The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-04-25

4 seen MIN mySeu, SAID the iand'
lord, coming down bill a mile back
You can see for yourself that the inn
commands a view Of the road. He
was riding like one possessed fear
your coach horse will never be worth
anything again. Lord Darlington"
Damn the horse! What said hef"
He said he was riding to Ports
mouth"
did ne ask any questions2'
"He asked me if there was a woman
and a young man had got horses and
ridden on ahead. II anybody had seen
anything Of any kind of coach, or
wagon, or carriage, or people on horse
back"
And what answer made your
"fCept the coach for Portsmouth.
which went up empty, and some farm
wagons driven by men. we knew that
nobody had passed this morning"
And you say s~trathgate was in a
hurry"
Il never seed a mar more in a
hurry, your lordship, unless it was
yourself" added mine host.
You're right" cried Darlington.
He was utterly bewildered by the
situation. His calculations were all at
sea. What could be the meaning Of
Strathgate alone upon the road, with
a broken head and a muddy coat, rid
ing on a coach horse and driving the
beast even as he had forced Sailor
and the mare? Where were Ellen
and Deborah? It was more than he
could understand. Could Strathgate
be flying from Carrington's anger?
Had he dealt foully with Ellen? My
lord groaned aloud. And yet 1t could
not be. He had every confidence in
his wife's ability to protect herself II
it came to a battle, even against a
man like S~trathgate. And he knew
too well Strathgate's proven courage,
roue, nbertine and gambler though he
was, to think for a moment that he was
fleeing from him, Darlington.
1t must be that he was pursuing
some one, but If SO, who? Who, bui
Ellen and Deborah, and how coult
, they keep ahead of such furious chas
, ing! They had not gone of together
then In some wav they had Rivei
S~trathgate the slip. Lord Caring
| ton jumped at this conclusion and hi
1 heart bounded. The worst was no
Q true Of his wife. What was he to do
3 He could see nothing for it but t
Q try to overtake ~Strathgate. He coul
4 perhaps furnish a clew to the my:
i terry, and Darlington swore to max
him tell, OF to kill him on the way.
It took much less time to think a
e this than 1t does to tell II. THROWN
the landlord a guinea, refreshing hin
e self with the draught Of wine and bi,
ding mine host look after Sailor an
the groom when they came on, Ca
rington mounted the horse which We
brought to him. 1t was a sorry stee
and the landlords heart misgave hi
as he saw that Darlington intendt
IT to be as good as his word and 6
I to the next posting station in
!" hour.
I MY lord rode with as heavy a har
g. as before. but with a considerab
90 lighter heart. OF one thing he W
1T certain, that Ellen vas not wi
xt ~Strathgate. He wondered II the es
had come by that broken head al
soiled coat from his wife's endeavC
IN He even laughed aloud in savage 81
if and pride at that very prowess al
ou strength and masculine ability viii
had seemed to him so poor a quail
gu when contrasted with the fawnir
is mincing mawkishness Of Lady Ceci
now disconsolate at the hall And
my lord rode on, his heart growi.
\ lighter with every bound Of his hori