The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-10

 LADY ATHL VINE
Copyright, 1908, by BRAM STOKER Entered at Stationer's Hall-AH rights reserved
(Continued.l

II m not a bit offended: why should be? Why do you ask me?'' That's what I want to tell you. But old chap this is. a delicate subject and want to clear the ground first. It is wiser" Athlyne sat up: Look here. Vachell. this is getting hesitated and then said suddenly: You never went through a cere- mony of marriage. or what professed to be one. with anyone I suppose? l really do ask pardon for t1iS.'' Honestly. Vachell. Pm not that sort of man. I have lots of sins on me; more than my fair share perhaps. But whatever I have done has been above board" The other went on with dog ged persistence:
 You will understand when explain why ask; but this is your matter. not mine. and I want to avoid making is of course if there should be any complication you may have overlooked or forgotten"
 Good God! man. marriage is not a thing a man could overlook or for
 "Oh that's all right with a real mar riage: or even with mock marriage if a man didn't make a practice of it. But there might be some woman. with whom one had some kind of intrigue or irregular union. who might take ad- vantage of it to place herself in better position. Such things have been you know. old chapp' he added SententlOuS- ly. Athlyne laughed.
 Far be it from me to say what a woman might or might not do if she took it into her pretty head; but l don't think there's any woman S~' would, or who would ever think she had the right to. do that with me. There are women. lots of them I am afraid. who answer the bill on the ir- regular union or intrigue side: but I should certainly be astonished if any fo 1oiy icr1,f Now I have made a clean breast of it.. Won't you tell me what all this is about?" The other looked at him steadily. as though to see how he took it. as he answered.:
 ..There is, am told. woman in New York who is passing herself off as your wife!"
 Athlyne sprang to his feet and cried out:
 That's what I took it to mean! By the way" this was said as if it was a sudden idea "I take it that your mother is not alive. I had it in my mind that she died shortly after you were born?"
 "Unhappily that is so!''
 fThere is no dowager Countess?" : Mot for more than thirty years. Why?"
 "The letter says Countess of Ath- Iyne.' took it to be your wife"
 Let me see the letter. He held out his hand. Vachell took from his pocket-the only private storage man had in the Bird-cage-an envelope which he handed to his comrade. who took from it torn fragment of a let ter. He read it then turned it over. As he did so his eyes lit up: he had seen his own name. He read it over several times. then he looked up:
 Have you read ii? ?"
 ''Yes. I was told to do so?"
 "All right! Then we can discuss it
 
 ''So Athlyne is married At least I take it so, for there is a woman in New York. I am told. who calls her self the Countess of Athlyne.: I know nothing of her only this: casual re- mark made in a gossipy letter.
 "Now tell. me Vachell. can you throw any light on this?'
 Not on the subject but only on the way it has come to you. I had better tell you all I know from the begin ning'' Athlyne nodded he went on:
 Whilst we were in the trenches at VollSs Spruit waiting for the attack to sound Me1don and I were together won remember Meldon of the Con- naUght F1siliers?"
 "Welli We often hunted together.''
 '.He asked me tbat if anything should happen to him I would look over his things and send them home. and so forth. I promised. but I asked him why he wasso cast down about the fight that was coming; was it a present. ment or anything of that kind. Not bit he said. its not spiritualism but logici You see it's about my turn next. All our lot have been wiped out, going up the line in sequence. Raw son. my junior. was last: and now come on. And there is a message want you to carry on in case I'm done for. You will find among my papers an envelope directed to Lord Athlyne 1t is only a. scrap of paper in it so had better explain. The last time I
  pital just before he died-he asked me to take the message. You know Ath- Tyne he said. T got a letter saying woman in New York was calling her self his wife. and as I know he is not married I think it only right that he should know of this It will put him on his guard We'll you know poor Meldon went under at Sandaal: and so I took over the message. When you and met up there I thought we were in for a long spell and as I couldn't do anything I came to the conclusion that there was no use giving you one more unpleasant thing to think of and grind your teeth over. But now that ing up before long I want to hand over to you. It is evident that they expect us to be ready to help the force from within when they come. or else they wouldn't run the chance of telling us. Four thousand men. even without arms. are not to be despised in scrim- mage. If the willy Boer tumbles to it they will take us up the mountains in several sections. and I may not have another chance"
 "That is all you know of the matter take it?''
 Absolutely Of course should hear anything more I shall at once let you know. Though frankly I don't see how that can be; both men who sent the message are dead. I haven't the faintest idea of who sent the original report Of course. old chap. I am mum on the subject unless you ever tell me to speak,
 Thanks. old man. I fancy there won't be much time for looking after private affairs for good spell to come after we have shifted our quarters There will be the devil of a lot of clearing up when the house changes