Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-28

Jutsido the township by the citizens
and escorted ina dusty and numer-
ous cavalcade They passed the in
spector's h0use. The garden was
blooming, and on the roof flag was
dying. Struck by the singular char
acter Of the place, Lord Malice asked
who lived there and proposed stop
ping for a moment TO make the ac-
auaintance Of its owner, adding with
yome slight sarcasm, that if the Off
ters of the government were too
busy to pay their respects to their
governor their governor must pay
his respects to them. But Old Roses
was not in the garden nor the house,
and they left without seeing him.
He was sitting under willow at Bill
labong, reading over and over to
himself the address to be delivered
before the governor in the evening
And as he read his face had wintry
and inhospitable look.
The night came. Old Roses en-
tered the dining room quietly with
the crowd, far in the governors
wake. According to his request, he
was given a seat in distant corner
where he was quite inconspicuous.
Most Of the men present were in
evening dress. He wore a plain
tweed suit, but carried a handsome
rose in his buttonhole 1t was i'm
possible to put him at disadvan-
tage. He looked distinguished as he
was. He appeared to be much in
terested in Lord Malice. The early
proceedings were cordial, for the
governor and his suite made them
selves most agreeable, and talk
flowed amiably. After a time there
was a rattle of knives and forks, and
the chairman rose. Then after a
chorus of hear, hear" there was a
general silence. The doorways of
the room were filed by the woman
servants of the hotel. Chief among
them was Vic, who kept her eyes
mostly on Old Roses. She knew
that he was to read the address and
speak, and she was moro interested
in him and his success than in Lord
Malice and suite. Her admiration
Of him was great. He had always
treated her as a lady and had done
her good. He had looked earnestly
and kindly into her brown eyes,
and
"And l call upon Mr.. Adam Sher.
wood to speak to the health of his
excellency, Lord Malice"
In his modest corner Old Roses
stretched to his feet. The governor
glanced over carelessly. He only
saw figure in gray with a rose at
buttonhole. The chairman whispered
that it was the owner of the house
and garden which had interested his
excellency that afternoon. His ex-
cellency looked a little closer, but
saw only a rim of iron gray hair
above the paper held before Old
Roses face.
Then a voice came from behind
the paper, Your excellency, Mr..
Chairman and gentlemen"--
At the first word the governor
started, and his eyes flashed search
ingly, curiously at the paper that
walled the face and at the iron gray
hair. The voice rose distinct and
clear, with modulated emphasis. It
had a peculiarly penetrating quality.
A few in the room-and particularly
Vic-were struck by something in
the voice-that it resembled another
She soon found the trail. Her eyes
also fastened on the paper Then
she moved and went to another door
Here she could see behind the paper
at an angle. Her eyes ran from the
screened face to that Of the govern.
or. His excellency had dropped the
lower part of his face in his hand,
and he was listening intently. Vic
noticed that his eyes were painfully
grave and concerned. She also no
ticed other things.
The address was strange. 1t had
been submitted to the committee,
and though it struck them as out of
the way it had been approved.
1t seemed different when read as Old
Roses was reading it. The words
sounded so inclement as they were
chiseled out by the speakers voice.
Dicky Merritt afterward declared
that many phrases were interpolated
by Old Roses at the moment.
The speaker referred intimately
and with peculiar knowledge to the
family history of Lord Malice. to
certain more or less private matters
which did not concern the public, to
the antiquity of the name and the
high duty devolving upon one who
bore the earldom Of Malice. He
dwelt upon the personal character Of
his excellency's antecedents and
praised their honorable services to
the country. He referred to the
death of Lord Malices eldest brother
in Bur1nah. but he did it strangely.
Then, with acute incisiveness. he
drew a picture of what a person in
so exalted position as a governor
should be and should not be. His
/ xrOSoa aeo,,,asllxy ha1 M this uoirt a