Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-03-11

eral Of thass men left very early, with
out waiting for breakfast-as soon as
1t was light, in fact. That in itself
seems %sugpIcious, under the circum-
stances, hSt then, as l said, every one
ia inclinsd to suspect every one else,
and it is I'll very horrid and uncom-
Portable. Now, do let us go outside
again. and not waste this glorious
day"
We had a delightful morning., for
our gues: was even more charming
than usual. There was a subdued ex-
hilaration 10 her manner, and an ex-
uberaBce Of spirit we had never seen
before: her cheeks were softly pink,
and her eyes shone, as she chatted
Inerrily c various things after the
fashion OF girls the world over. In
her softeEsd mood, With the srande
dame nlanaer laid aside, she was quite
irresistible. and I found myself won
dering why her left hand bore neither
wedding nor engagement ring, and
whether she as well as her brother had
an unhappy romance to be lived down
and forgotten.
She did not, however, convey the
impression of a lovelorn damsel, for a
nor radiant creature / have never
seen. By the time lunch was over we
felt as though We had known, her al
ways, and were planning a summer
abroad, part of which was to be spent
at her fathers castle. in Scotland.
II hope" she added, ''that Wilfrid
will have quite recovered his poise
before you come over, and you can see
him as he really is-such a dear fell
low! And then, who knows what
might happen? One of you might be
induced to stay in the old world, for
we have many friends, and American
girls are very popular, you know"
After lunch Elizabeth declared her
intention of going down the cellar to
see what 1t was like, saying that it
made her very uncomfortable not to
know what she lived over; but she re-
turned Immediately, with a most dis
gusted expression.
Mary Anne is s%crubbing," she an
nounced, land the whole place Is as
wet as the ocean. I'll have to wait
until tomorrow. Just now 1 would
need a boat"
Whats the use of bothering?" in
quired Gabrielle, placidly. TT would
not worry me if l explored the
cellar. Just SO I know it's there, 1
don't care what it looks like"
well, do" returned Elizabeth,
"and I'm going down there the first
thing in the morning, if l don't for
get it."
Suppose we walk down to the
wharf in the village" suggested Lady
Edith, "and meet Wilfrid. We might
induce him to take us for a sail"
But I still felt very indolent and
preferred the hammock, with it's many
pillows and cool breeze, to the long,
hot walk to the village, so the other
three started cheerfully off, leaving
me to my own devices.
For a while / swung idly to and fro,
watching the dancing water and adj
miring the effect Of the sunlight on
the occasional sail which ventured
around the point from the island col
ony on the other side. I was thinking
in a desultory way Of poor Mrs. Bundy
and her lost emeralds, and Of Lady
Edith and her mothers pearls, and
wishing she had opened the box and
shown them to us before locking them
away, when I heard a step upon the
gravel path, and Gordon Bennett lifted
his cap and smiled amicably upon me,
as though he were quite in the habit
of paying us daily visits.
| noticed then what white teeth he
had and how he smiled with his eyes
as well as his lips, but this is an unim-
portant depression.
I apologize for coming so often"
he remarked, appropriating a COM
Portable chair. my excuse is that I
wish to return your property. 1 for
got it yesterday"
He drew Gabrielle's bag from his
pocket as he spoke, and regarded it af-
fectionately.
"At last" he continued, II suppose
1t belongs to one Of you; | found it. on
the steamer coming, up, you know, just
where !ou had been sitting"
acknowledged our ownership of
the property, and extended my hand
for 1t, but he held it thoughtfully, as
though unwilling to relinquish it.
Would you mind" he said at last,
with some hesitation, telling me why
When l started to bring you this bag,
that night on the steamer, you all
turned and fed as though l had been
a c%arnivorous animal?"
There was a twinkle in his eye
which made me holly ~resentful, al
though | tried to preserve a cool and
Indifferent manner.
Would you really like to know
"Pining to be told; / have lost val
liable sleep trying to work it out"
We'll, we thought you were crazy"
why, please?"
His voice was genuinely astonished,
and ! plunged at once into an explana-
ton | hoped would be satisfactory.
you see, it was those chairs you
threw overheard. 1t was such an ex-
t%raordinary thing to do. And Gabrielle
paid you muttered when you did it."
lis that all?-relief and amusement
struggled for supremacy in his voice,
and ! felt myself flushing uncom-
fortably.
Il think it's quite enough" / re-
irritably. mo men in their
go around throwing chairs over
board"
"And is that Why I got the cold