Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-03-13

treat a guest except with civility, es-
pecially one whom her father and
mother treated with such unbounded
reverence. The duke as they suppos-
ed he was upon the invitation of Mr..
Gardner made himself ut home al the
Gardner house, and. though he neither
made nor tried To make any headway
with Margaret. she always received
him cordially. But an American wife
was not his object. one day while in
Mr.. Gardner's office he began to abuse
the mails, which were so COMPOUNDED
slow. you know" He had ordered a
thousand pounds sent him from Eng
land month before. and surely there
had been plenty of time for reply.
MIR. Gardner ut once volunteered to
supply him with any amount that
would serve to meet his present needs.
But the duke" declared that he could
wait few days longer. At the end of
that time, when his friend insisted on
furnishing what he needed, Mr.. Gard
Ier drew a note for $500 and handed
il to the former to get it cashed.
But don't need so much" said
! Morton.
"As you like" replied Gardner.
well, since you insist upon it," said
the Englishman, perhaps we had bet
ter make 1t thousand. and when my
draft comes I'll indOrse it over to you
just as it stands
Notwithstanding that $4,000 was no
great matter to Gardner, he was rath
er taken aback at stranger accept
ing so large loan from him. Morton
! cashed the note and said he would go
and put ii into bank. He was max.
| ing for railway station when whom
should he meet face to face but Loris-
! ton.
Hello. Mortonw
Morton replied to the salute by turn.
| ing pale and stammering Il reason for
| his being there, just as if Loriston had
asked the question. His former EN-
ployer, whom he had left so suddenly,
grew suspicious.
Have you found a position here?"
asked Loriston.
mo, my lord"
Loriston looked at him critically.
then said:
Come with me to my hotel. I wish
to talk with you"
Morton was in hole. He should
have avoided one of Americas great
cities which LoriStOn was sure to visit
and. if they met. would surely expose
any game Morton might be playing
In LOristOn'S room mt his hotel. after
considerable cross questioning. Morton
agreed that if LOristOn would permit
him to undo what he had done with
out prosecution he would make clean
breast of it. LoriSton promised. and
Morton. laying the money he had just
obtained on table before Loriston,
told the whole story.
There was lying dormant in Loriston
a spirit of adventure he had inherited
from an ancestor who had fought un
der the sultan of Turkey. sailed under
the great Drake and. having been ship
wrecked in the Pacific ocean. had beer
made king of one of the islands there
LOriston asked Morton to accompany
him TO the Office of Mr. Gardner
which he had just left, and introduce
him as his secretary just arrived from
England with his 900 and return
the money. That was all Morton was
to do except to go on playing his game
without making any more loans-an(
treat Loriston as his secretary.
OF course this return of funds 81
quickly placed Morton's pretentiOns Ol
a firm footing, and. since the Secreta
ry, Mr.. Arbucllle. appeared to be gen
tlemanly fellow, the duke was asked
to bring him to the house. When Mr.
Gardner informed his wife Of this un
doubted proof of the formers genuine
ness she exclaimed: ~ told you so
Just as If don't know breeding whel
see itr' And when Mr.. Arbuckle ap
peared at the house with his chic
Miss Margaret declared that the Secre
tary was more like duke than th'
duke himself.
Holding term in state prison owe
Morton. LoriSton found is easy TO keel
him up to his part The earl founC
in Margaret Gardner one whose intel
lectua endOwments and sOundnesS O1
Judgment gave him Il clearer insigh
into American methods than he haC
derived from men whose opinions were
greatly respected This induced an in
timacy which. throwing the duke ou
in the cold. produced contention in the
Gardner family Mr. Gnrdner's brow
lowered while Mrs. Gardner stormed.
Then one day the duke took his de
parturc, leaving his secretary to fol
low him. Mrs. GHrdnPr'S chaGrir
brought on Il tit Of sickness, and she
took to her bed Then the secretary
departed. but in a few weeks reappear
ed. one morning. Margaret finding
her father and mother together, said
to them.
THAT man Morton isn't duke or q
, marquis He isn't an earl or knight
He is II swindler This Mr.. Arbucke
is John Arbuckle. Earl of LoriSton and
he has asked me to be his wife"
''For heavens sake" cried Mrs Gard
ner. 'has the child gone daft:"
What nonsensec exclaimed the
, father IF Morton had been n swim
dler would he have returned me the
$1,000 he borrowed of me?'