The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-04-26
& Observation-Disclosures
| Che Dap Star Of TIE \
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A Romance Hannah B. Mckenzie. Z
a Romance---By Hannah B. Mckenzie.
II u N II 3s &C d II u n n q q a. Es

CHAPTER IX.- fContinued.) },

E43g He had to go out aIter DfeakIast an't
make some arrangements as 70 his
3 leaving next day. He was gone an
! hour or two, and when he returned
the hotelkeeper met him at the door.
miss Stuart has been calling for
you, Mr.. Monteith, and has just gone
Z Now what a pity you were not back ,lS
ten minutes ago, and you would not
y have missed her!' said the worthy MT.
\ Nicholson. "But she left note for
you, sir. Here It Is.
Monteith took the dainty enVe.ope,
from which subtle perfume OF sweet
vioisss arose, and glanced at the adj
dress. He was too astonished to speak
He took It into his room-a regular
bachelors room, with pipes strewn
about the mantlepiece. and his bicycle
which had been mended since his ac-
cident, standing against the wall.
{ There he tore open the note. Dear
EVAN ran the bold, dashing writing
OF Lilith Stuart, II am so sorry to find
you are out. I must see you again, II
only for minute. Do not be unmerci-
full; grant me this that ! ask Of you.
Meet me at the Rowan Crag at two
o'clock exactly. I shall be there.
Yours, Lilith. F. ST. shall depend
i ON you.
What could it mean?
Had Lilith repented? He could hard
1y think so, knowing of her what he
did. II not, what more could she have
to say to him on the subject? It was
Impossible to conjecture. The note
puzzled Evan.
.Bnt must go. shall give her that
Il last chance" he thought Il shall
meet her at two, as she asks. There
will be time after that for me to run
round to Abbot's Head"
1t was half-past one when he started
from the Cow Hotel The path from
the town towards the seashore road
was steep and stony. Evan walked his
machine down 1t, as he usually did.
Once on the seashore road, he mounted
and rode as quickly as the hilliness OF
the path would permit.
His machine was a high grade one,
with Dunlop tires and high-geared, so
that he had to put good deal Of pres
sure on the pedals In ascending the
hill. He was near the top, and the
path was very stony, when suddenly
his fora wheel came In contact with a
large stone he had not noticed.
II The wheel went over, but the next
instant there was sound as Of some
thing cracking beneath him; then the
whole frame seemed thrown violently
over, and before Evan could help him
self he was shot over the handlebars,
4 and landed on his back a little dis
lance away from the machine. Luck
fly he was not much hurt, and in few
seconds was able to pick himself UP
and look at his machine. To his
amazement, the front fork had snapped
at the point where 1t was drilled for
the axle, the framework had lurched,
the axle springing from the socket,
and the wheel had tbuckled.
81 am an unfortunate beggar," NUT
tered ,Monteith to himself. This Is the
second time I've come to grief in .these
a islands Of nightless summer Well,
there's nothing for 1t but to leave the
machine here and hurry on to keep
my appointment. ! can trust the ma
tives not to touch it, He had
scratched his hand severely and twis-
Ted his arm; but these were trifing in
turies to what he might have expe-
rfenced. And as Evan hurried on, he
thanked God for what seemed almost
miraculous escape.
.'.If 1t had happened near Rowan
Crag, God only knows where ! might
be now e he thought to himself, shud-
dering little rs he hurried EDWARDS.
II he had understood better the ter
rible nature OF the danger he had es-
capped, his thanks would have been
deeper than they were.
s*s
~ am going along by the cliffs this
afternoon, Miss Troll You will tell
Lady Westray so"
.4On your machine, Miss Stuart?'
Elspeth Troll asked, looking up quick
1y.
eyes; on my machine, Why not?"
t4H5 Il 10 H0I huuW Illol II ID QultS SdlCs
EsIspeth said, turning away again to
lock out of the window. Nicholson
has not mended that broken fence yet"
Li1ith laughed little.
.sYou think am afraid? It takes
more than broken fence to frighten
me, Miss Troll.
She passed out Of the room, and Els
peth looked after her uneasily.
81 do not know why / should feel
80 about this sudden resolve of hers"
she said to herself at last, rising and
walking uneasily about the room. II
feel as if-as il some terrible catas-
trophe were hanging over us all, and
ne she had hand in 1t. Surely am
allowing my Imagination to run away
with rne2 And yet.
She paused by the work-basket
which stood in corner of the room.
A book had been hastily thrown into
If Half mechanically Elspeth picked
it up. It was entitled Cycling; Com
mon Accidents, and How to Avert
Them"
The book fell open at leaf which
had been folded down. The section
was headed, Fork and Axle; How
I - W. rsS-