The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-10

"NE ~ +lS oNNA Jaw -ASA go
glance at Sir Henry. walked off by the side
OF her brother. The naturalists's angry
! gestures showed that the Lady was IN
cluded in his displeasure. The Baronet
stood for a minute looking after Them ana
then he walked slowly back the way thai
he had come. his head hanging, the very
picture OF detection
What ali this meant I could not imagine,
but l was deeply ashamed to have W.T.
messed so intimate a scene without my
friends knowledge. 1 ran down the hall
therefore and met the BarOnet at the bot
tom. His face was flushed with anger, and
his brows were wrinkled. like one who IS
at his Wits ends what 10 do.
-Halloa watsonI Where have you
dropped from said he. You don't mean
TO say that you came after me in spite Of
/ all?"
1 explained everything to him; how I had
found it impossible to remain behind: how
l had followed him. and how / HAD wit
messed all that had occurred. For an in
slant his eyes blazed at me. but nv frank
! ness disarmed his anger, and he broke at
last into a rather rueful laugh.
/ You would have thought the middle "
! that prairie a fairly safe place for a man
to be private" said he. but. by thunder,
the whole countryside seems to have been
out 10 see me DO my woo!ng-and a mighty
poor wooing at that! Where had you en-
gagged 4 seatT'
81 was on that hill"
Quite In the back row. en-? But her
brother was well up TO the front. Did
you see him come out on us|'
Yes. ! did"
Did he ever strike you as being crazy
this brother Of hers?'
II can't say that he ever did"
Il daresay not. I always thought him
sane enough Until to-day. but you can take
IT from me that either he or I ought to be
IN a straight Jacket What's the matter
with me. anyhow? You've lived near me
for some weeks. Watson. Tell me straight,
now! Is there anything that would prevent
ne from making a good husband 10 a
woman ! loved"
81 should say not"
HE can't object to my worldly position.
so II must be myself that he las this down
on. What has he against ne? l never
hurt a man or woman in my lifa t1at /
know of. And yet he would not ~ nIch as
let me touch the tips Of her fingers"
Did he say so?f
That. and a deal more. l tell YOU. Wat
son, I've only known her these few Teeks.
but from the first l just felt that sh7 ~ds
made for me, and she, too-shc vas happy
when she was with me-, and that II swear.
There's a light in a woTao's eyes that
speaks louder than words. RU- he has never
let us get together, and IL was only to-day
for the first time that I saw a chance of
having a few words with her alone. Sha
was glad to meet me-. ECI when she did,
IT was not love that she woul} talk about,
ard she wouldn't have let me talk about IL
either II she could have stopped it. She
kept coming back to it that this was a place
of danger. and that she would never be
happy until l had left it. l told her tnat
since l had seen her / was IN n hurry 10
leave 1t. and that II she really wanted me
TO go the only way to work it was for her
to arrange to go with me. With That l
offered in as many words to marry her, but
before she could answer down came this
brother of hers. running at US with u face
on him like a mailman. He was just white
with rage. and those light eyes Of his were
blazing with fury. What was / doing with
the lady? How dared 1 offer her attentions
which were distasteful to her? Did I think
that because 1 was a baronet ] could do
what I liked? If he had not been her broth
er l should have known better how to an
swer him. AS it was / told him that my
feelings toward his sister were such as l
was not ashamed of, and that 7 hoped that
she might honor me by becoming my wife. /
That seemed to make the matter no better. /
SO then 1 lost my temper, too. and / an |
swered him rather more hotly than /
should, perhaps, considering that she was :
standing by. So 1t ended by his going OF
with her. as you saw, and here am I as
badly puzzled a man as any IN this county.
Just tell me what It all means, Watson.
and I'll owe you more than ever 1 can hope
to pay"
I tried one or two explanations. but, in
deed, l was completely puzzled myself. Our ;
friends title. his fortune, his age, his char
acter and his appearance are all IN his
favor, and l know nothing against him. IN
less 1t be this dark fate which runs In his
family. That his advances should be re-
jected 80 brusquely. without any reference
to the lady'S wishes, and that the lady
should accept the situation without protest
Is very amazing. However, our conjectures
were set at rest by a visit from Stapleton
himself that very afternoon. He had come
to offer apologies for bis rudeness Of the
morning, and after a long private interview
with Sir Henry in his study, the up
shot Of the conversation was that the
breach is quite healed, and that we are
to dine at Merripit House next Friday as
q sign of 1t.
Il don't say now that he isn't a crazy !
man" said Sir Henry: Il amt forget the
look in his eyes when he ran at me this
morning, but I must allow that no man
could make q more handsome apology than
he has done"
Did he give an explanation Of his
conductr'
.His sister In everything in his life, he
says. That Is natural enough, and l am
glad that he should understand he1 value
They have always been together, and ac-
cording to his account hs has been q very
lonely man with only her As Il companion. SO
that the thought Of losing her was really
terrible to him. He had not understood, he
said, that I was becoming attached to her, |
u WhCAA AD ooN WI MS WI C1tS NA0A 4
It was really 30, and that she might be
taken away from him. It gave him such a
shock that for a time he was not responsible
for what he said or did. He was very sorry
for all that had passed. and he recognized
how foolish and how selfish II was that he
should imagine that he could hold a beau
t!ful woman like his sister TO himself for
her whole life. II she had to leave him he
had rather It was to a neighbor like my
self than to anyone else. But in any case
It was q blow to him, and it would take
him some time before he could prepare
himself to meet II. He would Withdraw all
opposition upon his part If 1 would promise
for three months TO let the matter reet and
to be content with culttvating the lady's
friendship during that time without claim
Ing her love. This 1 promised, and so the
matter rests
cleared up. It is something to have touched
bottom anywhere in this bog in which we
sre foundering. We know now why Sta
pletou looked with ~disfavor upon his sis
ter's suitor-even when that sutton was so
eligible a one as Sir Henry. And now 1
pass on to another thread which I have ex-
treated out OF the tangled skeiB. the mys-
terry Of the sohs in the night, Of the tear
stained face Of Mrs. Barrymore. OF the Sc
cret journey of the butter to the western
lattice window. Congratulate me, my dear
Holmes. and tell me that l have not dis
appointed you as an agent-that you do not
regret the confidence which you showed In
me when you sent me down. All these
things have by one nights work been thor