The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-07-17

like man who had lost all his friends
in n single night"

like man who had lost all his friends
in a single night"
''I don't know anything to tell, except
what is evident enough to a man up
moderately tall tree. Hugh has
about as pronounced case as l ever
saw develop in SO short 4 time, ano it'll
go hard with him if he doesn't win. It
Hester should refuse him, / shouldn't
be surprised to have him leave us
without word; it would be very much
like him" So much good-natured Tom
Ludlow ventured on the chance that
Ringbrand had carried out his threat.
'Why should Hester refuse him.
"Bless my soul! how should l know?
Tn not in the young woman's conf
dence; and, besides, don't know that
she has"
Ludlow hurried through his break.
fast, and breathed freely again when he
was we'll out of ear-shot of his home.
I'm lucky man." he chuckled; Five
minutes more, and she'd have had the
whole story out Of me, and l really
mustn't tell her that--not yet awhile;
it d be cruelty to animals. I'd like to
know if that Anticipated rascal has
actually taken French leave. l must
try and find out from the colonel if he
comes down to-day"
The colonel did come down, but Lud.
low learned nothing more than that
Eingbrand had left ''The Laurels" quite
early in the evening, that he had in.
sisted upon walking, and that he had
taken the north road instead of turning
his inquiries carefully, but the coloneTs
hospitality took the alarm at once.
do I understand that youh friend
didn't come home las night?" he asked.
Ludlow admitted it, and fastened &c
add that Ringbrand was sometimes
rather erratic in his movements.
Il reckon it would be something
little mo- than erratic if he camped cut
on the mountain all night; thah's nc
house this side of Squire Craven's, an
that's good ten mile"
perhaps he went on down the road
to Dunbar" suggested Ludlow; hes
good for long tramp if he felt like it
He'll turn up all right
The colonel looked thoughtful. u
hope so; indeed, l do. He's a mighty
fine young gentleman, and we-all think
a heap of him up on the mountain. He
told me yesterday that he was going
back to New York befo' long"
Ludlow took this as confession OF
lis suspicion, and answered, accord
ingly: Yes; he's quite anxious TO get
back to his work.
Here the matter rested, and the three
people who knew of Ringbrand's dis
appearance held widely different views
as to its motive. Mrs. Ludlow, finding
the packed valises in the guests room.
reluctantly gave place to the carefully
insinuated suggestion of her husband
that the young man had fed because
Hester had refused him; Ludlow, some
what better informed, was quite sure
that the unceremonious departure was
due to Ringbrand's failure to win in the
battle with his weakness; while the
colonel went home with slightly-con-
fused idea of the unaccountability Of
authors and story writer's, whose
ragaries led them to refuse the hospi-
talities Of a comfortable mansion for
the sake of spending the night in wan:
dering about on the mountain. Impart-
ing his convictions to Hester, together
with the information that Ringbranl
had not returned to Tregarthen, he
awakened an emotion in the heart of
that ingenious young woman which
had slept quite peacefully through the
unobtrusive wooing of her lover; and
her quick intuition, finding a better
trajectory than the logic of the others,
went nearer the mark, filling her with
vague apprehensions for Ringbrand's
safety. She Immediately recalled the
conversation of the previous evening,
remembering his abstraction and the
abrupt leave-taking. Then she recol-
lected that Henry had been the last one
who had seen him, and she quickly OBJ
tanned all the information that could be
CLEANED from that source. 1t contained
n grain of comfort in the assurance that
he was not unarmed; but she could not
help thinking that the mere possession
of the revolver promised little for his
safety.
The following morning she mounted
Pluto and rode straight to Mrs. Lud-
lows, in the hope of finding that her I'M
defined premonition of trouble was
groundless; but there had been no word
from the missing guest, and the small
matchmaker made an unsuccessful at
TENT to conceal her resentment toward
the girl who had SO ruthlessly demcl-
ished her beautiful air castles of domes-
tic felicity
ITc BE Continued