Tuesday, March 27, 1923
THE HEPPNER HERALD, HEPPNER, OREGON
PAGE FIVE
11
I' .... ,
US
i i
f :3
4
!
I
',
IT IS DIFFICULT
to imagine any
thing more fasci-
nating than our
new serial story
e
Joy of
Living
I By
I Sidney Gowlng j
(Continued from page three)
"I couldn't help It, Billy!" she said
suddenly.
"Couldn't help what?"
"You saw us getting away, didn't
you? And the girl and the Sphinx?
Has Monsieur de Jussac explained to
you?"
"I haven't seen him," said Billy,
quietly, "but I guess it isn't hard to see
how things were. You might as well
tell me, though."
Almee, very gloomily, described her
encounter with Calamity Kate.
"I know," she concluded, shakily,
"you're thinking me an idiot. I'd no
right to take such a risk with the po
lice there and everything. I I sup
pose she's a thief. But she's done such
a lot for that man, and she was so mis
erable. He's her husband. And I
couldn't help thinking about you and
me, Billy, and how I should feel if you
you "
She broke down and began to cry
quietly.
"That's how it was. Are you very
angry with me?"
Billy gasped and, stepping quickly to
Billy Pulled Aimee's Hands Away.
her, pulled Aimee's hands away from
her face.
"Angry with you?" he exclaimed,
holding them tight. "I was afraid you'd
he mad with me ! You ought to. Why,
I did the iiine thing, and I'd no ex
cuse ! I ought to have made sure that
woman was run In."
"You did the same thing?" said
Almee, staring.
"Yes! Of course, I never dreamed
you were In the pits, or I wouldn't have
done It. That crippled crook in the
cave got over me. They've got him for
five or ten years; and he's earned it.
But he was all broken up about his
wife. Neither of them deserve a scrap
of sympathy. But the poor devil was
in such a state, that somehow I fell for
it. He never whined on his own ac
count; he was thinking of his wife. It
got me on a raw spot. He knew 1 must
have tracked him through her he
begged me to say nothing about her.
"And I didn't. I gave him that much
rope. Never told the police I'd seen
her close by. Running down women Is
their job. If It's got to be done, let
them do It. They haven't any choice
but I had. All the same," said Billy, "if
I'd dreamed for a moment you were In
the pits, I'd have chased fifty female
thieves sooner than you should take a
chance ! I ought to be horsewhipped
for riskln' It."
"I think it was fine of you, Billy I"
cried Almee with sparkling eyes.
"No!" he said. "Its you that were
flne."
"This," said Almee, "Is what comes
of growing sentimental. Neither of us
would have dreamed of making such
eucb fools of ourselves a week ago.
What will become of her? Will she
get away?"
"I don't know or care. If she made
the road, there's Juice enough In the
Sphinx to take her a hundred miles
from here. I only hope they don't find
her with the machine. But I'll bet they
don't. She'll get clear and cover her
tracks she's the sort that does."
"But the Sphinx." said Almee, with
Intense remorse, "our Sphinx, Billy !
I've lost her for you !"
Billy laughed.
"We'll mighty soon have another
there's two hundred landed at the
docks last week same model ; and a
factory being equipped to build the new
model over here. Mass production."
"What! Yon never told me It had
got as far as that I But I wanted the
old one, Billy our Sphinx."
"Maybe you'll have her yet. Only
I'm not golnf? to let her make trouble
for you. We're pretty near done with
trouble."
"But how"
"Never mind. I'll tell you some time.
Gee ! how you'll laugh ! But I'm giv
ing you the cinch it Is so."
"Billy!" she cried, "Isn't that splen
did! Though I I"
"Well?"
"I haven't been worrying so much
about It lately," said Almee swiftly.
"But It's good to know. And what's
going to happen now?"
"I know one thing that's going to
happen now," said Billy, and he kissed
her with as de Jussac would say
eiijpresseiu. nt.
"Billy:" suid Aimee a little breath
lessly. 'Aunt s.ud we hud to be
decorous !"
"So we a iv," replied Billy. lie kissed
her again.
Had an hour Inter Billy, passing the
main porch, encountered Lady Ery
thca. 'Spencer,'' she said, "1 was about to
send for you. The person from Scot
laud Yard, who has just left, informed
me that he had not only captured one
of the thieves, but that you had ren
dered him invaluable assistance. It
reajly seems u remarkable ending to
the affair but it does not surprise me
in the least ! I said from the first that
you were more likely to make a suc
cess of this problem than all the po
lice in the country, if they would only
consult you. I was perfectly right
my judgment, in fact, is never wrong."
"Yes, my ludy."
"I am quite capable of reading be
tween the lines," said Lady Krythea
with suppressed triumph. "It is my
conviction that the capture of this
abominable thief was due entirely to
you. The police are imbeciles."
Billy shook his head.
"On the contrary, Inspector Ark
nright Is an uncommonly clever man,
my lady," he said respectfully. "As for
me, I had luck. Luck's a queer thing.
KveD cleverness won't always beat it."
Lady Erythea looked a little out of
her depth.
"In any case," she continued, "I am
very pleased that this absurd suspicion
of the police regarding you is cleared
up, and that you come out of the affair
with such credit. It confirms my opin
ion of you."
Lady Erythea-contemplated Billy's
tall figure and serenely handsome face
with a certain regret.
"I am sorry," she said, "that you are
leaving Jervaulx."
Hilly smiled.
"The week I have spent In your lady
ship's service," he said gently, "has
been the happiest time of my life."
Lady Erythea was not given to ex
pressing her emotions. But her aus
tere face positively tinged a faint pink
color with pleasure.
CHAPTER XXVI
"Where Is My Daughter?"
"Why can't we stay on for another
week, Billy?" said Almee, leaning a
little farther out of the study window,
duster In hand. "Go to Aunt the
Missus, I mean and ask her to let you
keep the job. She'll Jump at it." .
"Nothing doing!" said Billy sternly.,
Almee sighed. The hour was nearly
noun on the day following the Odyssey
of the crag pits. No news had been
heard of Calamity Kate, who appeared
to have drifted out of history on the
Sphinx. A brief interval of peace had
settled upon Jervaulx.
"There'll be a vacancy for a parlor
maid an' chauffeur," announced Billy
with decision, lie was standing on the
gravel just outside the window. "All
the bother with- the police is wiped oft
the slate. It's only a fool that backs
his luck too far. And It's time to quit
the game and turn the lights out."
"That means Aunt lias got to know
who I am, ami who (ieorgle Is; and
and all the rest of It."
"There's no way out of that, I'm
afraid."
"1 know. But I do rather funk it,
Billy. The worst if It Is poor old
Oorgie is in a tighter place than 1
am."
"We'll have to see her throuch it."
"I'on't you think," said Aimee, dis
tinctly worried, "that it would he best
If (ieorgina arranged to cut short her
visit and went home and Amy Snooks
gave notice, or just cleared out. You
as well. Then we we could explain it
all by letter, or something. I think It
would look better that way."
Billy looked at her a little oddly.
"I am In a funk, Billy," suid Almee,
trembling slightly. "I don't care for
myself, hut it's awful to think of poor
Oeorgle having the storm break on her.
She Isn't built for It. I believe if the
thing isn't sprung on us suddenly, nnd
we manage it at the right time, we
we might get away with It."
"Right again," said Billy, "but I
shan't go. I shall stay and put It
through myself."
"No!" said Almee quickly. "I won't
hear of that."
'You Just leave it to me," said Billy,
soothingly, "there's another way. I'll
show you "
The whirr of a motor Interrupted
him. A large automobile was ap
proaching up the park road. Almee
looked at it. Such an expression of
horror came over tier features that
Billy was startled.
"What's the matter?"
"That's absolutely torn it!" said
Almee In strangled tones.
"Eh !"
"It's Dad :"
Almee dived back Into the room like
a rabbit retreating into Its burrow.
The automobile swept up to the main
entrance; the Very Reverend I.nrd
Scronpe descended.
"Is Lady Erythea In?" he said, al
most curtly, to the butler. "Announce
me at once, please. Lord Scroop."
Mr. Tarbeaux showed him Into the
emptr. drawing room. Lord . frnnpe
deposited his hat among a cluster of
Dresden ornaments. His brow, usually
white nnd serene as alabaster, was
clouded. Lady Erythea entered ma
jestically. "Anthony !" she said.
Lord Scroope, omitting any greeting,
regarded her fixedly.
"I received your letter by last night's
post, Erythea. announcing Aimee's en
gagement to Alexander. I borrowed
the bishop's car, and I have been trav
eling from Closeminster since seven
this morning."
Lady Erythea received the news w Ith
a smile of approval.
"The silly child wished me to delay
announcing her betrothal. But that, of
course, I could not consent to. I wrote
to you tit once, Anthony. I commend
the energy you have shown in hasten
ing to congratulate them and nie. One
so seldom sees you in a hurry."
Lord Scroope .deliberately placed a
pair of gold-rimmed pince-nez on his
nose and stared at his sister-in-law.
"The news of this engagement," he
said earnestly, "is unwelcome to me.
Entirely unwelcome."
Lady Erythea stiffened in every limb.
Her ear-trumpet was presented in one
hand ; with the other site raised her
lorgnettes and directed them at Lord
mini ii mm
Regarded Each Other Glassily.
Scroope. The two regarded each other
glassily.
"I do not understand you," said Lady
Erythea with frigidity. "Alexander Is
a young man of unexceptionable char
acter and prospects. Jervaulx will be
his. The Scroope estate is entailed, and
I am sufficiently an fait with your af
fairs to know that when your two sons
in the Service are provided for there
will be no overpowering fortune left
for Aimee. It appears that if there Is
any complaint, it should come from
me."
"The financial aspect of the question
does not weigh with me," said Lord
Scroope with asperity. "I object to
the match Itself. If Alexander Is to
marry at all"
"If he Is to marry!" interrupted Lady
Erythea warmly. "Of course he Is to
marry. Though I confess I was very
much afraid he never would. I'enult
nie to tell you, Anthony, that in taking
up this attitude as to the marriage of
priests, you stand on a very shaky
foundation. You yourself are a Clerk
In Orders, and an extreme Ritualist.
Shall I remind you that if you had not
married Delicla and an excellent thing
it was for you this situation would
'never have arisen !"'
"I am not conscious of having ex
pressed any such argument," said Lord
Scroope very stiffly, but with a certain
pinkness about the ears. "As for Alex
ander, he Is In every way an excellent
young num. But if he Is to marry, the
Inst thing I should have desired is bis
alliance with my daughter. Their tem
peraments are so opposed that I am
convinced nothing but unliappincss
could result in fact, your news seemed
to me almost incredible. I do not know
what to do the position is very dilll
cult for me, if the child has really be
come attached to him," concluded Lord
Scroope, with visible distress.
"CJood gracious, man, what did you
expect?" exclaimed his slster-ln-law.
"It never entered my head," said
Lord Scroope. emphatically. "I thought
thut your Influence, and that of Alex
ander, would have a steadying effect
on Aimee, who was In some need of it.
But this I"
Lady Erythea showed Increasing ex
asperation. "You are talking rubbish I" she ex
claimed, sharply. "Of all the girls
known to me, no more suitable mate
could be found for Alexander. Indeed,
during her sojourn here Almee has en
deared herself to me scarcely less than
to him. Her piety, her quiet devotion
the complete absence Id her of all
slanglness all these speak eloquently
In her favor."
Lord Scroope gazed at her In bewil
derment. "I really do not follow yon, ErythPn.
And I am greatly disappointed," said
Lord Scroope heavily, "greatly disap
pointed. I did not foresee this."
"I am not responsible, my dear
Anthony, for your lack of foresight,"
said his slster-ln-law, acidly. A shadow
darkened the window, and she turned.
"But your daughter ciin answer for her
self." Georglna stepped In through the
open window, followed by Mr. Lambe.
Suddenly observing Lord Scroope she
halted and became rigid. Every scrap
of color left her cheeks. Alexander
halted also, and slowly turned a deep
plum color,
(Continued next week)
7, ,i n "
r .V' ..&-" '-t v.T.Vk v"" y ' -' i,: 'pTBS
L
so. i ' 0n ill i 1 u
MHil LT1 ill!!!' LU-i'-Ck JL,
.ILsJc"
-" 1 - " "' -'WW
For Your
Easter Breakfast
Some of our delicious Premium
Bacon, fried to a crisp, served
with toast and coffee, will make
you an Easter breakfast well
worthy of the occasion. And
when you buy it here you are
sure you are getting only the
best. We solicit your order today
High Quality - Low Prices
Central Market
G. B. SWAGGAET
lb
if
E-aster
Greeting's
We extend our Kaster Greetings to you. Wc
hope this occasion finds you happy, healthy and
prosperous. And may the future look equally
bright to you.
And let's not forget the story of sacrifice that
the Kaster day symbolizes. While our sacrifices
can never be so great, wc should think of the
day ahead when we no longer are able to toil for
our daily bread. Then is when the sacrifices wc
make now will count. J
Why not place some of your money in a Savings
Account with us? Then, when you need it,
you'll be glad you made the sacrifice. We'll
help with 4 interest.
First National BanK
Heppner, Oregon