The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1901-09-06

the waves receded, leaving I:
n bare stretch of sand. wher,
once whole fleets had riddel
at anchor the once -four
- ishing town had dwindie(
and sunk. in spite of valiant struggle,
to revive and retain her ancient su
premacy.
In the length and breadth of the
land no place could be found so sleepy
so much behind the times, so tortuous
OF street and so moss-grown of stone
as Stroan had become, when, by a
happy chance. the game of golf came
down from the North and established
itself as the fashion. Then somebody
discovered that the bare and unprcduc-
tive sands between Stroan and the
sea made excellent links" visitors
began to arrive and to put up at a
brand-new hotel built expressly for
their accommodation. and a little
breath of active life began to stir
once more in the narrow. winding
streets.
Among the visitors one warm Sep
TENDER came down from London three
friends. who tempered their devotion
to golf by various other pursuits, each
according to his inclination.
Otto Conybeare. the eldest of the
three. was journalist. vino had aspir-
atoms to literature of a less ephemeral
sort. He used his holiday by trying
his hand at both prose aud poetry, of
which his two companions offered tren-
chant II not discriminating criticism.
he was tall. thin. dark-skinned man.
with clean-cut, aquiline features. and
was looked upon by the two others as
their champion and social leader.
Willie Jordan. the youngest Of the
party, was short and, alas! fat, with
curly. light hair and a huge. tawny
mustache. which he had cultivated as
the trademark of his calling. which
was that Of an artist.
4 Clifford King, the remaining member
Of the trio. was q barrister, to whom
no one had as yet intrusted a brief
he was dark-haired. blue-eyed. good
humored young fellow. whom every
body liked and In whom all his friends
believed with an enthusiasm which
was not without excuse. for Clifford
had brains. and was only waiting for |
the opportunity which comes to all |
who can wait in the right way.
They had been at Stroan five days. |
and the little god. Cupid. had already
spoiled the harmony of the party.
Willie was the victim, of course.
| Il was always Willie who could not
resist pair Of handsome eyes. black.
blue or gray; so that when he became
attached to the society Of old Colonel
Bostal. and would insist upon accom-
panying that uninteresting old gentle
man from the Links to his home three
miles away. Clifford and Otto ex-
changed winks, and having found out
that the colonel had a daughter. at
once believed that they had probed
into the mystery Of VIII
hes civility.
So. justly incensed at Willie's du-
plicity. for that young man had spoken
of Miss Bostars attrac-
upon tracking the traitor to his lair.
This they did on sunny afternoon.
when the straight road over the re-
marsh between Stroan and
Single End was thick In white dust
They knew the coloners house from
he outside. having passed 1t on many
, walk from Stroan to Courtstairs.
he next town. 1t was about half
nile beyond the Blue Lion. a pictur-
pssue roadside inn. which was the
halfway hod5k between Courtstairs
md Stroan. Very poor the colonel
VA n be took care to inform every
Dody. and very poverty-stricken his
1weIling looked in the observant eyes II
x the two young men. as they rang
H. he'll and waited long time before
NJ one answered IL. +
6hlngie End was a pretty. tumble
1own house. which stood at the angle I
termed by two roads 1t had once Z
Zen white. but neglect and hard
vonther had made 1t q notified gray;
wh1le cracked and dusty windows,
uekety shutters and untrimmed trees
Nd bushes combined to give the place
dreary and unprosperous appear
SGhind the house was = garden. with !
Dealfry-run and \ paddock; and
0efo had seen. a they passed. the
1eonea reading his paper under an 2
49, tree. while the autter Of q petti-
~ n the background among the {
- seemed to confirm their suspi-