Western Kansas world., 1885-05-02

W 20, OuC Cucy WOu A4C w0A0
was dealing with I should know what u
do, but q child and q sick man"
"Yon wish me to 60 and see them Z
questioned Raymond lightly. very
well: will 60 at once. dare cay cal
induce them to. hear reeson."
At the hour when Philip Searle talk
ed with his son, Reda Wylder stooe
with their own servant, woman OF ~
who had always been with the family
before picture which hung in the low
wide entrance hall of the house. II
was the potrait of an ancestress, Wo
man who must have been superbly beau
tiful.
"You are her image, child-her very
image!" old Annot was saying. III you
were dressed like that you might gel
into the frame there, and no one would
know the difference" @
Reda laughed merrily. lE
II have q mind to try it" she said
"The very clothes she wore for this pic.
ture are up there in the cedar chest.
will do it."
As she ran away Annot's old eyes fol-
lowed her fondly.
A little later gentleman came up to
the walk, hesitated at the vine-clad, sun
lit doorway, and glanced within the open
hall.
His gaze fastened admiringly on the
picture of Reda Wylder's beautiful an
cestress, as, seeing no bell, helightly hft-
ed, twice or thrice the old fashioned
ebony and bronze knocker which orna-
mented the carved door, and waited.
Presently. along an upper hall and
down flight of stairs at right angles
with the doorway, came the tiny, me
talic click of little bootheels, and the
swish Of silken draperies; and then sud-
denly, in all the old-time gorgeous attire
in which she had gone to array herself,
Reda Wylder stood before him.
The gentleman almost jumped, so star
tied was he.
Had the picture come out of it's frame?
Reda read his thought, and laughing
light came into her dark, shining eyes, q
rougish smile curved the lovely scarlet
lips.
Raymond Searle quickly recovered
himself, and bowed low, hat in hand.
II am Raymond Searle," he said. my
father wished me to call and deliver q
message for him to Mr.. and Mrs. Wyl-
der"
81 am Miss Wylder," said the sweet,
naughty voice.
And without any apology for her
strange dress, she led the way to an in
ner room, where her brother, We're Wyl-
der, lay upon a couch drawn beside q
sunny window.
She explained briefly to him, and mo-
toned their visitor to seat.
"Well sir" said Reda loftily, "we will
hear your fathers message. My brother
is not strong enough for many words, so
you will please address yourself to me-"
For the first lime Raymond Searle felt
all the ungracious and ungrateful disa-
greeableness of the errand on which he
had come.
He blushed; he hesitated, he sat over
whelmed with confusion. Finally he
said desperately:
"You know why 1 have come. 1 wish
now 1 had not"
"You said you had a message from
your father?" questioned Reda, hearth
81 prefer not to deliver it now," he
answered.
"You do not need. We, my brother
and myself. can well imagine that it is
only some new threat to compel us to
abandon our home-our legal and right
full home-in spite of that decision of an
unjust court which pronounced other
wise"
Raymond bit his lip.
I'm justice to my father, then," he
said, 'that this message was no threat.
He wished me to ask you when it would
be convenient to give him possession of
Wylder's Rock"
"Neverw rang like bugle's note from
Reda's quivering lips. go back to your
father and say that to him. Say that we
will die first We will die resisting. He
shall never have Wylder's Rock while
we live p
Raymond Searle rose from his seat,
bent his head ceremoniously to her,
bowed low to the brother in whose eagle
glance the same flame leaped as in hers,
and went silently from the room.
II think he meant to be courteous"
said We're Wylder when he had gone,
Il hope we were not rude"
81 hope not" said Reda, aswift change
coming over the spirited face, "He is not
to blame. His father has not told him
all the story, or he would not have come.
I could see that. I like his looks; did
not you, Vere?"
"He would scorn to do such baseness
as his father is guilty of, I believe"
II think he would" We're answered.
Raymond went back to his father with
q troubled face.
"Sir," he said abruptly, "you did not
tell me all the particulars Of this Wyl-
ders' case" G9-t .fAs
Philip Searle redeemed. He would
have chosen not to tell his son more than
he had, but if he must he was ready.
"What ground have the Wylders for op-
posing this claim? Why, simply this:
It was Raymond's grandfather who
loaned the money to Guy Wylder, and
took mortgage on the Rock. He and
Wylder were old and close friends. Wyl-
der claimed that he paid the money the
very day Raymond Searle was stricken
with the mortal illness of which he died
before the following morning. Searle
could not at the moment put his hand
upon the mortgage-he was q notorious
ly careless man with his papers. But
the men were easy natured and they
trusted each other implicitly. Searle
was not feeling well, and it was agreed
that Wylder should come the following