The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-05-01
! undertaka 4 commIssIon.
CHAPTER xv

wardrobe TO replace his rags, and ap-
peared in the library clothed and In
his usual state Of mind on the stroke
Of seven.
You should haze mad the doctor
ont, Donovan. Being stuck Isn't so
funny, and you viii undoubtedly die Of
bIood-poisoning. Every one does now
adays."
I shall disappoint you. Lima and
! between Us have stuck me together
ike cracked plate. And it IS not
Wen to publish our troubles to the
world. If I called the village doctor
he would XII his horse circulating the
mysterious tidings Are you salts
fede
Quite SO. You're man after my
own heart. Donovan"
We had reached the dining room and
stood BY our chairs.
7 should Ike, he said taking up
his cocktail glass, ITO propose a truce
between US
En- the matter Of q certain LADY,"
Even so. On the honor of fool"
he said, and touched his glass TO his
lips. And may the best man win,
he added, putting down the glass IN
emptied,
He was one Of those comfortable
people with whom it is POSSIBLE to sit
n silence: but after intervals in
which we found nothing to say he
would, with exaggerated gravity, make
some utterly inane remark, Tonight
his mind was more agile than ever, his
thoughts leaping nimbly from crag to
crag. like mountain goat. He had
travelled widely and knew the ways Of
many cities; and of American political
characters, whose names were but
vaguely known to me, he discoursed
With delightful intimacy, then his
mind danced away to a tour be had
once made with a company Of acrobats
whose baggage he had released from
the grasping hands of rural sheriff.
What" he asked, presently, is as
sad as being deceived in a person you
have admired and trusted? I knew q
fellow who was professor Of something
"a blooming college, and who was SO
poor that he had to coach delinquent
props IN summer time instead of get
ting a vacation I had every conf
dence In that fellow. I thought he
was all right, and so I took him up
into Maine with me-just the two Of
us-and hired an Indian TO run our
camp, and everything pointed to plus
Well,II always get stung when l try
20 be good"
He placed his knife and fork care
F-rTf IL clio hn1
deeply.
What was the matter? Did he
bore you with philosophy"
No such luck That man was weak
minded on the subject of domestieat-
Ing prairie dogs. You may shoot me
Il that isn't the fact There he was, a
prize-winner and a fellow Of his uni
versity. and fine scholar who edited
Greek textbooks, with that thing on
his mind He held that the daily ex-
ample of the happy home life OF the
prairie dog would tend to ennoble all
mankind and brighten up our family
affairs. Think OF being lost in the
woods with q man with such an idea
and of having to sleep under the same
blanket with him. It rained most Of
the time so we had to sit in The tent.
and he never let up. He got so bad
that be would wake me up in the night
20 talk prairie dos
1t must have been trying.
agreed What was your solution, But
tons
y novel outdoors and slept with
the indian. Your salad dressing Is ex-
ceilent, Donovan. though personally
lean TO more Of the paprika. But let
US 60 back a bit to the Holbrooks
Omitting the lady, there are certain
points about which we may as well
agree ! am not so great a fool but
that can see that this state Of things
cannot last forever. Henry Is brokea
down from drink and brooding over
his troubles. and about ready for close
confinement in a brick building with
barred windows
Then I'm for capturing him and
sticking him away in a safe place.
That's the Irish of it,. if you vii
pardon me; but it's not the HolbrooB
Of It. a father tucked away in a pri
vate madhouse would not sound vel
to the daughter. I advise Won not to
suggest that TO Helen, I generously
aid your suit to that extent We are
beth playing for Helen's gratitude;
hats the fat Of the matter.
7 was brought into this business
70 help Miss Pat I declared. though
tribe lamely. Gillespie grinned sar
donically
Be it far from me to interfere with
your plans, methods or hopes. We
both have the conceit of ON. wisdom
There may be something in that.
But i was decent Of you to get me
out Of that Italians clutches this after
noon. When I went over there
thought / might find Henry Holbrool