Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-07-29


sary in Jack Lathoms interests; but
the deception hurt Miss Strangways
more than the man she was helping
to escape knew. Not only her innate
| sense of honesty, but her grief for
| the father she loved, deeply rebelled
instinctively; but she had with char
acteristic impulsiveness constituted
herself this hunted mans friend, and
| whatever Miss Strangways undertook
she always carried through in no
half-hearted fashion.
Lathom had to be got through the
danger zone. The suspicious of the
police centered round the Grange,
and so long as the fugitive remained
there he was in peril. 1t had been
arranged that today she should get
him through the gates in disguise and
drive him to the house at Westham
| where the old servant Of the Thorn
| tons lived, where he had sheltered
on the night after his escape from
| Wildfell. DR.. Brewer, unlike Miss
Strangways, had been glad that this
| on Lathom's behalf had not been al
| together disinterested; it suited his
own purposes admirably for it to be
supposed that his patient, the owner
of Pride O. Life, was sufficiently i'm
| proved in health to drive out.
What a pity that my first meeting
| with Miss Ruthen should be so I'm
fortunate!" said Miss Strangways
presently. The car was thudding
along the open country, through deep
cut lanes splashed with the pink and
white of mayblossom; Lendal was
left behind. How hateful she must
| have thought mel" with a faint
| laugh. only l think she will forgive
me when she knows what my reason
was"
How could she be anything but
very grateful?" said Lathom, earn
| estly.
| He owed so much to this GIRL but
| for her warning he would have been
| arrested at the theatre; and this kind
ness touched him all the more deeply
that he was practically a stranger tc
| her-and he man with terrible sus
picion hanging over him.
He had spoken of this on the night
I he had found himself at the Grange
after Bonholt Hume and the detect
| i've had taken their departure.
"Oh, but l never for a moment
thought you guilty" she had said
| L, 81
| eyes. "You see, you were hardly 6
stranger to me after coming to my
assistance when those two ruffians
tried to force their way through the
gate; and a woman trusts to her in
stincts, you know"
II feel very much inclined" Marga
ret Strangways went on now, latter
driving you to Westham, to go as
| far as Wildfell to see Miss Ruther
| and explain. It's not so very far fol-
fast car / want to remove the
| impression left on her mind as soon
as possible"
She remembered the look Of pair
on the girls face-the girl who haC
| recognized her lover in the car thru
his disguise, and would be quite in the
dark as to the urgent necessity fol
! the reception that must have wounded
her to the quick. The thought of the
man she herself loved, Jim Hughes
away in far-off India, added to Mar
! garet's sympathic understanding OF
Hilda Ruthen's feelings, and made hel
eager to clear away the misconceptior
at once.
Lathom made an eager movement
1T would be awfully good of you!'
he cried. The thought Of Hilda's
wounded feelings had tortured him
II can't be sufficiently grateful
Then he added suddenly, as though
struck him: Miss Strangways, vii
you add yet another kindness? Lee
me go with you"
Go with me? To Wildfell?" she
cried, surprised. He nodded. But
wouldn't that be putting your heaC
into the lions mouth with a ven
geance"
II think not. For one thing, I an
disguised; and Wildfell is the las
place where the police are likely to
dream Of looking for me-" he said
"You see, they will be under the i'm
preston I am still at the Grange
they are watching the gates, little
dreaming l have been struggled
through"
| Miss Strangways laughed. She was
in love herself, and like him sepa
rated from the being she loved, anC
she understood his feelings. And the
thought of making two lovers happy
appealed to her
well, it seems very mad and reck
less-only l suppose you have made
up your mind, Mr.. Lathom!" she cried
Then wen drive into the lions
mouth"
The white ribbon of the roa(
slipped away beneath them; the dis
tsnt landscape, cottages, and farms
~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~