Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-01-03
he AdyentlIrerS
 By H. B. MARRIOTT WATSON COPYRIGHT, HARPER {, BROTHERS
CHAPTER I.
Eg T was in August of the year 1SS- x that l turned the corner, as it e# were into the stranrn hixtn,.A. 1

R was in August of the year 1SS-
 that l turned the corner as it @ were, into the strange history l
 am now to relate. The Nollh marches had been entirely unknown to me Until at point ill an idle tour of the west of England 1 fell upon the little town of Raymond and hs0Ji@s.t up at | ill the evening at the Swan hostel ry that occupies a corner of tie i1.l,2e- uIar triangle constituting the naffet place The country ill that part is full of swelling hills and valleys, soft and eXhllafatln@ of air and clothed with a greatE EFestHne of wood. The gfesit Gwent, as the forest across the little river Ray is called in the countryside, coils westward across the county, bro ken b8 tracts of fertile fields lying un- der grain and pasture, and descends npon the black hills of the mining dis trict beyond At Raymond. which stands upon the hither side of the river, we are yet ill England proper and upon the margin of a more open country. The town itself is small and neat and
  very haughtiy.
 The inn. which was itself among tke most venerable buildings in the small town, was comfortably served by a very brisk landlord of middle age. It had kept, so to speak. ;t preearo}!i continuity with antiquity and ill tie main scheme had changed bat little during the 300 years winch had passed since it's erection.
 Ihe h3StGiIY was much too large for it's present ,ises, but for all that wore no air of neglect in the inhabited cham berS. My own rooms Were marked by Gomely comfort, and 1 was waited upon like d prince of the blood After |; ru>le and wholesome country dinner sought distraction ill the taprooin With Ely pipe and heterogeneous company of toWnSfok The landlord WaS in some kind q president at this symposium, which consisted for tie main part of d few of the smaller shopkeepers. There Was Mir Jones. for example, whose name 1 had noticed upon q shop front as l rode through thse Iigil street This man fixed upon me early in the evening, ana poured his condolences into lily ear. lie was Il hay merchant. and he had nc Gearer ambition than to establish his business i'll Bristol. He found Raymond too mean for his ;ts piring temper, and tLe Mecca of hs prayers W;is Bristol 1 confess that found Alm something of a bore. and WIS glad to exchange commoHalaces
 
 with EY other He:gh50r, Ille l,>ls..orl himself kept his sa.}j 5el9ra tie I9.4e table, smoking lis long ape With tile peace oi :; man whose buai mess is eIlti- cd for tie day and DOW ;tnl thsn dis- charging q giance in ay direction. He was, l discovered, Il 1ravoled man for those parts, and had t!.a reputation of a smart fellow. Indeed, he compared well with tae duiler rlls1cs who sur rounded him. The placid air of the tap room was ill some ways little more di verting than the solitude of my cham ber but that was soon 10 pass. Pres ently there came a great noise, fol- lowed by d heavy tramp of feet ap preaching from tAc outer bar. and iii strutted d tail young fellow, Wiih his hat upon one side. and d jdunty air of one who knows hi, own worth and despises his neighbors
 "Cone in sa,'@ the innlie per. very friendly, but with d certain air of con straint. "Plenty of room, Mr Mont gOmery, sir, and a good evening to you"
 "0h. hang your ceremonies" says the newcomer, h':t With nc touch of Hi humor, and give your best attention to my order, Wcndover.' .Nlla. clap ping his hat more firmly on his bend, he raPped loudly upon tine table
 He drank tue glass of whisky WEieh tie ba.man served and then fell into q