Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-01-27

! look askance. .<-, ~ =
| !. There was some mystery about this
Durant.% He was a colonial, had made
his money in a store-he did not conceal
that-and he had returned to spend it.
Had he been q rich Lancashire cotton
/ man, or an ironma ster of native growth.
! it might have been difficult for him to
have obtained the entree to the circle in
which Lady Florence Mostyn moved.
But, to Che rich American or colonial
most things are possible. He had hired
hunting box fer the season, and, thanks
to his splendid horsefesh, his own pre-
sentable appearance, unstinted liberaity
and genial disposition, he was soon
moving on equal terms with the men he
met in the field. He did not seem to
care for society;sand this made his social
advancement all the easier. He was
soon invited everywhere. Some invita-
tions he accepted and some he refused,
and among the former were those of the
Duke of Lundy
From the very first he had evinced a
liking for Lady Florence, but though he
was never more animated or showed
himself to greater advantage than when
in her society; yet he did not obtrude
bis presence upon her. Nay, he even
seemed to avoid her. Had he done this
deliberately, and with set purpose, he
could not have played his cards better,
for she was just the woman to appreci-
ate self modification on her account.
gathered that she eventually let him see
that she did not wish him to keep aloof,
and that he was only too happy to pur-
sue his advantage.
The man was in love with her-that
was understandable enough But it was
moi; quite so easy to see why she cared
for him, as she undoubtedly did, fer he
was by no means as well bred OR even
as good looking as the majority of the
men of her OWL set. But it may be that
the unconven1ionality caused by the
rough and tumble life he had led was
more attractive to her than the out and
dried forms she had hitherto met with.
At any rate Durant was soon establish
e., IS Lady Florence g attendant cavalier,
and whether in the hunting field or the
drawing room he sought her side and
remained there with look of quiet,
unassuming proprietorship. t..
1t is not certain that Durant proposed
to Lady Florence, but it is certain that
he asked the duke for permission to do
so-permission that was peremptorily
refused by that parsonage, who on that
particular occasion came as near to los
ing his temper as ever he did in his life
Durant was no longer asked to Glen
more, and Lady Florence's freedom was
henceforward distinctly curtailed.
Then she vanished, absolutely and
completely, leaving no trace behind,
and she had never been heard of again
by her family or her friends until her
Identification as the victim of the South
Audley street murder =
"Ahd what about Durant?' I asked
my friend
.'Oh. Durant! He staid his lease out.
He seemed much cut up at Lady Flor
ence's, disappearance and went out
very little afterward. did hear he
took to drinking heavily. He went
away at the beginning of March. re-
member the date particularly, for, the
great robbery at ,Gienmote took place
just before, and Durant's own place
was broken into as we'll. .
land what happened to him after he
left the dissrict::',
:. .'Can t say. He disappeared entirely
from our KEN. Some say he returned to
Australia and others that ne went to
the bad Anyway, he was never seen
again in our country.
=" Have you any theory of your own
about Lady Florence's disappearance
The rector hesitated, and then said:
to tell. You the truth, have,
but it seems SO Unsupported by evidence
that:,it is nothing but a theory, and
seemingly a farfetched one. yet I have.
never been able to shake of my belief
in it. My idea is that Durant was in
some way implicated in her disappear
ance. ,fs # q - ; = !: y II :5fs 5s%f
IF !, /. In what way??' IL. !. j KICK Il. @
'}=4 4 There you have me. I4oan't say. !: I
have not the slightest tangible evidence
for my suspicion, but i ain firmly con-
WINGED IS my own mind that If Mr.:
Arthur Durant is alive he could tell
you a great deal more about that mys-5|
terry than we now know III d. .3S.5#.
#ss3I was somewhat d isconcerted to hear
this I had traced one person, only toll
find that another was zindis bic, and
tho search for the second was probably /
1 besst with the greater dif culties Of the
two Ok
I'd this rather i6couraging infor:t
masIon retnr md to town. made it
nys6rst buliness e, engage 4 private del u
tectivet q trace Mr. hur Duran /, INT
from the tile llshoW ledge we had of
that gent enaan, and be hsol ute ignos.
srallee were ii, as to 4 Il here,
abonts eaei auIill
any formal ioi, ikel IS use
f' tl1s day IS the
trial q
.,e.s 4:
q y So