Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-10-08

ness that he had been rewarded by q
baronetcy without ever having had tc
'expose the defects Of early educa-
) tion by making a long speech in the
J: house
AZ Whatever his party did was right;
!; that was his motto, and he had lived
up to with a simplicity which had
(; brought its inevitable reward.
The consequence was that his only
son was able to give up any active
share in, the business, and to play at
: being country gentleman of patri-
|, : archal descent, while his wife could
assume the airs of Lady Bountiful
on the one hand, and, outshine all the
great ladies of the ns!ghborhood by
her diamonds; on the other.
EPeterscourt, the country seat Of the
distinguished pair, was of course an
: old place where many. generations OF
ancestors-of somebody else-had
lived their little day. Ef -
1t wassa large, rambling, two-storied
building. datiue from some far away
period, and altered in the casteHated
hstyle in the early years OF Victoria's
reign.
Beautifully situated in the southern
part of the country of Dorsetshire, it
was little too far away from London
to be quite to the taste Of Lady Peters,
who was ambitious of playing a great
part in society, and who would often
Funssup to atown>for- few days at a
rdme,aswhile her husband was enjoy
Ing Ibis ~dignified seclusion within the
well wooded grounds aud park of Pet
erscourt.
1t was on one of these occasions,
when the baronet was sitting in soli
tary state in his great library after |
dinner, his little electric lamp on the |
table behind him and a pile of litera-
: ture suitable to country gentleman
aby his side, that he was disturbed
In his leisurely perusal of his paper
by the sound of a. footstep on the
gravel outside.
He had scarcely raised his head,
when, to his surprise and alarm,
man in the unmistakable dress OF
convict, painting, breathless, with
starting eyes and hanging jaw, leaped
upon the window ledge from outside,
and then fell, exhausted, upon the
carpet
:; "By Jove!" cried Sir Jasper as he
:5prang up and made for II.
But the man was loo .ua IN.
!. Painting still, int aed, x i.....ss::ss.
himself sufficiently to
feet and across the fot~
seme visitor threw hirN4.sl dpor shn
sterror -stricfen sbaronet ,tsS
rstst5esssas.ss
nc growied out betwee Il l's
sa threat to do for
gentleman if he so mucn 90 = :,
call for help ,ss,s
sir Jaspsr gurgled out a promise 10
refrain, which he did$not mean keep
and-the, man -thereupon let him down
again into the armchair from wnicn
he had risen. and suddenly altered MS
threatening tone for one of abJect en-
treaty.
"Look 'ere, guvnor." said he, in a
thick, hoarse whisper, moistenlng MS
mouth as he spoke, still standing near
and holding the poker in his hand
but no longer menacing his unwilling
host. 81 don't want for to do yer no
'arm. I'm not so bad as what you
think for to look at the dress I'VE got
on"
"You're c-c-convict! STAN:
mered Sir Jasper, half timorous ana
half surly. you've escaped from
Portland"
- The man frowned uneasily.
"Well. SOS a many more than me
been convicts, and many as deserve
II n precious sight wus nor what l
do" said the man? And as he spoke
he threw from time to time an an
xious glance toward the window by
which he had entered. But this amt
no time for to throw my faillngs IN
: :,Ir, INV faes I,m a united man, that's
what Isam. TTheTwarders is g after {!
."What! cried Sir Jasper, with
something so like relief in his faces
: ttat his guest scowled him promptly
3 into silence. - g.,
+ asurely. guvnor, you wouldn't go for
TO betray :. united man, a noble gentle
Z. man like you, with everything and
some and comfortable about him! YOU
wouldn't go for to give up poor
wretch that begs you to give MN
change of clothes, would you!
Ah-h-h!"
The sound he uttered was an inde-
.scribable one, as he suddenly straight
ened himself and listened with strain
. ing ears to the unmistakable sound OF
a rapid footstep on the grave:.
:: * .."Theyre coming! They've traced
me ERE! For mercys sake, slr' oont
give me uD!"
= The. baronet. locked at the close
cropped head. with the ugly ears
standing out on. each side and the
coarse features distorted with fear,
with q disgust ne found it hard TO
hide. He, too, heard the approaching
footsteps, and secretly congratufiteo
himself upon his prospective denver
snce from his tormentor.
Before he had time to answer the
mans entreaties the noise of footsteps
ceased; the convict threw one glance
at the window, a second glance round
the room, and then he made for the
door with & all speed. Sir Jasper
inmped up from his chair and ran to
the window.
Yes, there, at the distance. of but a
dozen steps, was one of the prison
warders. with carbine in his hand
el He was standing still and looking
about him. 1t. was evident that fol
the moment he had lost the track OF