The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1913-12-05

Under the Royal Oak Sat an Artist
Sketching.
Lady Diana. With the sketchbook on
her knee she indicated with her riding
crop Dido.
Can you manage to hold herr" she
asked.
The stranger, taking the hound, seat
ed himself on the corner of the stone
bridge that spanned little stream
and was link in the highway that
ran by the stables.
"How's that?" he asked.
"Just little more round" she re-
turned. 80. that's capital" then
busted herself with her pencil.
"Do you exhibit" she asked, turning
upon him for a second an oblique
look then another upon the drawing.
very little" he said. with marked
hesitation.
"Whose-whose name am to look
for?" she inquired, a trace of personal
kindness in her glance.
I'D rather not give my name until
rye done more for my reputation" he
said urif1e awkwardly and in some
concern.
"Oh. as you like!" she said Then.
holding out the sketch toward him, she
went on. There. look: how's that?'
by Jove. it's splendid! What magic
you can work with just a touch or
two" he exclaimed.
She made him little bow. with
something not hostile in it. and began
quickly to turn the pages of the book.
,"Oh. you paint landscapes. too" she
said. land they're very good too!
That's a delicious little bit. and that's
the spinny where we killed last fall
and l got the brush. And. oh. the old
half fortress-half tower sort Of place!
1t looks as though it might be-
She was looking toward the seat of
the last Earl of Brancaster in the dis
tance dimly visible up the glen.
1.-The Rievers" the stranger finished
her sentence. 1T is. Haven't you ever
been there?"
Nobody about here goes" returned
Lady Diana. You see. it belongs to
Lord Brancaster. and he hardly ever
visits it. though I've heard he's here
now. Did he give you permission to
sketch it?"
The stranger nodded.
81 shouldn't have thought he would
have had much sympathy with artists
or art" she said.
"Why not?' he asked. his glance for
the moment falling.
His tastes are rather-er-notori-
GUS. I'm afraid he's rather byword-
about here. Even the country people
call him the wicked EARL"
"And because lot of yokels give a
man an odious nickname" he said
tersely. "you judge him unheard. What
do you know Of him?"
Nothing, thanks" said Lady Diana.
isn't it a bit rough on him to be-
lieve-on mere hearsayT asked the
artist
II don't. but my grandfather. who
has a kind word for every one. says
that his grandfather was soldier. his
father a soldier scd q gentleman. but
he hopes the son will never darken his
doors. And all the world says he frit-
ters away his life and is flinging away
his fortune"
The stranger smiled with sense Of
pain reflected in his face.
What the world says is often NAL
Ice" he said. going to the rescue Of
Lord Brancaster. but I'm sorry to
hear what Lord Beverley said. No
body's all bad. Perhaps it's because
Lord Beverley doesn't know him that
he thinks so i'll of him. Perhaps If you
knew him you might find-some little
good
I'm sure hope So" said Lady Di-
ana.
But the stranger continued:
I'm sure he'd hope so. II he has
played havoc with his life mayn't he
repent his folly? Perhaps in a sense
he never had a chance-perhaps he
never had father or mother in his
youth to direct him-and perhaps he'll
turn out all right now. Perhaps NO
good woman
A softly insidious voice thrust itself
into the intimacy that seemed about to
begin between these two young peo-
pie.
"Ah, there you are" it said.