Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-01-31
CHAPTER XXX.
PEG at the Hall.

rode UP to the door Oh Ine AhleI hhOu9S'
and beat upon it with both fists.
Peg! Peg Patton!" he shouted
open, you she-pirate!"
But the e-pirate failed to appear
He spurred up and down, and round
about the place; he thundered at the
threshold, he banged on the shutters
The silence Of death reigned. Pegs
house was her fortress, and tolerably
secure one, too. With curses loud and
deep, the man cried:
rs Jetta Ravenel in there, Peg? l
have married a wife and lost her!
Come, wake up, woman, and help me
in the hunt"
The echoes alone replied.
His brain was still full of the fumes
of LIQUOR; he'had been drinking madly
for twenty-four hours. He put his
horses head to the nearest shutter,
with some vague purpose Of squirting
through, when suddenly hoarse, stern
voice called from within:
You have no wife, you young repro
bate! Be off, or I'll put moonlight
through you! Is Basil Hawkstone
dead, that you have taken possession of
Tempest Island?"
An iron bar, thrust out through the
window, struck the horse violently, and
sent him galloping down the forest
path, with his drunken rider ciinging
about his neck in state Of savage be-
wilderment.
Prince Lucifer dead?" he muttered.
mo: but by Heaven! it's time for him
10 die! If he comes back to the Tenn
pest alive, he'll make short work OF
me-"
Nothing further occurred to disturb
the peace Of the Inlet House that night.
When morning dawned, Peg prepared
breakfast for herself and her guest;
then she said to Jetta Ravenel:
I'm going up to Tempest Hall to see
what that man is doing there. Dare
you stay here alone with the dead till l
come back?"
TT is not the dead that fear, but the
living, Peggy"
We'll, bar the door after me, and
don't open it again till you hear my
voice outside"
With that Peg Patton stepped out
into the day, and set her face grimly
toward Tempest Hall.
In the great grain fields the harvest
ers were moving about at their labors;
sheep and cattle grazed on the taWny
moors; the fishing boats were out-ltte
seemed to be going on at the island In
it's usual grooves. With her grim'
grenadier stride, Peg mounted the slope
to the horseshoe gate and locked over
into the garden.
A flock Of pigeons cooed in the sun
about the old dials; in vague disquiet
the dogs whined in the stone porch.
Not one Of the servants was visible.
Presently she heard a shuffling step in
the lane behind her, and turning, saw
Joe Derby. He looked terrified and de-
moralized.
"Oh, Lord! Peg Patton" he cried,
there's strange things going on here
this morning. Mr.. Vincent has been
out about all night, looking for the gov
erness that's run away, and he's as
mad as a March hare. Bless you, he's
locked Harris in the granary, and taken
all his keys and accounts, and what he'll
do next, nobody knows-go off in deli
rum tremens, most likely, for one
thing, as he's drinking at an awful
rate"
why did you let him land on the
Tempest" demanded Peg, sternly.
You had your orders from the master
not to receive him here"
Joe looked discounted and shaky.
He rubbed his sunburnt ear and sighed.
"Lor', Peg, Mr.. Basil was gone, and
afore any Of us knew it. here he was,
rampaging around, ordering us as II
we were dirt. And being Hawkstone,
nobody but Harris dared say a word.
He were always a daredevil sort
were Mr. Vinoent-and at present he's
that wild no man can hold him"
You coward" snorted Peg; "why
didn't you help Harris"
''LoT," said Joe, in an aggrieved
voice, "women have no logic. Mr.. Vim
cent walked into Harris with a six
shooter. Who was a-going to inter-
fere then? He said the money and keys
were hisen-he's got 'em, anyway"
resignedly And Mrs. Otway, she can't
move a step, and the servants are
afraid Of their lives. He's threatened
us all with fire and slaughter If we
don't find Miss Ravenel All last night
he was a-tearing round the island look
ing for her, and running Mr.. Basiis oes'
horses. Ny advice to that young lady
IS to make tracks for the mainland as
quick as maybe, for the Lord knows
Vincent Hawkstone is bent on mis-
chief"
"You coward.-you oOward!' re-
peated Peg, in a passion. "A nice lo'
Of servants you and your mates are.
What is Basil Hawkstone going to sa!
TO all this precious deviltry?"
We'll, it amt safe to go a-fying ir
the face Of Mr.. Vincent" he grumbled
for. If anything happens to his cousin
and who knows where Basil Hawk
stone has gone or whenS he's coming
back?-young cock-o'-the walk will en-
ter into possession here-being the he'll
and what then? l was born and rear
ed on the Tempest amt a-going t
be turned off 1t at my time Of life
IF Basil HawkstOne serves you right
when he gets back he'll pitch you neci
and heels into the sea-" cried Peg
shame on ye. say! Where may MI
Vincent be at the present time?"
The detection on Mr.. Derby's counte
nance deepened.
Hanged if l know! Somewhere in
side most likely. 1t won't do for you t
meddle with him, Peg-he'n knock yo'
over as quick as he did Harris"
Follow me-" said Peg, shortly.
She stalked through the stone pore
into the main hall, opened the librar
door and looked in.