Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-03

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but complete. Then so Is mine." he
said almost violently. lifting her sweet
face near enough to kiss her on both
cheeks. $50 1t Is settled. We will have
our garden party over at Broxton Hall,
and | will stop there this evening as |
drive home from Roseclff to give or
ders about having the house opened
and properly aired. A good deal of
weed chopping will be needed"
"Oh. | forgot court was In session!
You truant papa! You ought to have
been in Rosecliff half an hour ago.
am going to send Reuben over with
the ponies for Miss Mally. am dying
to talk with her all about the affair. "
And she dismissed him with q shower
of kisses and the Injunction: Don't be
late in getting back. papa. There is so
much to see about"
The day held more than its full quo
ta Of trials for the iron nerved man
who never yielded point to anything
living but the soft dimpled child who
held his very heartstrings in her care
less grasp.
Night had fallen before he mounted
his horse and turned it's head home
ward. Seven lonely miles stretched be-
tween him and Vaudeville. He gladly
would have foregone the stop at Brox-
ton Hall on his way home, but he had
promised Olivia. and that was enough.
When he reached the outer gate to the
gloomy old mansion. he dismounted
and. flinging his bride rein over the
horse rack. made his way on foot up
the crumbling brick walk. Shiny now
from the dense shading Of the untrim-
med cedars.
There would be much to do In order
10 make Ollie's birthday fete success.
but 1t should be done. The cedars
must be trimmed up tomorrow and the
brick walls all scraped clean.
Reaching the house. he made cir
cult around it. In q remote corner Of the
large back yard he knew he should find
the care taker and his wife. He would
give them general directions for oropening
the house. summing the rooms and clip.
Ding the cedars. That must do for 10.
night. just by way Of keeping his
promise to Olivia.
He was tired. harassed. unhappy;
but whatever befell. the shadows that
sometimes crowded thick and fast
about his own resolute head should not
infold her. To make Olivia happy was
the law of his life. the handspring of
his every action. his one earthly de-.
sire.
The care taker and his wife had
closed their cottage for the night and
were preparing to retire when his
knock startled them. He heard them
draw the bolt with reluctant caution to
answer his summons.
What! Not abed thus early, 81.
mon?'
"Not just abed. sir, but since the
masters been gone Jess and me are
Jus' as willin as not to lock up early
and shut things out. 1t be awful lone.
some and gloomsone here now. Mr..
Matthews. and unless things brighten
up when Mr. Toni gets through school
in doubt If Jess and me can hold on
at this gait"
And then Mr.. Matthews told Simon
how he was going to break the gloom
spell by a garden party on bis daugh-
ter's birthday. and Simon espoused his
cause gladly. Broxton Hall used to lie
q happy and gay house.
Anything to bring back the old
gladsomeness. sir"
Mr.. Matthews gave his orders about
opening the house, clipping the cedars,
etc. When he turned away. he heard
the old man promptly bolt the door
again. and as the wooden shutters
were Of solid boards the little cottage
Immediately offered but dark. square
bulk for observation. He returned as
be had come. Making the circuit Of the
house from rear to front, by the side
CT which Colonel Broxton's study was
located. lnvoluntarily he glanced up
ward at the closed shutters, then start
ed and stood still, wondering. A faint
light. so faint that 1t might have been
a phosphorescent glimmer, shone
through the Stats Of the dark green
shutters.
Whatever else his shortcomings
physical cowardice was not among
them. Some one was In the Broxton
house and In the coloneps study. To
70 back for Simon would be useless.
He would not come. He must depend
upon his own address and his own
nerve.
Stealing noiselessly to the front of
the house, the lawyer mounted the low
front steps and tried the front door
handle softly. 1t was locked. With a
strong grip he next seized one of the
shutters Of the long French windows
that opened from the parlor to the We
randa floor. 1t yielded readily. SO did
the sash. He slipped his shoes from his
feet and sped with swift noiselessness
across the hall. The study was at the
rear Of the house. 1t connected with
the room in the parlor suit by the doors
glazed with dead ground glass.
Through the dim glass Of these doors
the pale phosphorescent CLEAN came
II, ,,o,,Il M tnb rho tbinf rod