Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-02-07


guilty. The clock-an athletic trophy
In the form Of 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.
"In the first place." proceeded DAM
tree, "tell me frankly and finally
whether you mean to marry the girl
or not-yes or noT
"No, sir; it is impossible"
"You shall do just exactly what you
like. At the same time, she tells me
you did ask her."
81 did, l wronged her in doing so,
but she had the sense to refuse me,
and Pm not going to wrong her worse
by asking her again"
sThat settles it. I've found cap
tain who's willing to smuggle you over
to America for consideration, all de-
tails to be arranged before l leave
Sydney tomorrow Will you go?"
"Will / mott Thank God, for the
chance"
"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 or
New South Wales forever"
Peggy crept away from the door.
Her mind was made up.
"The other things trife,' said
Daintree "a pretty place this New
South Wales! l go to the bank and
cash q check, come in and shove the
notes into one of these drawers, and a.
man breaks into the house and all but
into my desk while am sitting In the
next room at my dinner! Look at
thisr And he pointed out the marks
of q 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 or
you would be like me and think moth
ing Of such trifes. was eating my
dinner, as 1 say, when 1 heard, him at
his work. Unfortunately l let him
hear me. Still, chased him out OF
that and some way down the road and
could have caught him If hadn't pre-
ferred to come back and finish my
dinner
"By Jove," exclaimed Tom, II Won
der whether it was the fellow who
turned up on the beach almost at the
instant we went down.
WHAT" cried Daintree. "Did you
see him?"
"Yes, caught a glimpse Of some
body as we heeled over. Depend upon
1t, that's our man"
Daintree turned nasty In moment
"Why depend upon it?' he snapped.
"Did you see the mans face? Would
you know him again? Oh, you would
not! Then let me recommend you not
to make fool Of yourself. my good
fellow. Nobody but fool would con-
meet the two men,"
His i'll temper was ineXplicable, yet
to treat an attempt upon his property
as a joke and an inoffensive theory OF
the attempt as something Of an insult
was but in accord with the capricious
character of the man. And indeed,
Tom would have gone to bed like
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 last
night Of his single life was at an end,
and in the first light Of dawn full
rugged ship sailed in just as the Rosa
mund had done on the previous Sun
day afternoon.
"Letters!" he cried. Letters for my
wedding day! Who knows but what
may get the best of news to crown
my joys? What if my wife were never
to be Mrs. Daintree at all? Yonder
ship may dub me baronet Open a
bottle, Thomas, and we will drink to
all she brings usv'
Then at last they lay down, but
sleep came neither to the happy man
nor to his miserable valet, and by 10
o'clock the one was helping the other
into his wedding garments. A 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 rowing
in the bay, and Daintree insisted on
taking look at him through his spy.
glass. Evidently the rover saw him,
for he shot out of sight behind head
land, but not before Daintree had
brought his telescope to bear upon the
rover, and now the glass joggled be-
tween fingers which seemed smitten
with the ague.
THAT was the man." whispered
Daintree, "and he's after me stilL II
didn't mind last night. i suppose it
takes less to turn one queer on ones
wedding morning" He was struggling
in vain against some growing terror.
Brandy, man, brandy!' he gasped and
subsidized i'll 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