"'
I
B1
By Walt Gregg,
f If illiif f ales f JLir aid Adveitire
$8 Hn HI fflffi Mi
I iPWHiimIi failMi""1 ' il1 "'t Jt
' ' fflB HBI IBB MuBm PpbSw
j v www. mm l. .
i
i:s, I'll ten yoi yB
will 1)8 boys, that's
all, Kegley Bald,"
((included "Dad"
Winters.
For sovernl mo
ments after "Pad"
reaaod spoaklng tho
Chair WarmorB
Club preserved a
nAi'urn n I I fi n fl O.
me tnc mrmofrs nmvna up ciosur
Ibo itoio nnd Indulged la fresh
iewj. ... ...
Well, uow'i that men may do an
,1 - r..hlna i, lrdln ' D.llH "Vnrtll
fie" Peters at Inpt, nH ho oput eloll
iely and with precision on tho nlck-
Irta of the stove, "hut you tnlto It
lisnlmala and 11b different, as I had
LT.Un n Irnrn nnpn nnil rnmpmlmr
Itlactlr. Ml tell you how it wan."
Ir from tho fact that on tho top of
I Mail dm one nravc, iono nair
Ki forth In nil Kit naked InvcllnosB
a rast expanse or uniancsB, nor
pA i fresh clirw of tobacco, ckvat-
Ihls feet, and began.
tt itnn't tmnnnnn nnv (if vim river
It Bill MocQulnii, for thin Imp-
ted out nest, ami resides, whh a
if time ago. This MacQuInn had u
BCD out mere, unci i poi a jon wmi
b puncning came. niero wan a
i-fM nn thfl nlnon nl Oils tlmn
llrh vii rnnalilnrnhln nf it Khnnlir
ftli war. Dd uc used to raco blm
Dh ill Ihft hrnnchnn nrnnnrt I fin
Ifhborhood, and he nlways vou If
(ncer i wnip arm neia out
m ee, Jiacqulnn cot the nae
l a bunch of Mexican horse frnd.
I tin bad ralfed him from a colt,
H It aetma thev formed n Jmhlt nf
tin' the pony about the. first day ho
fa born, and had consistently kept It
terer ilnce: and whenever n.nrh.
be. which was tho critter's name,
(at toe the scratch, tho Oreasors
tild Krab a fenen tlckit nml hmnk
Ivtrbla lyatem In flvo eriual nlrcon
Of courie, with some beasts It
iht hare been different, but Barb
e ot m uied to It nnd his back
bb eo cuaaed touch, that im
Q(d tO eniOV the Wflllnnlncii nrwl
fca Mac bought him he had reached
. Hilarious Stage Where tin nnn
could got anything out of him with
out bustln' him a couplo llmcn with
an ax as a sort of prnltmlnary bear
In. "But tho critter did havo tbo.Piiood,
and an I oald, If tho rldor could fan
him long enough, ho would burn up
tbo distanco rctuarknblo.
"Well, In tho natural courso of
things camo tho first annual fair of
Tomahawk county, nnd what did Mac
do but got it Into ula bean to enter
Barbwlro in tho big freo-for-all
sweepstaico. Yos, sir, that's what be
done, and when tho entry oponed ho
took mo and wo wont over to Lucky
Strike, tho county ocat, with tho
dough. Fifty good hard benim it coat
to got an ndniloslon into thut npoed
foBt, but It wan worth tho chanco, any
way, as it was only ono heat, nnd car
ried a purso of two thousand. Yop,
thoy dono things up right in them
days.
"'Hob,' said tho old man to mo, 'I
bclievo wo can pull down that kalo If
no hotter pluga than theao show up.
Darbwlre has beaten all of them al
ready, and I bcllovo ho can do it
again.'
"'Yon, I answered thoughtful, 'hut
remember ho bent thorn only on quar
ter and half-mile dnHhrs, and thlH Ib
for five quarters, which is u wholo lot
dlfforont.'
" 'How different?' aBkcd Muc.
"'It's llko this,' I replied, 'Barbwlro
Will run lllflt OH Innir nn Ihn Innl.nv'o
arm holds out, nnd thon, good night!
Well, you remember, no's only run
throo half-mile races, and ho nearly
lost two of tbom becnuBO tho Jockey
couldn't keep up tbo pace. Now,
therefore, where you going to get a
rldor who can apply tho osteopathic
treatment for a mile nnd a quarter?"
'"Why. that ain't such a awful
stunt.' Bald Mac. "I could do it myself.'
'"Sure, sure, but you weigh two
hundred nnd fifty with one hand tied
behind you.'
"That'll so, answered Mac, 'I nev
er thought of that.'
"'It's a terrible and nstonlshin'
thing,' I went on, 'to stick on thn top
of a streakln cayuso a mllo and a
quarter, nnd nt tho same time try to
play tho Anvil Chorus on tho plng'B
hindquarters at every Jump.
'"How about you?' asked Mac purl-dcn-llko.
'You'ro as tough as thoy
make 'cm.
"'I'm not much overweight,' I said,
but Im not durable enough In tho
arms,
Well, ll'a ft week beforo tho raco,'
replied Mac. 'Suppose you practice up
and see what you can do.'
"Now, I never used that 'spare the
rod thing as my motto, and wasn't
much of a follow to indulge in a wbole
lot of mausago treatment with ani
mals, bo I utartod In sort of easy and
gentlo with Barbwlro, intondin' to try
and coax nlittlo speed out of him with
sugar and kind words Instead of cues
talk and clubs. Tho first time I tried
that program I was surprised at tho
astonlshin' results. Barbwlro ttmt
atood still a minuto lookin' puzzled
and sad, thon ho turned his head sud
den, bit mo in tho leg, tossod mn
over his head into a fence, nnd walked
off filled with gloom.
"I didn't ride any more that day, but
the noxt morning I saddled tho cayuso,
mounted tbo leather with a club in ono
hand and a deep, dark grouch tinc
tured with rovongo in tho other, nnd
wo went tho first half in 0:32. Then
I got tired, nnd wo finished tho courso
wo had staked off in two minutes and
n half.
"Of course, this was dlscourngin' to
some extent, but I stuck with It, and
tho dny before tbo raco I used two
clubs and went n mile in 1:20, then I
fell off from exhaustion and Barbwlrc
never did finish.
"Thnt mado mc sick and downheart
ed, as It were, nnd Mac wasn't fcolln'
any too well himself, and when wo
went over to Lucky Strike the next
day and discovered that a dark horso
named Ooldflust had hnttrd intn th
game, we felt grieved and hurt, nnd
wished wo were, dead, but of rourse,
there was no way out of it except by
losing tho entry fee, bo Mac said wo
might as well take a chanco anyhow,
and pray by the shodn of Mercury that
my nrm would last to tho finish.
"There was nothing to do until time
for tho big raco In tho afternoon, ns
Barbwlro didn't belong to that class of
lowdy-dows thnt rrqulro a couple of
wet nursos and a chambermaid. If any
valet had tried to wrap bandngeB
around his knuckles or dresB him in
a bathrobo or braid ribbons In hla tall,
Barbwlro would havo been so sur
prised ho would havo kicked his at
tendant's remains all over the dUtant
horizon, bo we Just tied him to a post
out bohlnd a barn nnd started out to
take in tho shows.
"Wo saw three or four punk enter
tainments, I guoas, before we como to
Kid Kono, nnd right away I got a lino
idea. Kono was a littlo duffer who
claimed to have been a 'pug' of a
whole lot of account in his day, and
now ho was givln' exhibitions with tho
I'uncnur nag ana laKin- on all comers
to teach them tho manly art of fulllu'
easy.
" 'Thore'a tho guy to rido that leather-backed
son of Satan.' I said to Mac,
as soon as I seen tho littlo man por
form, nnd I started toward tho back
of tho tent.
"What d'yu mean 7' asked Mac, as ho
trailed along behind.
" 'Did you seo tho arms on the gink?'
I asked. 'Ho's a boxer, and is used to
Btandin up and fannln' his wings nil
dny. He's tho guy to wallop that cay
uso under tho wlro if anybody is,'
" 'By gee, you'ro right!' replied Mac.
and wo descended upon Keno and Mao
put up the proposition.
"Keno seemed to think Mac was kid
din' him at first, and he acted dubi
ous as If he didn't know whether to
laugh at the old man or hit mo, but
after a whllo he tumbled, and wanted
to know tho particulars and how much
they was in it
"'Can you ride?'nsked Mac.
"'I never havo yet,' said tho Kid,
'but I rucrr I could.'
"'Howlln' cats!' T yelled. 'Ho'll
need both hands to hold on, unless
he's tied to tho cayuso.'
" That's the idea,' said Mac. That's
tbo Iden. We'll tlo him on, and then
ho can use both hands to tho club.'
"Keno didn't seem to tnko to that,
idea with any great amount of enthu
siasm, but at laBt ho consented to tako
a chance, nnd him and Man mado
terms.
"It was clouded up considerable
when wo camo out of tho tent, and
tho air smolled a lot like rain, hut ho
was so full of Joy and rapture nt tho
bright outlook of things generally that
wo didn't pay much attention to tho
weather.
'"Why, that follow could play tho
stick for twenty miles,' said Mac, real
Jovial, but he bad never tried it him
self. I had, and no I know I was no
weakling, all I was hoping was that
tbo guy would Just last to tho finish.
"I noticed that it was a good deal
colder when wo saddled tho plug up
nnd got ready for a race, aud also
thcro was a blc hank nf fnmrli.ln,,Hn'
clouds over in tho northwest and thun
der occasionally, but of course, noth
ing short of nn carthquako could stop
tho big evont.
"Kono was on time all right, and
aftor wo put him on tho ung wo got
a rope and tied him tboro bo tight he
couldn't havo boen lifted without
bringing tho horso with him. I'm glad
he never thought of tho plug failln
down. Then, when everything was
fixed, wo glyo tho Kid some final in
structions on how to get away, banded
him a good, stout club, and led him
out.
"Thero must havo been ton thou
Bnnd people in tho stands that day,
and when wo como on tho track Just
about ten thousand of them roso up
and gavo us tho merry ha! ha! hut
they didn't know Barnwire, ana'Jt
Just goes to show that whore Ipnor
ance is bliss It's a shamo to get wise.
"While thoy wore warmln' up 1 got
a good look at Golddust, the dark
horse, nnd somehow with all our well
laid plans I felt nervous and wished
I wbb home, Oolddust was a long,
rangy bay, with a shiny coat nnd a
coon Jocky dressed In white pants nnd
a yellow silk shirt, whllo our horse
looked like ho needed a haircut and
shave, and besides he hnri hrin rnll.
ing in mud. The other nags I know,
and It was a cinch Barbwlro could
leavo them so fast thoy would look
llko thoy was tied to a brick barn,
and it would be a dead euro thing for
ub if only tho 'pug's' nrm held out.
and also if tho dark horso didn't get
too previous.
"They scored up and down several
times beforo getting away, and when
I saw tho way Keno wns i!i.riiik tho
openings and handling things general
ly, I cheered up remarkably. Ho got
his quickness from the ring, I sup
pose, and ho caught onto thn new
gamo so fast that anybody would think
ho wub an old hand at it It they
hadn't aeon tho ropo.
"Thon, bb they turned and ennio
down tho strotch, evory horso was In
line. Bnrbwirn nrpnnrl frnm thn t.nln
and when thoy passed under tho wlro
a shot rnng out, and they woro oft In
a bunch.
"At tho samo instant a largo wot
drop of Ico wator hit mo in tho neck,
nnd 1 saw tho storm wan coming up
fast. Thon I climbed up on tho fenco
nnd fixed my cyea on tho ponlcB,
"Kono Boomed u littlo rattled when
thoy first lit out, nnd uso his hnndB to
hold on, aud boforo ho had takon a
hundred steps Barbwlro began to
slow up, drop behind, nnd look sur
prised while Oolddust shot into tho
lead and Staved. Then nil nt nnnn
Kono remembered, and tho whole
hearted, enthusiastic wallop ho land
ed on that old cayuso filled him with
so much Joy ho seemed to say, Ah.
now, wo'ro down to business!' and be
foro tho quarter was reached he was
up in the bunch again, with Keno yell
ing In his ear and playing tho olub
llko a man nailing shingles.
"As they came down tho stretch our
horso was up showing his speed and
had left the field behind, hut Oold
dust still was a good two lengths
ahead, and traveling Btrong. When
they hit the three-quarter pole, Barb
wlro wns right up against tho dark
horso's hip. At seven-eighths our
horso was a noso ahead, and when
they hit the mile Oolddust was three
lengths behind, and tho coon Jockey
began to turn white.
"Thoy rounded tho Inst curve with
Barbwlro still going nnd Keno beating
it off in six-eight time and then all
at once I Baw tho Jockey bring tho
club down extra hard. Barbwlro gavo
a mighty leap in reply, but tho gad
had snapped off close to tho kld'a hand.
"For a minuto I felt bo woak I
thought I'd fnlnt nnd had to lean tip
against Mnr for support. I naw Barb
wlro Blacken his speed and look
around In Kcno'B face na If askln' what
foil had gono wrong. Tho dark horso
rushed up and shot Into tho lead. And
then tho utorm broke.
"I felt bo bud I didn't enro if n oy
clono struck, but tho noxt instant I
saw Humo'thlng which mado mo
stretch my neck und yelp. Tho storm
wns ono of that kind which gets n blc
wind bohlnd it and toara ulong In
streaks, and It broko right bohlnd
Baibwlro. Not rnlu. It was too cold
for that. It was hall, great big, bcau-
uiut naiiBioncs about tho nlzo of a
hen's egg, nnd tho first ono to fall,
hit Barbwlro such a plunk that ho
nearly Jumped out of tho naddle. It
wns a lucky Jump, for thn wind kept
rlsln nnd tho storm was tcarln' right
down tho stretch and plnyln' thn
devil's tattoo on that plug's hlnd
quartors. "As fato would hnvo 1U Barbwlro,
went JuRt fant enough thnt tho nd
vnnco guard of hall kopt plunking him
over tho flanks all tho tlmo, and ho
Just lit out so onthuslastln thnt ha
overhauled that dark horso and darker'
rldor something nmazin.
"On they enmo down the long hotno
stretch. Oolddust klckln' It off for nil
he was worth, with the Jockey lcanln
bo far over his neck you could hardly
bco blm, nnd Barbwlro gnlnln fast nnd
brlngln' tho hailstorm right alone with,
him.
"A hundred foot from tho wlro our
horso wns right up smelling GolddusfR
dust, nnd tho stands were yellin llko
a football gamo. At fifty feet Barb
wlro was at the dark horso's flank, and
tho onrushlng hnll was trying to knock
his poor old tall off. Twenty-flvo foot
nnd our nng'u noso was right tip
ngalnst Oolddust's cars. Then thoir
noses wore but nn inch apart, thon n
bnlf-lnch. thon a weak quarter, and
ten feet from tho finish Barbwlro drow
his neck back llko a snnko gi'ttln
ready to strike, nnd nearly dropped
dead. Deliberately pulled his head
back a foot behind the other horso.
But a foot from tbo tape, old Bnrb-
wire let looso llko a Jumping jack.
His neck uncoiled, and his noso shot
out a good fourteen Inches ahead oC
the other, horse, and we won Imndn-down.
- i-tti.v .
!.t i
By Enos Emory
dressea as
HE song ended ab
ruptly, thcro was a
quirk step on tho
stairs and tbo door
was flung open nnd
Miss Peggy O'Neill
stood facing Lady
Mansfield
Plie looked llko a
hriiool girl, not nn
adventuress. Sho
Lady Mansfield's
fnct that ho bores mo adds to my
charm or whatever you arc pleased
to call it."
"Thon why do you want to marry
him?"
"I must marry ono day. I can't al
ways bo what tho papors call an 'Idol
of tho Public,' and bo I might as well
be a countess and a rich one, I nm
promised whllo I am nbout it."
"I wish that ho had not n penny
"I know your father and mother
many years ago, my dear child, but I
think you must apologize for tho re
mainder of your speech" and then
she mado tbo fatal mistake of explana
tion. "It was naturally a shock to
me pleaso forgive mo if I wound you
In saying It thnt a woman like you
could bo tho daughter of old friends
of mine."
friend's sweetheart.
"Afterall.lt wns something to bask
In tho shadow of an earldom; and a
llfo in London, smart friends, a good
time all theso things appeal to an
ambitious nnd pretty girl.
"When men aro young, It sometimes
hnppcns that they know how to lovo
very dcoply; if they do, it is a lovo
that lasts a lifetime. That was my fa
ther's lovo for you. It was a wound
"A woman lllffi inn." sho rpnrntfrl
fcstir .!... . "' wiiiiBwnrs " mui no nuu not n penny , ,7, : - - :.'.".:". "" " "" """"
3ier mleht hn Hr.. ....... .... ihn i, .. u u. . -, .... .,.,,. and a woman like vnn hns tnniln mn thnt hnnlerl In tlm hut it i.n it.
Iiniliinrfi.. u '"""". "v"'' uei- '"-" "" """Hi io ueyunu uio ciuicnes ,., - ' - -- ""
i u, ""." a "a10 air hair two i sucn as you."
Mic settiea aown in nor cnair again,
blue eye
"Do you really hato mo as much as
thnt?"
Lady Mansfield realized how undig
nified hor outburst had beeu; alio folt
suddenly mortified thnt this girl
should havo witnessed her lack of
control, and thero was something nl
moBt pathetic in her attempt to re
Ralu her composure.
"I nm sorry If I hurt you." she paid.
and though her small, frail faco looked
sweetly chlld-llko under tho haio of
her fair hair, hor eyes wero tho eyes
of a woman.
"I will tell you how that came to
bo," sho said, In a tono that wns coolly
Imporsonal. "You and my father wero
girl nnd boy lovers you were on
gaged in a kind of wny ; and then
Hnrolrt Eliot enmn to stnv with mv
with a kind nf proud humbleness, "but people for the shooting one autumn,
my son is all the world to me. This and ho promptly fell in love with his
sara1 inqu,rinRi- n
Li".!?"8 me.."" Iip has piom.
tatty U' ""' Larl" MnnB-
lt you sit down?" asked Veggy
I She waited until Ladv m.
Nb aeaifTm?Mrj' ut8l""n.
K r'-'s'.'t.hiRh".
feetawlnginchiEi nhnvn .i ' ,r ,narr'aee would bo such a great, such
kidb high above thu pol- a terrible mlBtakoa mistake that will
lw ton ha a.i,. i , oeyona remedy ever again. I am nn
r.k... OB dseil me to innrrv Old Woman. nnH hn la nil T ,a fnv
narri,,. KPnUy ' lm aro on,y a chlld-8tm w"i your Wt
l rr'"?6G necessary?" ,,, l.i before VOll. Vnn rlnn'l lnvi lilm on
i 4n,lld COldlv WllV Can vnn wlnh in mnkn mn nn'nt.
fHo!e.?aJ1(!!:d ,ho bl'ckles of hor -I,er B,ransor to you, bo unhappy? Why
WOei w n an .l,..i.,.." 7 "yr "do VOU Wish in wrnnk lil Ufa n llfn
nter" that raeanB so littlo to von. lust to
Batlsfy a girlish vanity?"
"Vanity is tho wrong word. Lady
Mansfield. It is to satisfy a revenge."
Lady Mansfield stared at her blank-
scar.
"Ho too married a gentle, good un
selfish little creature who was faithful
to him all her life. Ho left tho army
when ho married and came to London,
whore his father-in-law offered him a
partnership in his business on tho
Stock Exchange, as you know. Ho
prospered steadily, so that you and
nnd your husband wero glad enough
to renew an old friendship thnt was al
most forgotten.
"It is a bad thing, Lady Mansfield,
for n young and pretty woman with
extravagant tastes to live on the edge
of wealth and havo none to havo a
position, nnd no money to keep It tip.
You doliboratoly probed by father's
heart, for when ho was not empty
handed It was a love worth winning.
Ho gave you nil he had to give and
more, for thero is no "enough" when a
woman's wants aro to bo stilled.
"Your husband must havo known;
he must have been a poor, weak
wretch Indeed very llko your son to
day only tho world never knew; you
were sheltered by bis name. But you
wero no better than any poor remnant
of humanity who sells hersolf in the
street in tho shadow of night."
For a moment a sllenco hung heavy
betweon them, and thon tho volco went
eoftly on:
"This continued for years, My moth
er know and suffered; but sho novcr
complalnod and sho never spoko. Sho
only waited. And then tho day camo
when my father's luck turned. His
speculations went wrong; he plunged
SWirKX,!!" W""'" ho
eclKBU8PWonofasmIIe
--'v U4 ner mnnti, .u. . .
Afield iii..h -..: .' .. ",Bl. n,a(,o Iv.
we rtau,j i. ' llv'' 'inner her
dim.r.-ea her mistake. sh You hato mo without knnwlnir mo.
Elr BnnpVn-!id: trlng ,0 "nko necnuso you hate tho typo I ropresont
."wnaer and her vni ...- --thn nrnttv hmini... ,.,....,,i,,
" iraiiA .vu ruiiur : - ". .m..,.vpo. iiuntiiiuuiuun,
v nmhlllniiH ,.. 41 i . .. . ...
K. , .....M.i.uiio iiu mui unuersiunas an
ll.... - " inai In vnn. ...-- "'"
t'ui marrlnr. '7.'"'" i'iuics-
t, .:""' miner n riro....
rour lifi mean Giving up so come ,toUB- B,lt I"-8he "". lier
-. -w -uuimonpiace in tT " u yuur ijpo ami
A Strengthened Tie
y vulu
samo how to make fools nf thn
dissipated, brainless young men who
! think that a
rioa.'
"7 Ceonl.
f. r,v
" n neer hn ....""" ",ai a
Juno common-
r voir ..r. "Ul meant to
vjiiiin en . .
. --.. ,,, HiTpr
jM. J
iV Qo yon
na . t. - - -
think
"ally hB "u Uiat
lonhLW "1th my
"")-. he 8 flrki n;
Mil -.'
-, unit.
Wl.J V
"tujnn
you
son?
at ami." ""'"i wow
m:B,,nSPen
far more
.-old i, 7L r0B f"ii
' is about the Hii. ..
,.'. ct, and ti, ..I"."' msn
" Mrdlv T.. ",, "eh-est."
lherU.erdlftforam.
I
a mother
the worlds away it places you from
me, out oecause I know you you
yourself"
She went to the writing table and
look up a small velvet case that lay
there. Sho opened It with a cool de
liberation and then held it closo for
Lady Mansfield to soo.
"This is my
said simply.
Lady Mansfield was an unemotional
woman. All her lifo she had accept
ed while others gave, but as sho lean
ed forward, peering wonderingly at
the painted face, her own went white,
and she gavo a stifled en- that was
pSF
fathor's picture," she
II not V "a X wn from n '"ci r."'1 8"e ay
-wnaiqer food en ""'"an uiraosi a SOD.
""Mi lor "I am Dors 'U'eathernelH. nnd vnn
ISS LIDDY and Miss
Letty had not spok
en to each other for
nearly a year.
It was sad that a
trivial, petty littlo
quarrel should havo
tho power to
estrango the littlo
old ladles thus lato
In life. For both
had been born upon the samo day,
played together as children, boon
chums through a happy girlbood, and
fast friends at middle, age, though
Miss Letty lived in tho stately stone
house, and Miss Liddy in the humble
brown cottage beside it.
A long, lonely, miserable year It had
been for both of them. They had nev
er realized beforo how much they de
pended upon each other, Many of the
friends of their own ago wero gono,
and both were now quite alone la the
world.
Miss Llddy was subject to severe
attacks of bronchitis, which no one
but Miss Letty knew how to cure, and
Miss Letty was at times so crippled
nan. - -- w ru n vhiiiviuwiiii mmu jw
r Hmrl sn v iiim in.. A . are the woman who ruined my father with rheumatism that she could not
v "4 ne G near and hrnl?A mv mnthor'a Via- wattr nnH nnnn thoaa nrrnninnn Minn
t liSl nf . .-.. ,, tUUtUVI n inuil uuva wfw., . wwv .w.H .......
I. Vl'Pn .. , I nH,, Rlxn.A.U -A It-i. 1 1 .tM r I
V UAcZ 'carn m
(.-..V' n
But one cold, rainy morning Miss
Llddy arose with all tho familiar
symptoms of a severe bronchitis at
tack. Her head ached, her chest
ached, her limbs ached, hor throat
was sore, and sho groaned miserably
at tho dismal time which she knew
was ahead of her.
But littlo Miss Llddy possessed true
New England grit. "I've Just got to
keep a-going somehow," she kept re
peating bravely, as sho dragged Her
self heavily about her tiny abode,
grimly attempting to render moru
spotless the already immaculate little
rooms.
About 10 o'clock she peered out of
tho kitchen window, and to her horror
espied Miss Letty come out or Tier
house and go dpwn the rain-soaked
driveway.
For MIsb Letty to go out at all upon
such an incloment morning wns indis
creet enough, but it was not this fact
which caused Miss Llddy to gasp with
dismay, while Involuntarily her hand
flashed to tho window and almost
sounded nn imperative tap to arrest
the departing figure. Miss Letty was
actually going out. on this miserable
cold wet morning, at her age. and sub-
SEATON
then she remembered that they were
not speaking, and hor hand dropped
limply away from tho window pane.
As the day wore on, Miss Llddy grow
Bteadily worBo. Sho sat huddled up In
tho big rockor by tbo window, wrapped
In a shawl, too sick to movo, but too
stubborn to go to bed. Sometimes she
closed her eyes, but more often she
peered out of the window in tho direc
tion of her friend's Iioubo.
It was growing dusk when she dis
cerned Miss Letty's littlo figure going
slowly up her walk. Sho was limping
unmistakably. She mounted the Jong
flight of steps Btlffly, painfully. Every
motion of hor body bespoke Intense
suffering
"Oh. Oh. Oh," moaned Miss Llddy.
rocking miserably back nnd forth,
"You caroless. caroless creature! You
ought to be shaken I" She continued tq
scold until Miss Letty unlocked her
front door and went Into tho house.
Then her lips quivered and sho began
to sob. "Poor girl, poor girl! All solo
alono In thnt big house, all crippled
up with rheumatism and nobody to
lift a hand!" '
She pressed her faco anxiously
against the window pane, striving to
more and more.
"That was tho enn, nnu wi run part
edho a broken man; you gently tol
erant, sweetly sorry, but what olse wns
there for you to do? Thero was no
place in your llfo for tho unsuccessful.
"It was then tbat your husband
came suddenly and unexpectedly into
tho title and tho Mansfield fortune. My
father died, and then my mother, and
this wretched story wns my only In
heritance. Perhaps it may lntorest
you to know that I still have your let
ters to my father men aro like that.
Lady Mansfield and his old pass
books." She paused again, but Lady Mans
field sat rigid, only her eyes burned,
allvo and suffering. In tho deadncB of
her faco.
"I camo to London to look for n po
sition as governess or companion I
was fit for nothing olse; but I was too
young and too pretty for cither, nnd
so I fell In with a music hall nctor
who lived In tho same boarding houso.
Miss Llddy swayed to her feet. After
a long tlmo sho reached the back
door. Sho wrapped her shawl tightly
around her head and shoulders und
tottered out Into tho storm.
Sho groped unsteadily through her
yard and was entering Miss Lotty's
wnen stio bocamo awaro of a black ob-
1 had been well and carefully tmumr
In music, but all my years of study re
sulted in playing nccompanlmoutn
dressed Jn a violent pink satin frock
up to my knees for a man with u.
Cockney accent and many dlamoudn
that wore elaborately displayed on all
occasions.
"Thnt wns the boglnnlnjr of a now
fnmous career. It has boen a lonff
road. You would not understand thn
vulgarities, tho hardships, tho disap
pointments of such a Ufa; but if t
had remained respectable and obscura
I should never havo had tho privilege
of your Bon's friendship or tho honoc.
of a visit from his mother.
"And it has mado mo your equal.
Lady Mansfield. I am now nn hard, tut'
relentless, as selfish as you, and so X,
shall marry your son."
Lady Mansfield rose Btlffly. "I shalli
toll my son your proposterous story."1
Bho said, In her coldest volco.
. "I ask for nothing bettor, but yntij
will not havo tho courage, and bo-j
causo you nro a coward, and becauso B
am vindictive. I shall marry your Bon.l
Lord Mansfield straggled reluctant
ly out of his chair whon his mothnri
entered tho room.
"Morning, mother," ho naid, with nrt)
elaborato cheerfulness.
Lady Mansfield stood still on thoti
threshold, looking at her son as If alio,
had never seen him before. But lb
was his singular likeness to hla father!
whon ho waa 23 that etruck her paln-i
fully.
Sho thought swiftly of tho nnoless.
dissipated llfo thut mado hor husband,'
a worn and disillusioned man at 40..
Sim felt suddonly old and powerless to
eopo with tho life sho foresaw for hor
boy. Sho was flllod with un Immonaoi
pity for herself.
"My boy," sho whispered brokenly.
Ject not more than three feet away and then Bho looked up into his oves."
U'hlnh hllnhnri alnurlt i.. lia. llA.,lr.. rrl.A.. ... .... -.
which hitched slowly in her direction
"Oh, Llddy," quavered a tearful
voice, "Is that you? I saw you sitting
by the wludow and I know you wero
sick by tho looka of you, You nevor
did know how to tako care of your
self. Llddy, and I was coming
to see to you. Seems as though I'd
been hours JUBt getting this far an an'
I guess I'll havo to g-g-glvo it up aft
er all."
MIbs letty burst Into tears,
"Oh, Letty, Letty." moaned MIbs Lld
dy. "you'ro soaking wet! You ain't
any more fit to take rare of yourself
than a baby! There, there, Just you
lean on me, dearie. That's right! I'm
Just going to tako you right homo and
put you to bed. Almost there, almost
there, here's tho steps, lean on me.
uearie, lean on mo ah, here wo are!
Lady Mansfield straightened herself Llddy's touch seemed to possess some Ject to rheumatism as she was, with- pierce the darkness between tho two Now to perk up the fire and get you
nave all
lcf.. d team .7 ""
..""" "rues, or
lVM'"Uhi. "''" 31 vnnr
wnen Viu? ladles he m.r.
U? tt.i
.i -j ...uuauu.M niiuifiuicucu uviocu
en hi . " 8U(ldenIy. It was tho first time lc all wonderful magic which never failed to
ourst of her life that her self-possession had bring relief to tho poor Bwollen limbs.
been shaken; she regarded It almost Of course, with the ceasing of
as a breach of good tasto that sho had speech between the friends, these mu-
been startled into an exclamation of tual ministrations nlso ceased But
dismay. She looked up with unwaver- luckily for a long tlmo neither Miss
out a sign of a pair of rubbers to her
reet!
It was this terrible discovery and
all that it involved, flashing through
Miss Llddy's brain, punctuated by a
series or mental exciami
houses. But no light appeared at tho
htone bouse windows.
Five, ton, fifteen minutes dragged
by The Are was nearly out and Miss
Llddy shivered convulsively beneath
no
nice and warm, Don't try to talk
bverythlnrs going to be all right- "
"But. Llddy, I Just want to say about
that same abominable quarrel '"
Ana noth glad old voices ranu out
UBtl
nify were mil or nn unennv Hiir-
prlso. Ho waa wondering what sho
had found out now was ho in for
another lecture? Ho scowled with a
pucker of impatient annoyance, which
brought his eyes rlosor togothor, giv
ing his weak young faco a lowering,
suspicious look.
With ono swift, comprehending
glnnco his mother read his mind. Sho
meant no more to him than a flguro
hcac! who had some dim. intanglblo
right to crlticiao and find fault with
his every action. Sho turned away
from him with a weary helpless sigh.
"Tho mator looks Jolly well fagged
looka hor ago," hor sou waa thinking,
and then sho npoke.
"I have seen Miss O'Neill," sho said
smoothly "I am willing to recolvo
her and glvo my consent to your mar
riage "
Hor llfo work lay wrecked beforo
hor; Bho surveyed It stoically, a smllo
on her drawn lips. Sho faced tho
truth that oven In her sorrow nbo
was a coward Sho dared not toll.
mini OTRDsneia snot ins Hands In hi