Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-06-07

by Jove," he cried, Il can see Sir
Arthur Deane and a girl who looks like
his daughter! There's that Internal
scamp. Neutnor, too"
The big man BRUSHED the servant out
of his way and brandished the tele-
scope as though it were II, bludgeon.
'The dirty begsar! He drove my lad
to misery and death, yet he has come
back safe and sound. Wait till meet
him. Ill''-
Now, Anstrutlier! Remember your
promise. l will deal With Lord Vent
nor. My vengeance has first claim.
What! BY tile jumping Moses, l do
believe Yes. 1t is. Anstruther!
Your nephew is sitting next to the
grill"
The telescope fell on the stones with
a crash. The giants rubicund face
suddenly blanched. He leaned on his
friend for support.
You are not mistaken" he almost
sake, man! Make sure before you
speak. Tell me! Tell me!'
Calm yourself, Anstruther. 1t is
Robert as sure as Pm alive. Don't You
think know him, my poor disgraced
friend, whom l, like the rest, cast off
in his hour of trouble? But had some
excuse. There! There! didn't mean
that, old fellow. Robert himself will
be the last man to blame either of us.
Who could have suspected that two
people-one of them, God help me, my
wife-would concoct such hellish
plot!n
The boat glided gracefully alongside
the steps of the quay, and Playdon
sprang gracefully ashore to help Iris
ly afterwafd can best be told in his
own words, as he retailed the story To
an appreciatiye audience in the ward
room.
1--WE had just landed" he said, land
some of the crew were pushing the
coolies out of the way when two men
jumped down the steps, and most
fiendish row sprans up-that is, there
was no dispute or wrangling, but one
chap, who, it turned out, was Colonel
Costobell, grabbed Nentnor by the shirt
front and threatened to smash his face
in if he didn't listen then and there to
what he had to say. l really thought
about interfering until heard Colonel
Costobell's opening words. After that
would gladly have seen the begsar
chucked into the harbor. We never
liked him, did we?'
ASK no questions, Pompcy, but go
ahead with the yarn" growled the first
lieutenant.
"Well, it seems that Mrs. Costobell
is dead. She got cnteric week after
the Orient sailed and was a goner in
four days. Before she died she owned
up"
He paused, with base eye 10 effect.
Not man moved a muscle.
"All right" he cried. Il will make
no more false starts. Mrs. Costobell
begged her husbands forgiveness for
her treatment of him and confessed
that she and Lord Nentnor planned the
affair for which Anstruther was tried
by court martial. 1t must have been
beastly business, for Costobell was
sweating with rage, though his words
We're icy enough. And you ought to
have seen Nentnor's face when he
heard of the dispositions, sworn TO and
| signed by Mrs. Costobell and by sever
| al Chinese servants whom he bribed to
| give false evidence. He promised to
| marry Mrs. Costobell IL her husband
| died, or, in any event, to bring about Il
| divorce when the Hongkong affair had
blown over Then she learned that he
was after Miss Iris, and there is nc
doubt her fury helped on the fever
Costobell said that. for his wife's sake
he would have kept the wretcled thing
secret, but lie was compelled to clear
Anstruther's name, especially as he
came across the other old johnnie
"Pompey, you are incoherent with eX
element. Who is the other old John
nie"" asked the first huff severely.
Didn't tell you? Why, Anstruther's
uncle, Of course. heavy old swell
with just a touch of Yorkshire in his
tongue. 1 gathered that he disinherit
ed his nephew when the news of thu
court martial reached him. Then Ii,
relented and cablcd to him. Gettins
no news, he came east to look for him
He met Costobell the day after thu
lady died, and the two vowed to be re
venged on Nentnor and to clear An
struther's character, living or dead
Poor old chap! He cried like Il bah.
when he asked the youngster to for
give him. 1t was quite touching.
"Well, Costobell shook Nentnor off a
last, with the final observation tina
Anstruther's court martial has beer
quashed. The next batch of genera
orders will reinstate him in the regi
ment, and it rests with him to decid
whether or not a criminal warran
shall be issued against his lordship TO
conspiracy"
"What did Miss Deane do:"
"Clung to Anstruther like a weepin:
angel and kissed everybody all rount
when Ventnor got away. Well-hand
off. mean her father. Anstruther an,
the stout uncle. Unfortunately I was
not on in that scene. But for some rea
son they all nearly wrung my arm off
and the men were so excited that they
gave the party a rousing cheer as theil
rickshuws went off in bunch"
The next connection arose in the no
tel when Sir Arthur Deane seized the
first opportunity to explain the predic
ament in which his company was
placed and the blow which Lord Vent
nor yet had it in his power to deal.
Mr.. William Anstruther was an in
tercsted auditor. Robert would have
spoken, but his uncle restrained him.
Leave this to me, lad" he ex
claimed. "When was coming here il
the Sirdar there was Il lot of tall
about Sir Arthur's scheme, and there
should not be much difficulty in rails
ing all the brass required if half what
heard be true. Sit you down, Sir Ar
thur, and tell us all about it"
The shipowner required no secont
bidding. With the skill for which liz
was noted he described his operations
in detail, telling how every farthing OF
the first installments of the two grcaI
/ hp, tIn i'm,