The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-05-21
CH vi.
4 Deep Plot.

n Dtep fiot.
Stanley ClaremOnt, to forward an
especial purpose which he had in view,
%insinuated t. his uncle a pretended be
lief that their guest was not deriving
any very great amount Of qualification
from his present residence at the man
sion.
Into very frequent fits OF abstraction
had Sydney fallen since he had been
Sir LOghlen'S guest, the cause Of which
will be readily surmiSed by the reader:
and his guests great absence of mind
had been more than once observed by
the baronet.
And so Sir Loghlen was very easily
brought 10 believe that time was now
in reality passing rather slowly and
drearily with Sydney Drummond.
And what could be done for his
young guests e"nlivenment.
Stanley was ready with his answer
to that question.
A few young friends of his own, he
suggested. had better be invited; and
If his advice were adopted he could
safely promise that Mr.. Drummond
would Soon be cured of the ennui with
which he was now SO evidently troub-
led.
Sir LOghlen had conceived II pIrtic-
ular liking for his present guest. and
so readily consented To that which
would make the young mans time pass
more pleasantly while beneath his en-
tertainer's roof.
Stanley, then. lost not Il monlent in
sending out invitations to five or six
of the most reckless young men of all
his ac%uuaintance: and by the follow.
Ing morning all whom he had invited
had arrived.
And Stanley. took good care that
neither his uncle's guest hor his niece
should again approach Sir loghlen tn
til all the invitations were fairly on
their way and entirely beyond recall.
And recalled. if that had been posi-
bic. they certainly would have been
when the lovers-we now may safely
term them so-had been told by the
baronet of that which his nephew had
said, ana Of that which, under permits
sion, he had done.
Frances was furious against her
cousin for what she justly termed his
willy, uudcrhand conduct: and sydney
protested with II sincerity which the
barCnet could not doubt. that in all his
life before he had never known such
perfectly happy moments aS had been
many of those which he had already
enjoyed as Sir Loghlen'S guest.
And as so he said. sydney, perhaps
unconsciously to himself. glanced to-
ward Frances. whose eyes sank be-
meath the gaze. and whose face was
once more suffused with Il rosy blush.
But the mischief had been done. the
friends whom Stanley had invited had
arrived. and few and far between be-
came the opportunities for those con
versations. in which indeed but little
had been said. and for those rambles
together which-fOrgetting. for the
time. how impossible, In the future.
appeared the realization Of the dream
in which they were indulging-made
this greatly-abused world to them a
paradise.
Boisterous. fast" Young men were
these friends of ~Stanley's. whD de-
stroyed all peace and comfort within
the house: and rs deeply as The lovers.
though from far different causes. did
the baronet deteSt their presence in
his mansion.
In the dusk of evening. four days be-
fore that one on which the baronet had
fixed for his departure toward London
with sydney. and his nephew. and
niece, Stanley Claremont anu Abra-
ham Mailer were together, and i'm earn
est anu almost whispered converSa-
ton. in a thick plantation which be-
longed to Sir LOghlen OMcara and
which was but Il few hundred yards
from his mansion.
The peddler was now we'll mutfied
up and without his pack.
He had followed the instructions
which he had received from Stanley.
and had taken good care not to he seen
in a neighbOrhoOd which 1t was gen
orally believed he had quilted several
days before.
After many words had been ey-
changed between these two men-sO
different in station. but so perfectly
equal in rascality-the peddler, doubt
ingly shaking his head. grumb!ed forth,
"Um, 1t will be a very hard job
Not TO "A man Of your genius, Abra-
ham," flatteringly said Stanley. And
continued: DO but succeed in it. my
good fellow. and hen | shall be the
first TO say to my uncle. Behold in
Sydney Drummond the man whom you
were seeking.'"
Whatever might be the secret which
united the baronet to Sydney Drum