The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-09

az the carriage stopped. Through the
darkness only small gate was visible.
| The house beyond lay in theshadow of trees
that silhouetted their tall heads against
the night pail OF the sky. No light shone
but the reflected gleam of the carriage
lamps There was no sound, no voice of
the night In the village street, only the
rafting OF the horse trappings. It was
long after midnight. The footman opened
the carriage door and Hartley repeated his
question IN low ton
Yessir Doctor Stout's, sir!"
Ring quicklyl If the doctor is IN ask
help me to get Mr.. Thorne in. He seems
to be sleeping heavily"
1t was not many minutes before there
were lights In the lower rooms and the
sound of door opening. In the back
ground OF Light figure wrapped In q
dressing gown could be seen talking to the
footman-
Hartley meanwhile was trying to
awaken his companion. When the footman
reached the carriage he was half lifting,
hall dragging an apparently unconscious
figure toward the little gate.
He Is still half asleep" he said to the
footman, in low tone.
Between them they carried him I'D the
pathway. The doctors Office was by this
time fully lighted, and, it seemed to them
that the glare OF the electric lights brought
some helpful movement from the man
they bore between them and placed in the
one dsep-seated chair IN the room.
Hartley was a stranger to DR.. Stout:
IN fact, he had only bean IN the village q
few days as Thorne's guest, spending most
OF his time on the golf links. The doctor
and Thone, however, were old friends,
and it was with quick note OF anxiety in
the formers voice that he asked:
What's the matter? What's the mat
ter? Has there been an ACCIDENT"
None at all! Nonel-Thas l call an
accidentl he sripped and fell on the golf
links short time ago. He"
ION the goli Inks At this hour9D
The doctor, without listening to Hartley's
reply, quickly undid the heavy overcoat
and head wrappings of the now thoroughly
inert man After holding his ear to
Thone's chest for moment he said, with
keen look at Hartley:
Help me to lift him to that sofa at
once,"
Hartley did as he was told and then sank
back IN the doctor chair whilst the grave
eyed practitioner applied restoratives.
Doctor Stout appeared each moment more
anxious. Saturating sponge with am
monia, so strong that Hartley felt the
effect OF the fumes, he held it for an instant
TO his patients nostrils. There was q
sharp contraction, a convulsive movement
OF the whole frame that caused the doctor
to rise from his STOPPING position Thorne
sighed deeply. Feeling sure that con-
sclousness Was returning, Hartley began q
torrent OF explanatory words.
Not nowl Not nowl" Doctor Stout
spoke brusqueiv, again bending over
Thorne. Then he turned and said some
| thing to Hartley in a low tone. Hartley
sprang from his chair, answering almost
6ercely:
1T is not possiblel"
Il Is fact, the man Is dead!" replied
the doctor, who went quickly to the tele-
phone.
The morning previous to the events ne
lated broke cold and gray over the Downs.
The golf links, nine-hole course of won
derful natural beauty, was blanketed IN a
bank of fog that had rolled up from the
southeast during the night. What little
wind there was served now and again to
lift the veil and to reveal wisps Of mist
scuuying across the fair greens, forming
in their drift weird fantastic shapes.
From the Shelter, an artistic structure
which stood upon a rocky knoll overlook
ing the first and home stretch OF the course,
the gray draperies of the fog seemed to
hang more thickly about the copse eur
rounding the grave yard" The grave
yard vas the resting place of many lost
ball-the penalty of sliced drive from the
seventh tee
At ten O'Clock Hartley, the only occu-
pant OF the Shelter, knocked out the ashes
from his pipe on the low stone coping and
peered gloomily into the fog. The first tee
was dimly visible.
He was an ardent golfer, and gathered
no new thoughts beyond golfng disabilities
from the mist. He had no inspiration from
the drift OF vapor that hung over the links,
and saw nothing, in fact, that was not
tedious and irritating in the yagaries of the
fog sprays as they curied and spirated over
the fair greens. His mind was on golf. He
wanted TO play and his partner, Thorne,
was not on time. He execrated the fog and
his recalcitrant partner, and then picking
up his bag decided to go to the caddy
house. AS he left the Shelter his eyes visit
fully turned to the first tee. There were
people there, who had come unnoticed by
him; people he had not heard or seen COM
ing up the slope, but through the mist their
outline was now distinctly visible-a man
and q woman.
By Jove," he said, ga woman, and in
this weather; plueky, whoever they arel
A man might, but woman, tool-Phewl"
He stood, a silent watcher, and saw,
although he could not hear what wss said,
that they were apparently in dispute over
the honor, as both stood upon the square
! OF the tee.
Hartley drew closer, q few feet only, and
IS he did go, the woman figure in long
! gray cloak, stepped back from the tee, still
/ With her back 10 him. The mans form,
looming large in the fog, went through the
motions Of driving, full clean giving and
follow through apparently, but there was
/ no sound. Then the woman quickly fol-
lowed With q drive, sweet and clean for
/ distance, and the two, leaving the tee, were
! swallowed IN the bank Of fog. Hartley
/ watched intently-he listened for voices
but the silence was unbroken except fol-
| the stirring OF the leaves In the grove about
the Shelter. He stood for some moments
with cold chill creeping over him, and
then went back, loath 10 leave the chance
! OF a 0arne IL othera Rod oo.pa /,f