Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-08

r ANCELOT had always been loafer. It was
the name he won for himself at school, and 1t
- had clung to him through life. Yet he had
his active moments, too He was rather
notable oar and had rowed in his college boat. lie
was fine shot, and something of a traveller. But he
did things in his way-and took his time Why
should he not9 He was rich he unattached. His
movements affected nobody else. If he chose to loaf
through life in an easy going fashion and lesurely
MANNER he had nobody but himself to consider
And had come complication, and Lancelot
was not sure what this was going to He had
fallen in ovethe last thing in the world he meant to
do; and what was going to be the outcome he had
idea. Would loafng and love walk hand IN hand as
good comrades and friends?
The first outcome of Lanceot's obsession this
walking tour-loafng tour as he termed (which had
Just brought him to the confines of the property which
enshrned the object of his desires She was the only
child of a father reported to be somewhat eccentric
and peculiar An aunt had introduced the girl in
London this season, and her wonderful beauty had
brought her a crowd of admirers. But she seemed
rather to shrink from their attentions than to court
them. This what drew Lancelot s errant fancy
that and the fact that the maiden was Elaine.
Lanceot and Elaine! Something in that conjunction
tickled his romantic mind. He made advances, at the
first with no idea beyond that of a sensation,
the pleasure of cutting out other lowering admirers
Then suddenly he found himself enmeshed in net,
which he tried in vain to break through. He was in
love-and with Elaine Riversdale. There
blinking the fact, and after period of impatient
longing after she had left town, Lancelot made his
simple preparations, packed and shoudered his KNAPP
sack, and started off in pursuit
And now he had reached his goal-and had no plan
of action ready. He lay quite still amid the bracken,
and listened to the lap of the river little below.
She was half mile away; for the moment that
suficed. Let happy chance decide the next move He
would be ready to seize upon her skirts she passed.
He almost doing, when voices foated up to
him from the river s brink. Two had apparently
met there by appointment, and voice put ques-
ton:
''Why in thunder did you make me dress up in
these bally rags and transform myself into black
guard such you before you? What s the game,
Trent9 You say there s money in t-and m stony
broke, as you know. That why I'm here
eyes, old chap, that why you re here and I IL
make it worth your while, too-never fear Now just
you take my Instructions and it II all work out right
rain, and you@shall havf the money all right when
it s done.''
"Fire away then; what IS your game9"
''Just this. In that house yonder lives a lady I
wish to marry. She refused me once but that means
nothing Her father is good-lets her do just what
she pleases She'd like all right if only she saw
outside drawing room, away from fellow who
had taken her fancy, and always fooing round
after her. He means nothing-Loafng Lanceot fol-
lows any whim he has for bt-then off he goes at
a tangent The girl got fortune to her credit.
She the dantest little bit of beauty you saw,
and m going to have herio
And where do / come infO