The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1909-04-22

Il am glad you recognized me this
time, Mr.. Mercer"
Il am sorry that | did not recognize
you before" answered Mercer. will
you gentlemen be seated? | am not
the owner of the house nor his son: |
am not even a friend, only a casual
acquaintance of the young man, but |
seem to be rather in the position of
host, so will you be seated, and may
| offer you some Scotch and Shasta
Mr.-ah-"
MIR. Horatio Birdsall of the Birdsal
& Gwen Detective agency" interposed
Winter. Birdsall bowed Mercer
bowed. Excuse me if decline for us
both; our time is limited-no, thank
you, not cigar, either. Now, Mr.
Mercer, to come to the point, | want
my nephew. l understand he is in this
house"
You are quite mistaken" Mercer
responded, with mistaken calm. He
is not"
Where is he, them"
Il do not know, Col Winter. What
| should recommend is for you to go
back to the Palace, and if you do not
find him there-why, come and shoot
us up again." His eye strayed for a
second to the blackened, reeking mass
on the great stone hearth.
Have you sent him home? Is that
what you mean to imply?'
Il imply nothing, colonel; / don't
dare to with such strenuous fighters
as you gentlemen; only go and see,
and if you do find the young gentle
man has had no i'll treatment, no scare
only little adventure such as boys
like, hope you will come out here,
or wherever may be, and have that
cigar you are refusing"
The colonel was frankly puzzled. He
bravado which had nothing of the
bravo about il, in fact, had a tinge
of usefulness in its quiet. One would
have said the man regretted his COM
pulsory attitude of antagonism; that
he wanted peace.
Mercer smiled family. You ought
to know by this time when a man is
lying, colonel" he continued, but |
will go further. | may have done
plenty of wrong things in my life,
some things, maybe, which the law
might call crime; but | have never
done anything which would debar me
from passing my word of honor as
gentleman; nor any one else from
taking it, l give you my word of honor
that | have meant and | do mean no
slightest harm to Archie Winter; and
that, while | do not know where he is
at this speaking, | believe you will
find him safe under your aunt's pro-
lection when you get back to the
Palace"
Call up the Palace hotel, Mr.. Bird
SAIL" was the colonels reply. Mr..
Mercer do not distrust that you are
speaking exactly, but you know your
Shakespeare; and there are promises
which keep their word to the ear but
break it to the sense
Il don't wonder at your mistake;
but you are mistaken, sub.
Birdsall was phlegmatically ringing
up Mrs. Winter, having the usual ex-
perience of the rash person who In
trudes his paltry needs on the COM
pick workings of a great hotel system.
mo, don't know the number, /
haven't the book here, but you know,
Palace hotel. Well, give me lnforma-
ton, then-Busy? Well, give me an
other Information, then-yes, | want
the Palace hotel-P-a-l-a-c-e-yes, yes,
Palace hotel; yes, certainly, Yes?
Mrs. Archibald Winter. Yes-line
busy? Well, hold on until it is olsen
gagged. Say, Miss Furber, that you?
This is Birdsall & Gwen. Yes. Give
me Mrs. Winter will you, 1877? This
Mrs. Winter? Oh! When will she be
back? Is Mrs. Melville Winter in!
Well. Miss Smith in? She's gone. too!
Has Master Archibald got back, yet,
to the hotel? Hasn't? Thank YOU
eh?" in answer to the colonels inter
ruption What say, colonel?
TELL her to call up this number
the colonel read it out of the tele-
pbone book-"when Master Archie
does get back, will you? | am AFRAID
Mr.. Mercer, that you will have to al
low us to trespass on your hospitality
for a little longer"
He suspected taat Mercer was an
noyed, although he answered lightly
enough: LAS you please, Col. Winter
am sure you will hear very soon.
Now there is another matter, your
machine; | understand you left 1t out
side. VIII you ring for Kito, colonel?
Under the circumstances you may pre-
fer to do your own ringing l VIII ask
him to attend to the car.
The colonel made proper ackno"t
Judgments. He was thinking that had
Mercer cared to confiscate the motor
he would have done 1t without ring