The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-01

Vxzzz a.lEszElaa1,z l thing-quite small party, at one of : the clubs. Lydstone and the Princess | were there: he lost his temper over the play, and, like the mean hound he is. rounded on the Princess. l dare say he always bullies her in private, but he did it openly that | night, and she felt it--before all of us, you know.--fn fact, she cried :. When | saw the tears roll down her cheeks wanted to get up there and then and chuck LyGstone out of the window; never could stand bully; and a wornan i'm tears knocks me silly. However. l kept myself in ! hand, and pretty hard work it was. ! the rest of the fellows followed any example, and there wouldn't have | been any row, but. as I was going out. I happened to knock against Lyd- | stone@
 "Oh. Ronnie!''
 Give you my word it was an ac- cident, Evfe," he declared, with 9 laugh; "and I apoiosised quite nicely, but the nl-tenpered hound turned on l me and declared I'd done it for the purpose. we jawed a bit, and even then things would have passed off, but the stupid idfot-he has the devils own temper--up with his fist and struck me-"
 He laughed grinly, but Evelyn shuddered and gazed up at him with wide, terrified eyes.
 ''Of course I hit him back, and for moment or two there was sharp bit of sparring. I lost my head, suppose, and I got in one before the fellows clung on to me and separated us. It must have been a nasty kind of blow-caught him on the point perhaps--fer Lydstone went down as if he'd been poie-axed. And he stop ped there"
 "Ronnie, Ronne." gasped Evelyn, rigid with terror. 'eYou--yeu didn't kill him?"
 "No mol" he hastened to assure her. "He wasn't dead-anyhow he wasn't when I left; but he was un- Evie. You made me tell you; you always do make me tell you. I give you my word, he wasn't dead: and l dare say he's all right by this time and taking it out of the poor Prin- cess, poor little womany'
 "feo, no, | hate her!" said Evelyn, clenching her little hands. "She was the cause of all the trouble. I can see that. But, Bonnie dear, what will happen? What will you do?"
 "In the ordinary way" he replied, nothing would happen. It was a fair and square fight. and if Lydstone were a decent chap he would, when he had pulled himself together, have come round and apologised, and all would have been serene. But, as l say, he's an ill-cenditioned dog, and he'll bear malice. What all the fel- lows say he'll do will be to drag me before E. beak in a common police court and charge me with an assault, just as if we were a couple of coster-' mongers! That wouldn't matter so much in ordinary circumstances, if the governor and I were pals; but, IS it is, it would make him furious, drive hirn half mad. Besides, it would drag our name-your name, Kiddie--in the gutter. The newspapers would be full of it,
 ooh, yes. yes. see it ail!" she breathed, with shudder.
 "All the same. I suppose ought to face the music" he said. I don, like the idea of downing man and bolting, shirking the consequences; but, of course ,niy creditors would know of the row, would guess that there would be final breakup be- tween the governor and me, and they'd drop down on me like pack of wolves. Then there's another thing, he went on gravely; that Hr' tie woman's name would be dragged into it and she'd be in a worse plight than she is now. No; there's no help for it. I can't face the music. must make @ bolt of it."
 Evelyn's eyes were wet, but she tried to hide the fact, for she knew that her tears would narrow this brother of hers, who, with all his manifold follies, loved her deeply, and could not bear to see her crying.
 "Yes, you must go," she said. Eff father heard the story, if you were to appear at police-court, he would never forgive you. But where will you go? Isn't it difficult to find any place where-where they cannot reach you and-and bring you back?"
 He laughed at her dread of an eK- tradition warrant.
 "Oh. come, it's not so bad as that,