The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-01-09
AhEhh IhIhShNh
Scoundrels eco. 1
n
By COULSON KERNAHAN
Author Of Captain Shannon n Book Of
Strange Sins,""A Dead Mans Diary" Et.
~copUIght, $50 BY Herbon S. Stone q Co.
CHAPTER VIII.-CoSrrNrEp.

why? Where do you live, then
Nowhere answered. thinking
vaguely that il was possible Number
Three might be lurking within ear
shot. and that ! had best sustain the
role I bad assumed.
Great heavens, And they call this
a Christian country Never mind.
We can make up a bed for you at my
place and then III see what can be
done. Are you out OF work.
Yes" ! replied. Il was on" Of Lord
C~ranthorpc.s min hands and we're all
ont on strike
"Wbat," he cried, ARE you one Of
that rls"lIIy, saulbing crew?-a SET
Of runian3 who are driving the trade
out OF the country into the hands Of
Germans, ana cutting their wi throat5
into the bargain, at the bidding Of a
lot Of scheming agitators who wouldn't
be tolerated for a momen anywher"
but in ENGLAND. If I'd have known
but there. expect you're q fool
than EuaYo, That's my house Just
past the ~lamp-pust. am The blood
sucking lyranJ, Lord CranthOrpc, Who,
according 10 your friends the agila-
tors, am Dallening and fattening on
the brow sweat OF the starving poor,
Here, lend a hand you with the cart
| mcan-and we'll carry his poor chap
over. Wen make up n 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 I'll take his feet. It's the first
house past the %lamp-pCst, and be care
ful how you 20 down the area steps
My loot was so painful that | WINGED
neryously 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 painlcssly. They carried me
through a sort OF passage opening upon
the street, to an inner room, where !
was propged up on a huge wicker
chair, my injured foot resting luNuri-
bli9lF hIjVlI hllhlhNl NIlblit hNl
]CranthOrpe explained the situation to
the servants, telling them that | was
to remain in the house until my foot
was healed, and giving strict injunc-
tions that they were to make me as
comfortable as possible during my So
journ under his roof.
Comfortable, however, | cannot say
| was, for, with II exception, the
whole staff OF servants appeared to re-
sent my advent as All intrusion, They
were civil enough in attending to my
wants, and in their W phrase,
passed the time Of day with me- when
they had cause TO enter the room
where | was located, But though |
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 | asked to be allowed to take my
food with them, their awkwardness
and silence We're most oppressive.
They watched me furtively, as il to get
an opportunity Of conveying fork,
spoon or knife to their mouths at the
precise moment when my attention
was engaged elsewhere, and on n
occasion | detected the cook in the act
OF taking lunch on the stairs rather
than Join a party of which was a
member. | tried to solaCe my vanity
by telling myself that this might be
due to some instinct which warned
them that they and | were not upon
the same social plane; but as the only
member Of the staff who was AT all
inclined to accept my advances was a
,wisp Of a s~cullery-maid named Amelia,
whom the others persistontly s%nubbed,
and to whom | heard them allude as
Of mo class" it seemed likely that
the diagnosis of the case should have
been the other way about, and that
/, as we'll as Amelia, was considered
as wanting in "class'-whatever that
may be.
Amelia herself, however, was more
than disposed TO De ana II
was from her that | learnt certain
facts which had no unimportant bear
ing upon my enterprise, The most
significant was that she was engaged
10 marry a 'hartist'-which engage
ment having only been recently
formed. she was burning TO COmmuni-
cate 10 some one.
AN artist?' | said with some sur
prise when she announced this piece
OF fashionable intelligence; AN artist,
Ell? How did you come to meet him."
Yes, 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 hofr."
na. L.. Ll. .l,o,. tba ct,u. - 49,.