The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-19


 is a white mana German-and the three foremen are Boers. They work on shares, just as the natives do, and save even more, l think. The clerical force is entirely native. There were but ten white men here before you came, including two Greeks. Being part owners, the natives have decided that four hours constitute a days work. They pay themselves accord ingly, as it were. No one works after midday, sir"
 q say, wouldn't this be a paradise for the English workingmanV' said Deppingham. That's the kind of days labor they'd like. Do you mean to say that these fellows trudge eight miles to work every morning and back again at noOn?'
 Certainly not, sir. They ride their thoroughbred horses to work and ride them back again."
 "You take my breath away" said the other, lapsing into a stunned silence.
 The road had become so steep and Iaborious by this time that Bowles was very glad to forego the pleasure of talking. He fell back with MT. Saunders and proceeded to give the inquisitive lawyers clerk all the late news of the island.
 The inhabitants of Japat had been prompt to protect themselves in le- gal sense. They had engaged the serv- ices of eminent solicitors in London, who were to represent them in the final settlement of the estate. London was to be the battle-ground in the coming conflict. A committee of three had journeyed to England to put the matter in the hands of these lawyers and were now returning toHHhe island with a representative of the firm, who was coming out to stand guard, soNtO speak. Von Blitz, the German superfn- tendent, was the master mind in the native contingent. The absent com mittee was composed of Ben Adj, Alp dallah Ben Sabbat and Rasula, the Arafat lawyer. They were truly wise men from the east-old, shrewd, crafty and begotten of Mohammed.
 The mines continued to be operated as usual pending the arrival of the ex- ecutors' representative, who, as we know, was now on the ground in the person of Thomas Saunders. The fact that he also served as legal adviser to Lady Deppingham was not of ~suh- cfent moment to disturb the arrange ments on either side.
 As for the American heir, Robert Browne, he had not yetsSrrived. He was coming by steamer from the west, according to report, and was probably on the Boswell, Sumatra to Madagas- car, due off Arafat in two or three days.
 ScIa sold Nr lighting cigarette, 'it looks to me, have all the best of the situation. They get the property whether they marry or not, while the original bene- ficiaries have to marry each other or get off the island at the end Of the year. Most of the islanders have got three or four wives already"
 You mean to say that they can have as many wives as they choose p demanded Saunders, wrinkling his brow.
 ''Yes, just so long as they don't choose anybody else's."
 ''My wordy'
 "Ehr' queried Bowles, arousing himself.
 +I didn't say anything" retorted Saunders, looking up into the treetops.
 Standing out against the sky fully a mile ahead was the home to which they were going. The chateau, beau tiful as a picture, liftedsNAselfaike a drears castle above all that was earth ly and sordid. It smiled down from its lofty terrace and glistened in the sunset glow like the jewel that had been its godmother.
 AccopdinO fn fife 0Un records thn chateau, fashioned quite closely after a famous structure in France, was de signed and built by La Marche, the i'll fated French architect who was lost at sea in the wreck of the Vendome. Three years and more than f7OO, 900 to make it seem more prodigious, near ly 1S,OOOOOO francs-were consumed in its building.
 Apartments fit for a king abounded. Suits which took one back to the lux uries of Marie Antoinette were com mon. Banquet halls, bathrooms, recep- ton halls, chapel and even a crypt were to be found if one undertook a voyage of discovery.
 Lord and Lady Depp1ngham, being first in the field, at once proceeded to settle themselves in the choicest rooms "a Henry VI. suit, which looked out on the sea and the town as well. It is said that Wyckholme slept there twice, while Skaggs looked in perhaps half a dozen times-when he was lost in the building and trying to find his way back to familiar haunts.
 There was not a sign of a servant about the house or grounds. The men n iodf 1,rs luggage to the rooms which Lady Dep bingham selected and then vanished as if into space.
 (To be Continued.)
 irARTERel