pon- dered over what I should say to you, and I have now spoken frankly ; but, if I have said a word that sounds harshly, remember it was kindly meant. And one word more ! Holman has seen that note ; and, even before then, knew somewhat of your relations to Miss Ritchie, and I would suggest that you see and talk with him on the subject."
Benton, as he extended his hand and grasped that of Adair, said : "My friend ! you have spoken just like yourself ; and I will, as you suggest, see and talk with Holman, and with you again on your return to town."
Adair then mounted his horse, rode to the post-office, and was pleased to receive three letters, which he opened and read as he rode along the dusty road in the direction of Mr. Wilmot's. The first letter was from Brantley, written from Frankfort, Kentucky, saying that, since he left Salem, he had done very well ; that he hoped to be back in Salem in a week or two after his letter came to hand, of which he wished Miss W- to be informed ; that he hoped the rare coins had been traced ; and that on his return he would pay off his note. The second letter was from Brantley's uncle. It was a well written letter, breathing a kindly spirit for his " wandering nephew," from whom he had not heard for several years .. All the information given was confirmatory of what Brantley had told of himself ; but the uncle added the important declaration that while his nephew had, when a boy, been wild and rest-
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less he had ever "found him truthful, and never vicious." The third letter was from a gentleman who had, he said, known Brantley "for the past six years," and had been "intimate " with him ; that he, Brant- ley, had never been married, nor had the writer ever heard of his having deceived any lady, etc.
These letters-so thought Adair-had come in the very " nick of time." The information they contained would be gratifying to Miss Wilmot. Then, too, there was now no doubt about Brantley's early return ; and Miss Wilmot would not only be a safe custodian of the secret of Rudolphi's theft, but she would, without doubt, willingly, yea, even gladly put Miss Howard on her guard against the man who had robbed her lover. Then came those ever-recurring thoughts of Miss How- ard ! Could it be true that he, Adair, had misinter- preted Davidson's remarks to him ? Or that Davidson's purpose was to deceive him? And that, in reality, Davidson had been, as reported, unsuccessful in his suit ? But, if she did not love Davidson, could it be possible that Rudolph had long been the favored man ? And might it not be that her confidence in and love for Rudolph were so great that she would reject anything short of positive proof of his guilt? If so, the blow that was about to fall upon her would be a severe one ; nevertheless, it must be given-given in mercy. And then those words spoken by Duncan recurred to his mind : that no such a sacrifice as he, Adair, was making was demanded by any law " human or divine " ; and that Miss Howard's reserve when with him was capa- ble of a very different and more favorable interpreta- tion than that he had placed upon it. But he should not-must not, give heed to such views, else his incli-
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nations would soon overpower his own more sober con- victions ; and to think of the matter was only adding fuel to the flames-prolonging the battle he had been fighting. Besides, he now had a home ; his sister was a very good-meaning woman, but too sad and nervous to be much of a companion for any one ; but then the children were growing very fond of him, and were already a real comfort ; there was no chance for him to have the blues when they were around, climbing upon his knees, and begging him to tell them tales; but, how he wished one of them was a boy-but no ! there was the black-haired, black-eyed, handsome boy, Dan ! And he, Dan, and his aged father would probably soon be with him, and then he, Adair, would have-well, it would be more like a home than any he had ever had since the good old Quaker brothers died. And Dun- can ! how strange had been his wanderings, and how passing strange that he should have met as he did the daughter of the notorious Jim Wilson, and should have fallen in love with her ; and yet their union would doubtless be a happy one-certainly a promising one for her, for Duncan would be a good husband. And Miss Wilson ! he was rather curious to see and know her, and learn from her own lips what she thought of Miss Laura ; but here he was again getting back into the same track ! And there was Benton, poor fellow ! doubtless now bothering his brain over that strange note. And could it possibly be that Miss Ritchie was a heartless coquette, and would cause Benton many a day of heartache ? And that strange man, Holman ! Why was it he seemed to think that Walter Gowan was not so much to blame as most people thought him ? Could it be that Holman knew more about Miss
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Ritchie, and more about all these sad matters than he had chosen to tell any one ? " Well -- well !" he said to himself, " this world is full of mysteries, and things 'are not always what they seem.' But will the time - ever come when all mysteries will be revealed ? when we can walk in the light instead of the twilight or darkness that now surrounds us ? when our imperfect and unfinished life-work can be rounded up and com- pleted ? But here I am at Mr. Wilmot's."
Miss Wilmot was at home and welcomed Mr. Adair with more than usual cordiality, but with something of excitement in her manner, for she surmised that he was the bearer of tidings for her from or about Mr. Brantley. And, impetuous as she generally was, when her feelings were enlisted, no sooner was Mr. Adair seated than she said : "I am sure you have some news for me ; and, from your smiling as you do, that it is good news ; so tell me quickly ! You don't know how impatient I can sometimes be."
"I am learning," Adair smilingly replied, "and I suppose should I keep silent for a few minutes and watch you attentively-which I am half inclined to do -that I would know all about it. But I relent. I never could resist such a pleading look as yours ; so here are three letters which you can read, and they will tell you what, I am sure, you most want to know. And, while you are reading the letters, I will step out into the porch and get me a dipper of water. You keep your seat," he added, seeing she was about to rise and wait upon him, "for I know where the water pail is, and will help myself."
Adair was absent from the room until she had fin- ished reading the letters. It was very thoughtful of
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him-so she thought,-for it enabled her to read more attentively, and with less embarrassment than she could have done had he been present. Besides, it gave her a chance to press, unobserved, one of the letters to her lips. But why she should have done so, what com- fort, consolation, or pleasure she could have derived from such osculation we may not be able to explain. It's one of those mysteries which, if we but keep our eyes open, we may see every day. In this case may there not have been a mysterious spiritual current of- well, call it love, and may not this current have been completed as currents of electricity are completed by one wire touching another, or by two persons joining hands ? If so, Miss Wilmot's osculation may not have been so unmeaning as some arctic mortals may sup- pose. Furthermore, if it afforded her any pleasure or satisfaction to experiment in that way-and we suppose it did, for she did it not only of her own free will and accord, but she did it several times,-it is not for us to complain, but rather to wish that she had had a better conductor than that sheet of paper. And yet, now that we come to think about it, a pair of perfect con- ductors might have caused too severe a shock for even her not over-nervous system. We believe, however, it is a well ascertained fact that ladies, even young and delicate ones, can stand such shocks much better than men, particularly the young and vigorous, upon whose nerves, in certain circumstances, it is said to be very trying.
When Adair returned to the room, he found Miss Wilmot in an eminently good humor. "Did n't I tell you so ? " she exclaimed rather than asked.
" If you did, I have, I am sorry to say, forgotten all
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about it, and must ask you to tell me again," replied Mr. Adair, with a mischievous twinkle in his black eyes.
"Oh, ho !" she exclaimed, "and so you, too, can - be a tease. But I forgive you this time. Come, sit down and tell me that you regard these letters as very satisfactory. Don't you see his uncle says he was always truthful, and the other letter says he was never known to deceive a lady."
" Well, seriously, the letters are certainly satisfac- tory," answered Adair. "But," he went on, " I have a long ride before me and have but little time to spare ; yet, before I go, I must remind you that once on a time you made me promise that I would assist you, if I could, in paying a debt which you insisted that you owed me."
"Yes, I remember all about it," she replied, "and as my debt is larger now than then, it is quite time I was paying a portion of it. Do let me know how I can do so."
" Well," replied Adair, "you can pay the entire debt, and leave me your debtor, by doing a friend of yours and mine what, I suppose, will be a service. I will explain. You know that Mr. Brantley was robbed just before he left Salem. He told me that he was almost certain that he knew who robbed him. When he told me the name I was astonished, for it was that of a young man who stands high in this community. There were, in the money stolen, three rare gold coins, and Mr. Brantley requested me to keep a lookout for those coins, and find out whose hands they had passed through, hoping thus to determine positively who was the thief. Two of those three coins I now have in my
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possession. And, what is seemingly conclusive, I have traced those two coins to the possession of the man Mr. Brantley thought had robbed him. Now I have heard that that man has lately repeatedly visited a young lady friend of yours and mine ; and, by some, it is thought that he has, or intends addressing her. And, as she is ignorant of his true character, and as he is young, handsome, and rich, it is not improbable he may win her heart and hand."
" In the name of mercy !" exclaimed Miss Wilmot, who had been listening almost breathlessly, "you do not mean Warren Davidson, do you ? "
"No," answered Adair, promptly. "I do not."
"Oh, Mr. Adair," Miss Wilmot quickly resumed, "then excuse me, for I thought Laura Howard was the young lady you referred to as your friend and mine ; and I could only think of Warren Davidson as one who had, or was likely to address her, else I never would have suspected one whom I have known so long and intimately : and I always liked Warren."
" Miss Wilmot," said Adair, speaking very gravely, " I should have told you at once that Miss Howard is the young lady to whom I referred. And now, I would like to know if, in the circumstances, you think she should be merely warned to beware of the young man, or furnished with some proof of his criminality ? "
"She should, I think, at once be told the truth ; that, if deceived, she should be undeceived. But," she added, " I could perhaps judge better if I -- "
" If you knew who the young man was," said Adair, interrupting her. " Henry Rudolph is the man."
Miss Wilmot fairly sprang from her chair. She
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looked for a moment straight into Mr. Adair's eyes, but one glance was enough to show her that he was not jesting-that he was deeply in earnest. Then inhaling a long breath, she exclaimed : "Mercy on us !"
"I see you are much surprised," said Adair, calmly.
"Surprised ? Greatly surprised !" she exclaimed. " And just to think of it ! He has lately paid me sev- eral visits-was here yesterday, was unusually affable and friendly, and even undertook to tease me about Mr. Brantley ! Said he hoped he would soon be back here-that he was sure I hoped so too ; asked me plainly if I thought he would come back ; said Salem was very dull without him, and ever so much more. But I can see through it all now ! He's uneasy and does n't want to see Mr. Brantley back here. Oh, the hypocritical villain ! Don't be shocked, Mr. Adair. It's only calling things by their right names. And," she continued, her eyes fairly flashing, " I should n't be surprised if he was over at Squire Howard's this very day. He said yesterday he might call and see Miss Laura to-day. Oh, she must know-must know about him !"
" But, Miss Wilmot," replied Adair, " I must here give you a double warning, and then trust to your intelligence and womanly tact to do what you think best. In the first place, Mr. Rudolph should not have reason to suspect that his crime has been discovered ; the time for that will be after Mr. Brantley's return, which I am glad to know will be so soon. Publicity now might defeat Mr. Brantley's plans. In the sec- ond place, I would prefer that Miss Howard should not know of my having warned her against Mr. Rudolph 20
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through you or any one else. You know my intimacy with Squire Howard, and, I may add, that for him and for every member of his family I have the very warm- est regard, and it would pain me much to have them possibly misconstrue my motives, or think me officious or meddlesome in this or in any other matter. Now, you can clearly see that, if you or Miss Howard should suddenly change your demeanor towards Mr. Rudolph, in a very perceptible manner, it would, doubtless, excite his suspicions and perhaps alarm him. If you do not know, you can perhaps learn whether there is any foundation for the report that Mr. Rudolph has, or is likely to address Miss Howard, and how she is likely to receive his advances. If it is certain she has or would decline them, then there can be no necessity for giving her any warning, for she will, in due time, learn the man's character."
" I had not thought," replied Miss Wilmot, gravely, " of all these matters ; but, now that I see clearly, you may be assured I will do nothing to awaken Mr. Ru- dolph's suspicion before Mr. Brantley's return. Nor will I let Laura know from whom I have received my information. I, however, still adhere to my first im- pression, that she should know the facts and be put upon her guard at once. I know that Mr. Rudolph has been an occasional visitor at Squire Howard's for several years, and has always been on very friendly terms with Laura ; and, as he has recently visited her quite often, it is not improbable he may be in love with her ; in fact, it would be almost a wonder if he were not, provided he had any reason to think his suit would be successful. But that she loves him I don't believe, for-well for the best of reasons-I-''
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" Excuse me !" interposed Adair. "You perhaps mean that you know Miss Howard to be engaged, or to have given her heart to another. If so, I again submit whether there is any necessity for giving her any warn- ing. My only desire is to serve a young lady, whom I greatly esteem, from being deceived ; for it would be a terrible calamity for any worthy young lady to become the wife of such a man as Rudolph ; for, when she found out his true character, she would certainly be miserable."
" Mr. Adair," replied Miss Wilmot, speaking with much earnestness, "I am almost sure that Laura is not engaged to another. That her heart may have been given to another I think probable. But," she added with peculiar emphasis, " few young women can delib- erately make up their mind to pass through life alone, -never to get married ; and, if one is so unfortunate as to have centred her affections upon one who makes no return, it may cost her a terrible struggle to aban- don all hope, give up the loved one as lost, and accept another ; but it is often-too often done. It may, for aught I know, be thus with Laura Howard ; and in this lies her danger and Henry Rudolph's opportunity ; and, for this reason, I think the sooner she knows his true character the better, and I will ride over this evening and see her."
It will be understood that Miss Wilmot knew that Miss Howard was not engaged to Warren Davidson, and, further, that she loved Mr. Adair. She, too, was convinced that should Mr. Rudolph address her friend his suit would be kindly but firmly refused ; conse- quently there was, she thought, no real necessity for putting Miss Howard on her guard. But the more she
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thought over the whole matter, the more she felt incensed against Mr. Rudolph, and the more inclined " to put a spider in his dumpling," and thus make " assurance doubly sure." In speaking as she did to . Mr. Adair, she had aimed to say no more than she was warranted in saying-than, in fact, she felt it her duty, in the circumstances, to say. To have spoken more plainly and positively would, she felt, have been a vio- lation of the confidence reposed in her, and of the posi- tive promise Miss Howard had exacted from her. She earnestly desired to open Mr. Adair's eyes to the true state of her friend's heart, not only for her sake but for his also, for she was thoroughly persuaded that some impediment, that could and should be removed, was keeping apart this man and woman who were so well suited to each other, and in whom she felt such a kindly interest. Hence it was she spoke of the possi- bility of Miss Howard giving her hand to another than the original possessor of her heart, hoping that Mr. Adair would see the danger he ran, if he loved her, of losing his prize.
Adair, on his part, had noted every word Miss Wil- mot spoke. He was momentarily almost convinced that what he hoped for was true,-that Miss Howard was not engaged to Warren Davidson, and that she had never loved Rudolph. Yet this clear-headed man, like many another such, always seemed to get mentally muddled when he came to think about matters in which his own heart was deeply concerned-raising doubts and difficulties where none really existed. Thus, in this case, he reflected that Miss Wilmot had not spoken positively ; that she had only expressed opinions which might or might not be correct ; and
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that, if he caught hold of such straws for comfort, it would only defeat his object-to serve Miss Howard and not himself, for had he not made up his mind that. circumstanced as he was, it would be wrong for him to get married. It was therefore some moments before he replied to Miss Wilmot and said :
" I leave the matter entirely to your discretion ; and mtist now take my leave of you, for, as I have said, I have a long ride before me to-day."
Adair then mounted his horse and rode off, leaving Miss Wilmot somewhat vexed with herself for having spoken so freely about Miss Howard, for she was now almost persuaded that Mr. Adair did not, as she had hoped, love her friend.
Adair was a cool, sensible man, so every one thought, and yet no sooner had he taken leave of Miss Wilmot-no sooner had he performed an unpleasant duty, than it came into his mind to expose himself to another ordeal, which might be considered as evidence of downright perverseness on his part. As it was but a little out of his way, he thought he should ride by Squire Howard's, and see if the family did not wish to send some message or parcel to Mrs. Lovell. True, he expected he would see Miss Laura, and knew that the sight of her would cost him some extra pangs, but he must not-so he reasoned-avoid her on that account, for it would endanger his friendly relations with the family, and he certainly would not have that to happen if it could be avoided. And thus he actually persuaded himself that it was something more than an act of politeness - was, in fact, his duty-to stop at the Squire's for a few moments ; and if it added fuel to the fire that was burning in his heart, he must neverthe-
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less discharge this duty. On approaching the house he observed, hitched at the front gate, a riding horse which he knew to be that of Henry Rudolph. Miss Wilmot had told him that Rudolph had spoken of visit- - ing Miss Laura that day, but he had not expected to find him there, and the fact that he was there again aroused his apprehensions that Miss Laura was favor- ing his suit.
" Oh, I am so glad to see you," said Ada, who ob- served Mr. Adair dismounting and ran out to ineet him as he approached the house. "It's been so long since you have been out to see us."
" I have been very-very busy, Ada, and I have now only a moment to stop. I will be at Colonel Lovell's this evening or to-morrow, and thought some of you might wish to send your sister some message or parcel, and, if so, I could take it." Adair spoke in an abstracted manner which did not escape the notice of the observant girl. Then, with some abruptness in his tones, he added : "But you have a gentleman visitor in the house, have you not ?"
" Yes," answered the mischievous Ada, "but you need n't be afraid-he won't hurt you -- it's only your particular friend, Mr. Rudolph."
"My friend ? humph !" Adair spoke hastily-con- temptuously. The quick-witted girl glanced at him ; and with her hands slightly elevated, her lips apart, and her blue eyes wider open than usual, said by looks and manner as plainly as she could have done by words -" Oh-ho ! and so he's no friend of yours." Then fearing she had been rude, she quickly added in a demure tone, " Well, he's no great favorite of mine, I can tell you."
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" What a wonderfully wise little head that is on your shoulders," responded Adair, with an effort at gaiety.
"Yes ; and I'm astonished that you have n't found that out before," was her good-natured reply.
As they entered the room where Mr. Rudolph and Miss Laura were seated, the latter arose, and, coming forward, greeted Mr. Adair most cordially, but with some apparent embarrassment in her manner. Mr. Rudolph, usually so cool and self-possessed, was evi- dently somewhat flustered, but, aiming to hide this, he exclaimed, " Ah-ha ! my friend, you here ?" and advanced with his hand slightly extended ; but Mr. Adair, appearing not to observe his amiable movement, merely bowed, and, addressing the two, said, " Excuse me for interrupting you. And, Miss Ada," he said, turning to her, " will you please deliver my message to your mother, and say to her that I have but a few mo- ments to spare." Then replying to Miss Laura, who handed him a chair and urged him to be seated, he said : " No, thank you. I am on my way to Hurri- cane, and will probably stop to-night with Colonel Lovell, and I have only called thinking some of you might have something-message or parcel-to send the family, and to offer my services."
" Oh, I have a letter to send ; it is already written, and I will be so much obliged if you will take it. Please excuse me, Mr. Rudolph, and I will run and get it." And so saying, Miss Laura left the room.
At the same moment Mrs. Howard entered the room, and, with her warm heart shining through her eyes, she shook hands with Adair and said : " Ah, Joseph, I'm so glad to see you. You have been quite a
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stranger of late. But I'm so much obliged to you for calling ; for we have a small bundle of socks which we have knit for Harriet's children, and which, if it won't trouble you too much, I would like for you to take to her."
" It will be no trouble. I can tie it behind my sad- dle," replied Adair.
"Then come with me," said Mrs. Howard, "and I will have the bundle ready for you in a moment." And she led the way into her own room. The parcel was soon fixed up, and, handing it to Adair, she said : "Joseph, you must tell Harriet to come and see us as soon as she can, and to bring all her children with her, so that she won't be in such a hurry to get back home. And you must come and see us oftener, and bring your sister and her children with you. I and the two girls have called to see her, and she now owes us a visit."
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