Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-10-08
CHAPTER XXX11I.

-
guilty. The clock-an athletic trophy
in the form Of a kettledrum-was then
striking midnight, and Daintree wheel
ed around in his chair with the elev-
enth stroke.
"Shut the window" said he. II have
two things to tell you which l don't
want the girl to hear. If her windows
are open she might"
Peggy happened to be listening at
the door.
I'm the first place." proceeded Dain-
tree, tell me frankly and finally
whether you mean to marry the girl
or n0t-yes or nor
No, sir; it Is impossible
You shall do just exactly what you
like. At the; same time, she tells me
you did ask her."
II did. I wronged her In doing SO,
but she had the sense to refuse me,
and I'm not going to wrong her worse
by asking her again.
That settles 1t. I've found q cap
tain who's willing to smuggle you over
to America for consideration. all de-
tails to be arranged before / leave
Sydney tomorrow. Will you go?'
"Wili l not! Thank God for the
CHANGER
'Then that settles that-for the pres
ent. You shall be spirited aboard to.
morrow night, and by Monday morn
ing you shall have seen the last OF
New South Wales forever"
Peggy crept away from the door.
Her mind was made up.
''The other things trihe,' said
Daintree. "A pretty place this New
South Wales! go to the bank and
cash check, come in and shove the
notes into one of these drawers, and q
man breaks into the house and all but
into my desk while am sitting In the
next room at my dinnerl Look at
this!' And he pointed out the marks
Of Jimmy on the polished mahogany.
The circumstance did not appear to
excite him in the least. He smiled
loftily on Toms concern and at once
exaggerated an attitude which had
been perfectly genuine before.
"Ah, Thomas" he remarked. "even
you don't know your Sydney yet OF
you would be like me and think moth
ing Of such trifes. I was eating my
dinner, as say, when heard him at
his work. Unfortunately i let him
hear me. Still. chased him out Of
that and some way down the road and
could have caught him If I hadn't pre-.
ferred to COME back and finish my
dinner.
"By Jove," exclaimed Tom, 81 won
der whether 1t was the fellow who
turned up on the beach almost at the
instant we went DOWN.
"What!' cried Daintree. did you
see him 2"
Yes, I caught "a glimpse OF some
body as we heeled over. Depend upon
II. that's our mang'
Daintree turned nasty In a moment
"Why depend upon it?'' he snapped,
did you see the mans facet Would
you know him again? Oh, you would
not! Then let me recommend you moi
to make fool Of yourself, my good
fellow. Nobody but a fool would con
meet the two men,
His Ill temper was inexplicable, YET
to treat an attempt upon his property
as joke and an inoffensive theory OF
the attempt as something of an insult
was but in accord with the capricious
character of tie man. And, indeed
Tom would have gone to bed like q
lamb and thought no more about the
matter, but yet another caprice detain
ed him. Daintree would not hear Of
his going. 1t was their last night to
gether; they must sit up and talk. and
he apologized for what he had said
So they sat up once more, but the con
versation languished for the first time
on these occasions. Something had
unnerved and depressed Toms master
he was never himself until the las
night Of his single life was at an end
and in the 1rst light Of dawn a full
rugged ship sailed in just as the Rosa
mund had done on the previous Sun
day afternoon.
"Lctters!p he cried. Letters for IN,
wedding day! Who knows but what /
may get the best Of news to c.owl
my joys? Whatif my wife We're nevel
to be Mrs. Daintree at nil? Yondei
ship may dub me baronet Open /:
bottle, Thomas, and we will drink t;
all she brings usi!''
Then at last they lay down. bl
sleep came neither to the happy moi
nor to his miserable valet. and by II
o'clock the one was helping the otlle
into his wedding garments. few
minutes before the hour the coach ar
rived which was to take the bride
groom In state to church. a few min
utes after a man was observed rowin;
In the bay, and Daintree insisted o.
taking a look Mt him through his spy
glass. Evidently the rover saw hin,
for he shot out Of sight behind u head
land, but not before Daintrea ha;
brought his telescope to bear upon tn
rover. and now the glass joggled. be
tween fingers which seemed smittel
with the Rgue,
"That was the man. whispere,
Daintree, land he's after me STILL II
didn't mind last night, suppose
takes less to turn one queer on one
wedding morning" He was struggling
In vain against some growing terror
Brandy, man. brandyv' he gaspcd an,
subsidized iii chair.
Tom rushed downstairs for the de
canter and, returning, found the terri
fed man fumbling with his pocket pis
toll. He tossed off the spirit and hand
ed the pistol to Tom,