Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-02-05

hand on Oscars arm
to check the rush of the little man.
Claiborne sheathed the sword placed
1t on the table and folded his arms.
Yes: they are very interesting"
And those ribbons and that cloak.
assure you they are of excellent quail
ity. Oscar. put blanket on this gen.
tleman's horse. Then make some cof-
fee and wait"
AS Oscar closed the door Armitage
crossed to the table, flung down his
gauntlets and hat and turned to Clai-
borne.
81 didn't expect this of you. l really
didn't expect it. Now that you have
found me, what do you want?"
II don't know-I'll be hanged if
know And Claiborne grinned so that
the grotesque lines of his soiled coun-
tenance reused Armitage's slumbering
wrath.
you'd better find out! This is my
busy night, and if you can't explain
yourself I'm going to tie you hand and
foot and drop you down the well till |
finish my work. Speak up! What are
you doing on my grounds, in my house,
at this hour of the night, prying into
my affairs and rummaging in my
trunks
81 didn't come here Armitage. l was
brought-with potato sack over my
head. There's the sack on the floor,
and any of its dirt that isn't on my
no in
my lungs"
what are you doing up here in the
mountains? Why are you not at your
station? The potato sack story is pref
ty fimsy. Do better than that and
hurry up"
"Armitage"-a he spoke Claiborne
walked to the table and rested his fin
ger tips on it-"Armitage, you and
have made some mistakes during our
short acquaintance. | will tell you
frankly that have blown hot and cold
about you as | never did before with
another man in my life. On the ship
coming over and when l met you in
Washington | thought well of you.
Then your cigarette case shook my
confidence in you there at the Army
and Navy club that night, and now
ID my cigarette case" beloved
Armitage, clapping his hand to his
pocket to make sure of it.
That's what | say! But it was a
disagreeable situation. You must ad-
nit that"
1T was indeedw
at requires some nerve for a man to
tell a circumstantial story like that to
tabeful of gentlemen about one OF
the gentlemenw
no doubt of it whatever, Mr.. Clai-
borne
Armitage unbuttoned his coat and
jerked back the lapels impatiently.
And knew as much about NJ
Chauvenet as l did about you or as |
do about you"
what you know of him, Mr.. Clal
( borne, is of no consequence. And what
you don't know about me would fill a
and what do you propose doing now
that you are here? | am in a hurry
and have no time to waste. If | cant
get anything satisfactory out of you
within two minutes Pm going to chuck
you back into the sack"
Il came up here in the hills TO look
for you-you-you! Do you under
stand" began Claiborne angrily. "And
MS / was riding along the road about
two miles from here | ran into three
men on horseback. When | stopped tC
parley with them and find out what
they were doing they crept up on me
and grabbed my horse and put that
sack over my head. They had mistak
en- me for you, and they brought me
here, into your house. and pulled the
sack off and We're decidedly disagreed
bic at finding they had made a mis-
take. One of them had gone in to ran
sack your effects, and when they pull
ed off the bag and disclosed the wrong
hare he dropped his loot on the floor
and then ] told them to go to the