Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-11

IL
IAssa4S shall not go TO Ceylon.
My kind old friends offer was a
good one; it was even brilliant, but
what do l know of teapanting, or managing
estates. and what should do, in that place? /
have five hundred year of my own, and love
England
With the exception of the house the
way there was not building within a quarter
of mile of ours, house which had been empty
for long time. My surprise was therefore,
great when saw that it was to be occupied and
one afternoon there arrived a middleaged gem
tleman of portly presence, accompanied by a
young girl, with face as bright as the sun.
shine.
1t was some days before I learned that the
new tenant of ''The Elms" was Mr.. Dunn. a
retired London merchant, man of wealth. The
young lady was Miss Grey, his ward, also very
rich in worldly goods as well as in beauty
In spite of all my endeavors, it was a week
or more ere had the pleasure of seeing Miss
Grey. 1t happened that she was riding near
The Elms and saw that her horses shoe was
dropping off, Courage was a part of me at
that time and 1 ventured to request the privi-
lege of lending my assistance.
Thank you," she said ut is verv kind of
YOU Perhaps it would be better off. Take care
that Herne doesn't kick. He is not always
pleasant to strangers"
The shoe was tighter than I had thought, but
1t was off at last, at the cost of a torn glove.
and she thanked me with a pretty smile and
glance. lodged the cob's forefoot which he
struck out viciously at me as l rose. with q
lace rather red from my exertions, and looked
at the shoe
1T is quite good shoe STILL" | said. "and
can easily be replaced Will you carry it home
| kaap for
luck?"
She smiled. at is very poor exchange for
your ruined glove!" she said. "But if YOU are
superstitious, don't suppose Herne will object
TO your keeping his shoe" And, with little
bow, she dug her heel into the cob's side and
starting off, closed the conversation
There is a delightful custom in the country
winch permits the old resident to call upon the
new, and it was a short time before | had
availed myself of the privilege, and while wait |
ing IN tne drawing room | could not help no.
tlclng the evidences of extreme wealth on every
sue When Mr.. Dunn entered he found me ex-
aminlng a miniature of Miss Grey
You are looking at that frame?' he said to
me, after we had introduced ourselves at is |
beautiful thing. l bought it at William Vests,
the great fnancier's, sale. 1t contained DOR.
trait of his wife, and found on his heart
after he shot himself. That is not Mrs West, |
OF course; it is my ward Miss Grey"
Then he turned the conversation and in a few
minutes we were chatting as though we had
been neighbors all our lives The pleasant thread
was not broken by the entrance of Miss Grev.
a little later, and from that hour made excel
lent progress in my intimacy with the new neigh |
bors at The Elms.
Somehow or other, time passed rapidly after 1
became acquainted with Miss Grey and there
was hardly day that did not speak with her.
in fact, found that all my time was passed in
thinking of her and of the fact that wealthy and
beautiful as she was, I could hardly hope to be
a match for her, even-even if she were to care
for me.
Mr.. Dunn and became quite chummy, in fact
he offered to invest my lone two thousand
pounds for me, and I trusted him. The result
was that my two thousand pounds doubled in
a few weeks, and short time after that I no.
ticed that Mr.. Dunns cordality appeared to
diminish day by day, until finally, when called
old Jennings, the butler came down with the
curt message mot at home" Even Jennings
treated me cooly, and it did not take long for
me to begin to imagine that Mr. Dunn had
learned of my feelings for Miss Grey
One morning shortly after Mr.. Dunn had cut
me dead on the road, the unintentional
witness of strange scene while strolling near
a game keepers hut IN clearing some distance
from The Elms.
merely happened to look through the window
of the hut In the far corner of the clearing was
a pile of faggots and old logs, and on these
were seated a man and woman. They We're
facing me- and my heart beat fast as | recognized
Mr. Dunn and Miss Grey.
They were some distance from me- but could
see that they were in earnest conversation and
/ could catch the expression of their faces: Miss
Grey's pale and rather disturbed Mr.. Dunn
flushed and eager.
Miss Grey had risen suddenly as if to 90,
but as she Mr. Dunn too and caught
her hand. She resisted and attempted to draw
her fingers from his grasp, but he Leld them
tight and kissing them, he flung himself on his
knees at her feet
For second it seemed Miss Grey was about
to yield; then suddenly, snatching her hand
away with force of which she did not seem
capable, she turned and hurried from the spot
If Mr.. Dunn had seemed agtated before he was
in agony now, and with unsteady legs and his
hands to his brow he rose and walked slowly
in the direction taken by Miss Grey
1t was week after this curious occurrence
that / met Mr.. Dunn again and received great
surprise.
"Come over soon you can, he said. with
a smile and handshake that was cordality per-
sonifed. "The oftener you come the better we
viii be pleased and, you know, Elsie is always
glad to see you"
| did call often after that, for nothing but
rebuffs would have kept away from Miss
Grey, and ! had a good chance to study the
curious retired merchant, with the result that
/ did not know what to make of him; there was
something strange at all events
Joseph Legrand, the Wimbledon doctor, and
a great friend of mine, agreed with me about
Mr.. Dunn.
"Zat friend of yours up at The Elums will
have TO shut shop and retire from beezness" he
said with the accent which twenty years resi-