The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-03-26

matters to the superior literary taste
of girl of 20, whose brown eyes were
very pleasant to meet in moments Of
uncertainty and appeal IN.
He signed the messages Charles Os-
borne. governor, with flourish in
dicative Of the increased confidence
and daring which Miss Osborne's ar
rival had brought to the situation.
"And now" said Griswold, as they
rode through the meager streets Of
Turner's, we will go to Mount Nebo
church and see what we can learn OF
Appleweight's disappearance"
"The North Carolina papers are
making great deal of Gov. Danger.
fields activity in trying to put down
outlawry on the border" said Barbara.
Marked copies of the newspapers
are pouring into papa's Office. I can
but hold Mr.. Bosworth responsible for
that. We may count upon 1t that he
will do all in his power to annoy us"
and then. as Griswold looked at her
quickly, he was aware that she had
colored and averted her eyes: and
while. as lawyer. ne was aware that
words of two letters might be provoca-
tive of endless litigation of the bitter
est sort. he had never known before
that "us," in itself the homeliest Of
words, could cause so sweet a dis.
tress.
I'VE are quite near the estate of
sour friend, Mr.. Ardmore. aren't we?"
asked Barbara presently
fancy roDljod Hr;,vxoVi
but with tone so coldly at variance
with his previous cordial references
TO the master Of Ardsley that Barbara
looked at him inqulringly.
I'm sorry that l should have given,
you the impression, Miss Osborne,
that Mr.. Ardmore and l are friends, as
I undoubtedly did at Columbia. He
has. for some unaccountable reason.
cut my acquaintance In a manner SO
unlike him that l do not pretend to
explain it: nor. may add, is 1t Of
the least Importance. He had, only .
few days ago, invited me to visit him.
though l had been to his house so
often that the obscurest servant knew
that was privileged even beyond the
members Of Mr. Ardmore's own FAM
lily in my freedom of the place. When
l saw that his house would be con.
venient point from which to study the
Appleweight situation, l wired him
that l was on the way, and to my
utter amazement he replied that he
could not entertain me-that scarlet
fever was epidemic on the estate-on
those almost uncOunted acres!"
And with gulp and a mist in his
from a hill that had now borne them
to considerable height, toward Ards
ley itself, dreamily basking in the
bright morning sunlight within its
cincture of hills, meadows and for.
est ~
lie knew the ways of Ardsley thor.
oughly; better in fact, than its owner
ever had in old times; but In his an
ger at Ardmore he would not set foot
on the estate If he could possibly
avoid doing SO in reaching the scene
of the nights contretemps. He found
| without difficulty the trail taken by
I Understands men, and in due course
of time they left their horses a short
distance from the church and proceed.
ed on foot.
ut seems all the stupider in broad
daylight" said Griswold, after he had
explained just what had occurred.
and how the captors, in their super
stitions awe Of Appleweight, had been
afraid to carry him off the moment
they were sure Of him, but had
slipped back among their fellows to
wait until the coast was perfectly
clear. To ease his deep chagrin Bar
bara laughed a good deal at the &C.
currence as they tramped over the
scene discussing 1t. They went into
the woods back of the church. where
Griswold began to exercise his reA-
soning powers.
Some one must have come in from
this direction and freed the man and
taken him away" he declared
| lie knelt and marked the footprints
| where Appleweight had been left tied:
but the grass here was much tram
| pied, and Griswold was misled by tho
| fact, not knowing that news Of Ap-
plewelghts strange disappearance had
the swift telegraphy Of the border.
and that the whole neighborhood had
been threshed over hours before. 1t
might have been some small consola-
ton to Griswold had he known that
| Appleweight's friends and accom-.
plices were az much at loss to know
what had become of the chieftain as
the men who had tried SO Intellectual
ly to kidnap him. From the appear
ance OF the trampled grass many men
had taken a hand in releasing the
prisoner, and this impression did not
clarity matters for Griswold.
| Where does this path lead?" asked
Barbara.
This is Ardsley land here, this side
Of the church, and that trail leads on,
II ] remember, to the main Ardsley
highway, with which various other
roads are connected-many miles in
ALL It's uncomfortable that the de.