The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-07-17

Bagley, Mr.. Ryder'S aristocratic prt-
vate secretary, and to facilitate this
preliminary inspection there had been
Installed between the library upstairs
and the front door one Of those ingen-
ous electric writing devices, such as
are used In banks, on which a name Is
hastily scrubbed, instantly transmitted
elsewhere, Immediately answered and
the visitor promptly admitted OF ~
quickly shown the door.
Jefferson did not have to ring at the
paternal portal The sentinel within
was at his post No one could approach
that door without being seen and his
arrival and appearance being slgnaled
upstairs. But the great mans son
headed the list of the privileged ones,
20 without ado the smartly dressed
aunkey opened wide the doors, and
Jefferson was under his fathers roof.
'Is my father in2" he demanded Of
the man.
mo, sir" was the respectful answer.
] 'Nr Ryder has gone out driving, but
Mr.. Bagley is upstairs" Then after a
brief pause he added, Mrs. Ryder is
IN too"
Jefferson went up the grand staircase
hung ON either side with fine old por-
traits and rare tapestries, his feet sink
Ing deep In the rich velvet carpet On
The first landing was a piece of sculp-
| mred marble Of inestimable worth,
seen In the soft warm light that slfted
| through a great pictorial stained glass
window overhead, the subject repre-
senting Ajax and Ulysses contending
FOR the armor Of Achilles. To the left
IF this. at the top Of another fight
leading to the library, was hung a fine
full length portrait of John Burkett
Ryder The ceilings here as in the
ower hall were richly gilt and adorned
with paintings by famous modern art
SITS. When he reached this floor JEFF
'erson was about to turn to the right
and proceed direct to his mothers suit
when he heard a voice near the library
loor 1t was Mr.. Bagley giving in
structions to the butler.
The Hon. Fitzroy Bagley, a younger
fson Of a British peer, had left his
country for his country's good. and in
order to turn an honest penny. which
! he had never succeeded in doing at
home, he had entered the service Of
Americas foremost fnancier, hoping
! 10 gather n few of the crumbs that fell
from the rich mans table and DISCUS
ling the mental nature Of his position
under the high sounding title Of pri-
waite secretary. His job called for a
! spy and tOhdy, and he filled these re-
| lurcmcnts admirably. Excepting with
! his employer, of whom he stood in
I craven fear, his manner was conds-
scendiagly patroniZng to all with
| whom he came in contact, as If he were
anxious to impress on these American
/ plebelans the signal honor which q
Fitzroy, son of British peer, did
| them in deigning to remain in their
"blarsted" country. In Mr.. Ryder's
absence, therefore, he ran the house
to suit himself, bullying the servants
and not infrequently issuing orders
that were contradictory to those al
ready given by Mrs. Ryder.
Jefferson could not bear the sight Of
! him. In fact, it was this mans con-
| tinual presence i'm the house that had
driven him to seek refuge elsewhere.
| He believed him to be Il scoundrel as
| he certainly was a cad Nor was his
/ estimate of the English secretary far
wrong. The man, like his master, was
a CRATER, and the particular graft he
was after now was either to make a
marriage with "A rich American girl or
TO so compromise her that the same end
would be attained He was shrewd
enough TO realize that he had little
chance to get what he wanted in the
open matrimonial market. so he deter
mined to attempt a raid and carry off
an heiress under her fathers nose, and
the particular proboscis he had select
ed was that of his employers friend,
Senator Roberts The senator and
Miss Roberts were frequently at the
Ryder house, and I'm course Of time the
aristocratic secretary and the daugh-
ter had become quite intimate A
Eighty girl. with uo other purpose in
life beyond dress and amusement and
having what she termed ga good time,
Kate thought it excellent pastime TO
dlrt with Mr. Baglcy, and when she
discovered that DEE was serious I'm his
attentions she felt hattered rather than
Indignant After all, she argued, he
was of noble BIRTH IF his two broth
ers died. he would DE peer Of England,
and she had enough money for both.
He might not make q bad husband.
But she was careful to keep her own
counsel and not let her father have
any suspicion of what was going on.
She knew that his heart was set on
her marrying jefferson Ryder, and she
knew better than any one how impos-
sible that dream was. She herself liked
Jefferson quite enough to marry him.
but If his eyes were turned in another
direction-and she knew all about his
attentions 10 Miss Rossmore-she was
not going TO break her heart about 1t.
So she continued to flirt secretly with
the Hon Fitzroy while she still led the
gaNl 20