The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-22
By
MEREDITH
NICHOLSON.
CHAPTER XIV.


Jerry and Ardmore sat at a long table
IN the commodious Ardsley library. which
was a modification Of a Gothic chapel
Il was on the upper floor, with broad
windows that had the effect of bringing
the landscape indoors, and the North
Carolina sky IS. we must concede,
pleasant thing TO have at ones elbow.
A large accumulation Of mail from the
governors Office at Raleigh had been for
warded. and Jerry insisted that It must
be opened and disposed of in some way.
Gov. Dangerfield was. It appeared, sub
scriber 70 a clipping bureau. and they
had been examining critically batch
Of cuttings relating 70 the New Orleans
incident. Most OF them were o. a frivo-
lous key. playfully reviving tSe ancient
query as 10 what the governor Of North
Carolina really said 20 the governor OF
South Carolina. Others sought causes for
the widely reported disappearance Of the
two governors; and still other reports
boldly maintained the Governors Dan
gerfeld and Osborne were at their capt.
tails engaged in the duties Of their re-
spective offices.
IT'S good thing we got hold OF
a clipping from n New York paper I'm
which the reports of Gov Dangerneld' s
disappearance were analysed and tersely
dismissed: "for he knows how 10 write
and he's done n splendid picture of your
father on his throne attending 20 busl-
ness; and his little singers for Osborne
are the work Of genius
There's a certain finish about 81. Col
Inns lying that Is refreshing" replied
Jerry, land 1 can not help thinking
that he has a brilliant future before
him II he enters politics. Nothing pains
me more than a careless, ill-considered
silly lie. which is the best that most
people can do. But II would be very In
teresting 10 know Gov Osborne had
really disappeared, or just how your
friend the Virginia professor has seized
the relns OF state. DO you suppose he
got jug from somewhere, and met Miss
Osborne. and"
DO you think-do you thlnk-she may
have-er possibly-closed one eve In h!.
directlonY asked Ardmore obviously
Mr.. Ardmore'-and Jerry pointed al
him with a bronze paper-Cutter TO MAX,
sure OF his attentiOn-"Mr. ArdmOre 4
you ever imply again by act. word OF
deed that ] winSed al you I shall never
never speak 20 YOU again. I should thinl
that a man with a nice sister Ike Mrs
Atchison would have a better opinion o.
women than you seem to have. I neve
saw you until you came 20 my father
house 70 tell me about the iug-and yo'
know I didn't. And as for that Barbara
Osborne. while ! don't doubt that ever
In South Carolina a Daughter Of tn
Seminole War might wink at a gentle
man IN a moment Of extreme provo
Z H.
animation. and has no more soul thar
gum oveTshOe."
The obvious inconsistency Of this pro
nouucement caused ArdmOre to frown Il
the stress OF his thought; and he stare,
helplessly along the line Of the accusing
paper-cutter into Jerrys eyes.
"Oh. cheer up she cried in her de
spair of him; and forget e. forget IL
forget IL, I'll say this 20 YOU Mr. Ard
more. that II I ever winked at you-an,
] never never did-Im sorry I did it
Some time when you haven't so mucl
work on your hands as you have thi
morning, just think that over and le
me know where you land. And now
look az these things. please"
What is all this stuf?" he demanded
as she tossed him a pile OF papers.
They refer 10 the application for par
hanged for murder tomorrow unles
we do something for him; and he ha
a wife and three little children, and n
has never committed any other crime bu
70 break into a smoke-hOuse and stea
a side Of bacon"
Did he shoot in self-defense. or hoy
was it?" asked Ardmore judiciaIy
He killed painless dentist who puIIe
the wrong tooth, answered Jerry, refer
ring to the papers.
IF that's all I don't think we ca
stand for hanging him. / read a piec
against capital punishment in a magazln
once and the arguments were yer
strong. The killing OF q dentist Shout
not be n crime anyhow. and If you knOy
how 70 pardon a man. why let's do Il
but we'd better wait until the last minut,
and then send a telegram TO the sheriff
TO stop the proceedings Just before n
pulls the string. which makes il mos
impressive, and gives a better effect"
Il believe you are right about H.
said Jerry. There's an old pardon RICH
here IN this bundle which we can use
IT was made out for another man VIII
stole a horse that afterward died. whic
papa said was a mitigating circumstance
but the week before his execution tn
man escaped from jail before papa coul
pardon him"
Suppose we don't let them hang any
body while we're running the State.
suggested Ardmore; its almosl a
though you murdered a man yoursel
and / couldn't tie my neckties after
ward without a guilty feeling. l can
imagine anything more disagreeable tina
20 be hanged. I heard all of Tristan un
Isolde once. and I have seen half a
FL D..
10 bear, but I suppose hanging woUl
be just as painful and there would
no supper afterward 10 cheer you up
you shouldn't speak IN that tone {
Afterwards Mr.. Ardmore' said Jerr
severely 1T isn't religious. And Will
were on the subject Of religion, may
ask the really, truly wherefore OF Mi:
Daisy Waters sudden return TO New
port2" and Jerry's tone and manner weI
carelessly demUre.
"She went home" replied Ardmor
grinnlug: she left Ardsley for tU
reasons, one Of which she stated at n
breakfast table and the other she hande
me privately"
"She said at the breakfast table tn;
she was called home by incipient whoci
ing cough in the household Of her brctl
er-in-law's cousins family
''As she has no brother-in-law that ca
not be true. What she said to me pr
vately was that the house party ha
grown very much larger than Mrs. A
Gibson had originally planned Il, ar
that 1 am so busy that so many CUES
must be a burden"
Jerry stroked her cheek refectively.
L thought Miss Waters wouldn't la
long after I asked her If rusty ma
water really would remove freckles NJ
own freckles are exactly seven in nun
Der and I am not ashamed of then
but Miss Waters seemed very sensiti,
on the subject. though I thought h,
freckIee neafuI In diNnrfInp attention fro