Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-08-19

N.
ceptive.
kirkwood sat down again, smiling
good natured appreciation OF her un
prejudiced attitude.
Your son, Mrs. HalIam"-
oh, Freddie's doing well enough
Freddie" she explolned. has q delk
cate constitution and has seen little OF
the world. Such melodrama as to-
nights is apt to shock him severely
We must make allowances. Mr.. Kirk.
wood. think she said deliberately
that 1t is time we came to an under
standing"
Kirkwood agrecd-"Yes." afrably.
Il purpose being perfectly straight
forward. To begin with, don't place
you. Mr.. Kirkwood. You are an un.
known quantity. new factor Won't
you please tell me what you are and
are you friend OF Mr.. Calendars ?"
II think l may lay claim TO that
honor, though"--to Kirlcwood's way OF
seeing things some little franGness on
his own part would Be essential II they
were 10 get ONT hardly know him.
Mrs. Hallam. 1 had tho pleasure OF
meeting him only this afternoou.'
She knitted her brows over this
statement
THAT, assure you, is the truth" he
lnughed.
But really don't understand"
"Nor !, Mrs. Hallam. Calendar
aside, am Philip Kirkwood. Amcrl-
can. resident abroad for some years.
native of San Francisco, OF n GER
tain age, unmarried, by profession
poor painter"
"AndT
beyond tbat7 presume / must
tell you, though confess I'm in
doubt" He hesitated, weighing can
dor in the balance with discretion.
But who are you for2 Are you I'm
George Calendars payT
Heaven forfendr piously MY
sole interest ut the present moment is
TO unEavel a most enhancing mys-
terry"
Entitled Dorothy Calendar of
course. You've known her long?-
Eight hours, believe" he admit
ted gravely-"less than that, in fact. 90.
Miss Calendars interests will not
suffer through anything you may tell
me-"
Whether they VIII or no, sec /
must swing looser tongue or you'll be
showing me the door"
The woman shook her head, amused.
mot until" she told him significantly
Very well, them Aud he launched
into an abridged narrative OF the
nights events as he understood them,
touching lightly on his own circum.
stances, the real poverty which had
brought him back to Craven street by
way Of Frognall. And there you
have It all. Mrs. HalIam."
'It is go Ike Calendar" she eKclaim-
cd, 80 like him that one sees how
foolish It was 10 trust-no. not to
trust, but TO 5eieve-thnt he could
ever be thrown of the scent once he
got nose to ground. SO II we suffer.
my son ard /. ! shall have only my
self TO thGnkl"
KlrkwoOd waited In patient atten-
ton TIL she chose TO- continue. When
she did. ''Now for my side OF the
easel" cried Mrs. Hallam and. rising
began TO pace the room. her SLENDER
and rounded 1gure swaying grace
fully the while she talked.
George Calendar ia a scoundrel"
she said, "a swindler, gambler-what
] believe you Americans call a conf
deDce man. He is also my, late hus-
bands first cousin. Some years since
he found It convenient 90 leave Eng
land likewise his wife and daughter
Mrs CalepdeF-a countTyyoman OF
yours. by the bye-dicd shortly after
ward Dorothy. by the merest acct
dent obtained situation us private
secretary in the household Of the lnte
Colonel Bureoyne Of Tho CliTs, Corn
wall You follow me7"
Eyes, perfectly"
Colonel BurRoyne died. lenvInR his
estates TO my son. some time ago
Shortly ofterward Dorothy Calendar
disappeared we know now that her
father took her away. but then the
disappearance seemed inexpHcablc,
especially since with her vanished q
great deal Of valuable information
She alone knew OF the location OF Ger
tain OF the old colonel's personal Of.
fccts
"He was on eccentric. One Of his
pecullorihcs Involved the secretlng Of
valuablcs in odd places. lie bad no
faith IN banks Among these valJa-
bles were the BuEgoyne family Jewels
quite n treasure. believe the. Mr.
KirkwoOd We found no note Of them
among the cofoners papers md with
out Dorothy were powerless to pursue
a search for them. We advertised aud
employed dctcctiveq with no result
II seems that father and daughter
were at Monte Carlo AZ the time"
beautifully circumstauual. my dear
lady" commented kirkwood 10 bic
inner consciousness. Outw8rdly. he
maintained consistently a pose Of I'm
passive gullibllity
"This afternoon for the first t'ns we
received news Of the Calendars chi
endar himself called upon me 20 beg
n Ipnn awrfuTnnI r,4rr HfN4oftTfv NJ