The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-08-12

leculy, ana was quite sure tnat ne nau
not had him as a passenger since the
day when he had ridden to Tregarthen
on fare paid to Kingville. In view of
these unsuccessful Investigations, Lud-
lows well-simuated indifference to
his wife's anxiety was worthy of all
praise.
Don't you worry about Hugh" he
said; hell turn up all right when he
gets good and ready. Isuppose he and
Hester had some little tiff and he's gone
off to sulk."
ut isn't anything of the kind she
insisted. "Hester's been here this
morning, and she told me all about it.
They parted good friends, and she's
sure something dreadful has happened
to him. Don't you know any of his
friends in New York to whom you could
telegraph"
''No; and if Ibid, they wouldn't know.
He hasn't had time to get to New York,
unless he went in a balloon"
Il don't care, l think it's perfectly
heartless of you to be so Indifferent
about him; one would think you'd care
little bit about what became of him."
Ludlow put his arm around her and
lifted her face so that he could look into
her eyes. Perhaps I'm not SO indif-
ferent, after ALL" he said. Tell me
what you wish me to do. and J'll go do
it, If l have to let the furnace freeze
while the men turn out to hunt for
him."
THAT is what ought to be done-to-
morrow, anyway. Hester's gone to ask
her father to ride along the mountain
to see if anyone has heard of him. and
Henry will go to Dunbar. If they can't
find out anything, l think you ought to
get up search party. Now, Tom,
there's one thing more. Tell me why
you thought Hugh wouldn't have any
thing to do with the feud if he knew
about it?"
Ludlow saw he was upon the brink,
and braced himself for the plunge, but
he evasively asked: when did say
anything like that?"
"Why, you remember--the first time
we were talking about him and Hester;
you said he'd have to be very much
changed from the man you used to
know if he consented to assume any
such responsibilities"
"D4d say that?"
"Of course you did; and want to
know what it meant, and all about it."
why, / didn't mean anything in par
ticular, except that Hugh was always n
peaceable felow-a man who avoids
rows as cat picks her way around a
pool of water"
There's more than that to it, Tom,
dear, and you might just as well tell me
first as last. Hasn't he been talking to
you about this-this idiosyncrasy of
his?"
Ludlow dropped into his chair with a
groan. ~ knew just how it would be-"
he sail; and then he told her what he
could remember of the conversation in
which Ringbrand had confessed his in
ability to face danger and the bearing
this would have upon his relations with
Hester and her family. "He said he
was going to try to fight it out with
himself, and that if he failed we needn't
be surprised if he turned up missing,
because he wouldn't have the face to
say good-by. Now you know the whole
of it, and why haven't been borrowing
any trouble about his disappearance.
1 concluded at once that he'd made a
miss-go of his fight and had decided
that discretion was the better part Of
valor."
Mrs. Ludlow pursed up her lips and
walked airily around to her place at the
dinner-table. "Tom," she said, smiling
serenely across the table at him, I'm
positively ashamed Of you. Do you sup
pose for moment that Hugh would
have stayed here all this time making
love to Hester when he knew oil along
that he wasn't going to have the cour-
age to stand up for her when he got
posterous things, and don't know
which is the more ridiculous-his abb
suridlty in telling you, or yours in be-
lieving him."
Ludlow fell back in his chair in an
attitude of helpless despair. "Helen,
my dear, you'd make an angel weep;
you would, indeed! What have to do
with it? How am responsible for it Z
Who made me the godfather to this
chuckled-headed infant?"
"Please don't be tragic, Tom," she
said, sweetly. at doesn't become you
You know you aided and abetted him in
this foolish notion, and then, to think
that you'd sit down calmly in the be-
lief that he'd run away without saying
a wordl It's too perfectly absurd for
anything! What you should do is ia
telegraph everybody you can think Of
right away, and if you don't hear any
thing by tomorrow morning you ought
TO take the men and search every foot Of
the mountain till you find him."
For reply he handed her the two mes
sages from McNairville and Dunbar
adding that he had questioned the con
ductor on his way home.
| "Then you haven't been quite al
hard-hearted as 1 thought you were
Can't you think of anyone else to tele
graph?"
"No."
''Have you suspected the. Bynums o
having anything to do with t?"
(, "rd suspect them quickly enough i