The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-05-16
Continued From Last Weekly
CHAPTER VII.
THE PART PLAYED nv A FIVE

THE PART PLAYED BY A FIVE
POUND NOTE.
ana II was into this atmosphere of
groom ana or purposeless misanthropy
that Louisa Harris brought this morn
ing the cheering sunshine Of her own
indomitable optimism.
one knew, or course, from the first
thai the subject which interested
every one in the house more than any
other subject could ever do was not
70 De mentioned in Lord Radclyffe's
presence. But she was quite shrewd
enough to see that dear old Luke-un-
sophisticated and none to acute an OBJ
serVer-had overestimated his uncla's
indlfterence to the all-absorbing mat
The old mans face-usually a mir
Ior or contemptuous cynicism-looked,
to the woman's keener insight. dis
tinctly troubled, and his surly silence
was even more profound than hitherto.
He hardly did more thar bid Louisa
a curt, How de do?" when she en-
tered, and then reapsed into morose-
ness wholly unbroken before luncheon
was announced.
Jim-"in the Blues'-was there when
she arrived, and Edie came in a few
moments later. breathless and with
nat awry and tawny hair flying in all
directions, straight from a tussle with
the dogs and the sharp wind In the
park.
Evidently no secret had been made
before these two of the strange events
which had eliminated this very morn
ing in their brothers avowal to
Louisa, and the ~postponement sine die
OF the wedding. But equally evidently
these young creatures absorbed in their
W life, their own pursuits and
amusements, were not inclined to look
on the matter seriously.
Their sky had beer so absolutely
cloudless throughout their lives that It
was impossible for them at the moment
to realize that the dark shadow on the
distant horizon might possibly conceal
und In its filmy bosom.
Edie-just over 20 years Of age and
already satiated with the excitement of
three London. seasons, her mind sat
urated with o reading and on the
lookout for some new sensations-was
to look on the affair as an ex-
hilrating interlude between the Shrove
Tuesday dance at Wessex House and
the first drawing room in May. Jim
the blues"-very eligible as a
possible husband for the daughters Of
ambitious mammas, a trife spoiled, a
little slow Of wit, and not a little self
Observation-Disclosures the whole incident
as "tommy-rot."
When Louisa first greeted them, Edie
had whispered excitedly:
Has he. told you?"
And Without waiting for a direct re-
ply had continued, with undated
eagerness:
Awful exciting. don't you think"
But Jim, with the elegant drawl pc
culiar to his kind, had suppressed fur
ther condolences by an authoritative:
awful rot 1 call it, don't you? Luke
Is soft to worry about It,"
Strangely enough, at luncheon it was
Lord Radcliffe who brought up the
subject matter. Edie with the tactless-
ness of youth had asked a point-blank
question:
ding to be? and what are we brides
maids going to wear? I warn you I
won't have white-I hate a white we'd
ding"
Then as no answer came she said i'm
patiently:
II wish you'd name the day. you two
stupids. Awful!y soft call it hanging
about like this"
Luke would have said something
then, but Louisa tnterposed.
1T is all my fault, Bdie," she said.
you know I want to take the twins
out myself this season. must give
them a real good time before l marry"
''Bosh!" remarked Edith uncermeo-
niously. Mabel and Chris will have a
far better time when you are married
and can present them yourself. Tell
them from me hat it's no fun being
out and the longer they put it off the
better they'll enjoy themselves later on.
Besides. Colonel Harris will take them
about
Father hates sitting up late" haz-
arded Louisa. somewhat lamely.
1.-THE truth of the matter is" here
broke in Lord Radcliffe dryly, that
Luke had persuaded you to put off the
wedding because Of this ID impos-
tor who seems to have set you ali off
by the ears"
Edie laughed and said "Bosh!" Jim
growled and murmured ROT"
Luke and Louisa were silent, the
while Lord Dadclyffe's closely-set, dark,
piercing eyes, wandered o one
young face to the other. Lohisa, feel
ing uncomfortable beneath thai none
too amiable scrutiny, did not know
what to say, but Luke quietly remarked
after awhile:
you're right, uncle. 1t is my doing,
but Lou agrees with me, and we are
going to wait until this cloud is proper
ly cleared up"
II n one else had spoken so clearly
and decisively in direct contradiction
to the old man's obvious wishes in the
matter, the result woul have been an
outburst of ill-humor n probably a
volley of invectives, not unmixed with
more forcible language. But since II
was Luke who had spoken-and Luke
could do no wrong-Lord Radclyffe re-
sponded quite gently:
my lear boy" he said, and It was
really touching to hear the hard voice
soften and linger on the endearing
words, Il have told you once and for
all that the story of this so-called Phil
lip de Mountford is a fabrication from
beginning to end. There is absolutely
no reason for you to fret n single in
slant because of the lies a blackmailer
chooses to trump up. AS for Q put
ting off your wedding n single hour
because of this folly, why, ii Is positive
nonsense. / should have thought you
had more common senso-and Miss