The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-09-28
brutality displayed BY the account

clepched upon the arm OF his chair |
with a force which caused the mus
Giles to stand out in hard knots. She |
looked up into his face in sudden sur
prise.
His features gave no indication of |
what his feelings might be; and his |
voice, as usual, was steady and delib- !
crate.
81 am sorry all this should have
happened, Agnes AS | told you yes
terday, hoped to save you from this
mans opportunities. 1t cannot be
helped now. But think | made il
clear to the gentleman that his atten-
tions are as distasteful to me as they
are to you. AS he seems to have told
you. he has been obliged to leave the
country understand that he has
done something or other which makes
IL safer for him to undertake a long
journey. At any rate, we are well rid
of him for some time to come. and |
think you need have no fear of fur
Their molestation."
"What did he mean by saying that
he had had encouragement from
you2" asked the young girl
81 am sure | do not know. That
was of course lie out of whole cloth.
He came to me with letters of recon-
mendation from good friends of mine,
and | therefore occasionally invited
him to the house; but that is all the
encouragement he ever got from me.
| We live in the United States and at
| the close of the nineteenth century.
| The selection of husband is no long
er performed by n stern parent. but
| is left entirely TO the young girl her
self That is certainly my way Of
looking at the matter. When you
find the man of your choice, my only
function will he TO give you advice,
if you seek it, and my best assistance
in any event
The turn of the conversation thus
suddenly brought to the surface the
topic which occupied the young girls
mind, to the exclusion of all others;
and which. for that very reason, had
been kept severely in the background
up to that point
THAT reminds me-" said Agnes,
consciously, as charming flush suf-
luSth llNl utuNAliNl ldN's NllhA 1 nav
not yet broached the principal object
of this interview"
Murdoch observed her closely and
waited for her TO proceed. But Agnes
was once more laboring under a
strange embarrassment and could not
find words in which to frame the con
fidence she was so reluctant TO offer
Perhaps the chemist OWNED some
thing of the nature of what she was
struggling to find expression for. AZ
any rate. he noticed her embarrass-
ment and endeavored to come to her
assistance with few encouraging
words, spoken with unusual gentle
ness. Agnes. engrossed with her own
thoughts. did not notice it; but there
was in his manner as near an APP
proach to tender wistfulness as his
nature was capable of
At last the young girl seemed to
gather courage, and she was about TO
speak. when there was n knock upon
the door
"Plaze. sur; there do be two gin
tlemin in the hall"
"Who are they, MaryP'
"Shure, thin, sir. | dunno, barrin'
wan NV EN- do be a polacemun."
ibid they ask to see me?''
They did not sur; shue they asked
If Mr.. Chapman was in
"Mr. Chatham"
"Yis. sur. And told 'em he wuz here
this Afternoon, and | wud see wuz
he here now, fur l amt seen him go
yit."
"Well, Mary, you see he has gone,
since he is no longer here" said Muir
dock quietly. Take the gentlemen
into the parlor, and tell them ] shall
be with them in minute"
"All right, sur
After the maid had left the room,
the chemist rose from his chair and
walked toward the door leading to the
library.
"If you will excuse me for a few
minutes, Agnes, shall see what these
men want. Wait for me here, If you
will. l shall be back directly"
So saying. he noiselessly opened the
folding doors and passed into the H.
brary, closing the doors carefully be-
hind him.
Freed from the presence of her ia
ther, Agnes almost instantly regained
her composure. She had not, how
ever, had much time TO collect her
thoughts; when she was suddenly start
led by a loud, shrill whistle, which
brought her TO her feet in alarm.
"Well?"
She asked the question in anxious
tones, as if realizing that life and
death were in the balance. Then she
placed her ear to the mouthpiece.
At first She could not make out the
| words spoken. by her invisible in
terlocutor, Then, gradually, they fell
, upon her ear with terrible distinct
ness; and she stood spelibound as II
horrible nightmare, with sudden ter
ror in her staring ewes and with the