The searchlight., 1909-09-24

Il know how you would argue. bu,
I know. too. how feel" the girl said
shaking her head. Il couldn't take
the money. Pride O. Life had no right
to run-has only won by . trick. and
IL l suffer the fraud l am robbing
Others"
But II you tell the truth. now. you
ruin everyone concerned; you cast a
slur on your fathers memory" said
the doctor. quetly.
"oh. why did my father lay such q
plan in train?" the girl broke out.
She had not thought of that-of
what must happen II she made It pub.
lie that her father had died before the
race. Investigations would follow
such revelation; 1t would entail seri.
GUS consequences-perhaps even ruin
to those who. with no selfish inter.
est to serve, had been persuaded by
her father to carry this deception
through. And yet, to suffer 1t In 81.
lence. to reap the advantage Of this
fraud, would make her feel a thief;
all her sense of honor and honesty
was III ISNoit W nave pTOI-
tied by a fraud! There was no 9TH
er word for 1t. And yet, remember
ing how In all else her father had
been the soul of honor, she held his
memory still dearer for this sacrifice
he had made of his scruples for her
sake. even though she might refuse to
profit by 1t. Her eyes were full Of
tears.
'What is to be done?" she cried.
What was to be done! No answer
had been found to that question when
DR.. Brewer took the girl. by her re-
quest, up to the chamber Of death,
and. opening the door, left her alone
with her dead father.
What would Margaret Strangways
do! The doctor asked himself that
question rs he went slowly downstairs
again to rejoin Lathom. He was hard.
ly surprised at her attitude: he knew
her strong. answering sense Of hon
or. II she spoke, his professional rep.
utation was blighted utterly-if moth
ing worse befell him; only he felt rs.
sured that whatever she did Margaret
Strangways would hardly act in q way
to injure him In return for his devo-
tion to her father.
IF only she hadn't taken It into her
head t0 come back today. she need
never have suspected anything" he
muttered. with frown. anathematix.
ing the ill-luck that had brought her to
Lendal almost on the top Of the tele-
gram.
He went downstairs. to find another
telegram that had just come addressed
to Ralph Strangways. Almost un-
thinkingly the doctor tore II open in
stead OF giving It to Miss Strangways.
He stared at the message with q
startled exclamation. Then he turned
excitedly to Lathom.
'It's like Providence-since the
girl is evidently determined not to
take the money! This cuts the knot
OF the difficulty absolutely" he cried.
This wire Is from the trainer. He
telegraphs that after the race an OBJ
lection was lodged against Pride o.
Life by the owner Of the second horse
for boring during the running Of the
race: that the stewards have upheld
the objection and disqualified Pride
o. Life. The horse hasn't won after
Anthony Strangways with
Lady Olive! What an ending to the
Squire's schemes!"
Victory had after all eluded him; all
that Ralph Strangways had sought to
grasp and hold lay withered like dust
In the dead hand!
Fate had taken the decision out of
Margaret's hands. Pride o. Life's vic.
tory had been cancelled without auy
word from her. and Anthony Strang.
ways. whom the dead man had hated.
was the winner with Lady Olive.
Il am glad the Squire did not live
to taste the bitterness of this defeat"
said the doctor.
Meanwhile Detmold had made his
way to the police station. He found
the superintendent engaged. and he
had to wait fuming for some twenty
minutes before he could see the officer
In charge and tell him the news of
what he had discovered at the Grange.
The fact that the inspector was at
tached to q police station In another
town. and was not under his jurisdic-
lion. may have created a little feeling
of jealous rivalry In the superintend-
ent: at any rate. Detmoid was angrily
Of the conviction that II he
had been an inspector OF the Lendal
police force instead OF a stranger the
would have lent more
to his story.
As 1t was. the latter seemed inclined
% throw a cold douche Of ridicule on
Detmold's tale.
You've made some mistake. Det-
nold-got hold of a mares nest.- he
said. rather condescendingly. III Mr..
is dead. and you've seen j
him dead-well. that's not improbable,
grant you. Such a man in his weak
'tate might so out like a candle once
he stretched bow was relaxed"-the
had q rather iabored
'tyie Of conversation-"but when you
n Sol Cf