The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-13
THE
LEvERIDGES.

A AA - AA AN
"Three of kind" said Mona Lev
eridge, gazing after her husband as
he drove away from the dooryard on
his way to the station, to fetch Aline
Register, her dearest friend, whom
she had invited on visit with a
purpose.
She would have preferred her hus-
band driving something quieter than
those fiery chestnuts, but they we're
three Of kind, and perhaps the
brutes understood their fiery master
as well as he understood them.
For her own sake, as we'll as Aline's
she wanted to patch up that old af.
fair" With Rafe Stillman at the 9TH
er end of the globe 1t had mattered
little. But with Rafe back home, her
next door neighbor.
She had not married the last Of the
Leveridges unwarned. Prophecy had
held up its ghastly finger, she would
regret It," THE Leveridges were not
as other men"
Across the long, sloping approach
to his own outer gate; adown the
dusty gray highway, with its vivid
border of bushes; into the twilight
gloom Of the forest growth that mark
ed the boundary line between the Lev.
eridge and the Stillman places, Lever.
idge guided his high.mettled team,
pleasantly exhilarated by the spirited
resistance to control manifested by
his beautiful brutes.
Suddenly, with snorts of terror,
they swerved, carrying the vehicle
well out of the road. They had TAX
en- fright at a thoroughly common
place object-an old man standing on
the roadside innocently engaged in
winding bits of twine about the sad.
die glrth that had treacherously brok.
en-, leaving him dismounted from the
horse that improved his opportunities
by grazing. II was his own stableman
A fact which Leveridge recognized
with a heavy outflash of temper.
"You Internal old ldler, why are you
not at work."
The old man doffed his ragged hat
deferentially:
81 told missus didn't think had
time to go, but she say | must"
Leveridge leaned toward the old
man with darkening eyes: Go
where?"
"Over to Mis- Stillman's."
"For what?"
ITO carry a letter."
"'ro Mrs. Stillman?"
81 don't know sir. Missus JUS give
me this an she say wornt to walt
for no answer.
With confiding frankness the old
man extracted note from the crown
of his brimless hat, and put II into
the hand eagerly stretched out for IL.
It was addressed to Mr.. Rafe Still.
man. Leveridge turned it oyer with
unsteady fingers. II was sealed with
a looseness that invited treachery.
Il used to be accounted q gentle
man." he snarled in an undertone-
faltered second, and in another
one was In full possession of the con.
tents of the hastily sealed envelope:
"Mr. Leveridge goes out this morn
ing. You had better come over early
II you want good day with the
snipe."
The address and the signature were
brief to curtness. "Mr Stillman," and
IN. T. Leveridge" Horace replaced
the intercepted note in its envelope,
and sat staring at II so long that his
wife's messenger ventured to ask:
"Is you going to deliver 1t to Mr.,
Aorace?"
mo" The man in the drag handed
pack the note. you are to deliver II
according to your mistress orders.
And, Munson"-his voice was tense
In its enforced composure-'you will
go as fast as II the devil was spur
ring your beast. Deliver that note
and come back here to me. |, too,
have a note for you to deliver. It's
only mile by the Cypress Walk. Five
shillings IL you are back here In half
an hour; dismissal from the place II
You are not"
I'm be here, sir"
Leveridge Strengthened himself in
the drag as the oiu man cantered out
VI pibht' iic htu oOiuC lSW pIcpdId-
lions to make. OF course, he should
have to kill Stillman. AS well then
and there as at any other time. He
laughed unpleasantly. II was odd he
should have his gun under the seat
OF the drag. He had meant to leave 1t
with the smith in town to be cleaned.
He tore a page from his pocket
diary and wrote his courteous regrets
that circumstances rendered 1t incon-
venient for him to fetch Miss Regis
ter from the station.
81 have little matter to settle with
Mr.. Stillman," he wrote, that may
interfere with his snipe shooting
Sorry to have spoiled your little plan
for pleasant day. Your pardon for
a rather free Interpretation of mar
ital rights"
AS old Munson reappeared, fiurried
and heated. but punctual, his master
sprang from the drag and shook the
reins impatiently toward him.
you delivered the note to Mr.. Still
man himself?"'
"Yes, sir"
Good. Here, you are to drive the