The weekly true Democrat., 1909-09-24
CHATTER XIV.

boat lay alongside o lnndlng
y stage at WOOlwich and Kirk
wood had cInmbered ashore.
"YCr'll mebbe myke Il" the water
man told him. with a weatherwise sur
Yey Of the skies. winds freshenin
from the eastrds. an that1l old 'er
back a bit, sir
"Arsk IN wye 10 ~ Dorkynrd siy.
shun." young william volunteered.
"'Tis th' shortest walk, SIR ] 'opes
yer catches 'er. Thhnky, sir."
He caught dexterously the sovereign
which KirkwOod. IN ungrudglng libeE
allty, spared them Of his store Of two,
The American nodded acknOwledg.
ments and ndlcus, with n faded smile
deprecnting his chances Of winning the
race, sorely handicapped as he was.
10 was very. very tired and In his
heart suspected that be would fall
But n he did he would at least be
able 70 comfort himself that II was
not for lack OF trying. lie set bis
teeth on that covenant In grim deter
minntlon. Either there was a strain
Of the bulldog latent In the KlrkwOod
breed or else his infatuation grlpped
him more strongly than he guessed.
Yet be suspected something Of 10
power. lie knew that this was alto.
Rethor an insane proceeding and that
the lure that led him on was Dorothy
Calendar A strange, dull light gl0wed
IN bis weary eyes on the thought OF
her He'd go through FIRE and water
IN her service, She was costing him
dear, perhapa was 10 cost him doareF
SIN, and perhaps thered be for his
gUerdon no more than a Thank you.
Mr. KlFkwoodF' az the end Of the pas
sage. But that would be no less than
hia deserts. He was not 10 forget that
be- was interfering unwarrantably.
The girl was In her fathers hands,
surely safe enough thereto the cas-
uaI mind. II her partnership IN her
parents fortunes were dlstasteful she
endured II passively. without com
plant
re decided that Il was bis duty 10
remind himself from time 20 time
that his main interest must be On the
game itself. in ths solution OF the rid
ole. whatever should befall. be must
look fos no reward for his gratultous
and self appointed part. Indeed, he
was ali but successful IN persuadina
himself that II was tho fascination Of
adventure alone that drew him on.
A hapchance native whom he pres
entity encountered furnished minute
directions for reaching the Dockyard
station Of the Southeastern aud Chat
ham railway. adding comfortable In
Formation 30 the effect that the next
eaHlbound train would pass through
iu ten minutes-if Klrkwood would
mend hls pace no could make Il easily.
With time 10 spare.
KirkwOod mcndcd hls pace accord
lngly, but. contrary 90 the prediction.
had nc time 30 spare nc all. Even aa
be utOrmsd the ticket grating the train
was laundering In at The platform.
Therefore nervous ticket agent
passed him out a hrHt class ticket In.
stead Of the third class he had asked
for. and there was no time wherein TO
have tho mlsiake rcetincd. Klrkwood
plnnked down the fare. swore and
aprlntpd for the carriages.
The firHt compartment whose door
he perkad violently open proved 70 be
oceapled and was. moreover, not q
nnohlnR car he received a feetlng
lnnrosalon 0f q woman'a startled eyes
tfefinr into hla own through a tliu
nbth Of yelling. fell od the running
hoard. slammed the door and hurled
Iself toward the next compartment
ft happier fortune attended upon
faslre. The b0xllke section was
nnlananied and q notice blown upon
fAn window glass announced that u
- eeecond Class Smoking kiFk.
5 promptly tumbled IN, and when
- lnfnad 20 shut che door the coaches
a moving
olDa halped him 20 bear up while
roIn was making ~ two other
s. lhs boro1sh of Wcolwich. y
See hlm little that noae alanaaa&