Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-01-20


Maud. which had very nearly become
a scandal. The truth was that they
were the best friends in the world,
and nothing more; the millionaire had
for some time been interested In an
unusual sort of charity which almost
filled the lonely woman's life, and he
had given considerable sums Of money
to help it. During the months preced-
ing the beginning OF this tale, he had
also been the object of one Of those
dastardly attacks to which very rich
and important flnanciers are more ex-
posed than other men, and he had
actually been accused of having done
away with his partners daughter, who
had come to her end mysteriously dur
ing a panic in a New York theater.
But his innocence had been proved in
the clearest manner, and he had re-
turned to the United States to look
after the interests of the Trust.
When Griggs heard the news of
Margaret's engagement to Logotheti,
he Immediately began to wonder how
Mr.. Van Torp would receive the intel
ligence; and If IT bad not already &C.
CURED to Lady Maud that the million
aire might make a final effort to rout
his rival and marry the prima donna
himself, the old authors observation
suggested such a possibility. Van
Torp was a man who had fought up to
success and fortune with little regard
for the obstacles he found in his way;
he had worked as a cowboy in his
early youth and was apt to look on
his adversaries and rivals in life eth
er as refractory cattle or as danger
Gus wild beasts; and though he had
some of the old-fashioned ranchero's
sense of fair play in a fight, he had
much of the reckless daring and ruth
less savagery that characterize the
fast-disappearing western desperate.
Logotheti, on the other hand, was
in many respects a true oriental, SUI
premely astute and superlatively calm,
but imbued, at heart, with a truly
eastern contempt for any law that
CHANGED to oppose his wish.
Both men had practically inexhaust-
ible resources at their command, and
both were determined to marry the
prima donna. 1t occurred to Paul
Griggs that a real struggle between
such a pair of adversaries would be
worth watching. There was unlimited
money on both sides, and equal cour-
age and determination. The Greek was
the more cunning of the two, by great
odds, and had now the considerable
advantage of having been accepted by
the lady; but the American was far
more regardless of consequences to
himself or to others in the pursuit of
what he wanted, and, short Of COM
hitting a crime, would put at least as
| broad an Interpretation on the law.
| Logotheti had always lived in highly
civilized society, even in CONSTANT
nople, for it is the greatest mistake
to imagine that the upper classes of
Greeks, in Greece or Turkey, are at
all deficient in cultivation. Van Torp,
on the contrary, had run away from
| civilization when a half-educated boy,
| he had grown to manhood in a COM
munity of men who had little respect
for anything and feared nothing at
all, and he had won success in field
| WnSlS luObS wiz COhpClC AOl IL Duy
it at any price, from lie to a life.
Lady Maude was thinking of these
things as she disappeared from Griggs'
sight, for she was a little afraid that
she had made trouble. Ten days had
passed since she had last written to
Rufus Van Torp, and she had told
him, amongst other things, that Nine
de Cordova and Logotheti were en-
gagged to be married, adding that II
seemed to her one Of the most ill-as
sorted matches of the season, and that
| her friend the singer was sure to be
miserable herself and to make heI
husband perfectly wretched, though
he was q very good sort in his way
and she liked him. There had beer
no reason why she should not write
the news to Mr.. Van Torp, ever
though it was not public property yet
for he was her intimate friend, and
she knew him to be as reticent as all
doctors ought to be and as some so
licitors' clerks are. She had asked
him not to tell any one till he heard
of the engagement from some one
else.
Ee had not spoken Of it, but some
thing else had happened. He hat
cabled to Lady Maud that he was com
ing back to England by the mex
steamer. He often came out and wen
back suddenly two or three times a
short intervals, and then stayed ava!
for many months, but Lady MauC
thought there could not be mucl
doubt as to his reason for coming
now. She knew we'll enough that h'
had tried to persuade the prima donni
to marry him during the previous win
ter, and that If HIS passion for he
had not shown itself much of late, thil
, was due to other causes, chiefly to th,
persecution Of which he had rid him
self Just before he went to America
but to some extent also to the fac
! that Margaret had not seemed in
clined to accept any one else.
Lady Maud, who knew the man bel