Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-17


Baron had wrung his in the morning
You re brick, Baron" he said.
Il tell you what, Hagar. I'd like to
, talk the thing over once with Mrs. bet.
lor. She's a wise woman. 1 believe. il
ever there was one; sound as the angels.
or I'm Zulu. fancy she'd give q fel.
low coed advice, cha woman like
her eh?''
To hear Mrs Detlor praised was as
Wine and milk to Hagar. He was about
to speak, but Baron, whose foiblc was
hurriedly changing from one subject to
another, pulled letter ont of his pocket
and said: But maybe this is of more
Importance to Mrs. Detlor than my fool
ishness. l won't ask you to read it. I'll
tell You what's in it. But. first. it's
supposed, isn't it, that her husband was
drOwned:''
''Yes. off the coast of Madagascar.
But it was never known beyond doubt.
The vessel was wrecked and it was said
all hands but two sailors were lost"
Exactly. But my old friend Meneely
writes me from Zanzibar telling me Of
4 man who got into trouble with Arabs
i'll the interior-there was q woman III
it-and was shot but not killed. Meneely
brought him to the coast, and put him
into hospital. and said he was going to
ship him to England right away, though
he thinks he can't live Meneely further
remarks that the man is bounder. And
his name is Fairfax Detlor. Was that
her husbands name:''
Hagar had had a blow. Everything
| cpQmal N, OF nd
defeat all i'll moment There was grim
irony i'll 1t. YES, that was the name"
he said. will you leave the telling to
me:''
That's what 1 came for. You'll do
it as it ought to be done; couldn't.
"All right, Baron.
Hagar leaned against the mantel, out
wardly unmoved, save for a numb kind
Of expression. Baron came awkwardly
to him and spoke with stumbling kind
of friendliness. "Hagar, I wish the
Arabs had got him, SO help me!'
For Gods sake think what you are
saying"
''Of course it doesn't sound right to
you, and it wouldn't sound right from
you; but I'm 4 rowdy colonial and I'm
damned if l take it back,-and I like
you, Hagar" and, turning, he hurried
out of the house.
Mrs. Detlor had not staid at the hotel
long; but. as soon as she had recovered,
Went out for "a walk. She made her way
to the moor. She wandered about for q
half hour or SO and at last came to u
quiet place where she had been accus-
toned to sit As she neared it she saw
pieces Of an envelope lying on the
ground. Something in the writing
caught her eye She stopped, picked up
the pieces and put them together
Oh" she said with misery in her
voice, What does it all mean? Letters
everywhere, like the writing on the
wallr
She recognized the writing as that Of
Mark Tclford His initials were in the
corner. The envelope was addressed to
John Earl Gladney at Trinity hospital,
New York. She saw a strange tangle Of
events. John Earl Gladney was the
name CT the man who had married an
actress called Ida FOlger, and Ida Folger
was the mother of Mark TelfOrd's child!
She had seen the mother in London; she
had also seen the child with the Mar
graves, who did not know her origin,
but who had taken her once when her
mother was i'll and had afterward edu-
Gated her with their own daughter.
What had Ida Folger to do with George
Hagar, the man who lit was a JOY and
yet an agony to herr was more to her
than she dared to think? Was this
woman for the second time to play a
part-and what kind Of part-in her
life? What was Mark Telford to John
Gladney? The thing was not pleasant to
consider. The lines Were crossing and
recrosslng. Trouble must occur some
where. She sat down quiet and cold.
No one could have guessed her mind
She was disciplininy herself for shocks.
She fought back everything but hcr
courage. She had always had that, but
it was easier to exercise it when she
lived her life atone-with an empty
heart. Now something had come into
her life-but she dared not think of it!
And the people of the hotel at her ta-
BILE, half hour later, remarked how
cheerful and amiable Mrs. Detlor was
But George Hagar saw that through the
pretty masquerade there played a curl.
Gus restlessness.
That afternoon they went on the ex-
cursion to Rivers abbey-Mrs. Detlor,
Hagar, Baron, Richmond and MANY
others They We're to return by moon
light. Baron did not tell them that a
coach from the View hotel had also
gone there earlier, and that Mark Tel
! ford and Mildred Margrave with her
friends were with it. There was no par
ticular reason why he should
Mark Telford had gone because he
hoped to see Mrs. Detlor without (if he
should think it best) being seen by her.
| Mildred Margrave sat in the seat behind
} hlm-he was on the box seat-and so far
gained the confidence of the driver as to
induce him to resign the reigns into his
hands. There was nothing in the way
Of horses unfamiliar to Telford As a
child he had ridden like a circus rider
and with the fearlessness Of an Arab ;
and his skill had increased with years.
| This sly in hand xS-,c .c 1a caid ..vusa