The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-08-21

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 tha 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
'iSNSN iioh bONh lClul I'D 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.
A 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 sheep rum he had the ply
sique of prizefighter and the educa-
tion of a plowman. But he was the
true and undoubted Earl of Glen Luce!
Sir John Rutherford, X. 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 off
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 in
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 berth in a city counting
house. Sir John had tried to retain
few private possessions for his wife
'and daughter, but they insisted on
sharing his struggle and making sacri-
flee of all, even as he had done.
Marcia had determined to turn her
talent for drawing to account She had
found a market for little water color
sketches. of the palace. They were on
the counter of 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
across the room where the lovely and
luckless Queen of Scots had spent so
many of her tragic days; the light was
unusually brilliant, and brought to no.
tice dozen beauties Marcia had never
before observed. She was working
earnestly, eagerly; her lips parted
with excitement, the color heightened
cl the sweet face.
Very fair indeed she appeared to a
pair OF eyes that had been watching
her for some moments.
Miss Rutherford"
The tones were low and pleading.
Christopher Haig stood before her, hat
in hand, most carefully self-controlled,
elaborately quiet and commonplace.
She looked up. She neither started
nor exclaimed. 1t was almost as though
she were expecting him. For some Sec
onds their regards met thus-his eyes
full Of the passionate joy he had sue
ceeded in keeping out of his voice; hers
accepting, replying. rejoicing.
Just for a moment And then the
girls lids dropped, her head fell for
ward, she swayed on her seat, and
would have fallen had he not sprung to
her help.
She had tainted. Such an idiotic
thing to do, as she said afterward. Her
head rested against his shoulder, and
her hat tilted stily over her nose.