Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-05-26
Iris smiled, and Verify was vastly

Iris smiled. and Verify was vastly
leased.
II am sure you will not forget she
said "Goodby"
There's no undcrstandin' wimmin.
mused David us his victoria swept
through the gates Of Linden House.
sunday afternoon Dickcy might Ia
bin dose OF rat poison. Now shes
ready to swallcr i'm as II e was a
chocolate drop
Again he returned some few minutes
after midnight, Again the servant an
nouDced Mr.. Burners visits three or
them. and again Miss Iris had been
absent In fact. she had not yet come
home.
Not 'ome" cried David furiously.
IVY. It's gone - Were the-w'erc
Ia shc?"
No one knew. she had quilted the
house soon after Verify himself ana
had not been seen since. Storm and
rage as he might aud did David could
not discover his niece's whereabouts.
But enlightenment came on Thursday
morning \ letter arrived by the first
post. II was from Iris:
Ny Dear Uncle Neither you nor Mr..
I}ulncr should have any objection to my
passing the few remaining weehs OF my
liberty in the manner best pleasing to
myself. on Sunday evening in your pres
cEce Mr. Bumcr urged me to fix an early
date for our marriage. Tell him that |
shall marry him when the Androneda
returns to England from South America
You will remember that YOU promised last
year TO take me to Flo de Janeiro and
Buenos Aires this summer. | have been
learning Spanish so to help our sight
| seeing. Unfortunately business prevents
you from keel ping that promise. but there
is no reason why | should not go. am
on board TIE Andromeda ana Will prob
ably ne able to explain matters satisfac-
torlly to Captain Coke The vessel Is due
back at the end Of September | believe,
81 Mr.. Bulner will not nave long 20 wait.
1t is more than likely that Captain Coke
will not Know | am aboard until Thurs
day and 1 have arranged with friend
that this letter shal. reach you about the
eGuc time. Please convey my apologies
TO Mr.. Bulmer and accept my regret for
! any anxiety you may have felt owing TO
NY unaccountable absence. Your affec-
tionate niece, IRIS YOREE.
! David narrowly escaped an apoplec-
tic seizure When he recovered bis
senses he Eed len years older The
! instinct of self preservation alone
| saved him In his frenzy from hurting
! forth the tidings of the girls flight.
| IncOhercnt with fear and passion. ne
coptrivcd to give orders for his car
rage and was driven to his office.
! Thence he dispatched kilograms to ~.
cry signaling station at which by the
remotest possibility the Andromeda
might be Intercepted. and the text OF
every message was. "Andromeda must
return to Liverpool instantly"
But the wretched man realized that
he was doomed Fate had struck at
him rrrciaGslv.
Never was ship more eagerly sought
than the Andromeda, yet never was
ship more completely enGufed in the
my stcrious silence OF the great sea.
The days passed ard the weeks. yet
nothing was heard of her She fig
ured in the overdue" list at Lloyd's,
sharp eyed underwriters did specs
in her. woebegone women began to
haunt the Liverpool office for news OF
husbands and sons. the lovelorn
Dickcy wore Verify to shadow of his
former self by alternate peadngs and
threats. but the Andromeda remained
mute, and the fanciful letters from
Iris became fewer and more fragmen
tary as David's imagination failed and
his excuses grew thinner
And the odd thing was that If Da
vid had only known it he could have
saved himself all this heartburnine
ana misery by looking through tho
dining room window on that Sunday
afternoon when his prospects seemed
to be so rosy. He never thought OF
that. lie cursed every circumstance
and person impartally and duently
but he omitted from the satanic li'anl
the one erish prank of tree climbing
that led Iris to spring out Of sigh
amid the sheltering arms OF an elm
when her uncle and Captain Coke
deemed the summer house suitable
place for n plain talk AS man to man.
ere RE CONTINUED