The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-10-13
DISCOVERS /
 A[W[][E[R0GA \

| fafntly in the depths where all his | life it had lain asleep, because, per
 haps, it had never been called upon | to wake. He was not angry because l such proposal had been made to him Lord Loveland; he had not thought | of that part yet. Disgust with the | man who could make such a proposi- | tioa was the one emotion which shook | him.
 "You beastr' he broke out in his 1 young, clear voice.
 The other man. looked up at the l flushed, angry face in genuine sur | prise.
 "Oh, I suppose I haven't offered | your lordship' enough he sneered. | with a sarcastic emphasis on the title. 'tWcll, I'll raise you
 But something unexpected happened
 before the offer could be completed. Furious, Lovelapd slapped him across l the mouth, and in lodging the insult Milton slipped on morSeFof thin ice
 which glazed the pavement. He stag gered, tried to regain his balance. lost it finally and fell fat upon his back The mans fall. the stiffness Of the
 limp form which lay grotesquely. like a dummy made of rags, was sight to
 chill even righteous anger. After a dazed instant he bent down over the Tnotionless form and felt
 great throb of relief when he saw no
 stain of oozing blood on the pavement
 The fur lined collar of Milton's coat
 had been pulled up behind his ears
 and had broken the force of the fall for the back of his head, on which otherwise he must have struck with terrible force. Already his thick eye
 lids were twitching. In another mo
 ment or two he would open them. Val thought carefully, but quickly. If an alarm were given-if he should find himself in the hands of the po-
 lice-that would be the worst thing
 that had happened yet.
 If this beast who lay there com
 pIained to the police of his assault Val
 couldn't defend himself by telling the truth, because Mrs. Milton's name must
 not be brought in. He did not admire
 her particularly. and he owed her no
 gratitude, but she was woman. and
 suddenly he knew of himself that he
 would bear the worst that might befall
 him rather than drag Mrs. Milton into
 a scandal.
 For as long as he might have taken
 to count twelve perhaps Lord Love
 land stood making up his mind and
 staring at the man on the ground; then
 he walked away as quickly as he
 dared.
 The end of the street and no pursu- ing steps or shouts of accusing voices.
 Once round the corner Loveland
 breathed more freely, but with the
 white glint of his uncovered evening
 shirt he was marked man among
 men whose overcoats acknowledged
 winter, and his one anxiety for the
 moment was to get on as far as pos
 sibIe in as short time as possible.
 He had two or three small pieces of American money in his pocket rather more than equal to the value of an English shilling, and he thought of hurting himself into a tearing electric car or rushing up the steps of an 'tL'' station to board the first train that should come in. But he did not know
 what destination to name and feared that if he professed indifference as to the end of the journey he might arouse suspicion. It was wiser, he decided, to go on foot. lodging from the brilliant ly lighted avenues into the darker cross
 streets, and so on, indefinitely, until 1t
 seemed safe to call halt.
 When he found himself in the plaza
 and saw the black forest of the park
 billoWing away into distance like the
 gulf of night he looked toward it as
 refuge. If only it were still open at this hour! If only he could get in! His doubt died at birth, for big mo
 torcar whizzed by him and into the
 velvet gloom. Evidently Central park
 was not shut to the public at night. Loveland was bitterly cold now-cold all the way through to his heart-but he flung himself down on, bench un- der low branching tree and wondered
 aesolately if he had found his quarters for the night.
 For a moment he had sat tkere, try ing to marshal the routed array Of his l thoughts, before he realized that he
 was not alone on the seat s1ometh1ng ] stirred at the far end where the shad- oW was deepest. There WBs faint tinkle as of a fairy bell--'a cracked
 fairy ben-and- tiny sh-2pe -leaped from the bench. Loveland watched 1t
 fitting here and there, darting across
 the glimmering gray road and then
 about to prick daintily back again
 when a motor swung round the curv- ing corner.
 The fragile sound of the bell was drowned, and the little shape would have gone under the fat tired wheels, to be swept into nothingness like chaff by the wind, had not Val sprung TOT
 ward and dashed across the road 1n front of the car, catching up the mor-
 sel in his rush.
 He risked his life but the lights or the car had shown him in one blind1ng | flash that the frisking thing was
 miniature black dog no bigger than hAs
 hand, and Val loved dogs, big and ht- l tie. with all that was best and warmest 1 in him. Nothing could have tempted him to hurt dog or. indeed, any an1- mai save those it was the legitimate sport of Englishmen to kill, and he