Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-01-17

- 49,
ture,' said he, lifting his hat: and, to
give the scoundrel his due. he's as po-
lite as any man / ever met.
"fGood-morning. sir said I. slipping
my notes into my pocket, and looking
as confused as if I'd been caught
p%oaching. Yes, I'm trying to pick up
a few ideas. Somehow the house seems
to eramp one on a morning like this
"Tm rather pleased to have met
you he said, for I wished TO have a
quiet chat with you about your neph-
ew.'
Indeed said I; and how may he
interest your
well, he said, If you are a man of
d~iscernment. you must see that he has
taken a great fancy to my relative,
Miss Courtney. Well, since this is a
family matter. I should like to explain
her position. Although they are living
in comparative retirement, the Court
neys have the best of blood in their
veins. They are not so well off as they
might be, but when my uncle. as l call
him, dies, the greater part of the estate
comes to me, so that Nora's dowry will
be a very small one. and she will be de-
pendent upon me. / don't II the
extent of your nephew's resources, and
/ have mentioned this matter-and you
will please observe the strictest silence
about it-because I shouldn't like 1t
said that he was in any va the victim
of an intrigue. You know, as a man
of the world-and that you are so, sir.
/ am sure from what I saw last night
land ii was wonderful how well he
~rt.rI sfirlrras nnatC a ru with 4 hiC soft
words. though one knew very well that
they were nothing but barney from
the Irish side OF him-'you know that
the world Is only too apt to handy
about such names as Irish adventur-
ess." and so forth, n they're not
pleasant hearing for the lady's friends.
"I'm sure i interrupted, no me
could say that OF Miss Nora Courtney.
She's as innocent. sir, OF intrigue as
as
".As you are he suggested, and
there you are perfectly right; and I'm
glad that. If matters should ever come
10 a head, we have had this opportuni-
~ of discussing the affair"
My cheeks had grown crimson as /
listened to Anguish, and at this point I
could no longer refrain from breaking
In with:
Curse him for his consummate i'm
pudencel Ii ever I get within reach of
him again. Tll-ITl-"
Probably have to let him go! But
you are a long way off laying him by
the heels yet. Mr.. Tremayne, n IL
you let your impetuosity carry you
away, you'll never do Il. I'm glad to
have had this fencing match with him
when the buttons were on. and please
goodness, some day we'll have a bout
with sharper weapons. He's a keen,
obseryant man. and it's just as well
that ] had time to trample out your
footprints. He left me to go to the
station. and I saw him off this time,
50 that we can sit down for a while in
peace under the shadow of our fig tree,
or. better. perhaps. by a snug fire.
though by his day month we may look
out for squalls. Meantime, old Court
ney will cultivate you, and maybe, be-
fore the storm comes. you'll be a Unit
ed Irishman, or a Fenian, or some
thing"
Anguish was perfectly right with re-
gard to Nora's father, for / could
scarcely take my walks abroad, nc
matter the direction, without meeting
him. and so eloquent was he or the
wrongs of his native land, and so well
up in chapter and verse as to this
and hat hard treatment melted out
to his suffering countrymen, that had
I not been behind the scenes he would
at least have deeply interested me,
and, acting under Angulsh's directions
I led him on to suppose that / had the
greatest sympathy for the oppressed
and down-trodden Irish.
He had dropped in to luncheon once
or twice. but Nora never came with
him. and I could catch no glimpse OF
her. not ever on the occasion of my
visits to Connemara Cottage.
The spirit Of study had once more
taken possession OF Travers, and sc
immersed was ne in his books and
problems, n so very dreamy was he
becoming. that nothing but a shock
Of a very alarming nature could pos.
sibly reuse him; but that shock did
not propose to administer unless we
sorely needed his help, and to this day
I don't believe that he realizes the ter.
rible nature of the struggle through
which we passed.
lHTcc weeks nau gone Dy since DOT
Vile left us. and one evening Mr.. Court
ney was so pressing in his Invitation
that. without being almost rude,
could not avoid Just dropping in L
have a bit Of dinner" and in the draw
ing room of the cottage 1 met Nora 70
h first time since / had parted from
her In the woods.
Mr.. Tremayne," said the old gentle
man, as he ushered me in. has com
to take pot-luck with us, Nora, dear
n perhaps he'll stay and have
smoke with me afterwards. We're no
h best OF company. sir. for, somehow
this place doesn't seem to suit us, an
it's longing we are to get back to Ire
land. II you'll excuse me one minut,
Nora will keep o company"
AS soon as the door had closed upo
him she said to me:
DO you remember she said, wha
I told o about lending him money
He's going to ask you for 1t to-nigh
and II o let him have 1t. I h TAX
1t h a you are trying to buy me. an
Ill never open my lips to you agai,
Do you heart" she said. almost fierce
w