Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-27
CHAPTER NIv-(Continued.)

~ polict oiucGI III pam cIOJHcS.
who stood with his subordinate. some
what undecided, hardly knew how to
begin. II was IL hard task to break
such awful news tn this lonely old man.
AT last it was done; the word "acci-
dent and your nephew We're blurted
OUT by the man in command. But
hardly We're these out of his lips THAI
Lord Radycliffe-livid and trembling
had jumped to his feet.
"l.uke!' he contrived to exclaim, and
his voice vas almost choked. his lips
and hands trembled, beads of p%erspira-
ton stood upon his forehead. Some
thing has happened to Luke
NO, no. my lord. that's not the
name-Philip WAS on the card and OH
the letters-Philip de Mountford-that
was. ! think. the poor gentleman's
mo
And AN accident has happened to
Mr.. Philip de MountfordY"
The voice was quite different now.
No longer choked with anxiety. calm
n as if mildly interested in passing
events. 1t was obvious even to the
stl present that one nephew was
OF far greater momen than the other.
II am afraid. my lord, thai it's worse
than an accident-'
The officer paused a moment. salts
fled that he was doing all that was
necessary and possible to mitigate the
snddcnncss of the blow.
Its foul play" he said at last:
THAT'S what 1t WASP"
"Foul play? What do you mean by
that"
NJ Philip de Mountford has been
murdered. my lord-his body now lies
at the police sation-would you wish
him conveyed home at once. my lord
or wait until after the inquest"
There was silence in the room for a
moment or two. while the old fashioned
clock licked stolidly on. At the awful
announcement. which indeed might
have felled a younger and more Wig
orous man. Lord Radcliffe had not
moved. He was still standing, his
hand resting on the table beside the
piled up newspapers. The light of the
lamp yelled by a red shade illumined
the transparent delicacy of the high
bred hand. the smooth black surface
of the coat, and the glimmering white
ness of the shirt front with its single
pearl stud. The face itself was in
shadow, and thus h police officer saw
little or nothing OF that inward strug-
gle for self mastery which was being
put SO severely to the test.
Lord Radcliffe. face to face with the
awful event. strove by every power at
tmpassive. The lessons taught by gen
era:ions of ancestors had to bear fruit
now, when a representative of the an
Gent name stood confronting the
greatest crisis that one of his kind has
eve had to face-the brutal. vulgar
tiles of a sordid life brought within
The fOur walls of a solemn, aristocratic
old house.
For a homer before he spoke again
Tho old man looked round about him.
Tho tall mahogany book cases filled
with silent friends. the busts OF Dry
den and OF Milton, the globes in their
mahogany castings: all heirlOOms from
h generations OF de MOuntfords who
had gone before.
1t seemed as II the present bearer of
the historic name called all these mute
things to witness this present degrade
tion. A crime a smirched the family
~escutcheon, for to some m~inds-those
who dwell on empyrean heights to
which the matter Of fact sordidness of
every day life never reaches-to those
minds th. victim IL almost as horrible
as tile assassin.
Lord Radcliffe however fought his
own battle stlenly. Not with one
%tre,lor or n gasp would ne let the
ality welded her iron rod In this shah
by old library. just as she had done
In the ball room Of the Danish legation.
and whilst not 200 yards away Louisa
Harris sang Guy d'HaIdelOt's songs
and srnilingly received praise and
thanks for her perfect performance.
30 here the old man never hinched.
He gave to his nerves the word OF
command. and AZ soon as he had forced
them TO obey. he looked straight at the
lpOlice officer and raid quite calmly:
Please tell me al TT sought 70
ne sst III his hisibacssd chair. curt
~ maize no attempt TO shade his face
AMI tVAa. OHnN the h0ft1A f0Nwht and