Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-07-31
BR|ARSMERE.

the weather, so aDS0rDeV was sue !"
her own thoughts.
Ralph Underwood was coming that
night to ask her to be his wife, she
felt sure, for his manner at the Flet'
chers' dance had been unmistakable'
What answer should she give him!
Could she ever love man she did not
altogether trust?
All, If only Jack could speak she
knew what answer she would give II
he ever asked the same question, but
Jack never would, now, though years
AGO he had shown In a hundred little
ways that he loved her
But that was before his father died.
and Briarsmee was found to be mort
gagged and all the affairs terribly in
yolyed. So now Jack was a poor man
and had even undertaken work as IN
derwood's agent to pay off the mort
gage, which Ralph neld'
Esme was rich and could DO as she
liked with the fortune she had inner
tied from her mother, but was power
less to help Jack because Of that I'M
written law that "a man 10 to woo, .
woman to be wooed.'
The rain poured down and at last
awoke Esme to a sense Of what was
going on around her,
The rain was coming down In TOR
rents and an ominous roll of thunder
In the distance made Beauty tremble'
1t was lonely part of the ROAD;
only little cabin. much out Of repair
was In sight. She fastened toward H.
not knowing II Mrs, O'Grady still oc-
cupied the place, or whether she had
already gone to live with her sister In
Kerry.
On trying to lift the latch, Esme
found It locked, but discovered shell
ter in the peat shed at the back.
As she stood there caressing her
horse to alay Its fears, she was star
tied to hear a key fitted into the lock
Of the door In front Of the house.
The boards Of the mudtoyered walls
we're ill-ftted and rotten, and Esme
l could distinctly hear two men talking
, as they entered and shook the water
from their clothes.
u "A good thing we are here so neal
q the place." said Underwood.
"Yes," answered a voice which maze
Esme blush In the semi-darkness' VI
IA a bad storm, but It will soon On
. over. am not sorry 1t has come now
h as YOU will see that something mus
d be done to the place before an0the
y tenant occupies 1t. 1t isn't ut FOR
u dog to live In"
II 81 shall do nothing; It's no us
n spending money on property or tn
a kind. These peasants are used to pig
~ ping It. Leave the place alone
y "That H. Of course, your affair." MI
y. Underwood" said Jack. I'm my pos
- :. ton as agent 1t was my duty to pom
a out to you what was needed, but
% cannot make you do It. Only tie
~ YOU. as man to man, that the negle'
- Of your tenants interests Is dlsgra(
ia to the nelghborhood | have workf
yn MS your agent in order to work OF Il
Of mortgage which you hold on my pro
AT erty but | suppose the foreclosure y'
10. threaten must come, for cannot wo'
lie, for you any longer and have not mo-
II ey to redeem the estate
w sand pray, why am to lose yo
by valuable seryiccsY" said Underwood
in "You know that during my manag
his ment your profits have nearly doubt
his but when 1t comes to dlstilllng llquo
for In underground distllleries and expec
IN Ing me to be a party to the fraud'
icy draw the line"
Ich SLOW dare you speak like this
in met said Underwood, choking WI
by rage. "You pauper, If had not e.
SITS ployed you, you would have starved
len "You are cxaggerating my poverty
the said Jack, in a calm tone. ut Is UT
10 by honest work hoped to regain
property, but when you expect q
ing honest work, you have come 10
en- wrong man.
oer by the way continued jack II
'"e Esme could hardly catch his wor
'o'n for ne was already on the road,
''he have ordered back the pipes a
,". stills
"a" "The dickens you have" roared l
' derwood, as he paced the mlsera
n, room.
MD A quarter of an hour later US
hoir was in the coy office OF her friend
heir adviser, Mr.. Rance.
the SIT is large sum Of money TO
aiti. vest in landed property MISS Eslh
non 81 know said the girl, in her qu
was bright way, "but what does that n
get ter? have ever so much more W
, to that Is spent Besides l happen
,es" know the mortgage will be foreclo
lam II this money Is not paid. and | h
side other reasons MS we'll
ould Beauty trotting along In the twll'
een. was within a mile Of her own WI
well stable when she suddenly swer
the from dark figure walking rapldl'
the shadow.
Esmc, who had been sltllng hg
M. tl,t,l,tp0 nypr her MI