The Red Cloud chief., 1906-11-23

iE story of the Gulf Rock light
4 "a house was becoming mellow
18th age. Men now talked Of war in
Africa. Of the yellow peril, of some
',accarat squabble In a West End club
tut It's vitality fingered in Penzance
There were side ISSUES which Pync's
device had kept from the public ken,
but which the towns folk pondcrcd
Lady Margaret S%tanhope. obeying her
sons behcsts. tantalized her friends 10y
smiling serenely and telling them noti-
ing when they pestered her with ques.
tions-that Is to say. she spoke not
one word about the lady who was be.
ing nursed back to health In the light
house keepers cottage, but filed their
souls with bitterness when she limited
Mt marvels concerning Constance and
Enid.
In such q small place. where every
mans affairs are canvasSed by his
n%eighbors, it was impossible TO pre-.
vent an atmosphere of mystery from
clinging to Mrs. Nansittart. Again,
the gossips were greatly concerned
about Enid. For q young woman lin
her position" to be engaged TO m OH.
Ger in the royal navy and admitted TO
the sacred ranks of the aristocracy
was n wonderful thing in itself. But
that she should be OF open terms of
the greatest intimacy not alone with
the elderly Mr.. Trail, but with his
good looking nephew, cven calling the
latter Charlie and treating him as a
$500, ..l,t.,,n x.nS 80, np,avt,r ,irn,t,,
stance only surpassed by the compla-
cency with which Lady Margaret and
her son regarded It,.
The actors In this comedy seemed to
be sublimely Indifferent to public opin-
ion. That was the worst Of 1t. Enid
was escorted about the town by each
and all of the men at all hours. Now
she was ut the hospital cheering Bates
and Jackson or the injured people from
the wreck. now arranging for the de-
parture Of some Of the poorer sur
vivors when they were able to travel,
now fitting over to Narration to see
Jim Spence, and once actually visiting
Mr.. Jones, the innkeeper.
At last a part of the secret eked out.
Enid went with her father to ask how
Mr.. Emmett, the sick chief officer, was
getting on. They found him smoking
In the front garden Of the house In
which Brand had lodged him.
He started when he saw them APP
preaching, and his weather beaten face
wore the puzzled look with which he
regarded Enid one night on the light
house stairs.
Trail noticed the sailors covert
chances at Enid, so he said:
"By, the way, Mr.. Emmett, you were
on the Britannia when my wife and /,
her sister and two children came to
ENGLAND before the Esmeralda was
lost?'
"Yes, sir" He paused.
During many an Atlantic crossing he
and Mr.. Trail had talked of that last
Joyous journey when he, a boy who
had Just Joined the service, sat mt their
table, as was the custom of junior Of
fcers in those years.
Mr.. Trail smiled. He knew what
was in the other mans mind.
ID you see a likeness in his young
lady to any one you have ever
knownT" he asked.
We'll, sir, l hope 1t will not hurt
your feelings, and it's a good many
years ago now, but l could have sworn
well, / must out with it. She is the
living image of your wife,"
Indeed that cannot hurt my feel
ings, as she Is her daughter"
"Hcr daughter! Your d%aughter!'
gasped Emmett.
A small serving maid with the ears
of a rabbit was listening s%pellbound at
the open window. Here indeed was n
postman and the butchers and gro
GERS boys. From this lower current
the stream of talk flowed upward until
1t reached the august drawing room of
Mrs. Taylor-Smith.
She drove in frantic haste to Lady
Margaret's villa and fred questions
broadside.
"Oh, yes" said Jacks mother suave-
ly. 1T Is quite true. OF course I have
known 1t from the first. According to
present arrangements, the marriage
will take place in the spring. Ends
marriage settlement will be nearly a
quarter of a million"
Like most women, she loved that
word. A million, even In fractions, Is
so glib, yet so unattainable.
The only person who was slightly
dissatisfied with the progress of events
was Pyne. Constance never appeared.
She shared with Mrs. Sheppard the
care Of her mother. Enid, bllthe and
guileless in the public eye, did the
housekeeping and represented the