University of Virginia Library

27. CHAPTER XXVII.
MINE AND COUNTERMINE.

WHAT the nature of the telegram was which had
produced such an effect on the feelings and plans
of Mr. William Murray Bradshaw nobody especially interested
knew but himself. We may conjecture that it announced
some fact, which had leaked out a little prematurely,
relating to the issue of the great land-case in which
the firm was interested. However that might be, Mr.
Bradshaw no sooner heard that Myrtle had suddenly left
the city for Oxbow Village, — for what reason he puzzled
himself to guess, — than he determined to follow her at
once, and take up the conversation he had begun at the
party where it left off. And as the young poet had received
his quietus for the present at the publisher's, and as Master
Gridley had nothing specially to detain him, they too returned
at about the same time, and so our old acquaintances
were once more together within the familiar precincts
where we have been accustomed to see them.

Master Gridley did not like playing the part of a spy,
but it must be remembered that he was an old college
officer, and had something of the detective's sagacity, and
a certain cunning derived from the habit of keeping an
eye on mischievous students. If any underhand contrivance
was at work, involving the welfare of any one in
whom he was interested, he was a dangerous person for
the plotters, for he had plenty of time to attend to them,
and would be apt to take a kind of pleasure in matching

his wits against another crafty person's, — such a one, for
instance, as Mr. Macchiavelli Bradshaw.

Perhaps he caught some words of that gentleman's conversation
at the party; at any rate, he could not fail to
observe his manner. When he found that the young man
had followed Myrtle back to the village, he suspected
something more than a coincidence. When he learned
that he was assiduously visiting The Poplars, and that he
was in close communication with Miss Cynthia Badlam,
he felt sure that he was pressing the siege of Myrtle's
heart. But that there was some difficulty in the way was
equally clear to him, for he ascertained, through channels
which the attentive reader will soon have means of conjecturing,
that Myrtle had seen him but once in the week
following his return, and that in the presence of her dragons.
She had various excuses when he called, — headaches,
perhaps, among the rest, as these are staple articles on
such occasions. But Master Gridley knew his man too
well to think that slight obstacles would prevent his going
forward to effect his purpose.

“I think he will get her, if he holds on,” the old man
said to himself, “and he won't let go in a hurry. If
there were any real love about it — but surely he is incapable
of such a human weakness as the tender passion.
What does all this sudden concentration upon the girl
mean? He knows something about her that we don't
know, — that must be it. What did he hide that paper
for, a year ago and more? Could that have anything to
do with his pursuit of Myrtle Hazard to-day?”

Master Gridley paused as he asked this question of
himself, for a luminous idea had struck him. Consulting
daily with Cynthia Badlam, was he? Could there be a

conspiracy between these two persons to conceal some
important fact, or to keep something back until it would
be for their common interest to have it made known?

Now Mistress Kitty Fagan was devoted, heart and soul,
to Myrtle Hazard, and ever since she had received the
young girl from Mr. Gridley's hands, when he brought
her back safe and sound after her memorable adventure,
had considered him as Myrtle's best friend and natural
protector. These simple creatures, whose thoughts are
not taken up, like those of educated people, with the care
of a great museum of dead phrases, are very quick to see
the live facts which are going on about them. Mr. Gridley
had met her, more or less accidentally, several times
of late, and inquired very particularly about Myrtle, and
how she got along at the house since her return, and
whether she was getting over her headaches, and how they
treated her in the family.

“Bliss your heart, Mr. Gridley,” Kitty said to him on
one of these occasions, “it 's ahltogither changed intirely.
Sure Miss Myrtle does jist iverythin' she likes, an' Miss
Withers niver middles with her at ahl, excip' jist to roll
up her eyes an' look as if she was the hid-moorner at
a funeril whiniver Miss Myrtle says she wants to do this
or that, or to go here or there. It 's Miss Badlam that 's
ahlwiz after her, an' a-watchin' her, — she thinks she 's
cunnin'er than a cat, but there 's other folks that 's got
eyes an' ears as good as hers. It 's that Mr. Bridshaw
that 's a puttin' his head together with Miss Badlam for
somethin' or other, an' I don't believe there 's no good in
it, — for what does the fox an' the cat be a whisperin'
about, as if they was thaves an' incind'ries, if there ain't
no mischief hatchin'?”

“Why, Kitty,” he said, “what mischief do you think
is going on, and who is to be harmed?”

“O Mr. Gridley,” she answered, “if there ain't somebody
to be chated somehow, then I don't know an honest
man and woman from two rogues. An' have n't I heard
Miss Myrtle's name whispered as if there was somethin'
goin' on agin' her, an' they was afraid the tahk would go
out through the doors, an' up through the chimbley? I
don't want to tell no tales, Mr. Gridley, nor to hurt no honest
body, for I 'm a poor woman, Mr. Gridley, but I comes
of dacent folks, an' I vallies my repitation an' charácter as
much as if I was dressed in silks and satins instead of this
mane old gown, savin' your presence, which is the best
I 've got, an' niver a dollar to buy another. But if iver
I hears a word, Mr. Gridley, that manes any kind of a mischief
to Miss Myrtle, — the Lard bliss her soul an' keep
ahl the divils away from her! — I 'll be runnin' straight
down here to tell ye ahl about it, — be right sure o' that,
Mr. Gridley.”

“Nothing must happen to Myrtle,” he said, “that we
can help. If you see anything more that looks wrong,
you had better come down here at once and let me know,
as you say you will. At once, you understand. And,
Kitty, I am a little particular about the dress of people
who come to see me, so that if you would just take the
trouble to get you a tidy pattern of gingham or calico, or
whatever you like of that sort for a gown, you would please
me; and perhaps this little trifle will be a convenience to
you when you come to pay for it.”

Kitty thanked him with all the national accompaniments,
and trotted off to the store, where Mr. Gifted Hopkins
displayed the native amiability of his temper by

tumbling down everything in the shape of ginghams and
calicos they had on the shelves, without a murmur at the
taste of his customer, who found it hard to get a pattern
sufficiently emphatic for her taste. She succeeded at last,
and laid down a five-dollar bill as if she were as used to
the pleasing figure on its face as to the sight of her own
five digits.

Master Byles Gridley had struck a spade deeper than
he knew into his first countermine, for Kitty had none of
those delicate scruples about the means of obtaining information
which might have embarrassed a diplomatist of
higher degree.