The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-07

lhtrust 10 TO you Now. VIII you consent
20 pet with me on these .erns2''
Inc earl was silent for minute or two
DeIore replying The prospect of getting
rls Dig hutter decidedly appealed TO him.
mere We're, also. other elements in this
dIucular which he found attractive. II
was mysterious. and the mystery seemed
tHeu u was "sporung'-f0r the stranger
mus 10 come with his stake i'm his hand,
ana 20 wish to deposit IL with him (the
Ca-y, ASKING FOR neither receipt nor Sc
I curlty. Lord BiaukWOrth was himself
such good sportsman that he could
thoroughly appreciate a sporting" ac-
| tlon. Also-though Of this he was not
I actively conscious-it was a pleasant and
| hattering thing to receive so signal a
| had never seen.
Altogether, therefore, the earl found
Rimset, almost before he knew it, in a
lar way to consider the strangers pro-
We'll, really" he said, at length, you
.nTssee certainly made me q very sporting
II is fair bet interposed the other,
a. Lord Blankworth paused "On one
hard cash. If you are satisfied with the
after / am equally satisfied with the
FORMER. What do you say2"
! Ddmn ~! cried the earl, making up
ms mind with impulsive suddenness,
and I'm hanged if I don't book the bet"
| ~ Ihank you my lord; thank YOU" said
'he stranger, evidently grauhed.
a written acknOwI edgement of this 1000"
The stranger shook his head.
60, am greatly obliged" he answered.
but 1 do not wish for such an acknowl-
| edgment. l will ask you to let it remain
as i is-purely debt Of honor. There,
! IS. however, one further point TO Which
/ ''Yes?"
About our settlement after the race
/ II you win, OF course, 1t will be all right;
! for you simply appropriate that 1000
ana there will be an end of it. But if you
lose"
You can call here and receive your
! ~ thou. as soon after the race as you
! like, said the earl.
! "Ah, but that is just what I shall be
/ unable 10 do. I am obliged to leave Eng
] land tomorrow morning, and to go
| abroad on pressing business. What / will
! ask your lordshIp to do-if you will be so
| kinds TO keep my winnings (supposing
l should VIM until 1 return to claim
We'll" replied the earl Il can have
no objection to that But I always like
! 10 settle as early as possible. Could you
! not name some address where l could
| send you the money?
II fear not, my lord; my. engagements
/ prefer you settle with me on my return
| if you will agree to that"
Very well Can. you tell me- at all,
! how long you are likely to be absent?''
No, cannot. My absence may be
! short or 1t may be long. When I do re-
turn, however, ! will at once can upon
course, that | am the winner"
An right said the earl, staring at him
! with excusable curiosity. In case you
win, you shall have your money as soon as
stood"
! acceding TO my wishes. Now, my lord"
! (rising) Il think there is nothing more to
arrange, and l will wish you good even
Won't you stop and smoke a cigar?"
mo, thank you" replied the stranger,
who was evidently in hurry, Il have
What a rum thing" said his lord
| ship to himself, as he again inspected
the notes, which he still held in his hand
And what is all this mystery about, 1
wonder? Dare say | was rather foolish
| 70 take him on. And yet, il was a sport
ing thing Of him 70 plank down his
| Nobody can say other wise. Doesn't seem
| IN a hurry about his winnings, either.
ne would have wanted me to settle up
next day. And there can't be any swim
ding. These notes are good. No question
about IT, Cmph! 1t sounds uncommonly
romantic and mysterious l wonder what
there is behind Well. Well It's fair
punt, any how. And I'm glad took MIN
BY $3.50 p. m. on the following afternoon
! Lord BlapkWorth did not, perhaps feel
city and suburban by a head and his
lordship had the satisfaction of knowing
that he owed the mysterious stranger go,
From what he had been told at the
above interview, the earl did not of
course, expect his unknown visitor TO cal
for his winnings just Immediately. Bur
he was by no means prepared for the
lengthy interval which actually elapsed
Indeed. when the weeks passed into
months, and the months into years, and
still no visit from the stranger, he began
to feel sure that some hing must have
happened to him. He was anxious for
him to come, too, and get the settlement
over. For although a man of Lord Blaak-
worth's vast wealth f20,0E was not such
70 most people, still, it vas a large debt
to have hanging over his head win
the knowledge that he might be called
upon to discharge it al any minute.
But the years went by, and the stran-
ger ala not appear until, at last the earl
began to fell Convinced that he must he
dead. He therefore practically dismissed
the affair from his thoughts, not, how
ever quite forgetting that there was just
the possibility-remote. as il now appear
ed-of the man turning up to claim his
winnings after all.
It was fun I'VE or six years after the
date of the wager before this remote
possibility was realized, and then, late
one evening, while the earl was at his
London house he received the long-defer-
red and now unexpected call from The nm
When the latter was shown in. Lord
BlankWorth, at the minute, hardly recog-
nized him. lie looked so aged and ILL., and
his formerly upright figure was painful
/ " shrunken and bent. Indeed, he gave
the impression of having sunk into
weakly inVald-an impression confirmed
by the black Skull-cap which he Wore and
by the tottering gait with which he en-
tered the room. He bowed to the earl
and said. in a tremulous voice:
AT last you see, my lord
80 much at last replied the earl
cycling him with keen curiosity, that /
began TO think you were dead. You have
come to claim your winnings
If it is convenient to your lordship."
/ don't know about convenient it is
never particularly convenient to pay f2D-
COO But IL was a fair bet; and, OF course
you shall have it, Pray take a seat
viii not keep you waiting more than a
minute while l write out the check
AS he spoke the earl went across to the
wriung-table, and presently returned with
a pink slip of paper, which he handed 10
his visitor saying:
You were lucky TO win. It was only a
matter Of head. And the favorite had
snot his bolt II the distance had been 81
yards more, he would have been beaten. ."
Yes luck favored me-" replied the