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About Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927 | View Entire Issue (March 13, 1908)
ROOUB RIVER COURIER, GRANTS PASS, OREGON. MAKtn u. Richard the Brazen Copyrifhl. IB08. br MofU, Yr4 C- Cnpr. Coutinutd from "Very good teat for an Englishman, my lord!" I For Rlcbard of course sat on bis borne like plaint rider who loathes tbe up and down motion of England and the riding school. For a long time Mlas Renwyck and her fatber awaited their guest's return In great anxiety until they were reliev ed at loot by the Right of bin) coming down the rond at an cany canter, evi dently maiiter of the altuatlon. "He rides well, father, doesn't he?" "He does." the old gentleman replied and added something which qualified firm opinion. Richard soon reached tbe paddock fence, forcing bis Jaded mount to take It for a second time, crossed tbe field and dismounted at Miss Harriet's side. Tbe home stood still, his head drooped agnln. but this time In utter weariness, not mischief. His glossy coat was streaked with foam, bis widespread nostrils Inflamed and red, while bis barrel heaved to the pant of bis lalwr cd breath. lie shivered In defeat and offered no resentment of bis rider's arm about I: Is neck In a rough caress. "Look here, young man," said Mr. Renwyck's (.'reeling, "where did you learn to rlile like thatr "I was uncommonly keen on riding as a boy," mild Richard, falling Into luay drawl, "and, besides, I stayed for several months In Tezaa, you know." Miss Hnrrlet started and fixed a searching gaze on the speaker's face, but ber father nodded gravely. "UiupuT be returned. "I see. Good Instructors, those fellows on the plains, eli?" "Well, rather," assented Rlcbard, with a Inugli. "My trainer was a gen tleman known colloquially aa Dog Faced Bam, though 1 dare aay bis par ents never bothered to christen him at all. Jolly sort, those er cow chaps, 'pon my word!" There was a abort alienee; then Mr. Renwyck blurted out abruptly: "Well, tbe horse la yours, of course. You rode him fur a full half hour." Richard took out hla watch, glanced at It and closed It with a snap and a algb. , "Twenty-eight minutes!" he exclaim ed In well amumed dismay. "By Jove, I've lost my wager!" "Hold on there," cried tbe old gentle man, but laughing In spite of hla ear neatness, "you can't squirm out of It that way. Why, bleea my soul, you could have stuck on him till be drop ped dead. No, Lord Croyland, I'm not welsher, nor do I shy at a margin of two minutes. No, sir. Hawk Is yours!" For answer Richard made a twitch of his thumb and finger, opened the horse's mouth and pointed to a badly swollen gum. "He has a bad tooth, Mr. Renwyck, which perhaps accounts for his ugly temper. Kill It and you'll Dud a very different animal." "What has that to do with the bet?" demanded Mr. Renwyck obstinately. Richard fastened In bis monocle aft er a desperate struggle and smiled and Instantly lost bis luhor, for when ever be smiled It propped nut again. "Couldn't think of accepting a dlf fervnt animal, y' know. Really, aa Rills says. It wouldn't hit off with my conscience." "Cmyland," said tlio old gentleman, thrusting out his hand, "1 didn't take to you much at first. Hut If you'll come with me to the bouse I'll Intro duco you to something that I keep strictly for friends." Mr. Renwyck led the way with his wife, while Miss Hnrrlet and the guest came sauntering after hint. "Ijord I'roylnnd." the young lady whispered, "I don't admire you epe chilly U'catihe you know how to man age a horse - I've known other men who could tl that but" "l!ul what" "I do mini i you for knowing how to manage f- her. May 1 decorate you with this rose?" CI I AI'TKIt VII. Willi K dressing for dinner aft er a di'llKhtful afternoon w 1 1 h Harriet Renwyck. Richard took hla first lesson In modern Kntillsh history and geogra phy. ' Tbe well trained Kills attempted to take full charge of the toilet, but Upon this the new master put bis foot down (Irmly. nills." be said, "Just about eighteen year ago. If I rvuiember right, my nurse came to the conclusion that 1 was then old enough to get Into my breaches without her able assUtauee. The conditions remain unchanged. Sit down and talk to me about London." Gingerly availing himself of the edge of a chair ou account of this conde scension of Inexperience, the valet de tailed an account of bit master's move ments for the past three year. On the Whole, the story waa Interesting, though distinctly unflattering at times to a member of tbe nobility. Outward ly BUls was aa expreealonlesa as a phlnx; Inwardly he enjoyed his own narrative hugely. It was seldom be CYRUS TOlTiSEND BRADY, Author of "forth Trr dam of lb b." "l n Hoalbernere.' KU:., EDWAM teple, Aalfcor of "A Brok lUMrr." TU Prknoe latt -A, bad so glorious an opportunity of lay ing bare bis private opinions of bis whilom master. "Umpn!" grunted Rlcbard aa be tried on one of Lord Croyland'a dinner Jackets. "So I am responsible for three entanglements and one scandal of whlcb I still wear honorable scars. Drop that part of It. I'm a seeker after general Information only." Bills looked disappointed, but strove to earn bis salary on leas tasteful lines. He waa a shrewd man, and hla knowledge of tbe requirements of Richard's case led him to give valuable Information. He described Hyde park, riccadllly, the Strand and many other kaunts of tbe fashionable aet; also a fub or two and varloua prominent "Stop rtuM thtrt J" commanded AlCft ord sternly. EngtTsn people likely to be mentioned In general conversation. Rlcbard waa possessed of a retentive memory, which he now stored full of odds aud ends whlcb would belp hlin pasa muster, provided, of course, be did not run foul of the Initiated, lu which case he shuddered to think of tbe pos sibilities. His alleged sojourn In the United Btates, especially his winter In Texas, accounted In a measure for occasional slips, but even with this In his favor tbe position waa a trying one. There was another feature of the en terprise which troubled hltu surely. It waa comparatively easy not to seem to appreciate a Joke and to lutersvrse small talk with a few stock phrasca delivered In n Ilrltlsh drawl, but when he looked Into the eyes of the woman he loved he longed with all his heart to lie for onw and nil time an Ameri can. I'e sighed for the sweep of the wide frit) plains, for a gallop with her across the fragrant prairie, to speak to her In bis uaturul native tongue and to tell her he loved her aa he loved Ills land. "Woolsey," ho sighed, and It amus ed hlin to notice how the valet resent ed the use of his Christian name, "I'm afraid, after all, I shall have to ask you to tie this neck thing. The ones I had at home were ready made and could lie cinched up proerly with .u practical buckle at the back." The valet deftly adjusted the Imw, then gnvo a pull here and n poke there to the dinner suit, to which the mas ter submitted meekly. "M" lord." observed Hills, surveying his charge with an expert's eyes, "ask In' your lordship's pardon for prcsuin ln' to mention It, tbe-er- the oilier one never looked quite so cotivlmln'. in' lord." "Thank you. cardinal." "Thank you, sir, an' I ain't no Judge If the lady don't think so too." ItVhard wheeled upon him sharply. "Lady? What lady?" "W'y, MUs Kenwyck, sir, the la.ly wot strikes me as" "Stop rlj;ht there!" commanded Rich ard sternly. "There are certain sub jects which are not discussed lictweeii a gentleman and his servant. This Is one of them. Please remcmU-r It." "Thank you. Mr. er-1 mean in" lord," said the valet respectfully. "Very good, sir " In siting up his man the astute III, Is bad made a grave mistake, wherein he found much food for reflection regard lug his future line of conduct. He had long since learned to manage tils for mer master by various cunning little artifices, but this wide awake Texan, with his square chin and steely blue eyea, waa quite auolher proposition. Although Hills bad divined the object of this masquerade. It did uot aeeut aa If he would profit much by It. aud yet there must le some way In which he could turn it to bis own advantage eventually, be was sure. Meanwhile tbe adventurer descended Into tbe drawing room and was pre sented to several other members of the small house party who had arrived by the late afternoon train for the week end. First there was Miss Caroline Schermerly. half sister to Mr. Ren wyck uud belonging to tbe buute no blesse of old Manhattan. Flatterers described ber as a lady of uncertain age, although there was little doubt as to ber personal antiquity. She was tall, somewlmt angular and Incased In a formal . coat of blue blooded sleet wblcb bad never thawed sufficiently to admit of a husband being warmed to ber side. She approved of esrls. Tbey represented caste; . therefore abe promptly took Rlcbard under ber molting wing, to the vast discomfiture of tbe gentleman thus appropriated. Then there was Miss Imogene Chit tendon, a bosom friend of Miss Ren wyck, newly released from boarding school and radiant In tbe glamour of ber first season out She waa blond, fluffy, giggly, enthusiastic, delivering ber sentences In a short Jerky stac cato, wltb a deal of unnecessary em phasis, nntll ber conversation suggest ed some one playing telegraph opera tor wltb a vlchy siphon. "She waa ao glad to meet a real live English lord! Really, It was de-llght-ful! How did It feel to be a nobleman Instead of Just an ordinary American? But of course be couldn't tell tbe dif ference, never having been anything else, you know," and so on ad libitum. In hla heart Richard agreed with ber literally, but was not In a position to make explanations. Ha was now Introduced to tbe last of the guests, Mr. Cornelius Van der Awe, an overyoung young man, sad eyed, dark and In love wltb Miss Chit tendon to tbe verge of melancholia. He said be was very much pleased to meet Lord Croyland and asked If they were having much fog at borne. Rlcbard bad been posted on London fogs and was enabled to draw a pic ture sufficiently dismal to meet with tbe questioner's desires. "Dinner Is served." announced a tall butler, who fortunately chanced to be an Irishman, Otherwise there might have been whisperings over some of the strange earl's characteristics In tbe aervants' ball. "All right." said Mr. Renwyck; "we won't wait for Michael. He never missed an opportunity of being late In all bis life." Richard, who against bis every In clination was forced to take lu tbe stately Miss Schermerly, was wonder ing vaguely who "Michael" might be when suddeuly bla heart stood stilt at tbe entrance of the gentleman himself, and again In bis ears sounded the haunting echo of that doubtful compli ment: "Very good aeat for an Englishman, my lord." Mr. Michael Coirlgan waa a merry, hearty little man, brother to Mrs. Ren wyck, not ashamed of bis Immediate Irish ancestry and a thorn In bis brother-in-law Jacob's side. Tbe two gentlemen had never got on well to gether, owing to an utter dissimilarity of tastes and a bulldog tendency to argue out tbelr respective aides of ev ery question to tbe bitter end. If one mado a statement tbe other was sure to combat It, no matter what bla pri vate convictions chanced to be, and poor Mrs. Renwyck lived in mortal dread of a tilt a la outrance between the two. Moreover, there had been a recent discussion, which, bad Rlcbard knowu It. would bave caused him much distress of mind, for the rock on which the brothers-in-law had split waa a business deal wltb one BUI Wil liams of San Antonio, Tex. Before tho advent of Mr. Corrliran. Richard had been pluming himself onj having carried out his rote so success- I fully. It waa comparatively easy to j throw sand In the eyes of the Reu wyeks and their guests, but Mr. Corri- gun put a different complcxlou on the i face of things, for the Texan recog- I uhr.cd the gentleman us a stuiich friend of his father's who had visited their ranch some ten years tiefore. Richard was then n mere ly and would scarce ly be rvmcuiliered. he hoped, especially when masquerading as a foreigner. I Still he had his quaking doubts mid re-1 doubled Ills efforts to appear uu-Amer- j lean. As the dinner progressed lie was rejoiced to delect no si;ii of ivcognl- i tlou. but before the salad was served be found himself lu trouble. For the beuetlt of his ':eis Mr. j llcuwxck iviouuted the af (cr'ioon's feat of horsemanship, and Richard found himself upon the defensive. For 1 Innately he knew the details of the! real Lord I'roylaml s venture in Texas' cattle aud to;d the story with it'sslj eil'ect. thus uccouutl.ig fur his nbi.ity j to rltle nnyilnic; th;it ran on loin- !e-s. yet ull the while h, fc;l Hie sU'.alj ! gaie of Mr OmtI, :m's little gimlet! eyes, which made hlin most iincoin '. loi-iable. I When this ordeal was passed Miss! I'hittcndon forced him Into one morel eomplicaiion "I'll. Lord Croyluud." she gushed from her sc.it on the opposite side of i tiie table, "won't you pleas,, tell us aj lot aboiu Fughind? I've never crossed. I vou know, and I'm just dying to see the pi.aivs I've read of In so many IhmLs." "My dear young luly." Richard re mind. :i unnatural languor, "you i wouldut tlu.I It half so Jolly as your own country. Really, you know. I'm becoming such a good American that I fancy I shall never return to England again." Ie was not "no get out of that coll so easily, however, for the ladles plied hltu wltb dluleult questions uutll be wished wltb all his heart that three of them at least were confined for life In the Tower of London, while be talked to the fourth of bronchos and love and things be understood. Then Mr. Corrl gan took a band. "Lord Croyland," he began, leisurely slppluK bis port, "It has been many years since I was In Loudon, but I bave always retained a most delight ful recollection of Hyde park. Very few changes there. 1 suppose?" Richard brightened visibly. ThMs was a subject on which tbe astute Bills had drilled him well, ne could speak of It be thought, with little danger of a slip. Mr. Corrigan went on reflec tively: "Quite a park, aa I remember It." "Vast." agreed Richard, wishing bis meutor had iieen a little more explicit as to dimensions. "I was especially Impressed," said Mr. Corrlgau. wltb delusive blandness, "wltb that splendid statue of Napo leon, which stands at the main en trance. You are familiar with It of course. Lord Croyland?" 1 "Oh. quite!" assented Rlcbard bold ly, screwing In bis monocle and look ing L'uele Michael straight In the eye. with never a tremor In bis own. "To me It la quite tbe finest bit of bronze I've ever seen." Mr. Corrigan seemed puzzled. "Bronxe?" be murmured thoughtful ly. "Now, that's strange. I was un der tbe impression that It waa done In marble." He looked up with a smile and a sigh. "I dare say I'm getting old, my lord." Richard began to feel beads of cold perspiration gathering upon hla brow, but dared not call attentlor thereto by mopping. "It is quite weather stained, yon know," be explained, with outward calm, "and perhaps well, you see, the sculptor's name Is Thornton. I've nev er heard that he worked In marble, though I may be wrong." "Bet what I don't understand," ex claimed Mr. Renwyck, "Is why you Englishmen ever put up a statue of Napoleon at all. Seems to me that bating him as you did It was rather a curious thing to do." "Not at all," said Rlcbard desperate ly; "prisoner, y'know St Helena and all that sort of thing er mag nanimous." Uncle Michael did uot seem convinc ed and was about to usk more ques tlous when Mr. Renwyck turned upon him sharply. '.Michael, you are doing this for tbe sake of argument. I don't believe you know anything about It, and, what Is more, I think Lord Croyland Is hu moring you for tbe sake of politeness. I'll prove It." He turned to Richard. "My boy, I ought to have warned you lu advance. My brother-in-law Is a crotchety old lawyer wbo baa never got over his bad habits. Tell me hon estly now Is there a statue of Napo leon Konaparte In Hyde park at all?" "No," smiled Richard, greatly reliev ed nt this turn, "there is not" "Who is It. then?" "Wellington." snld Richard, with tri umphant carelessness, although be real ly dkl not know whether there was such a statue or uot. Hut then neither did any one else at the table, although all but Miss Chlttendon bud visited England, some of them many times. Tbe company laughed nt Mr. Corrl gan's discomfiture, while the victim himself seemed to enjoy It with the keenest zest. That dangerous Incident was closed. Tbe dinner was finished at last, and Mr. Corrigan. pleading an appoint ment, departed, greatly to Richard's re lief. The rest of the evening was speut In company with the ladles, for the young man's efforts to single out one In particular were Invariably frus trated by the other three. It was uot until nearly 11 that he had a short half hour with her alone, but In this he was repaid for all his tribulations. Miss Harriet was dressed In nil exquisite pale blue gown, modestly revealing a neck mid shoulders which to Richard were tho most beautiful in nil the world. They sat on the front veranda overlooking the river, she In n low wicker chair and he on the steps nt her feet. Behind hlin were clusters of wlsttirbi blooms, while beyond in the darkness the tirst of the liretlles twin kled like stars. To them came the nlu'bttiuie scents and the murmur of the wind across the mighty Hudson on lis journey to the sea. Miss Harriet told him of her trip to Te:is nnd of the gallant cowboy who !' td saved her life, v Idle Richard lis. Iciie.l with a bomuilng heart. He longed to chilMt a hero's place, to confess his dc-optlon aud tell her the plain, bare ticlh. And yet he paused. To confess vv inld Involve disclosing the reason of his dMclt. a iid be dare not risk the il'iiuo of losing i,.r yet. she was young, romantic. The very daring of a lover's bold design might appeal to her; but. on the other hand, It was lienor to w ait till he had won her heart than to ruin all by foolish precipitance. "And what sort of chap was this covvNy?" he asked her presently. "Oh, splendid!" she answered, with enthusiasm. "Me was tall and straight and strong. Why. he lifted me as though 1 had been a child and set me down as tenderly as my own mother might have done. It all came so sud denly nnd I was so bewildered that I scarcely even thanked him. I kuow he thinks me perfectly horrid, and 1 would give anything on earth If I could only tell blm that I'm that I'm not." "And you saw all that in five min utes V he asked eagerly. "In five, minutes!" she exclaimed, surprised. "How do yoo know how long It was?" 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Interrupted Miss Harriet, with a decisiveness that pleased him to the quick; "he was nothlnc of nr Of course he was roughly dressed, as mi- mi are, nut a gentleman Is a gen tleman even in a flannel shirt .n.t Vhaps' don't they call them? Do you know. Lord Croyland, he reminds me In many ways of you. He-no, no," she added hastily, "I don't mean that He was quite different. Tou see, he w as au American." "Lucky beggar!" observed the pseado enrl. with a heavy sigh. "Mlsa Ren wyck. I. too, would love to become an American If won't you teach me how?" "IT she laughed. "Yes, I wUL If you promise to follow Instructions Im plicitly. "Done!" be answered. "I'm ready for my first lesson. How will yon be gin?" - She thought for a moment, then looked down upon him Impishly. "First I think I sbonld Uks to de stroy your monocle with with a cro quet mallet." Richard screwed It into bla eye with Lowell Secure TREES Agent renewed 'icr and stared up at her through It with an excellent simu lacrum of a wondering English Incom prehension, stammering out with de lightful vugucness: "D'ye menn while I am ah wearing It. Miss Uenwyek?" CHAPTER VIII. MFTER Miss Renwyck had retired Richard lighted a cigarette 'jL "nil sat alone on the vernnda, turning over lu his mind the events of his first crowded day and his plans for the future campaign. Mr. Michael Corrigan troubled him. This little fat muu was nobody's fool, and no one could tell what sort of mischief was lielng hutched behind those pierc ing eyes, wblcb. If they continued to twinkle about the Renwyck place, would shortly discover many things. Rlcbard sighed and flicked the stump of bis cigarette away. He rose and was about to pass Into the house when he was met In the doorway by Mr. Renwyck. "Croyland," said his host Impressive ly, "there is a little matter which I should like to talk over with you, and I have purposely waited until the la dles retired." Richard fancied there was a certain grimness In Mr. Renwyck's tone and Jumped to a awlft conclusion. He was found out He wished to avoid a scene If possible, but from what his father had told him of Mr. Renwyck's temper he could gather little hope. "Certainly," he answered evenly, rather relieved that the expected break was coming. "Shall we ait here on the porch T" "No," said the old gentleman; "1 don't care to be overheard by any of the servants. If you don't mind walk ing we'll move away from the house." Richard waa convinced. He waa