Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-08-17
CHAPTER ~. tcontinued).

%TNT Ell Its (OoULlTu00Js
THE same man. He asked me down
for the shooting-owns q country
place across the bay: Tanglewood."
"A very able man; I wish I might
have met him. . What Of your
self? What have you been doing these
three years? Have you married."
I've been too busy to think Of
that. l mean. till lately"
"Ah?'
Amber flushed boyishly. There was
n girl at Quain's-a guest.
But she left before / dared speak. Per
haps it was as we'll"
why?
Because she was too fine and
sFeet and good for me, Rutton."
Like every mans first love-"
The elder mans glance was keen
too keen for Amber to dissimulate sue
cesrtully under 1t. You're right"
ne admitted ruefully. It's the first
~sure~enough trouble Of the sort I ver
experienced. And, of course, 1t had
to bs hopeless"
"Wiy?" persisted Rutton.
"Becsuse-Ive half a notion there's
O chap waiting for her at home"
"At homer"
"In England" The need for a con-
g1dant was suddenly imperative upon
the younger man. She's an English
girl-half English, that is; her moth
er was an American, g schoolmate Of
Quain's wife; her father, al English
man in the Indian service.
"Her name?"
Sophia Farrell" A peculiar quail
ky, a certain tensity, in Buttons man
ner, forced itself Upon Amber's at
tention. Why" he asked. DO you
know the Farrells? What's the mat
teri"
Buttons eyes met his stonily; out
of the ashen mask Of his face, that
suddenly had whitened beneath the
brown, they glared, afire but unseeing.
His hands writhed, his fingers twisting
together with cruel force, the knuckles
gray. Abruptly, as if abandoning the
attempt to reassert his self-control, he
Jumped UP and went quickly to a win
dow, there to stand, his back to Am
Der, staring f1xedly out into the storm
racked night. II knew her father"
he said at length, his tone constrained
and odd, long ago, in India"
Hes out there nova political,
believe they call him, or something Of
che sort"
yes"
"She's going out to rejoin him"
What" Rutton came swiftly back
to Amber, his voice shaking. "Wha
did you say?"
why, yes. She travels with friends
by the western route to join Colonel
Farrell at Darjeellng, where he's sta.
toned Just now. Shortly after I came
down she left; Mrs. Quain had a wire
q day or SO ago, saying she was on
the point Of sailing from San Fran
cisco. . Good Lord, Rutton!
are you III"
Something In the mans face hat
brought Amber to his feet, a prey tt
fnexpressible concern; 1t was as If 8
mask had dropped and he were look
ang upon the soul Of a man In morta
torture.
NO." gasped Rutton, I'm all right
Besides" he added beneath hi.
breath. so that Amber barely caugh
the syllables. its too late"
AS rapidly as he had lost he seemed
to regain mastery of his inexplicabl,
emotion. His face became again com
posed, almost immobile, and stepping
TO the table he selected a cigarett,
and rolled 1t gently between his slim
brown fingers. I'm sorry to hav,
alarmed you," he said, his tone a hi
too ven not to breed a doubt in tn,
mind of his hearer. TITS nothing seri
ous--a little trouble Of the heart, o
long standing, incurable--I5 hope"
Perplexed, yes hesitating to pres,
MIN further, Amber watched him fur
lively, instinctively assured that be
tween this man and the Farrells ther,
existed seine extraordinary bond: wor
dering how that could be, convince,
in his soul that somehow the entar
clement involved the he loved
HE still feared to put his supicions t
the question, lest he should learn tina
which he had no right to know
and while he watched was startled b.
the change that came v Q Rutton. A
ease, one moment, outwardly compos
ed, IL absorbed in thought, the next h
was rigid, every muscle taut, ever
nerve tense as a steel spring. HI
head jevked back suddenly, his gaz
1nxing itself first upon the window
then shifting to the door. And hi
apGers, contracting, tore the cigarett
D. hail.
Hutton. what tho deuce is the ma
tnr7-