The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-01-31

take the cutter, as he was going across to
Craigdorn, l smcllcd a rat.
do YOU mind my coming with YOU. sir?'
/ said, lat least. if you are going TO call
upoa Miss Merryweathor.
Captain Ferrick lookci rather sick for Il
minute, then he laughed.
You certainly were inoluded IN the in
v~itation, Rcgsie.'' he said. so come
along
As we few across the bay In tho cutter
! thought OF what Captain tlerrick's
natcr would say if she knew to was going
10 have tea i'm the back parIor of a shop
IN Ciaisdorn Eish street. I've only seen
Lady Ncrrick oacc. and then she looked
AT me through a long-han6lod eycglass.
and told my laier ! was really Il very
pretty little boy.
OF course that was ages ago. but i re-
member l thought II rather cheeky OF her
to call me Il littlc boy wnen I'd Just got
into The second footcr team at st. OlaVe's.
Sir James i~io.ri>lk had Il ripping place in
Worcestershire. but, of course, that went
10 the eldest son. and they say Lady Her
rick had made up her mind that Rupert
mats Captain Derrick, you lslow-had got
to marry an heiless by hook or 10y crook.
OF course, marrying 4 woman for hcr
money is a caddish thing to do anyway, so
Captain Herr:ck wasn't likely to be taking
amy. and l expect re jolly wen ,old his
master so.
We got 10 C%raigaorn just on 5 o'clock,
and to see The way Captain i~7elriG3 strobe
UP High street You would have Thought
he was in IL mortal funk of being late.
When he came TO 40 he had to stoop his
head under the low doorway, and even
then he nearly went d header down two
steps INTO the little s1op. 1 suppose it was
the women's ial lals hanging across the
s,,1-v ,l., - ,J. ~ $500.
a regular jump when a lttle cracked voice
came from behind a pile OF bandboNcs and
asked us what we required.
II want to see Miss Merrywcat!!er if she
is at home" said Captain Herrick, as
coolly as you please.
II am Miss MelrNweather," said the
owner OF the cracked voice. and a. little
sraN-heaied woman came from behind the
boxes and stood smiling at us over the
counter.
I've often wondered since how he did
1t, but Captain l1err:ck never turned a
hair. only pretended he had some in to
get some gloves for his mater, and felt
sure he could rely IN Miss Mcrryweather's
taste to select them for him. He bought
six pairs, and though he led the CONVEX
sation round to old ladies with mushroom
shaped hats and young ones with auburn
hair and brown eyes, We came out of the
dark little shop as wise as we went in.
Captain Herrick hardly said n word the
whole way back to Blairnch, and when we
met the butler in the l,an and heard Uncle
JACK had visitors, we were just making
tracNs for the gunroom when we heard
the sound OF a girls low laugh.
Captain Herrick stopped a moment as II
he'd been shot. and then marched straight
into the drawing room.
l followed and was just in time to hear
Uncle Jack say:
Miss Seaton. may l Introduce my friend
Captain Herrick. Lord Craigdorn, l think
you have already met"
10 see the cool way Captain Herrtck
shook hands with the girl, and then ex-
planned TO her father that he had already
had the pleasure OF meeting his daughter,
you would have thought that he'd known
all along who the girl was.
] must say clothes do make a difference
even to "a pretty girl AS you would jolly
well have sad # you'd seen Miss Seaton
in the ripping white frock she wore that
afternoon.
Lord Craisdorn was IL handsome old
Johnnie, too. and a very decent sort If he
hadn't jawcd away about Captain Her
rick's and my heroism in saving his SIS
ter's and hts only daughters life.
I asked how the old lady was lust by
way of putting a stopper on, and he said
she was pretty fit only suffering from a
slight attack of rheumatism which pre-
vented her leaving the house.
She hoped, however. to see us all at the
castle for a few days if Uncle Jack would
arrange 1t.
AS a matter of fac, Uncle Jack couldn't
at least. not for himself-he'd got a lot
more chaps coming up fer the shooting.
SO 1t ended by Captain Ilerrick and 1
going to Craigdorn castle by ourselves,
and. by George. we did have Il ripping.
time with the trout.
AT least, l did. Captain Hcrrick might
have caught no end. only he was busy
teaching Mary Seaton a new cast with a
special kind of fly. At least, that is what
they said they'd been doing when they
came in late for tea two afternoons run
ming. All l can say is that when / came
across them on the third day, they didn't
look like ishing one bit.
Mary Ssaton had on her white frock.
with a rose In her belt, and Captain Her
rick was putting in all he knew to get
hold of the rose.
When l came back a couple of hours
later I'm fingered If they weren't in ex-
actly the same place. Captain Icrrick
was sitting with his back against a tree,
and Mary ~Scaton-well. so far as / could
make out, she was pretty comfortable,
leaning agains. his arm. She held a crum-
pied card in her hand, and as l passed L
heard her say:
And do you mean to say that Il, would
have made no difference even If ! had been
the Cralgdorn millincr, Rupert?" looking
up into his face as she spoke.
NOT a scrap, my darling lie said: won
would nave still been the dearest, prettiest
and sweetest little girl In the whole
world
1 thought Of Lady IIerrick and smiled.
The girl smiled, too, rs she lifted her
head from Captain Hcrrick's shoulder.
Rupert" she said. you are a dear. and
I believe l should have fallen in love with
I you even if'--
She didn't finish the sentence, but that
I am bound to say was Captain Rerrick's
fault.