Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-08-13

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deductions in regard to this affair diff.
fered materially from those of honest
Jap. 1 could not believe that De-
metrius had willfully set rolling the
shock of hay. If he had concealed him
self in the barn for some specific pur-
pose, would he court detection for the
sake of playing prank or to crafty
a personal spite? Hardly. The hay,
badly piled and undermined, had obeyed
the laws of gravitation. Possibly in the
nrdor of eavesdropping the Greek had
displaced the shock unwittingly. He
had studied the habits of Jap and his
''best girl" and, wishing to learn the
exact condition of affairs in the house,
had turned his knowledge of sociology
to good account. Very Shiny, as Jap OBJ
served. An Anglo-Saxon blessed with
the Greeks upbringing would have
secuted such methods, but the secretive
nature of Demetrius, stimulated by ter
ror of Burlington, accounted satisfac-
torily for everything. The fellow was
an out-and-out poltroon.
Mark Gerard dined alone with Nancy
and me. He was in no mood to talk,
and gulped down his dinner in gloomy
silence: Since we. parted. in the stable-
yard his manner had entirely changed.
From his gestures rather than from his
words inferred that he was intensely
nervous q laid this to the charge of De-
metrius), and unduly irritable. Nancy,
too, seemed depressed and distracted.
/ cd in 11o1> {oX e.,
questions.
Nancy, go to your mother" said Ger
ard, as the coffee was brought in. II
wish to talk with Mr.. Livingston"
We pushed our chairs from the table
and lighted cigars.
"Demetrius," said Gerard, "is not a.
coward"
merely bowed, having resolved, for
the future, to curb my tongue.
HE proposes" Gerard spoke slowly,
watching me narrowly between half
closed eyes-"he proposes to take en-
tire charge of-of this mailman. You"
He rolled up carefully the loosened
wrapper of his cigar, and 1, chatting at
the delay, forgot my good resolutions
and blurted out:
what disposition does he make of
me?"
"Pshaw!" said Gerard, frowning;
"what hot-head it is! I"-he empha-
sized the pronoun Ctwas an effective
trick of his)-"I, my lad, have pleasant
er work for you. 1shall send my family
to Europe at once in your charge. Mrs.
Gerard needs complete change; the boy
must see something of the world; and
Nancy, of course, will be counted in.
What do you think of my plan?"
Your PLAN" l said, dryly, takes me
by surprise"
surprise-the word but feebly ex-
presses the condition of my feelings
Had Denetrius dared to make this sug-
gestion, in the teeth of what had oc-
Cured in the cave? And if so, in the
name of the Sphinx, to what purpose,
knowing, as he must know, that |
should refuse to become party to his
Infamous scheme? Was master in col
fusion with man? No. couldn't be-
lieve that. What then? The scoundrel
was consummate judge of character,
and he had had abundant opportunity
to study the idiosyncrasies of Hugo
Livingston. He probably counted upon
my promise of secrecy, andy Jupi-
ter! thetruth flashed upon me-counted
further upon my opposition, and my
subsequent dismissal from the service
of Gerard. would try and ball him
"If Demetrus," said |, lightly, sis
III the house, should like to talk this
over with him."
"Demetrius returned at once to
Mark"
"How far is it to the island?" asked.
"Not more than two miles,"
rose to my feet.
Mr.. Gerard, must see Demetrius to-
night. Within two hours you shall have
your answer"
lie nodded and pulled at his cigar.
"As you please" he said, inditferently.
The immortal Lincoln said that you
could fool Fart of the people all the
time, and all the people part of the
time, but that no man could fool all
the people all the time.
In considering the relations which
existed between Mark Gerard and the
Greek, this piece of wisdom dubbed up
out of my memory and lent an agree
able etfervescencc to my reflections.
Gerard was brilliant man in his way,
but had come to the conclusion that
Demetrius was the stronger, mentally,
of the two, and exercised potent in
fluence upon his master. l still chung
to my theory in regard to the Greeks
cowardice; otherwise l should hardly
have trusted mySnlf ,lnna Will, 1,;,,
lie had no intention, | was convinced,
of meeting or nursing Burlington. He
was fooling Gerard. lie should not, 1
decided, fool Hugo Livingston.
The night was perfect, an idyllic
night for lovers The moon lolled lazily
i'll the sapphire heavens. The air was
soft and odorous, langu;d with the per-
fume of million flowers. And the
voice of spring whispered her old, old
story.
Where are you going?"
1t was Nancy. She fitted towards
me, slender, Naiad-like figure, il
lumined by the silvery beams.
''Who would not wish to be abroad
such night as this, Miss Nancy? I'm
OIL for a walk"
I'm go with you" she replied. Mann
ma is asleep, and my father" her voice
hardened-"doesn't want me-"
| hesitated.
"lf you don't want me, too.
My serurlcs fed
I'm going to the island, Miss Nancy. |
Perhaps you would like to see Mark"
She made no reply, and we started,