Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-10-24
CHAPTER xv.-(contInued.,

ancient dame painted to resemble q
dairymaid OF one-and-twenty, laid a
|tremulous. claw-like hand, blazing
with rings, upon Gouldesbrough's arm.
She was a scandalmonger who had
ruined homes, woman who had new
,,er done an unselfsh action, or ever
had thought that was not sordid,
|maleyolent, or uncharitable. Yet she
was a great lady, a princess in Vanity
Fair, and even Sir William could not
disregard her, so great and important
was this venerable bag.
WELL" she began, In her high, i'm
pertinene voice; SO you have outdone
Aladdin, | hear, Sir William. Really,
congratulate you on your thought
trap, or whatever 1t Is. l suppose we
shall have you in the upper house
soon! / wish you could manage to
catch some thoughts for me on the
stock exchange. Couldn't you have
your machine taken down to Capel
Court? | should very much like to
know what some Of the gentlemen
who deal In South Africans are think
Ing just now. The market Is really in
the most abominable state. And do
please bring the machine to one of my
at homes It would give me in
tense pleasure to know what Is going
on in the minds Of some of my friends
We could install 1t in one of the
smaller drawing rooms, behind a
screen. No one would know, and we
n a nt f5 ~
though | expect the machine would
want disinfecting after the first half
hour. will see that there is some
Cnody's Fluid ready"
She moved away, chatting shrilly
Young Lord Landsend succeeded her.
That nobleman showed very evident
traces OF living as hard as his purse
and his doctor would let him, and his
pale, vacuous countenance was
stamped with the imbecile grin. !" ,Pon
my soul, Sir William" he said, this
thing you've made Is really awfully
|oliJ5, you know. Topping idea, really.
Hope you won't go lshin' round for
my thoughts"
There was general laugh at this,
and some one was heard to remark
that he didn't think Sir William
Gouldesbrough would make any very
big hauls In that quarter!"
"But how splendid o. you, Sir Will
lam!" said Mrs. Hoske:. II cath, pref
ty, dark haired women with beautiful
eyes. 1T Is really marvellous. Now
there will be real meaning in the
saying. "a penny for your thoughts!'
Shall you have penny-in-t he-slot ma
chimes on all the stations OF the Two
penny tube? So nice while one is
waiting for a train. Just imagine how
sweet it would be to let your cher
ami know how much you like him
without any actual compromising
words You are public benefactor,
Sir William"
Another voice broke In upon
|Gouldesbrough's impatient ear.
How do you do, Sir William? It is
q great pleasure to meet you on such
an occasions as this, an occasion which,
II ! may say SO, is really heroic. You
may not remember me, but T had the
privilege OF meeting you at Brighton
not long ago. My name Is Charlie
wood Sir Miles Charliewood; we met
on the melancholy occasion OF my
poor second son death. You
were very kind and helpful
Gouldesbrough shook hands with
the old baronet. A shadow passed
over his face az he did SO, and he
would have given much to have avoid
ed the seeing OF him to have
known at all that Sir Miles was in
Portland Place on this night OF tri-
umphl Gould esbrough was one Of
those men who have solved the chsef
problem OF life. Like Napoleon, he
was master OF his own mind. His
mind did not dominate him, as the
minds Of most Of us do. He con-
trolled 1t absolutely and never allowed
thoughts Of one part Of his life to In
trude upon those OF another.
And now, with the frightfui egotism
! of supreme self.will. he actually felt
aggrjeved at this sudden meeting. It
WAS, he thought, hard at this radiant.
happy moment! He did not want to
be reminded Of the past or Of the ter
4
I rsble and criminal secret OF the pres
| 5ent. Why should the pale ghost OF
Eustace Charliewood come to trouble
him now? His partner in an unspeak-
liable infamy, the tool he had used for
the satisfaction of his devilish desires,
was dead. Dead gone away no long
Ter In existence. That he, Gouldes-
through, was morally the murderer Of
the distracted man whom he had fore.
ed into crime, troubled him not at all,
1t never had tt oubled him he had
learned to be lord es himself. !" And
now, IN this; moment Of nnprecedent.
ed triumph, the wrath OF the dead
man rose up swiftly and without warn.
ing to be q specter at the feast, It
was hard
But he turned to Sir Miles Charlie
wood and was as courteous and charm.
ing as ever. Ills marked powers q
fascination did not desert him That
strange magnetism that was able to
draw people to him. ID make them his
servants and slaves, surrounded him
now Hike the tabled laura Of the the