The Marshall republican., 1910-12-23
NAIp@TfITI@ZZILdDS
AGATHA wa
HY [TDBUM NWRTDNGOUN MlASON.o "
AUTHOR of SSuDE REAl AGAH[lN' "
CHAPTER viii.
NeTHlN Hv ~ Wa OkfAtW

1t was on the return trip to the cas-
tie that / found an opportunity to talk
confidentially with Terhune. He and
i were walking home, as seven was
rather a crowd in the machine and we
wanted the exercise.
What in thunder do you mean by
it?" I demanded when I had finished
setting his erratic and inconsiderate
conduct before him in its true light
excepting, of course, the details of
the incident of the automobile in the
wood, and our later discovery Of the
checked coat In his closet. All refer
ence to this little episode and the
suspicious of Dearest and myself In
regard to HIS connection with It, I
had felt obliged to omit. We had de.
cided not to mention the subject to
him as we had after all only circum-
stantial evidence upon which to base
our belief that Terhune had been
Agatha First's companion that day.
For, after all, the checked coat we
found in his closet might only have
resembled the n l saw in the car,
and he might easily have owned one
Of the kind without III ever having
see 1t. Our friendship with Arch
was too dearly priced by US to risk
falsely accusing him. And then I
couldn't help feeling that after all I
had rather surprised them when I had
come upon them In the woods, and in
seeing what l was not meant to have
seen, had rather played the spy, how
ever inadvertently II might have been
done. And / did not relish making
use Of information so obtained. It
was better, much fairer to Arch, we
decided, to act simply as IL my dis
covery had never been.
Here you've gone and asked US to
help you" I went on, "in the matter
of getting a fortune, not to mention q
wife, and when it's made as plain as
1t could well be that Agatha Sixth is
the girl for you and you admit fancy
Ing her yourself, why, then, what do
you dot" / stopped and faced him.
We were crossing Hartsmere common
and the castle was already in sight,
and his eyes fell before my just in.
d~ignatton. He didn't seem anxious to
tell me, so / set to and told him my.
self. why you 60 and spoil 1t all
by flirting with Agatha First, now
don't you'll"
Spoil It all?" he asked without
looking up. YES" ! affirmed impa'
tiently, that's just what you're doing,
I should think you could see you're
jeopardizing your chances with Agatha
Sixth every time you 30 much az
glance at Agatha First, and really,
when you consider that you've asked
the girl to MARI you and are sup
posed to be awaiting her nsw with
all q lovers impotence, IL doesn't looh
we'll. II doesn't really! What do YOU
want to do 1t for, anyway" l paused
in my TRADE, but he made nc motion
to answer. why, it's plain loony Of
you!" I exploded in my irritation
"For a man in your position, It's posi-
lively suicidal to fool the way you're
doing. shouldn't wonder at all Il
Miss Lawrence refused you eventual
~, and then the game would be W
indeed"
"What gamer" said Arch, II you
please, just as If he didn't know what
I was talking about.
why, your aunt's property in Au
stralia," I beloved in his a "You
can't inherit 1t IL Agatha Sixth won't
marry you, can you?"
Cant II" he said simply, as II II
didn't matter at all, and / nearly lost
my patience.
times up in two days; is 1t likely yor
could get anyone else to marry you IL
that length of timer"
He looked up II shouldn't care II
marry anyone else" he said. IT hap
pen to care about her." and his ex
preston was so earnest and sincere
] hadvto believe him.
well, then, for heavens sake, max,
q little more effort to convince hel
that you care!" l advised, but more
gently, and we walked on in silence
/ broke 1t first, as he didn't BEL in
clined to talk. Honest, old man."
said, II wish you'd tell a fellow wha
you're up to! l hate to see you ma
king a mess of this thing, for nj gooc
reason. If you didn't like Miss Law
renee 1t would be different. But you're
self-confessed as to that, and it's es
pecially hard to bear when Deares
and / have been doing u very bes
to help you. Tell me what it's al
about, can't you? Why will you per
sist in running after Agatha Endicot
just at this critical stage Of tn
gamer"
my dear fellow" he replied, ~,
tell you everything In a minute !
there were anything to tell. But Their
isn't, not a blooming blessed thing;
deny your last statement, however
/ can do that much for you. / am no
running after Miss Endicott, not tn
least bit In the world. l give you m,
word I'm mott"
For a moment I felt a curious sens
of positions reversed, as II some tim
mt long ago I had been the one 1