The Washington herald., 1907-05-12


He turned abruptly and went back
down the hill into the busy town. It was
getting late. and the streets we're full
Of Y0rkpe0ple huTTying away from mill
and factory There was the noise OF
machinery everywhere. the rattle of tram
and train the clang Of iron on iron as
the men beat it out into anchor OF chain
In the great works
At every step Old recolIecti0ns thrust
in upon him. Il was there in the Liver
pool road that he had gone to his work
In the mill at the end Of it. lie had
tramped there every day. and it was az
the corner close by Sheffield terrace that
he had saved the life OF Lord Fanshawe.
Wen he remembered 1.-THE plungtng
horses. the thickenlng fog. the carriage
crashing hard against the tram, and his
leap. just in time to catch Lord Fan
shave as he was hurried to the pave
ment.
There was only one thought in his
mind now. to find Hetty Lancaster. and
to discover why Lord Fanshawe had not
kept his promise to marry her. TO learn
the meaning Of her fathers death.
The beating Of his heart stopped sud-
denly Murderess. Jackson, the lawyer
had called her a murderess il was not
/ true. Of course. ne would never believe
that true; but what was the meaning Of
/ it ali Why had she disappeared Why
/ had she quarreled with her father? Why
/ had there arisen this cruel horrible sus-
picion about her name?
/ He came TO a sudden staudstiH before
/ an open forge which stood at the corner
Of the street small group Of men
stood idle before the open bars looking
in al half a dozen men who were busy
! beating at a great, shapeless piece Of
red-hot iron that hung suspended on 2
chain
Geoffrey stopped and looked. TOO. The
air, hot and sitting. beat in his face,
and the red light Of the fire flashed Ia his
/ eyes. The iron was beginning 90 get
cold and black. and the sheet OF iron had
/ been drawn from the furnace and the
white heat Of the FIRE flashed out and il
/ Illuminated the faces Of the men who stood
looking on.
They say that every nation in the
world is sending 10 Sir Arthur Walter for
anchors" one man shouted above the
roaring Of the fire. He's made his for
tune three times over, and he can't mar
~ his daughter for love or nuts
There was a harsh laugh. The men in
the forge swung the great shapeless mass
: Of iron into the furnace, swept up the
flaming slack over It and shut il in.
why my Bessie's dom better nor
? that. Three offers she's had this year,
she has. and who do you think the last
was from ?"
The man turned. and Ge0frey saw his
5 face In the white light Of the FIRE. and
T started a little Il was an honest face,
= red and smiling with gray eyes thar
looked out AT you from an open brow.
The man to whom he spoke shook his
head.
I There's no KNOWN what your Bess
r viii do" he said but you'd better look
out. Ted's here, and he won't Ike IL
He'll never let anybody marry her bar
. himself"
!. He jerked his head es he spoke toward
e tan young man Who stood a little in
= the shadow.
I "Ress'n please herself" said the first
= man. "Ted or no Ted. But its Barker.
the lawyers clerk, who's her latest. il
you please. And he's made her an Offer
I plain as plain-in wri5in', too, which is
odd for lawyer. as you may think. and
d as sure as my names Davy Merrill, Ted
l. here will have TO look out.
d Ted moved suddenly into the light HI
{
k and there was determination in his clear
: cut face.
She's going 10 marry me and nj
8, other" he said. sharply I've loved he
ever since she was little kid in pima
2 fores. and Tn not TO be cut out by an
L sharp-nosed lawyer chap, and she know
It, and she's only laid herself out so L
IS catch him for the joke of it. I'm certain
ie Of IT,"
-e He turned as he spoke, His voice ran
lc clear and steady and firm. but as hi
p face came into the light it showed
h. white and shaken, as though he had spok
n en- what he did not believe.
Laid herself out, has she2'
le Davy Merrill scratched his head an
turned a comic 9uckered face toward IN
N other man.
v We'll TO tell you the truth. she ha
1- that he said. shes meant haviu
ut Barker, and she's got him at last, and
suppose she'll marry him. But / don
OF know after all There's no accOuutin
ar for our Bess I always thought sh
a meant having nobody but Ted here. an
so did everybody else until year or ~
t. back. and since then she's had ideas
her head. she has. She got 10 know Bari
er just about then, and she's led MIN
he dance. she has He riled her at first
10 ANYTHING to say to her-yOu know tf
xe style of some of those young cieTks-a1
- our Bess wouldn't stand that. IN sh0
O. him., she said, and she has. He's pr
posed to her. and it would be "a goo
." match for her, / must say. There's o
Jackson getting old, without any son
a step into his business, and this wol
ed at the castle-oh. no doubt young Bark
might make a fine thing out Of it. E
=" Ted?'
I Merrill looked hard into the young man
or face and then put out his hand with
ut sigh.
SIX "Al the same. ny boy, he said
hope Bess won't choose him instead
ay you. It would be a shame; you've been
Of good lad 'Tisn't many I know Won
keep their mothers as you did WI
W you'd a been married to Bess three yea
Sc. ago and more, if you hadn't done ths
De- and If she throws you over
90 "She won't, put in Ted quickly.
nd reckon / know her She loves me as
love her. and this business with Bark
IS only bit Of joke hke-a bit
me fun"
,ur Merrill shook has head
ITS the wrong kind Of fur" he sa
all like playing with fire, but Bess was
ways one to love her own way I've spo
en- 20 her til I'm tired If she's set
mind on a thing, she'll have II, ana s
set her mind on young Barker. and SD
got him Now. perhaps, she'll be ur
of him. I daresay. But ] must be z
ok ing. She'll be just out Of the facto
ned now, and We generally go home toseth
nee Ior. to think of it-a smart young Ia
oh. YER clerk like Barker wanting 10 mar
a lass ike our Bess-a lass as works
- factory! It's beyond my compreht
sion