The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-28


 and it's decent hair guard around his neck, all were appropriate to his life and manner of thought. There was a kind of settled trouble on his face, It was the face belonging to a naturally slow intellect that had toiled painfully hard to get what 1t had won, and that had to hold it. now that it was gotten.
 He was a constrained man. Even his decent clothes sat on him as if he were mechanic in holiday garb. And yet there was a sign, not altogether sup pressed and wiped out by learning, that suggested something of fire still alive. It suggested that if young Bradley Headstone, in the days when he was a pauper lad. had chanced to Ago to sea, he would not have been the last man l in a ships crew.
 It amused MT. Wrayburn to stir this mans passion till he famed with white and red heats of rage. He was especial ly entertained one day when Headstone, lashed beyond endurance, said with a choking voice: You think me of nc more value than the dirt under your feet"
 q assure you, Schoolmaster," answer ed Wrayburn, pleasantly. q don't think about you at all.'
 Headstone, shaking from head to foot wiped the starting precipitation from his face and gasped, with a madness in his eyes that might have appalled, a less careless man than the man who was goadlng him: "Oh, what a misfortune is mine that I can not so control myself as to appear a stronger creature thar this, when man who has not felt ir all his life what have felt in day can so command himself"
 He was a reckless man indeed and 2 daring, who could see the working oi that face, and hear the strangling agony In that voice, and not take warning | Wrayburn was that man. He laughed and dismissed it from his thoughts.
 He laughed again. and snapped his fingers. when Lizzie Hexam, said to him "Pray. pray be careful. Take cart against any one you have seen lately ant made angry"
 He had not opportunity to ask wha she meant Perhaps he would not have asked her had opportunity offered H' knew that she must refer to Headstone and in his overbearing spirit he prob ably would have laughed, even. had sh been able to tell him that the schoo master had asked her to be his wife, am that on her refusal, he had struck stone coping before him with such fore that his hands streamed blood, ant cried: "Then I hope that I may neve kill himi
 But whether he would have been i'm pressed or not, he never learned it; fo when his stroll took him the next nigh to Lizzie Hexam's door, he found nj Lizzie Hexam there. Beset by tw' lovers. one of whom she did not lov, but feared, the other of whom she lovet but dared not, Lizzie Hexam had fled She had fled, and left no trace by whicl either wrayburn or Headsto2e coulC find her.
 Wrayburn, the idle and undecided, wal decided and determined enough now. H, was determined to find her.
 Very soon, in his goings and comingl on this new business, he became aware that he was being followed. One even ing he told Mortimer about it.
 "The sehoolmaster," said he, does m, the honor of attending me- He think that I know where she is. Mortimer, goad the schoolmaster to madness. make the schoolmaster so ridiculous, anC so aware of being ridiculous, that I SC, him chafe and fret at every pore. Tn, amiable occupation has been made tn, solace of my life. [ tempt him on, al over London Sometimes. I walk. Some times proceed in cabs. draining tho pocket of the schoolmaster, who ther follows in cabs. I study and get UT abstruse. No Thoroughfares during tn,