The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-07-04
CHAPTER xvnu.

Since Lord Radclyffe was too i'll to
attend to anything, or to see any one.
it devolved upon Luke to make what
arrangements he thought fitting for the
lying in state and the subsequent obse-
quies of the murdered man. For the
present, Philip de Mountford lay in the
gloomy mortuary chamber OF the Vic
toria police court. Luke had sent owe
massive silver c~andelabra, bowers and
palms and all the paraphernalia per-
tanning to luxurious death.
The dead man lay-not neglected
only unmatched and alone, surrounded
by all the evidences OF that wealth
which he had come. a very long way to
hand had snatched with appalling sud-
deness from him.
And in the private sitting room at the
Langham, Louisa Harris sat opposite
her father at breakfast, a pile of morn
ing papers beside her plate, she her
self silent and absorbed.
That's a queer tale" Colonel Harris
was saying, 'the papers tell about that
murder In Brussels a year ago-though
must say that to my i there APP
pears some truth in what they say.
What do you think, Louisa?'
THE details of that crime, which was
committed about a year ago. are exactly
the same as those which relate to this
Are they really?"
No n could have said-and Louisa
herself least of all-why she was un-
willing to speak on that subject She
had told her father, or n one for
a matter Of that, except-that she
Of that mysterious crime in Brussels,
and that she had NOW its every de-
tail. ss-EzsSss3Sy~+--~~
And I must say" reiterated Col
onel Harris eraphat1cally. |
Times. One crime begets another. If
that hooligan-or whatever he was
In Brussels had not invented this new
and ~dastardly way of numbering a man
in a cab and then making himself
on it's way, no doubt Philip de Mount
ford would be alive now. Not that
that would be a matter for great re-
joicings. Still a crime is a crime, and
If we were going to allow ~blackguards
to be murdered all owe the place by
other b~lackguards. where would law
and order be-"
He was talking more loudly and
volubly than was his wont. and he
took almost o~stentatiously quantities
of food on his plate, which 1t was quite
obvious he never meant tc eat. He also
steadily avoided meeting his daugh-
ter's eyes. But at this juncture she
put both elbows on the table. rested
her chin in her hands and looked
straight across at her father.
It's no use, dear" h said simply.
mo use what?" he quer1ed with I'M
grammatical directness-
n use your pretending to talk at
random and to be eating a hearty
breakfast. hen your thoughts are just
as much absorbed as mine are.
"Hm!" he .grunted evasively, but was
glad enough to push aside the plateful
Of egg and bacon which, indeed, he
had no desire to eat
You have" she continued gently,
read all the papers, just as I have, and
you know as well as I do what to read
between the lines when they talk OF
clues and Of certain sensational de-
velopments.'"
"Of course I do" he retorted gruffly,
but it's all nonsense"
"Of course it is. But worrying, new
ertheless.''
IT don't see how such rubbish can
worry you"
Not" she said, "for myself. But for
Luke. He must have got an inkling by
now Of what is going on"
"Of curse he has. And If he has q
grain Of sense he'll treat it with the
contempt it deserves"
TITS all very well, father. But Just
think for a momen Place yourself in
Luke's position. The very idea that
be terrible"
mot when you are innocent" he re-
Joined with the absolute gertrude of
a man who has never been called upon
TO IdCo any really serious problem In
life. II shouldn't care what the rabble
said about me, If 1 had a clear con
science"
Louisa was silent for a monet or two
then she said:
Luke is different somehow. He has
been different lately"
He has a lot to put up with, old
Radcliffe going off his head in that RI
diculous way"
But Louisa did not reply to that
c,,ppactfoD Che knau wall 49, 49,
it was neither Lord Radclyffe's I'M
kindness, nor the arrogance of the new
cousin that had charged and softened
Luke's entire nature.
The day that he had sat beside her
on the stairs at Lady Ducies' ball. the
completeness Of the change been
fully borne in on her. When Luke said
to her: Il would give all I have In
the world to lie on the ground before
you and to kiss the soles OF your feet
She knew that love had wrought its us
ual exquisite miracle, the absorption O,
self by another, the utter sinking OF
the ego before h high altar of the
loved one. She knew all that, but deal
old Colonel Harris had forgotten
perhaps he had never known.
That knowledge come to so few
nowadays. Life, psychology, the sex
ual problems have taken the place OF
the divine lesson which has glorified the
world since the birth of Liifth,
All that Louisa now remarked to her
kind and sensible father was
You know, dear, suspicion has killed
a man before now. 1t was but a very
little while ago that a noble hearted
gentleman preferred death to such dis
You've got your head" he retorted
U OF nonsense, Lou. Try and be q
sensible woman now, and think of it ali
quietly. Is there anything you would
like me to do. for instance?"
YES, If you will"
What is it?"
Couldn't you see Uncle Ryder?"
AT Scotland Yard, you mean?-
He Is at the head of the criminal
investigation department, isn't heaa
I've always understood so"
Would ne see you. do you think, at
Tom not see me?" exclaimed Col
onel Harris. "Of course he wonid
What do you want me to see him
about?" ILL.,
II could tell you exactly how mot
ters stood with regard to-to I,,Ia