The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-08-22


riouS and COM
NOI cur n'one "r9 PEELED respect.
"0'f"'''' "pO''S9' Claiburne nod
ded and threw away his cigar that he
might give his whole attention to what
Armitage might have TO say.
"A man does not like TO have his sis
ter forming the> acquaintance of per-
sons who are not properly vouched for.
| Except for Singleton you know moth
/ ing of me. and Singleton knows very
/ little of me indeed"
! Claiborne nodded. He felt the color
creeping into his cheeks consciously as
Armitage touched upon this matter.
! al speak to you as | do because II is
| your right to know who and what /
am, for am not on the King Edward
by accident, but by intention. and am
! going to Washington because your sis
/ ter lives there"
Claiborne smiled in spite of himself
But. my dear sir. this is most ex-
| traordinary! | don't know that care
| to hear any more By listening |
seem to be encouraging you to follow
US. It's altogether too unusual. It's
almost preposterous."
| And Dick Claiborne frowned severe
/ ly. but Armitage still met his eyes
! gravely.
Its only decent for q man to give
! his references when it's natural for
| them to be required. l was educated
| at Trinity college. Toronto. spent
year at the Harvard law school. And
| l am not a beggar utterly. | own
! ranch in Montana that actually pays
and thousand acres of the best wheat
/ land in Nebraska. At the Bronx Loan
and Trust company in New York
| have securities to considerable
AMOUNT am perfectly willing that
any one who is at all interested should
inquire of the trust company officers
as to my standing with them. If |
were asked to state my occupation.
! should have to say that am a cattle
herder-what you call a cowboy.
can make my living in the practice of
the business almost anywhere from
New Mexico north to the Canadian
line. I fiatter myself that | am pretty
good at it," and John Armitage smiled
and took cigarette from a box on the
table and lighted it.
Dick Claiborne was greatly interested
in what Armitage had said, and he
struggled between an inclination to en-
courage further confidence and feel
ing that he should, for Shirley'S sake
make 1t clear to this young stranger
that it was of no consequence TO any
member Of the Claiborne family who
he was or what might be the extent of
his lands or the unimpeachable char
acter of his investments. But il was
| not so easy to turn aside a fellow who
was so big Of frame and apparently so
sane and so steady of purpose as this
! Armitage. And there was, too, the
further consideration that while Ar
mitage was volunteering gratuitous in
formation and assuming an interest in
his affairs by the Claibornes that was
wholly uIjustified, there was also the
other side of the matter: that his ex-
plantations proceeded from motives of
delicacy that were praiseworthy. Dick
was puzzled and piqued besides TO find
that his resources as a big protecting
brother were SO soon exhausted. What
Armitage was asking was the right
TO seek his sister ShirIey's hand in
marriage. and the thing was absurd
Moreover. who was John Armitage?
The question startled Claiborne into
a realization of the fact that Armitage
had volunteered considerable informa-
ton without at all answering this cues
ton. Dick Claiborne was a human
being and curious.
Pardon me-" he asked. but are you
an Englishman?"
Il am not" answered Armitage. II
have been SO long in America that l
feel as much at home there as any
where-but / am neither English nor
American by birth. am. on the other
hand
He hesitated for the barest second.
and Claiborne was sensible Of an in
classification of interest. Now at last
there was to be a revelation that
amounted TO something.
ION the other hand" Armitage re-
peated. Il was born at Fontainebleau,
where my parents lived for only few
months. but do not consider that that
fact makes me a Frenchman. My
mother is dead. My father died-very
recently. | have been in America
enough TO know that a foreigner is
often under uspicion-particularIy If
he have a title. Ny distinction is that
l am foreigner without oner' John