Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-18
What name shall / say,

ceive you. sir. What name shall say.
sir?''
You know my name well enough,
William Bladon. Tell her that Mr..
Hayter requests her immediate presence
in this room"
"Cert'nly, sir, cert My. I'll see if her
leddyship viii receive YOU
He bowed low and left the room.
Hayter quite understood the insolence
of the mans excessive courtesy, but the
moment was too grave to resent the
superciliousness of mental He would
settle accounts with Bladon, when Lady
Arlington was restored to his guardian.
ship.
But he has little time for meditation,
for the door opens and Bladon re-
appears.
''Her leddyship declines to see thee,
SIR
''What!''
''But, my lord will be with thee in a
crack"
Lord! What lord?' Hayter cried.
losing for moment his splendid self
command in his surprise.
But before BladOn could reply there
trooped into the room George Arundel,
Mr.. and Mrs. Hardcastle, Harry and
Kate Evesham, and Mrs. Horner.
Really. ladies and gentlemen" Mr..
Hayter declared, rising, 81 had no idea
| that Mrs. Horner was entertaining COM
pany; but / will only intrude long
enough to beg our worthy hostess to
| conduct me into the presence of Lady
| Arlington
my mother declines to see you,'
| George said, confronting him with so
stern an expression that Harry was con-
strained to whisper in his ear that
| Hayter's gray hairs protected him from
| violence.
Really, my good fellow, as I have
! not the slightest desire to make your
mether's acquaintance, you will pardon
me if say your remark borders on an
| impertinence," Hayter declared with
| superb superciliousness.
! "You are speaking to Lady Arlington's
| son, SIR" Mr.. Hardcastle interrupted
| fercely.
'tAnd you, sir?" Hayter asked in
suave tones, "what role do you play in
this little comedy?"
| But even he blanched, as Hardcastle,
| ignoring his insolence, said in a quiet,
| business-lil1e way:
Harry, guard the door-Bladon, take
| your place at the window-the village
constable will soon be here.''
Then, turning to his wife, he added
| in stage whisper:
''Do you recognize him, Esther. as the
man, who, under the guise of photog-
rapher, entered your house in New
York, the night after Ambrose Airing
ton was murdered, and stole his pa
| pers?''
81 do
Was it by design that at this critical
moment Harry Eveshan left the room
| without even closing the door behind
him? If SO, the ruse succeeded admira-
bly,; for no sooner did Hayter see the
chance of escape, than he made a dash
for liberty.
81 hated to let the villain escape so
easily" Harry said that evening when
he and Hardcastle were smoking their
cigars.
''But we could not help it, Harry -
was the sage reply. There was not a
single crime with which we could charge
him; and if there were, it would have
been at the cost of the reputation of
Wanda's mother"
''True, SIR
"Why, Harry continued Mr.. Hard
castle, waxing warm on the subject,
''if that fellows conscience had not
failed him when alluded to Ambrose
Arlington's murder, he might have set
us at defiance and given us world of
trouble"
''And you think we have seen the last
of him?''
Think! I'm certain. He is running
he believes with the halter round his
neck and he will not stay till he has put
| the sea between him and England"
''No doubt he has made preparations
for such an emergency"
''Of course he has, having handled the
revenues of this fine property so many
years. But, pom my word, thought
| ~