The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-09-03
CHAPTER VIII

Breen was not wholly unconscious of
danger when the large bundle of New
York papers was brought with the mails
into the library. The ladies had busted
| themselves over a joint epistle from Mr..
| Stansbury, and were scanning the front
pages of the journals. when sudden
exclamation from Mrs. Stansbury init
| mated the ugly truth. Breen was chang
| ed from guest TO outlaw. Miss Stansburv
followed her mother upstairs, the former
bearing the paper with her. A second
account of the demoralizing incident was
not difficult to find. Breen read the fol-
lowing hastily:
1.-The Madame de Stael, Mr.. Peter Con-
stables splendid private yacht. cleared for
West Indian ports this morning, having
on board the young millionare-owner
and. it is alleged. Nicholas Stembridge.
the notorious reyolutionist, adventurer,
and swindling promoter
THE purpose in common of the CAPT
| talist and fortune hunter cannot be told.
| Mr.. Constable has figured in the public
| prints on several occasions, but chiefly
through his eccentric ideas of practical
philanthropy. So far as is known, he has
| jected 10 the attention of the police. 1t
is feared that he will lose at both ends
as result of his present affiliations.
| 'Mr. Constable's friends aver that the
young millionaire could not have under
stood the character of his companion for
the voyage, and point out that Nicholas
| Stembridge. at his best. is man of fasci
mating manners and IRE personal accom-
plishments. 1t has been added also that
Mr.. Constable IS of a most mpulsiye tenn
permanent, and apt to choose his compan-
| ions from queer arteries of society. The
! young mans innocent intent, however.
might more readily be accepted. were il
not for the important fact that Nicholas
| Stembridge. who is known TO have been
i'm hiding for several days in New York.
was seen on board the de Stael shortly
before she sailed; positively recognized.
J it is said, by an astute and reliable mem
/ Der Of the local detective force"
A spirited description of the episode on
the Brooklyn pier followed; also a por-
ton of Nicholas Stembridge's police rec
ord. The conservative character of the
paper in which the foregoing appeared
| led Breen to believe that the account
which had fallen into Mrs. Stansbury's
hand might be considerably more emblaz-
oned and embelfished His first thought
was that be had become a source of hor-
ror to the women. and that be must put
himself out of their sight.
| Breen was not a constituencies man. A
fatalist. a spendthrift power that prey
ed upon the powers that prey. polished
reveller-all these he might be. but his
blood was clean from the faint of person
al treachery. He had come to like Con-
stable. The friendship was guileless. He
had even thought. with a trace of humor
in certain moments, that it was worth
being called back from the Brooklyn pier
! for such a large and clear emotion. 1t
| is possible that he had never in his life
been troubled as now, having brought a
vital hurt to the man he wished only to
serve. His face showed nothing, not even
the heat of the day, as he left the house.
| His own body had felt all, even the
moral dissolution which crawls into the
brain to prepare a place for the sinister
| guest, suicide. The law of cause and eff
feet, unable to find any hold upon him
self nor inspire any fear this side of
death, had linked him with another. and
made that other suffer through him.
Breen was smitten with the ugliest pun
ishment that clean fiber is given to writhe
/ beneath-that OF seeing a friend beaten
to the ground by the rebounding volley
of ones own sins.
| Half way down the Morne d'Orange.
| he saw Constabes launch turn shoreward
| from the ship. Constable was probably
aboard. Breen wasn't ready yet to meet
| the man he had hurt. He must think
Moreover, by no means did he ignore the
possibility of the Panther bringing one
of his logical enemies, nor was he ready
to face an accumulation of consequences
in the shape of man hunter. He turn
| ed to the right at the base of the morne,
| and made his way up one of the winding
paths to the terraced streets. That his
steps led him to the fruit shop, where he
had planned not to go again, seemed now
but a paItry addition to the incubus
which had so suddenly possessed him.
| At the first terrace he turned and star
ed back through the smoke. The launch
had just touched the pier at the Sugar
Landing. The tall figure of Constable
| stepped forth and FASTENED to the car
riage, which was driven rapidly toward
the morne. Breen smiled, because it was
easier for him to smile than to cry for
mercy. Constable was being driven swift
ly to the plantation house. where he
| wcald find the ugly work that had been
done there. Mrs. Stansbury WOULD not