Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-02-10
CHAPTER xII-Continued.


chair near me and placing his feet in
an open window, Jam cursed with
rugged health. l have quite recovered
from those unkind cuts at the nunnery
thanks to your ministrations-and
am willing to put on the gloves with
you at any time"
you do me great honor; but the
affair must wait for a lower tempera-
ture"
LAS you, will. 1t Is not like my
great and gracious ways to force a
fight Pardon me, but may l inquire
for the health of the ladies at Saint
What s-her-names"
They are quite we'll, thank you"
81 am glad to know it;"-and his
tone lost for the moment its jaunti-
ness. Henry Holbrook has gone to
New York"
Good riddance!" exclaimed, hear
tily. "And now"
And now If would only follow
suit, everything would be joy plus for
you!"
He laughed and slapped his knees
at my discontinue, for he had read
my thoughts exactly.
You certainly are the only blot on
the landscape!"
Quite so. And IL I would only go
hence the pretty little idyl that is be-.
ing enacted in the delightful garden,
under the eye of a friendly chaperon,
would go forward without Interrupt
ton"
He spoke soberly, and / had OBJ
served that when he dropped his chaff
a note of melancholy crept into his
talk. He folded his arms and went
on: She's a wonderful girl, Donovan.
There's no other girl like her in all
the wide world. tell you it's hard
for girl like that to be in her posi-
tion-the whole family broken up, and
that contemplate father of hers hang
ing about with his schemes of plumber.
It's pitiful, Donovan; it's pitiful!"
IT'S a cherries mess. 1t all came
after the bank failure, suppose"
practically, though the brothers
never got on. You see my governor
was bit by their bank failure; and
Miss Pat resented the fact that he
backed off when stung. But the Gil
lespies take their medicine; father
never squealed, which makes me sore
that your Aunt Pat gives me the icy
eye"
Their affairs are certainly mixed"
/ replied, non-committally.
They are indeed; and have studied
the whole business until my near
mind is mussed up, like scrambled
eggs. Your own pretty idyl of the
nunnery garden adds the note pi.
quante. Cross my palm with gold and
I'll tell you of strange things that lie
in the future. have an idea, Dono
van; singular though it seem, I've a
notion in my head"
Keep it," l retorted, "to prevent a
cranial vacuum"
Crushed Absolutely crushed!" he
replied, gloomily. Kick me. I'm only
the host" ....
We were silent while the few sounds
of the village street droned in. He
rose and paced the floor to shake of
|
seemed in better spirits.
"Holbrook will undoubtedly return,
said.
YES; there's no manner of doub
about that"
And then there will be more trou
ble."
"Of course"
"But suppose there's no guessing
when he will come back"
He will come back as soon as he
spent his money"
I felt a delicacy about referring d
that transaction on the pier. 1t wa
a wretched business, and I nov
realized that the shame of 1t was no
lost on Gillespie.
How does Henry come to have tina
italian scoundrel with him?" / aske
after pause.
Hes the skipper of the Stiletta
Gillespie replied. readily.
He's long way from tide-water,
I remarked. "A blackguard of just hi
sort once sailed me around the Italia
peninsula in felucca, and saved 10
iIOu uIoWuiu5 on thC way. I1io ucS
ism was not, however, wholly disints
ested. When we got back to Napls
he robbed me of my watch and none
belt and profited by the transactio
having intended to give him doup
/, their value. But there are plenty
: farm boys around the lake who sou
handle the Stiletto. Henry didn't nee
r n dago expert"