6
r
The Man on I 1
the Box
W By HAROLD MacGRATH \
■ Authorof " TheGreyCloak," "The
Puppet Crowa."
v» t J
•Copyright, 1904, Tho Bobbs-Merrill Company.
CHAPTER XIII.—CONTINUED.
And what do you suppose tlie rascal
did—with nobody but Dick to watch
him? Why, lie did what any healthy
young man in love would have done;
pressed his lips to the girl's hair,
his eyes filling and half a sob in his
parched throat. He dolefully pictured
himself a modern Antiochus, dying of
love and never confessing it. Then he
kissed her hair again; only her hair,
for somehow he felt that her lips were
as yet inviolable to his touch.
Fainting is byt transitory; by and
S-y she opened her eyes and stared
vaguely into the face above her. I do
not know what she saw there; what
ever it was caused her to struggle to
her feet. There was color enough
In her cheeks now; and there was a
question, too, in her eyes. Of War
burton it asked. "What did you do
when I lay there unconscious?" I'm
afraid there was color in his face, too.
Her gaze immediately roved up the
road. There was no Pirate, only a
haze of dust. Doubtless he was still
going it, delighted over the trouble he
had managed to bring about. Warbur
ton knelt at the girl's side and brushed
the dust from her sldrt. She eyed
him curiously. I shan't say that she
smiled; I don't know, for I wasn't
there.
Meanwhile she made several futile
attempts to put up her hair, and as a
finality she braided it and let it hang
down her back. Suddenly and unac
countably she grew angry—angry at
herself, at James, at the rascally horse
that had brought her to this pass.
Warburton saw something of '.his emo
tion in her eyes, and to avoid the storm
he walked over to Dick, picked up the
' reins, and led him back.
"If you will mount Dick, Miss," he
said, "I'll lead him home. It's about
five miles, I should say."
The futility and absurdity of her
anger aroused her sense of the ridicu
lous; and a smile, warm and merry,
flashed over her stained face. It sur
prised her groom.
"Thank you, Jarnea. You were
right. I ought not to have ridden
Pirate. I am punished for my conceit.
Five miles? It will be a long walk."
"I shan't mind it in the least," re
plied James, inordinately happy; and
he helped her to the saddle and ad
justed the left stirrup.
So the journey hom'e began.
Strangely enough, neither seemed to
care particularly what had or might
become of Pirate. He disappeared,
mentally and physically. One thing
KNELT AT TJIE GIRL'S SIDE,
dampened the journey for Warburton.
His "game leg" ached cruelly, and
after the second mile (which was tra
versed without speech from either of
them), he fell into a slight limp. From
her seat above and behind him, she
saw this limp.
"You have hurt yourself?" she asked
gently.
' "Not to-day, Miss."—briefly.
"When he ran away with you?"
"No. It's an old trouble."
"While you were a soldier?"
"Yes."
; "How?"
He turned in surprise. All these
■questions were rather unusual. Never
theless he answered her, and truth
fully.
"I was shot in the '.eg by a drunken
Indian."
"While on duty?"
"Yes." \ Unconsciously he was for
getting to add "Miss", which was the
patent of his servility. And I don't
think that, just then she noticed this
subtraction from the respect, due hex.
It was eleven o'clock when they ar
rived at the gates. She dismounted
alone. Warburton was visibly done
up.
"Any orders for this afternoon,
Miss?"
"I shall want the victoria at three.
I have some shopping to do ar.d a call
to make. Send William aftor Pirate.
J am very .grateful for what you have
lie made no reply, lor lie saw her
father coming down the steps.
"Betty," sa'd the colonel, pale and
woiried, "have you been riding Pirate?
Where he is, and what in the world has
happened?"—noting the dust on her
habit and her tangled hair.
She explained. She told the story
rather coolly Warburton thought, but
she left out no detail.
"You have James to thank for my
safety, father. He was very calm and
clear-headed."
Calm and clear-headed! thought
Warburton.
The girl then entered the house,
humming. Most women would have
got out the lavender salts and lain
down the rest of the day, considering
the routine of a fashionable dinner,
which was the chief duty of the even
ing.
"I am grateful to you, James. My
daughter is directly in your care when
she rides, and I give you full authori
ty. Never permit her to mount any
horse but her own. She is all I have,
and if anything should happen to
her —"
"Yes, sir; I understand."
The colonel followed his daughter;
and Warburton led Dick to the stables,
gave orders to William, and flung
himself down on his cot. He was
dead tired. And the hour he had
dreaded had come! He had to drive her
through the shopping district. W r ell, so
be it. If any one exposed him, very
good. This groom business was de
cidedly like work. And there was that
confounded dinner-party, and he would
have to limp around a table and carry
soup plates! And as likely as not he
would run into the very last person
he expected to see.
Which he did.
CHAPTER XIV.
AN ORDEAL OR TWO.
Mr. Robert vows that he will never
forgive me for the ten minutes' agony
which I gratuitously added to his meas
ure. It came about in this wise. I
was on my way down Seventeenth
street that afternoon, and it was in
front of a fashionable apartment house
that I met him. He was seated on
his box, the whip at the proper angle
and his eyes riveted on his pair's ears.
It was the first time I had seen him
since the day of the episode at the
police-station. He was growing thin.
He did not see me, and he did not
even notice me till I stopped and the
sounds of my heels on the walk ceased.
Arms akimbo. I surveyed him.
"Well?" I began. I admit that the
smile I offered him was a deal like
that which a cat offers a cornered
mouse.
He turned his head. I shall not re
peat the word he muttered. It was
very improper, though they often refer
to it in the Sabbath-schools, always in
a hushed breath, however, as though to
full-voice it would only fan the flames
still higher.
"What have you to say for your
self?" I went on.
"Nothing for myself, but for you,
move on and let me alone, or when I
get the opportunity, Chuck, I'll punch
your head, glasses or no glasses."
"Brother-in-law or no brother-in
law."
"Chuck, will you goon?
"I mean it."
I saw that he did. "You don't look
very happy for a man who has cracked
so tremendous a joke."
"Will you go along?"
"Not till I get good and ready,
James. I've told too many lies on your
account already not to make myself a
present of this joyful reunion. Has
Miss Annesley any idea of the impos
ture?"
He did not answer.
"How did you like waiting in Scott
Circle the other night?"
Still no answer. I have half an idea
that he was making ready to leap from
his box. He ran his fingers up and
down the lines. I could see that he was
mad through and through; but I en
joyed the scene nevertheless. He de
served a little roasting on the gridiron.
"I am given to understand," I con
tinued, "that you act as butler, be
sides, and pass soup around the
table."
Silence. Then I heard a door close,
and saw a look of despair grow on his
face. I turned and saw Miss Annesley
and Mrs. Chadwick coming down the
steps.
"Why, how doNj'ou do, Mr. Hender
son? Mrs. Chadwick."
"I have already had the pleasure of
meeting this famous young orator,"
purred Mrs. Chadwick, giving me her
hand. She was a fashionable, not. to
say brilliant, intrigante. I knew her
to have been concerned indirectly with
half a dozen big lobby schemes. She
was rather wealthy. But she was
seen everywhere, and everywhere was
admired. She was as completely at
home abroad as here in Washington.
She was a widow, perhaps 38, hand
some and fascinating, a delightful ra
conteur, and had the remarkable rep
utation of never indulging in scandal.
She was the repository of more secrets
than I should care to discover.
I recall one night at a state function
when she sat between the French am
bassador and that wily Chinaman, Li
Hung Chang. She discoursed on wines
in French with the ambassador and
immediately turned to the Chinaman
and recited Confucius in the original
Chinese.
Not until recently did I learn that at
one time Karloff had been very at
tentive to her.
"Where are you bound?" asked Miss
Annesley.
"I am on the way to the war depart
ment."
"Plenty of room; jump in and we
shall drop you there. James, drive to
the war department."
Ordinarily I should Jiave declined,
as I generally prefer to walk; but in
this instance it would be superfluous
AMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1906.
to say that I was delighted to accept
the Invitation. I secretly hugged my
self as I thought of the driver.
"How is Miss Warburton?" asked
Miss Annesley, as she settled hack
among the cushions.
"Beautiful as ever," I replied, smil
ing happily.
"You must meet Miss Warburton,
Grace," —speaking to Mrs. Chad wick,
who looked at me with polite inquiry.
"One of the most charming girls in the
land, anil as good as she is beautiful.
Mr. Henderson is the most fortunate
of young men."
"So I admit. She was greatly dis
appointed that you did not meet her
younger brother." First shot at the
groom.
"I did expect to meet him, but I
understand that he has gone on a
hunting expedition. Whom does he re
semble?"
"Neither Nancy nor Jack," I said.
"He's a good-looking beggar, though,
only you can't depend upon him for
five minutes at a time. Hadn't seen
the family in more than two years.
Spends one night at home, and is off
again, no one knows where. Some
persons like him, hut I like a man with
more stability. Not but that he has
his good points; but he is a born
vagabond. His brother expects to get
him a berth at Vienna and is working
rather successfully toward that end."
I wondered how this bit of news af
fected the groom.
"A diplomat.?" said Mrs. Cliadwick.
"That is the life for a young man with
brains. Is he a good linguist?"
"Capital! Speaks French, German
and Spanish, besides I don't know how
many Indian sign-languages." Now I
was patting the groom on the back.
I sat facing the ladies, so it.was im
possible to see the expression on his
face. I kept tip this banter till we ar
rived at the department. I bade the
ladies good day. I do not recollect
when I have enjoyed ten minutes more
thoroughly.
An hour in the shopping district,
that is to say, up and down Pennsyl
vania avenue, where everybody who
was anybody was similarly occupied,
shopping, nearly took the spine out
of our jehu. Everywhere he Imagined
he saw Nancy. And half a dozen
times he saw persons whom he knew,
persons he had dined with in New
York, persons he had met abroad.
Gut true to human nature, they were
looking toward higher things than a
groom in livery. When there was no
more room for bundles, the women
started for airs. Chadwick's apart
ments.
Said Mrs. Chad wick in French:
"where, in the name of uncommon
things, did you find such a handsome
groom?"
"I was rather lucky," replied Miss
Annesley in the same tongue. "Don't
you see something familiar about
him?"
Warburton shuddered.
"Familiar? What do you mean?"
"It is the groom who ran away with
us."
"Heavens, no!" Mrs. Cliadwick
raised her lorgnette. "Whatever pos
sessed you?"
"Mischief as much as anything."
"But the risk!"
"I am not afraid. There was some
thing about liim that appeared very
much like a mystery, and you know
how I adore mysteries."
"And this is the fellow we saw in
the police-court, sitting among thos#
light o' loves?" Mrs. Cliadwick could
not fully express her surprise.
"I can't analyze the impulse which
prompted me to pay his fine and en
gage him."
"And after that affair at the
carriage-door! Where is your pride?"
"To tell the truth, I believe he did
make a mistake. Maybe I hired him
because I liked his looks." Betty
glanced amusedly at the groom, whose
neck and eai>s were red. She laughed.
"You always were an extraordinary
child. I do not understand it in the
least. lam even worried. He may be
a great criminal."
"No, not a great criminal," said
Betty, recollecting the ride of that
morning; "but a first-class horseman,
willing and obedient. I have been
forced to make James serve as butler.
He has been under the hands of our
cook, and I have been watching them.
How I have laughed! Of all droll
scenes!"
So she had laughed, eh? Warbur
ton's jaws snapped. She had been
watching, too?
"I rode Firat.e this morning—"
"You rode that horse?" interrupted
Mrs. Chadwick.
"Yes, and lie ran away with me in
fine style. If it hadn't been for the
new groom, I shouldn't be here, and
the dinner would be a dismal failure,
with me in bed with an arm or leg
broken. Heavens! I never was so
frightened in all my life. We went
so fast against the wind that I could
scarce breathe. And when it wis all
over, fainteil like a ninny."
"Fainted! I should have thought
you would. I should have fallen off
the animal and b'een killed. Betty,
you certainly have neither forethought
nor discretion. The very idea of your
attempting to ride that animal!"
"Well, I am wiser, and none the
worse for the scare . . . James, stop,
stop!" Betty cried suddenly.
When this command struck his
sense of hearing, James was pretty far
away in thought. He was wondering
if all this were true. If it was, he
must make the best of it; but if it
was a dream, 110 wanted to wake up
right away, because it was becoming
nightmarish.
"James!" The end of a parasol
tickled him In the ribs and lie drew up
somewhat frightened. What was go
ing to happen now? He was soon to
find out. For this was to be the real
climax of the day: or, at least. th»
incident was pregnant with the possi
bilities of a climax.
"Colonel, surely you are not goinft
to pass us by in this fashion?" cried
the girl. They were almost opposite
the Army and Navy club.
"Why, is that you, Miss Betty? Pass
you by? Only when I grow blind!"
roared a lion-like voice. "Very glad
to see you, Mrs. Chadwick."
That voice, of all the voices he had
ever lieaid! A chill of indescribable
terror tlew up and down my jehu's
spine, and his pores closed up. He
looked around cautiously. It was he,
he of all men; his regimental colonel,
who possessed the most remarkable
memory of any army man west of the
Mississippi, and who had often vowed
that he knew his subalterns so we'd
that he' could always successfully
prescribe for their livers!
"I was just about to turn into the
club for my mail," declared the colonel.
"It was very good of you to stop me.
I'll wager you've been speculating in
the shops,"—touching the bundles with
his cane.
"You win," laughed Betty. "But
I'll give you a hundred guesses in
which to find out what any one of
these packages contains."
"Guessing is a bad business. -What
ever these things are, they can add
but little to the beauty of those who
will wear them; for I presume Mrs.
Chadwick has some claim upon these
bundles."
"Very adroitly worded," smiled Mrs.
Chadwick, who loved a silken phrase.
"We shall see you at dinner to
night?"
"All the battalions of England could
not keep me away from that festive
board," the colonel vowed. (Another
spasm for the groom!) "And how is
that good father of yours?"
"As kind and loving as ever."
"I wish you could have seen him in
the old days in Virginia," said the colo
nel, who, like all old men, contin
ually fell back upon the reminiscent.
"Handsomest man in the brigade, and
a fight made him as happy as a bull
pup. I was with him the day he met
your mother," —softly. "How she hu
miliated him because he wore the blue!
She was obliged to feed him —fortunes
of war; but I could see that she hoped
each mouthful would choke him."
"What! My mother wished that?"
Mrs. Chadwick laughed. The groom's
chin sank into his collar.
[To I3e Continued.]
I.et Cleveland Have His Way.
Ex-President Cleveland used to fish
and shoot in the Barnegat Bay district.
John Camburn, a guide, says that one
cold, wet night Mr. Cleveland got lost.
He wandered through the rain and
darkness, trying to find his party, but
not a house could he see, not a light,
nor a road.
Finally he struck a narrow lane, and
indue course a house appeared. It
was now late. Mr. Cleveland was cold
and tired. He thought he could go no
farther, so he banged at the door till a
window on the second floor went up,
and a gruff voice said:
"Who are you?"
"A friend," said Mr. Cleveland.
"What do you want?"
"I want to stay here all night."
"Stay there,, then."
And the window descended with a
bang, and Mr. Cleveland shouldered
his gun again and wearily resumed liia
journey.—Boston Herald.
"Op," Not "And."
People who have had a wide exper
ience with the ordinary summer board
ing-house in a place where the season
is short and hay must be made while
the sun shines have learned not to ex
pect too much. There are, however,
certain limits beyond which economy
seldom goes. These limits are evi
dently unknown or disregarded In a
mountain resort to which a meek Bos
tonian lately strayed. On the morning
after her arrival she seated herself
at the breakfast-table with hope stir
ring in her heart of a meal more gen
erous than the last night's supper. The
neat, stern featured waitress brought
her a small saucer of breakfast food,
and bent over her. "We have Graham
muffins or white biscuit, ham or eggs,"
she said with a distinctness of articu
lation which left no doubt of her mean
ing. —Youth's Companion.
Chickens l'niil for (lie Doctor.
A farmer's wife who had heard the
adage of "imperial Caesar turned to
clay stopping a hole to keep the wind
away," thought of making practical
use of her husband who was helpless
ly ill with typhoid fever. The old man
was having persistently high tempera
ture, and she considered that as his
degree of temperature was just the
same as that generated by a sitting hen
it presented a favorable opportunity
to hatch out some fertile eggs which
lacked the requisite maternal attention.
Accordingly she packed severel dozens
of eggs around the body of the patient,
who, at the termination of the time
usually taken by the hens, hatched
out a numerous progeny of stalwart
chick 3, whose monetary value went
to pay the bill presented by the at
tending physician.
lli.S UfMINOIIN.
A southerner was telling of an old
colored man in his neighborhood who
first joined the Episcopal Church", then
tho Methodist, and next the Baptist
where lie remained. Questioned as to
the reason for his church travels, he
responded: "Well, suh, hit's dis way:
De 'Piscopals is gemman, suh, but I
couldn't keep up wirt de an werin' back
in dey church. De Methodis', dey al
ways lioldin' inquiry meetiu's, and' I
don't like too much inqulrin' into. But
de Baptis', suh, dey jus' dip' an are
done wid hit. I's a Baptis', I is.
Washington St&"%
j Balcom & Lloyd. I
I WE have the best stocked
general store in the county Jj
and if yon are looking for re
liable goods at reasonable jS
IS prices, we are ready to serve 31
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worthy goods and fair dealing Si
is too well known to sell any
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Our stock of Queensware and jf
Ohinaware is selected with [p!
great care and we have some
of the most handsome dishes j®
jig ever shown in this section, «
fflj both in imported and domestic jw
|fj makes. We invite you to visit
fffl us and look our goods over.
id , m
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J lei
11
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|| LOOK ELSEWHERE BUT DON'T FORGET ||
|| THESE PRICES AND FACTS AT
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jj II LaBAF SII )
p| We carry in stock - , **
the largest line of Car- ~ • *3
|| pets, Linoleums and S/ IfnMl?'fPll
£3 Mattings of all kinds v'l §9 112 1
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g| of samples. N
Avery large line of -FOB THE ggrp *<
?3 Lace Curtains that can- _
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Art Squares and of fine books in a choice library M
Rugs of all sizes and select the Ideal pattern of Globe- H*
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*f* est to the best. Furnished with bevel French 1 M(J
(J plate or leaded glass doors.
Dining Chairs, sale o» Kg
|| Rockers and GEO. J. LaBAR,
bj High Chairs. sole Agent for Cameron County. I ; *
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Drop-head Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices. - M
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S3O Bedroom Suits, CiC S4O Sideboard, qoar- (tOfl
' ' solid oak at tered cak vj)GU * *
S2B Bedroom Suits, Ol $32 Sideboard, quar- <tlC fs
Pfi solid oak at 3)/! tered oak 4/ZO }Jf|
IP* $25 Bed room Suits, COO $22 Sideboard, quar- IT l£>
M solid oak at I tered oak, W N
N A large line of Dressers from | CI iffoniers of all kinds and
N $8 up. I a 1 prices. £ *
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Jjj the "DOMESTIC" and "ELDRIEGH.' All drop- J J
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Please call and see for yourself that I am telling
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done, as it is no trouble to show goods.
» GEO. J .LaBAR. >j
711
M TJ IV.J 33 TU je'L "X"