The San Francisco call., 1903-12-13

say. and I'm fain to hope we've seen tn.
these parts
His words set me in muse. could
never make out what he would be at,
telling me all this But he had an OBJ
lect well-defined, and presently it showed
''Ye're the laird O. the manor now, Cap
tain lreton, with none to gainsay ye,
account o my stewardship. / made no
doubt, all along, ye'd come back to your
own when ye'd had your fling wi the Old
Morldies, and so I've kept tab O. the poor
bit land for ye."
"Oh. you have?" said 1. being so far
out-brazened as to be incapable of saying
more.
u have that-every pIack and bawDee.
TOOK over the charge O. Appleby Hun
dred, and I'm ready to account to We for
every seasons crop-when yen pay down
the bit stewards fee."
man, Mr.. stair" Then. Then de to humor m Ohini him
TO the top of his bent: "Haphazarding a
a balance in my favor or in yours?''
he gave me look like that of a cos
termonger weighing and measuring the
gullibility of his customer
on, ave. I'm no saying there might
mt be bit siller coming to me; a few
hundred pounds, more or less-sterling,
man, sterling; not Scots he added has
tily: And then as if it were best to leave
-
the subject abruptly i've brought We
that last will and testament ye signed"
nandlng me the parchment. mo doubt
you'll let 1t stand, but when the BARNS
come ven want to be adding a codicil
or two"
Leaving the matter of the estate. L
thought 1T high time to cut to the mar
row of the bigger bone So 1 said: Let
US be frank with each other in this Mr..
star. HOW much has your daughter told
you ! OF the matter between us?'
g Tnr4 r4r.ff
moment into his real self. But he recov-
cred his self-control instantly. "Ye'd no
expect romantic bit lassie wi French
blood in her veins to be confidencing wi
her old dried-up wisp of a father, now
would ye? She's no tell't me everything,
l daresay"
Then l will tell you the plain truth
of It, 1 said. "This marriage was never
anything more than the form we agreed
1t should be at the time: a makeshift to
serve a purpose. If you think 1 would
hold you daughter to it"
Hut, tut, man! what will ye be haver-
ing about Yell never cast the poor bit
lassie off that way! Ye Gamma, If ye
would; her church will have word TO
For all his aping the manner of the
ignored father, l shrewdly suspected that
he knew more about the ins and outs of
our affair than he owned to. Neverthe-
less, l was forced to meet him on his
own ground
There is no casting Off about it, Mr..
Stair, and as to the church, there is good
ground for an appeal to Rome. The
marriage as it stands is little more than
a formal betrothal, as you well know.
soundly enough, legally. to make Mistress
still lacking everything Of
He could not wait to let me finish.
Lacking dye say?" he raped out,
wrathfully. And whose fault is that,
We cold-biooded stick? Tell me this; did
l no bundle ye neck and heels into your
own wite's bedroom? And how do you
thank IN. me? I'm TO suppose ye. quarrel
that We are, and presently ye come rag
ing out, swearing most shamefully a. a
man old enough to be your fatheri''
Twas far enough in the retrospect now
so that could smile at it, Yet | would
not suffer him to bluster me aside
1t was an i'll thing for you to do. none
the less, Mr. Stair: the more as you
gery's faith was plighted to Richard
Jennifer long before all this came to
pass"
did I know it?v he shrilled. .Tbat
lang-legged jackanapes of a Dickie Jen-
infer? Light o lovei Jade that she is
him.
You are talking far enough beside the
mark now" | retorted. Your daughter
loves Richard Jennifer well and truly.
and with this ENHANCEMENT brushed aside
she will marry him when he comes hack
from the wars
'She will. We say? And what will be-
come o. the Draw acres of Appleby that
gait, I'd like to know? But yere daft,
man, clean daft. Didn't I spier her Civ
ing him his quittance once for all that
night when he rode away after they had
pitten ye to bed? She tell't him fiat she
loved anther man."
Another uan?'' l echoed. "I-explain
v~''~@elf, If YOU please, Mr.. Stair. What
other man"
~ y. ds at the door by this, and he
broke out upon me in such a blast of
cursing as / hope never to hear from the
lips of such an old man again.
''Ye cold-blooded, crusty deeVilY' he
quavered, when all his breath was spent
upon the bigger malisons. HAS il never
come Until your thick numskull that the
poor fule lassie is sick wi love for We, We
dour-faced loon?"
And with that he let himself out and
slammed the door behind him, and I
heard him go pottering down the corri-
dor still cursing me by all the choice
phrases he could lay tongue to.