The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-08-30

, Ned, he never will say anything
now!"
The cry came from her heart. And
Edward, though young and inexperi-
enced as to the ways of women, could
not bat recognize the pain in it.
Tell me, dear"
"There is nothing to tell Nothing!
There never will be anything, it seems.
Ned his name is in the Gazette to-
day. He has exchanged to the Rifles,
and is off to the 'front.'"
Yes, here it was in black and white.
Haig had exchanged into a regiment
bound for the Indian frontier, where
one of our little wars" was then in
full fury.
The affair was beyond Edwards wits
70 disentangle.
He ran down to Aldershot to see his
old comrade, but by tacit consent
neither man mentioned Marcia. Lady
Glen Luce had written the kindliest
Of farewells Marcia, of course, made
no sign. How could she?
And SO Capt. Haig and Edward part
ed-the former to sail for India in a
week or so, the latter to return to
his new position
1t was all very delightful The
shooting parties were voted great sue
cesses- good sport, well chosen COM
pany, and the added interest over the
Glen Luce folk, who were celebrities
in their way. All Britain had been
interested in the claims, all Britain
had prepared to be gracious to the sue
cessful ones.
1t was close on Christmas when the
bolt fell from the blue. The London
house had been refurnished; its new
owners were planning for a season in
town. The dear old Edinburgh home
already seemed shrunk and shabby to
the eyes that had opened on the mag
nifcence Of Glen Luce.
vague rumor, too insignificant to
cause serious concern, suddenly be-
came fact A Scotch marriage-one of
those elusive apparitions that still fit
over the legal horizon-had been PROV
ed. A raw lad from Australia arrived
in London. He had been born and
bred on a sheep run; he had the ply
sique of a prizefghter and the educa-
ton of plowman But he was the
true and undoubted Earl of Glen Luce.
Sir John Rutherford, K. c. B., was
only Sir John then, after all! There
( was no countess, no Lady Marcia; and
as for Edward-could he afford to
keep his commission? Debts, whole
battalions OF them, seemed to the Ruth
erfords the only abiding remains OF
the earldom Of Glen Luce.
There was Sir Johns pension; there
were his savings, and the little invest
ments he had made for his wife and
Marcia. He tOtaled them up, and tried
to balance them against the sum OF
those terrible debts. Time-would
they only give him time!
He would seek lodging in Holyrood
Living there safe from fear Of arrest
he would work, if work could be found
and save up every farthing to pay of
those debts. Edward would find some
post or other and back him up in the
battle. No shill-shally bankruptcy
and wriggling out of liabilities by pay
ing so many shillings in the pound
The debts were just debts and should
be justly paid-every single penny.
And so it came to pass that the Ruth
erfords found themselves in rooms III
the mean little streets that were the
actual nineteenth-century rendering OF
the picturesque old right of sanctuary
Of the precincts of the Abbey of Holy
rood Edward sent in his papers and
accepted a berth in a city counting
: house. Sir John had tried to retain g
few private possessions for his wife
and daughter, but they insisted on
sharing his struggle and making sacri-
fee of all, even as he had done
Marcia had determined to turn hel
talent for drawing to account She hac
found a market for little water color
sketches of the palace. They were Oh
= the counter of a shop in Princes
street, and priced at a modest sum
< they sold steadily. And so she USED
: the daylight hours in working away
: with her little tin box of colors in the
: empty old palace.
; The oblique winter sunlight fell
r across the room where the lovely anC
luckless Queen Of Scots had spent SC
Z many of her tragic days; the light was
unusually brilliant, and brought to no.
tice q dozen beauties Marcia had never