Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-02
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fully upset already; and Mr.. Payne said be
didn't see that II would do any good to
perhaps If we did she wouldn't be able to
undertake journey If he'd known in
time that we were going on to Taormina,
ne wouldn't have kept US at Syracuse. but
would have Joined us at Taormina: for he
had news that Miss Randolph. that stuck
up American girl. and her aunt had Just
arrived there the night before. with poor
Mr. Ninstons stolen car, which the wicked
cnauneur was driving. Henri Payne
mean-had written from Rome to the girls
Iather In New York that she in the
power or an abandoned ruffian. and the
Iather had started off 20 the rescue the
very day after receiving the letter He
nad cabled to Mr. Payne in Rome. and the
message had been forwarded to Naples,
put IN that way they had missed each 9TH
er. ana Mr. Payne only knew that the old
man man, had ;,,o been following the girl about
IN Naples that she'd gone to Paler-
mo. and had proceeded there himself
frooab!y, when he found that she had
left. If the hotel people could tell him
where she was likely to be by this time
he wouldn't wait for an ordinary train. but
would take a special Mr.. Payne said he
was ,hat Kind of man; and if Lady b.
would go on now by the next train to Taor-
NINA everybody might confront the chauf-
ieur and denounce him at once. BY every
Dody ne meant himself. Lady B. and this
MI. Randolph of New York I was very
mach interested, of course and naturally
wanted TO be in at the death, which Mr.
Payne seemed quite pleased to have me
90 Tor we had by this time made up great
Irle1idS' we seemed so congenial in many
ways. and he knows such quantities of
swell people everywhere The Duke of
bur1ord Is a great chum of his and so is
lIiat handsome Lord Lane that you were
WIN 10 meet last year and couldn't get to
Who can tell?
Poor Lady B. was as weak As a rag but
determined on revenge and pa kept her I'M
No rnYy fhn
Tor Iaormina 1t was strange tourney
we TOUR reserved a carriage for ourselves
ana Lady B. asked questions till she was
TOO exhausted to speak Then she sat
with her eyes shut and salts to her nose
trying to strengthen herself for what was
10 come, while Mr.. Payne and / talked in
low low voices about people We knew Some
times lntlmated 1 knew Them too and
others still more swell. for didn't like to
seem out of it, and luckily I'd read great
deal about them in the society papers so
L was never at a loss.
MIR. Payne in communication with
the American girls aunt who was partly
in his confidence; and he knew from her
that they would be at the San Domenico
DIT laOrmlna. 1t was afternoon when we
arrived. and as we didn't want to waste a
moment, we drove past the very house
where we were invited to stay up to the
san Domenlco, where the wretched pre-
tendef was to be run to earth. 1t was n
very long, mountainous drive, and Lady r.
was trembling with excitement She want
ed to have 1t out of the man what he had
done with her son. and | do believe if II
had been back in old times she would have
been IN mood to put out his eyes with
red-hot irons or fay him alive To make
MN CONFESS. She didn't say much, but her
eyes were bright, and there was sucb n
nush OF excitement on her face that she
looked quite pretty and almost young
Al last We got up TO the hotel and had
10 walk through two courtyards: for it
used TO be monastery and is very quaint
iy quilt. A porter walked I'D to see what
we wanted, and Mr.. Payne asked for Miss
randolph and Miss Kedison. The man
s eSlu .,ieS mao gone out on donkeys for an
excursion up in the mountains to a place
cailed Mola, which we could see from the
noteI, overhanging a precipice He said
.iies naoh peen gone long. and probably
wouldn't be back for at least two hours
Then Mr. Payne inquired if their chauffeur
VINO drove their motor-car was stayine, at
dies. e'ie Will 'he Ia
The porter answered that the cb.uefo,,r
was at another hotel. and that he had not
t tbn the excursion. but he had seen
ga , ,uies on with their donkeys
ana GUIDE When the man began to under
stand that we were all more Interested IN
me whereabouts of the chauffeur than of
.ne mlstresses. he added that one of the
servants OF the hotel who had lust been
down to the station had mentioned meeting
the chauffeur IN very smart clothes quite
dinerent from when he had been with the
, na, going down the hill towards Santa
Margherlta, Sir Evelyn Haines' house
where there was a big reception on
While we were talking another man came
out-a sort of under porter-and when ba
neard our porter telling that Miss Ran
oolph mad gone up to Mola, he said in that
case he had made great mistake for he
had sent an American gentleman who had
been lnquiring for her to the wrong place
he had supposed that she would be at Sir
Evelyn Haines' house for a bazaar was
being held there for the benefit of a char
lty, ana almost all the English and Ameri-
cans at the Hotel San Domenico and the
other Taormina hotels had gone to it. The
gentleman seemed in great hurry the
porter had noticed; and he had said that
he had come from Palermo in special
train SO as not to waste any time.
"Ah. didn't 1 tell you what Chauncey
Randolph would do?" exclaimed Mr.. Payne
turning to me as if We were old friends. 1
believe Chauncey Randolph has the repu-
tation of being a millionaire: but 1 don't
suppose he's got any more money Is a
bit more important than pa.
We had kept our cab, which was waiting
outside. and after few minutes discussion
between Lady B. and Mr.. Payne, 1t was
decided that we should drive straight down
to Sir Evelyn Haines'. where probably the
horrible chauffeur was audaclously passing
himself off the Honorable Jack Winston,
whom Sir Evelyn had never met.
Just as pa was helping Lady B. into a
cab, Mr.. Payne exclaimed Molly and 1
looked over my shoulder to see the stuck
up thing l had met in Blois She was
dressed differently, but recognized her at
once. l suppose some people would call
her pretty, but l don't in the least,
though she may be the sort of girl men
like. She was walking, and her tat aunt
was hanging on to her arm, and an Italian
man leading two donkeys was close behind
them.
why. JIMMY she answered. appearing
to be very surprised. and glancing from Mr..
Payne to Lady B., from her to pa and me.
She shook hands, then walked up to the
cab to speak to Lady B.. and had begun
explaining that her aunt had had fall Off
the donkey she was riding, and they had
given up their excursion, when Mr.. Payne
Interrupted her to do a little explaining on
his side.
She stood looking perfectly daZed, as he
told her how 1t was now proved beyond
doubt that her chauffeur, of whom she
thought SO highly, was a fraudulent villain.
a thief, and. it was to be feared. even
worse He said that he had suspected for
some time, but now his suspicious were
confirmed by Lady Brightelmston, who be-
lieved that some terrible evil had fallen
upon her son through this Brown. Miss
Kedison chimed ill., and SO did Lady b., |
and l don't much wonder that IT took
the girl some time to understand what
they were all driving at, sharp as
these Yankee women are. When 1t was
clear what they accused the chauffeur OF |
,5oipy che said ii was absolutely 1mpOS- /