Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-08-11

old man with whom he had lived anC
quarreled as boy, affected him NOR,
deeply than even he was aware. There
in the silent room in the inn, he re
called all the old mans good qualities
all the little kindnesses he had done
him. Jack and more than all, the few
last solemn and quite Unexpectedly
dffectionate words which had dropped
from his dying lips.
Jack, putting at his pipe and rubbing
his short hair with puzzled frown
went over the scene again and again
and with no mercenary thoughts of the
old mans declaration that he had re
membered Jack in his will, but with
reference to the mysterious allusions
In the disposal of the large part OF
the property; then Jacks mind would
fly off to the fearful scene at the actual
death
The wild cry, the white and hort
sternly questioning one of the old
lawyer. What did it mean?
And still more mysterious, what was
the meaning Of Stephens conduct on
the lawn? What was he hunting for
with such intense eagerness as to make
him fly at Jack like a mailman?
Jack-as no doubt the reader will
have surmised-was not clever.
] He could not piece this and that to.
gether, and from disjointed incidents
form an intelligent whole, as child
does with a box OF puzzles.
The whole thing was mystery to
him. and grew more confusing and be.
wlldering the more he thought Of It,
/ 1t takes villain thoroughly to ap.
! precate a villain, thief to understand
neither one nor the other, utterly fail.
ed to understand Stephen.
That he disliked him, with a feeling
more like contempt than hatred, was a
matter Of course, but II any one had
told Jack straight out that Stephen had
distracted the will. Jack would in all
probability have refused to credit It,
VIII stealing and all such meanness
was so thoroughly out of his line that
he would not have understood how
Stephen, led on step by step, could
have possibly been guilty of it.
Then again, something else came
forcing itself on these thoughts con
corning the strange events at the
Hurst For the life of him he could
not forget the Forest of Warden and
all that had happened to him within its
leafy shades.
AT one moment it seemed as II years
must have elapsed since he lost his way
and forced an entrance at the wood.
mans hut. at another he was half in.
clIned to believe that he had dined
rather heavily at the club and dreamed
1t all. Like Una, he could not realize
that they had met, touched hands and
exchanged speech.
Jack could not get the beautiful face
out of his mental vision 1t mingled
with the wan face of the dying man,
with Stephens pale, distorted counten-
ance II seemed to beam and shine upon
him from the dark corners OF the room
with the same fran pure, innocent
smile with which 1t had shone down up
ON him as he lay at her feet in the
woods.
And then the girls surroundings.
The extraordinary father with his la
borer's dress and his refined group of
persons buried in the depths of wood
living apart from the world?
Jack rumpled his hair and drew
long breath eloquent of confusion and
bewilderment.
1t was certainly extraordinary Three
days ago he had left London. prosaic
London, and was now plunged to the
neck in a sea of romance and secrecy.
On one thing he was, however, re-
solved, He would keep his threat or
promise, He would go to Warden For
est and see that beautiful face again.
though he had to brave the anger of
twenty mysterious woodmen. He
thought at first that he would start on
the morrow but some feeling-perhaps
some reverence and respect for the
dead man-made him change his mind.
No" he said to himself, as he knock.
ed the ashes out of his pipe and pre-
pared for bed; I'm stay here over the
funeral and them"
But. though he felt tired and worn
out, it was hours before he could
sleep, and when he did, his spirit fled
Lack to Warden Forest and the face
that had haunted him waking lowered
about him in dreams.
Was It love; love at first sight? Jack
would have been first to laugh at the
idea; but 1t Is worthy of note that all
the loves which had occurred in his
Wild, reckless life had never, in their
warmest epochs. moved him as the re-
membranes of Una had done; not one
had had the power 10 disturb his sleep
or to bring him dreams.
Jack kept to his resolution. Five
days passed, and he stuck to the
Bush manfully. They were, perhaps,
the drearest days he ever spent in his
life aud he never thought of them af-