Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-17

dld tlel1 SINKING Ddck Dis lIoil SUN
We'll. don't blame Dick a bit. He don
have TO marry YOU! / mean. madam
he noted the expression of her face
that ] am sorry that l have lncon.
venienced you. You see. / am very Ill
man. a little deliriOus. l.
That will do.' cried Miss Burton. You
have deliberately insulted me and 1t Is
useless to attempt to pass it off. This IS
not the end of it. 1 can assure you.
shall tell my cousin of this-you may be
sure of that. And furthermore
Bennington was really sorry that he had
been so careless as to offend uninten-
tionally. and he stopped her with up
raised hand and said, in his most paclhc
voice: MY dear Miss Burton. this is all
a mistake, and l am sorry. / did not IN
tend to capture you. believe me. and
shall discharge those stupid keepers as
soon I am through with them. the
fact is that. uh--that there have been
many attempts lately to steal-to steal
my nephew's bulldog and this fence was
one of his whims. But | am convinced
that YOU would never think of stealing
bulldog. and 1 shall give orders that In
the future YOU are given the entire free
dom of my grounds"
"Oh. no." answered Miss Burton. giving
her head patrician toss. you may wish
to drop 1t. but I assure you
Now. don't bother to thank me" inter
jected Bennington. 1T was all mis-
take in the first place. You may, walk
on my grounds as much as You please.
you may knock boards off the fence: or.
! better still. I'll have gates cut through.
No. hang it, I'll have the fence pulled
down Now. Higgins. conduct Miss Bur,
ton to the door Or, perhaps, you had
better see her home. 1t is quite dark.
Madam ] wish You good evening.
Miss Burton cast scornful glance at
| Richard Bennington, disdainful one at
the humble Higgins. a resentful but still
a partially triumphant one at the two
guards. who were still standing awkward
| ly at the door, and with very erect car
| rage she followed Higgins to the front
/ door, where she CURLY refused his further
| services.
Bennington wiped his brow. Good
heavens, he nuttered. Il saw that
! woman at Burtons a month or SO ago.
but I thought her the housekeeper. Well
/ Dick has won this deal. all right
He suddenly remembered the guards.
who We're beginning to fidget. Don't
| bring any one else to me- he said. de-
cisively. did YOU find that stone build
| ing l told YOU off,
! The guards nodded and Bennington con-
| tinued. If YOU catch any one else. shut
| them up in that, and in the morning take
them over to Squire Ncwton's-the stable
| man will tell YOU where 1t Island III
| telephone him what ! want done with
| them. That's all
When the old man was left alone again
| he kicked his chair around until it faced
| the fireplace, and. as was his custom.
, proceeded to talk to himself in a Srun
| undertone. II shall never read another
| novel; was his first utterance. Il sup
pose it must be twenty years now since
Thompson told me | ought to read novels
to take my mind off business and give
me chance to rest. l must have read
thousand of the fool things-this is the
last time that Thompson doctors me. The
very moment any opposition is put be-
tween two people of the opposite sex, in
| a novel, they Immediately fall in love and
get married-if they have to go up in a
balloon to do 1t. Suppose Dick had fallen
in love With Miss Burton.
Bennington paused and began to grin.
At first the grin was hesitating and diff
dent. but as he thought back over the in
tervieW, muscle after muscle in his grim
face relaxed, and when he finally began
to chucllle, the similarity between his
own and his nephews face was very
marked indeed. The girl has her faith
er's grit all right, but she's too overbear-
ing. too overbearing. I don't see where
she ever got such an air. Higgins, Hig-
gins,''
The butler entered promptly but Ban
nington was now under the sway of
new desire, and he said, petuantly: HiG-
gins j don't see why you can never be
where want you. | have had to call you
a dozen times every time l have wanted
you today. and that fool doctor says !
must have quiet. Help me into my Office.
1t is time already for my private secre-
tary to be here. The minute | get lit
tie out of repair everybody in the world
keeps me waiting; but I'm getting better,
at that. Now be careful, be careful.
When they reached the Office Banning
ton sank into his chair with a thrOaty
sigh and said: THE very minute Lorri-
mer arrives send him in-do you hear?"
The butler withdrew and the old man
stretched his arms and reciined more
heavily in his easy chair. The lids dropped
over his eyes and his face relaxed. He
was alone now. there was no need for
pretense of any kind, and as his mind
wandered where it would, a smile, tinged
with sadness and longing, but still
smile. took all the grimness out of his
face and made it one that baby hands
would have loved TO pat. Some day these
cold business faces of ours will be as
obsolete the steel armOr of our an
>cestors: some day. giving will be consid-
cred more manly than grabbing. but in
the meantime let us fight as best VIC may
until the fight be done.
Cro be continued tomorrow