Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Lexington wheatfield. (Lexington, Or.) 1905-19?? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1905)
J The CHAPTER XIII. Pauline made au effort to look unlike herself; but hers was an Individuality not easily hidden under a large plaid traveling wrap and a plain black bonnet and veil. At any rate, Mr. Daws wa not deceived by them, and guessed who his visitor was the moment she was shown Into his dusty little private office. He remained standing silent and mo tionless, with his bright, beadlike eyes watching her from under his heavy brows until she felt almost hysterical. "I have come with reference to an ad vertisement in this morning's Times," she began. "I believe you Inserted it?" "No." She looked incredulous for a moment, then said: "Then, if you did not, you know who did, and you will favor me with their address." "What for?" "I wish to see them." "Why?" "Why!" Pauline drew herself up proudly, for she was getting irritted, as she answered. "I think that is my busi ness." "Not at all! It is ours." "You will surely not refuse to let me have the address of the person who put that notice in this morning's Times, when I teli you that I came on Sir Geoffrey's behalf. I am, in fact, a relative of his. It says it is for Sir Geoffrey's 'decided advantage." But how?" ' "That's my client's business. Lawyers never reveal their clients' affairs." "But, If you will neither tell me your self nor give me your client's address, how can I find out for Sir Geoffrey what the advantage is?" "Send him here himself." "He can't come. He is very 111," she told the lawyer. "Then we must wait until he's well." "You willi absoultely tell nobody but himself what this wonderful advantage is?" "No one." Pauline rose from her chair, and they looked steadily at each other for a few seconds. She gathered her energies for her last effort. She placed her hand on the table between them, and leaned for ward slightly. "What is your price for the address I want?" Daws' eyes glittered. Two thoughts passed through his mitid before he an swered: "You have shown your fear by the offer of a bribe; and heaven save the Frenchwoman if I betray her, for you will certainly murder her!" Then he spoke: "The information you ask for Is price Jess.1: "I can give more than you think, per haps. One hundred pounds!" A pause. "Two hundred three hundred four hundred five!" "I have answered; it Is priceless." She looked for one Instant as if she would spring on him and tear the secret from him; then there came the sullen look of one beaten and baffled, and she turned without another word, went down the rickety stairs, and re-entered the cab which had been waiting for her. Pauline had counted Confidently on making a bargain with Messrs. Daws & Raven. She believed that some unknown person had accidentally found out cer tain facts of her past life which she had pressing reasons for keeping secret, and she thought she had only to offer them a good price for their silence and the matter would end there. Now that she was once more in her own room, wrap ped in a warm dressing gown, and with leisure to think, she began to see that there was something more than the mere greed of gain prompting her unknown ad versary. This fighting in the dark was alarming. If she only knew from what quarter to expect the attack she might be able to make some sort of resistance; as it was, there was nothing to be done but sit down and calmly await the onslaught. On one point only could she make up her mind she must hurry on her mar riage. Let her once be Jack's wife, and, no matter what phantoms should rise from the past to threaten her, she would at least be sure of his love; for she would love him so dearly, she would be o gentle, so winning, that he would not be able to withhold his love from her, even though he should grieve to find her other than he had thought. And so that evening she got Jack's consent that they should be married a fortnight hence, on the 18th of Septem ber, the day after she reached her twen-ty-flfth year. CnAPTEIt XIV. Ethel was certainly very courageous. She was also strong, young and healthy, and had an unusual amount of self-pride, all of which kept her from giving way under the load of grief that came upon her after Jack's faithless behavior. But she felt her sorrow none the less deeply, and hid It from her father's sight. Captain Polling had been away nearly a week on a visit to an old friend, and Ethel was feeling the dally monotony of her life very Irksome as she once more set about making her father's coffee. There were letters on the table, but she did not feel particularly curious about them. As she placed the coffee pot on the table the writing on the envelope next to her own plate caught her eyes. The blood rushed to her face, and, with nervous basta she picked up the envelop and opened tt Sh rd U invitation Wife's -Secret J OR A BITTER RECKONING i By CHARLOTTE M. BRABMB card, and the flush fade slowly, leaving an expression of sorrowful contempt on her face. "Poor Jack!" she sighed. "I wonder if he thinks a few civilities of this kind will nuke amends for his conduct in the past? Does he imagine he can repay ma for the loss of his love by holding out the hind of friendly patronage? Can he believe It would give me pleasure to spend an evening in watching his atten tions to his handsome hostess?" She threw the card from her with an impa tient sigh. "How contemptibly foolish it is of me to care so much after all this time! Perhaps dad would like to see his old home again; and, as it does not really matter much whether I go or not, I will do as he wishes about it." As she heard her father's step on the stairs she turned as brightly as usual toward him to say, "Good morning." Then she held his envelope behind her playfully, saying: "A thousand guesses, and you will not guess where this letter is from, papa!" "I shall not make ou so tell me." "It is an invitation to Malilngford for the seventeenth of this month from Miss Mailing herself, for a ball." . "A ball!" he repeated. "Why fn the world should Miss Mailing Invite me to a ball?" He looked at the envelope curiously, and then said: "It is addressed to 'G. Mallett, Esq.,' and in Jack Dorn ton's writing! Oh, I begin to under stand!" he went on, in a voice of genu ine relief, as he took the card from the envelope. "I feared for the moment that Summers had been doing a kindness, as he calls it, and persuaded Pauline Mail ing to Invite her poor relatives to her ball. But this civility is evidently due to Dornton's good nature, and is sent in all good faith, to 'the Malletts, old friends of mine,' as he would say in de scribing us." "Who is Summers, papa?" "Lord Summers is your cousin's guar dian." "Of course I remember the kind looking old man we met at the Exhibi tion last May." "Yes. I've been in constant dread ever since that unfortunate meeting that he would seek me out and try to do some thing for me. That was why P was so annoyed when you told him you copied m the galleries; I .thought he might pounce on you and worm our address out of you." "Do you think he would tell . Miss Mailing about my copying at the "gal leries, papa?" "No doubt of it; he is an Inveterate talker." Ethel had a sudden conviction that Miss Mailing had used this information to obtain their address, if Lord Sum mers had not, and' believed she had at last found out to whom she was indebt ed for her anonymous letter. This be lief did not Increase her desire to go to Malilngford; but she held to her resolu tion to leave the decision In her father's, hands. "Do you want to go to the ball?" he asked. "I don't care one bit about It, if you don't want to go, dad.". "I don't care about the ball, either; but I should like you to see the old place, Ethel. If we were to go to the ball I should most, likely run up against some one who would remember me as Geoffrey Mailing, and there would be quite a little sensation over my reappearance; but this invitation entitles us to call on Miss Mal lng, in any case, sena an acceptance, my dear; we can follow it up by an ex cuse on the morning of the 17th. In the meantime we will run down one day and leave our cards and take a look round ust as ordinary strangers, and no one will think we are anything, else." Ethel was glad the question was set tled in this way, for she, too, wished to see the old house that should in justice have been her father's. Mr. Malett open ed the other letter and threw it across to her. Read it out, Ethel. It's from Pelllng. I've talked so much that I've no time to eat." Ethel read the letter, which ran as follows: "My Dear Mallett I send some birds by to-night's train; hope they will arrive all right. I am tired of this place, But can't get away under the promised fort night. My old friend has taken a wife since I last saw him. Said wife has three sisters at present staying with her; and, as they are all of the genus 'blue stocking,' my life has been a burden to me since my arrival here. Sport is ex cellent, but Just the least bit monotonous. The house is full of pleasant peopl and yet I miss your society more than I could have thought possible; and I am really anxious to get back to our work. Tell Miss Mallett not to forget her prom ise "What promise was that?" Mr. Mai lett asked. "I'm not quite sure what he means, unless Ethel blushed slightly. "Never mind; finish the letter to your self, my dear, for I must be off directly." After seeing her father off and finish' lng the letter, Ethel did not feel alto gether happy. She was airaid Captain Pelllng had set too high a value on her words, and she tried to recall exactly what she had said when he had called to say good-by. What had really occurred was this. When Ethel put her hand Into PsClngs ha held It while he saldi "I wish I could flatter myself by be lieving you would miss me a little while I am away, Miss Mallett; but perhaps It would be a welcome miss, for I know I'm a terrible bore sometimes." He looked so wistful that Ethel felt quite a thrill of sympathy for him, and, on the impulse of tne moment, respond ed: "I'm sure I shall miss you, atid I shall be glad to see you back again." And Pelllng had left her with a face so glorified with delight that she had feared and wondered continually what such glorification might mean, and had alternately blamed herself for her im pulsive words, and him for his misinter pretation of them. Pauline was rather staggered a couple of days later when she received affirma tive replies from Mr. and Miss Mallett; but she was In such a whirl of excite ment by this time that so smtll a peril as a visit from her uncle and cousin pass ed by unheeded. It was now the 8th of September, and she was to be married on the 18th. Ba bette was the only member of the house hold who had been taken Into her mis tress' confidence with regard to her ap proaching marriage, and the vivacious French woman was delighted at the prospect of going up to town every day between then and the 18th, to see after the piles of new finery indispensable at such a . time. CHAPTER XV. The 13th of September had come, and to Babette's great discomfiture Messrs. Daws & Haven had not yet discovered Sir Geoffrey's address. Only five days remained to the date of the wedding she had sworn to frustrate. She had been to town to get some lace for her mistress, and Incidentally to Interview the lawyers, and was now re turning dispiritedly to Mallingford. At the station, as she was about entering conveyance, she heard some one De- hind her asking for a fly to go to Mali lngford Park. She turned to look at the Inquirer, and for a moment stood gtaring at a tall, well-bred looking man, evb dently on the wrong side of fifty, with a sweet-faced girl of eighteen on his arm. She recognized the girl ns the young lady she had followed from the Museum to her home, and whose name she had dis covered from the neighboring trades peo ple by her mistress' orders about two months before. Then she remembered posting a letter to this young lady for her mistress, and next she recalled hav ing seen Dornton's letter to the same person a few days later, and In a blind fashion without knowing why, she con nected their appearance at Mallingford with those letters, and a wild hope sprang up in her heart that this elderly aristocrat and his pretty daughter had come to Mallingford to help on her pur pose of preventing Miss Mailing's mar riage. Babette was soon deposited at Malling ford House. She made herself presenta ble, and went down to Miss Mailing's boudoir on the ground floor on the pre tense of discussing her -morning's pur chases with her mistress, but really with the determination to hang about the neighborhood of the reception rooms, and witness if possible, overhear the inter view between Miss Mailing and these Malletts. The windows of the boudoir overlooked long stretch of the principal drive. When Babette reached the room it was empty. She placed herself to watch for the arrival of the fly from the village. She saw it come up the long avenue and stop at the main entrance. Then she went to the hall and busied herself look ing for an imaginary missing shawl among the numberless wraps lying about. The hall porter, for some unknown rea son, was not at his post, and an Inexpe rienced footman informed Mr. Mallett that Miss Mailing was not at home. Ba bette, thinking she saw the chance of help from these people gradually slipping away, came rorwara ooiuiy. "Are you sure you are right in de nying Miss Mailing to this gentleman, Philip?" she asked, in a low voice. "I think you have made a mistake. If you will follow me, monsieur, I will see if Miss Malline has returned from her drive." She took them to the boudoir, stood for a moment lu thought, and then flew off to the picture gallery. As she ex pected, she found Jack and Miss Mailing in the deep recess of a window at the far end. She announced: "Mr. and Miss Mallett in your bou doir, mademoiselle!" Pauline sprang from her chair ana stood glaring at Babette as if she were a messeneer from another world, lhe words "Sir Geoffrey" rose to her lips, but she remembered In time that his in dividuality was not known to any one but herself, and she checked the name with an effort. "I am not nt home." she told her riaid. "I left word to that effect." "Yes, so they said, mademoiselle; but I happened to be In the nan, ana thought I heard the gentleman ask for Monsieur Dornton: so I offered to see If he was In." (To be continued.) Similarity. "They call these 'dog days,' re- marked the man with the wilted collar and palm-leaf fan. "Any particular breed of dog?" spoke up the warm-weather wit. "Yes, I should say 'greyhound.' " "Why so?" "They are so long." All Trouble. "May I ask what you are looking for?" said the clerk in the ticket office, "I am looking for trouble," replied the man who was running his finger over the big wall map of the world. "Looking for trouble?" "Yea, air, I am hunting np Russia." What the world needs is mora work- in and fewer dreamers. RHEUMATISM CAN NOT BE RUBBED AVAY When the joints are sore aud swollen, and the muscles throbbing with tin pnin of Rheumatism, relief must be affected parts with liniments, oils, etc. This treatment does good in a way by temporarily relieving the pain ami reducing the inflammation, but has n effect ou the disease itself, because Rheumatism is more than pkin deep; il is in the blood and cannot be rubbed away. Rheumatism is brought on bj indigestion, weak kidneys, poor bowel action, stomach troubles and a gen eral sluggish condition of the Bystem , The refuse and waste matters, whicl should be carried off through the nat ural avenues of bodily waste, are left to sour and form uric acid and other irritating poisons which are ab sorbed by the blood, making it thin, weak and acrid. Then instead of nourishing the different nerves, mus cles, joints and tissues it fills them With poison to produce the aches, pains and other disagreeable symp toms of the disease. Rheumatism is usually worse in Winter for the reason that cold and dampness are exciting causes. The nerves become excited and sting with pain, the mus cles are sore and drawn, the joints swollen and stiff and the sufferer lives in intense agony; and if the disease is not checked it often leaves its victims helpless cripples for life. Rheumatism cannot be rubbed away but it can be driven from the blood by S. S. S. Being a perfect blood purifier this great remedy soon pro duces a complete change in the en tire circulation ; the thin, acrid blood through the body nourishes and soothes o URELY VEGETABLE. for another attack. Do not waste time trying to rub Rheumatism away, bul get it out of the blood with S. S. S. so that the cold and dampness of Wintei will not keep you in continual pain and agony. Special book on Rheuma tism and any medical advice will be given free. The Wantcfnl Caplnln. She was a fair passenger in search of infonnntlon and the captain was, naturally, only too willing to gratify her. He had explained that the action of the propeller forced the ship through the water and added, as a further item of Information: 'We made twenty knots an hour last night, miss." "Did you really?" said the sweet girl. "And whatever did you do with them all?" The captain went red and bis eyes dilated. "Threw them overboard," he said, shortly. "Fancy!" she said. Tit-Bits. Somewhat Different. "Johnny," said the teacher, "pro nounce 'delighted.' " "Yessur," replied Johnny. "Do you want it according to Webster or ac cording to Roosevelt?" "What do you mean?" "Why, if it Is according to Web ster It is 'de-lighted,' and if It is ac cording to Roosevelt it is 'dee-light ed. " lliiiilllimiiuHiiilUjliLiini1 lUpiillimilTpimmiilillimHiMiti'iiihirwiiiiiiiit i"imii'ni immmnii AVgelablc Preparationfor As similating thcFoodandRegula ting the Stomachs andBcwels of Promotes DigestiouCheerfur nessandRestContains neither Opium.Morplune nor Mineral. Not narcotic. Jfeyw afOIilfr-SAMUHPtTCHKR pumphn Semi" Jlx.Smn jtnimSetl pxCerixmtiiStitt manynm. norm A perfect Remedy for Cons tipa Tlon, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea Worms .Convulsions .Feverish ness and Loss of Sleep. Facsimile Signature of NEW YORK. mm EXACT COPY OF WRAREEH. f had at once, and it is natural to rub tin While at work for the V. 0. & P. H. B In the swampy rnirlon, I contracted KheumaUetu and was completely help ing for about lour month and spent over $1 60.00 wit It doctors, but trot worst every any, ana tlnuily quit tliein ana be Kan o. b.h. I took a fow bottles and was cured sound and -well. Mr health Is now inlondld, ana l welfrn 170 There is A ludv livintr near mi pounds who Is now taking- a. S. B. tor aout tn kl Klmuinatlmn. i-'or two months she could not turn ImrHolf in bed, but since bntrln.. nlnir your medicine about three wwaki ago lias improved rapidly, and is now able to dlt up. I can reoouimend 8. 8. 8, to all suflariuir fromRlinumut.inm. Vlah, N. 0. . b. 0. LASSITEB. I was severely troubled with Rheuma. tiem. I had it in my knees, loirs and ankles, and any one who has ever had Rheumatism knows how exoruoiatina the pain is and how it intarieres with one at work. I was truly in bad shape having been bothered with it for ten year, off and on. A local physician ad visnd me to use S. S. S. I did so. Af tei taking two bottles I noticed the sore ness and pain were greatly reduced. continued the medicine and was thor oughly cured; all pain, soreness and in. flamrnalion gonn. I recommend S. S. S, to all Rheumatio sufferers. J. L. AGNEW, 803 E. Greenbrier St. Ml. Vernon, O, is made pure and rich, and as it roes the irritated nerves, eases the throb bing muscles, and dissolves and carries out of the system the irritating particle! in the joints which are keeping up th pain and inflammation. S. S. S. cures Rheumatism permanently, and in addi tion tones up the digestion and stimu lates the different members of the body to their full duty so there is no cause THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., ATLANTA, CA The Mean Things. Miss PiiHsny It seems so funny to me now when I think how terribly afrnid of the dark I wus when I was a child. Miss Speltz Iiut you're not afraid of It now? Miss Tnssay Of course not! Miss Speltz No, the dark must be so much more becoming to you than the light now. Philadelphia Ledger. Aii Intricate Problem. Mrs. Kbrown That conductor In- suited me. Mr. Kbrown How? Mrs. Kbrown Wanted me to pay fare for Tommy. Mr. Kbrown Well, Tommy is quite a chunk of a lad. He looks Mrs. Kbrown And you, too? Do you mean to insinuate that I look old enough to have a child old enough to have to pay car fare? Cleveland Leader. f Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul; aud the heart of man knoweth none more fragrant. Ho sea Ballou. For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have Always Bought Bears the Signature of In Use For Over Thirty Years TNS OSMTMIH tOHMHVi Htm TONS OfTV. if