Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-03-09
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Scoundrels eco. (
BY COULSoN KERNAHAN
Author Of Captain Shannon "A Bool n
strange Sins" Dead Mans Diary" Etc.
copyright, 1899, by Herbert S. Stone & Co.
CHAPTER VIII.-Coyr1x,1rn

so bad as that, is it," said the COL
.!uer. Poor chap. How far off do you
live?'' wv
"A long way" I replied. 81 couldn't
get there if travelled all night"
why? Where do you live, them"
nowhere" l answered, thinking
vaguely that it was possible Number
three might be lurking within ear
shot, and that l had best sustain the
role l had assumed.
Great heavens! And they call this
q christian country! Never mind.
we can make up bed for you at my
place, and then I'll see what can be
done. Are you out of work."
YES l replied. Il was one of Lord
Cranthorpe's mill hands and we're all
out on strike"
WHAT" he cried, ARE YOU one of
that rascally, skulking crew?-a set
OF humans who are driving the trade
out OF the country into the hands of
Germans, and cutting their own Threats
INTO the bargain, at the bidding of a
lot OF scheming agitators who wouldn' t
De tolerated for a moment anywhere
out IN England. If Id have known
out there, l expect you're more fool
than knave. That's my house lust
past the lamp-post l am the blood
sucking tyrant, Lord Cranthorpe, who,
according to your friends the agita-
tors, am battening and fattening on
the brow sweat of the starving poor.
Here, lend hand-you with the cart
mean-and We'll carry this poor chap
over. Well make up a bed for him
somewhere in the basement, so that
he won't have to strain his foot by
hObbling upstairs. You take his head
and III take his feet. It's the first
house past the lamp-post, and be care
ful how you go down the area steps,
My foot was so painful that WINGED
nervously as he stopped to raise me,
but no woman could have been DETER
OF hand or more tenderly considerate
than he, and my transit was accom-
plished painlessly. They carried me
through sort OF passage opening upon
the street, to an inner room, where l
was propped up on a huge wicker
chair, my injured foot resting luXuri-
ously upon another chair. Then Lord
Cranthorpe explained the situation to
the servants, telling them that l was
to remain in the house until my foot
was healed, and giving strict injunc-
lions that they we're to make me as
comfortable as possible during my So
journ under his roof
Comfortable, however, I cannot say
was, for, with one exception, the
whole staff of servants appeared to re-
sent my advent as an intrusion. They
were civil enough in attending to my
wants, and in their own phrase,
passed the time of day with me- when
they had cause to enter the room
where l was located. But though l
did my best, for obvious reasons, to
get upon good terms with them, they
never seemed at ease in my company.
This was especially noticeable in the
matter of meals, for once or twice,
when l asked to be allowed to take my
food with them, their awkwardness
and silence were most oppressive
They watched me furtively, as if to get
an opportunity of conveying fork,
SpOOu VI hIl11c " llcll d. luS
precise moment when my attention
was engaged elsewhere, and on one
occasion l detected the cook in the act
of taking lunch on the stairs rather
than join a party of which l was a
member. l tried to solace my vanity
by telling myself that this might be
due to some instinct which warned
thov
the same social plane; but as the only
member of the staff who was at all
inclined to accept my advances was
wisp of scullery-mai named Amelia,
whom the others persistently snubbed,
and to whom l heard them allude as
Of mo GLASS;" it seemed likely that
the diagnosis of the case should have
been the other way about, and that
l. as we'll as Amelia, was considered
as wanting in ''class'-whatever that
may be.
Amelia herself, however, was more
than disposed to be friendly, and it
was from her that l learnt certain
facts which had no unimportant bear
ing upon my enterprise. The most
significant was that she was engaged
60 marry a "hartist engage
ment having only been recently
formed, she was burning to communi-
cate to some one.
AN artist?" l said with some sur
prise when she announced this piece
of fashionable intelligence; IAN artist,
Ell? How did you come to meet him."
Eyes, he's a hartist," she replied, as
sertively. "He draws the most lovely
pictures you ever see in chalk on the
pavement, and his colors is hexquisite.
met him in the square one night, and
he told me he'd fell in love with me
right hoff."
Bit by bit l drew the story of her
"hartist" lover from the silly but I'M
suspecting girl, and when learnt
that each night he entrusted to her
care a parcel, which he called for early
the following morning-which parcel
was supposed to contain chalks-I be-
gan to feel that the case was develop
ing.-
'Enery-did tell you his name wos
'Enery-Mr. Emery Talbot-lives a
long way hoff," she said, $50, e sed,
wot's the good of is luggin' his chalks
along with i'm hevery time? So e
lust leaves 'em for me to take care of
at the harea door of night, and as
I'm up fust in the mornin' gives 'em
i'm out again when e calls. But it
amt so much to save ITSELF trouble
as to ave a word with me as he does
it. e as good as told me so last night,