Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-05-04
CHAPTER XVII.

as il were, Dy the suuuehnesS Va SAS Az
sult. Then an angry question came to
his lips: but Bebe checked it by releasing
his arm and darting forward with glad
cry -, -,
heen looking for me? But l went to
your housed wrotel You never an
swered my letter."
Her guardian however seemed quite in
capable of listening to her. He was a
short elderly man, with whitening hair
and rugged features, which were almost
convllsed with anger and agitation as he
oTinped the girl by the wrist, dragging
her towards him while he gasped out
"Silence! Silence, you unhappy child!
Or rather-tell me one thing! Has he
married you?"
ooh garden. yes. Forgive mel We
we're married-only an hour ago." said
Bebe in her pretty broken French, the
;rrepressible joyousness shining even
through the dismay in her eyes. But
here GARNER interyened.
'For which reason" he said sternly,
and LAYING his fingers on those of the
elder man with a touch which, light as it
seemed, had the effect of freeing Bebe on
the instant, II will thank you to treat
nv wife less roughly, and to say what
YOU have to say to her with gentleness
and respect"
Mr.. Langley glanced at him for a mo-
ment and then burst into short, hard
laugh.
clear that, Jones?" he asked. turning
to the other man, grave, middle-aged,
clerkly- looking person. Hes so cock-a-
hoop at having done us, that he thinks
he's got ths whip-hand altogether and
can afford to lay down the law. Well
see about that! His great-uncle will
anyhow, and scoundrel as he is, he may
find he las over reached himself even
now"
mfr. Largely, sir! Pray, sir! The
waiting foorn-there is an empty one;
here Wouldn't it be better-more pri-
water" the clerk ventured to suggest.
GARNER, who had drawn Bebe's cold
little hand through his arm, and was
pressing it kindly to his side, glanced at
the speaker with smile.
Exactly" he said, "and the sooner we
ADJOURN there and have this out, the bet
ter. warn your principal however that
although, as he is this young lady's
guaraian-and a very bad one-I am
willing to hear or answer anything he
may wish to say to me- will not allow
one offensive word or suggestion to be
uttered to her in my presence. As for
mere abuse of me he is too old a man to
be knocked down, and only a coward
would abuse the age that protects him"
They were in the waiting room now
and Mr.. Langley turned on GARNER flu
riously.
"Only a coward sir, and an unutter-
ably base ore, would abuse the innocence
i I, f1,-zk
leading her into acts likely to damage
her reputation, and then persuading her
to clone with him and marry him, so
that he might recover the fortune which
but for her"
my cousin! Mademoiselle Richardf
What in the name of Heaven does the
man mean, and for whom does he take
me?'' GARNER interrupted, Involuntarily
his glance sought Bebe's, whose blue,
wistful eyes aroused the strange haunt
iEg sense of some familiar memory with
in him, and a slight pallor crept under
the sun tan on his lean face. Once again
Mr.. Langley's harsh laugh interrupted
him.
Il take you, sir, for Mr.. Russell Gar
nier, goat nephew and late presumptive
heir II Nh Thomas GARNER, of ThruXton
Abbey, Hants; and first cousin to Miss
Angelo Wilhelmine GARNER only child
md heiress of that gentleman's deceased
son. Mr. Richard Car"
Richard GARNER! Ny cousin Rich =
aIdi" GARNER echoed The pallor had
quite cverswept the tan now; and the
arm Which had supported his young wife
dropped Imply at his side. 1t needed the
timid clutch of her small fingers to keep
him from falling away from her.
But he had no child" Russell contin-
ued 'He died unmarried when quite a
young man, drowned with the rest of the
passengers of the Glasgow City when
that vessel collided with another, only a
few hours out from San Francisco-he
went down with every soul on board,
tive-and twenty years ago and more. /
was only little chap at the time, but |
can remember now the news coming to
the Abbey. and the shock it gave to my
mother and great-uncle. His name was
in the list of passengers; and further,
among the wreckage cast up on the beach
some weeks later, was a trunk bearing
his initials, and containing papers and
other effects which proved beyond doubt
that he was the passenger in question"
Told like a book, Mr.. GARNER, and
shows how well you have kept the old
story at your fingers ends. But as you
may also be aware by now, though your
uncle's luggage went on board the Glas-
gov City he himself did not, being in
deed detained in hospital, both then and
for some months afterwards, by an in
jury to the head, sustained in trying to
defend Chinese boy from maltreatment
at the hands of some street roughs."
And you mean to say that he was
not drowned them But, in that case
why on earth didn't he make the fact
known to his relations and the world in
general?"
The circumstances which led to Mr..
Richard Carriers departure from Eng
land mad rut him out of love with the
world. and at enmity with his relations.
lie cared nothing for the former; the
latter he had condemned and renowned.
Possibly, had he found that the news of
ms tragic death brought great grief and
remorse to them, those feelings might