Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-04-04
uble further about him, his fate is

III HIS pace fiOW II ne leaNeS Il Wild
ow?' suggested Prue. cone. for ex-
ample, able and willing to pursue his
claim"
Il am not uneasy about that" he
replied. but his one was less confident
than his words. Il have the best OF
reasons for knowing h a he Ia Got mar
RED"
And you think that. having - wife.
n leaving no - heir - TO his claim
(you acknowledge that he has a claim)
1t will a with his death, because
there is no one to pursue it?'
My dear Lady Prudence, a lawyer
could not have put 1t. more clearly!
mine is pretty safe. even If those re-
doubtable documents should still be in
existence. 1t will then be merely a
matter OF money-sOmeone will bleed
me more or less copiously-but that
will be the end of the trumped up
claim of Captain-Freemantle."
We'll, Lord Beachconibe,' said Prue.
smiling up into his face. NOV l ask
YOU, as Il favor to me, to liberate Cap
tain Freen,antle. and to modest him no
further. i will answer for it that he
will leave The country Immediately and
abandon his claim. Surely, you will not
refuse a favor h a is so hard to ask
and so easy TO grant!"
Beachcolnbe laughed u~npleasantly.
Come, a Vi~scountess." he said, and
his tone. though bland, was tinged with
insolence, Il know of old your thirst
for adventure. but surely it has been
by the romantic episode OF the
queens necklace and the mysterious
spiriting away of your cavalier-your
Knight of the road--by Barbara Sweet
ing! The excitement OF the affair has
evaporated; it's novelty has stalled.
wiles on 30 sorry a subject. 1 have
made up my mind. and even for the
sake Of the most charming of women,
l will not change It,"
Yet 1 think 1 may induce you.' said
Prue. undoubtedly. because to my GER
VIE and those precious papers are in
her possession. She knows their value,
too. and will only give them up on her
own terms. If o will not grant me
this gentlenan's life as a favor-will
You make a bargain with herr"
Astonishment n doubt struggled
with Lord Beachcombe's self command,
he kept an unmoved face, although
an inkling of the truth began to force
itself upon him. MOI the whole incred-
ible truth, of purse but enough to
make him suspect that Lady Prudence
Brooke was more than commonly in
terested in the subject of their discus
sion.
And what might be the terms of the
bargain" ne demanded, after a brief
hesitation.
You had better settle them with
Captain de Cliffe." she said, land 1
pledge my word that his wife will agree
to whatever will satisfy him."
Y will make no terms with him."
said ~Beachcombe, sullenly. IF 1 listen
to any proposition 1t is entirely for
your sake. Lady Prudence. and must
from you and be carried out by
you alone"
She foflaCfed a fnW rnnrnenfQ u-hfln
he watched her %intently.
This Is my proposal" she said, at
last. THAT you will liberate your cap
tive. giving him such time to reach a
place Of safety as he considers neces-
sal.'. And then when o have re-
ceived the packet youswill engage not
to take any steps to prevent his leav-
ing the country. In return I promise
that his wife will consider the whole
matter at an end and regard the claim
as though 1t a never existed"
And when ] have liberated him and
given him every opportunity to elude
Justice. what security have ! that
those papers will be delivered to me?'
he demanded.
II myself will be hostage for him.
Send Steve With him and when he re-
turns. having left his master in safety,
1 will hand you the packet. Does that
satisfy your
Robin, sitting or the corner of a table.
a little apart, could only guess from a
word here and there that arose above
the low voiced colloquy that Prue was
making terms for him, the conditions
Of which 1t was not difficult to divine.
Cruelty as it irked him to see her plead
ing With his bitter enemy for his life,
he resisted the strong temptation to
interfere, as he certainly would have
done could he have known that she
wss offering to remain a hostage to
this lInQcrl;n1v1onS man until h{c. q "a ra<1,
had been purchased by her acknowl-
edgment OF their marriage. She was
too we'll WARE of that to admit him
to the conference
Lord Beachcombe. sullenly balancing
pros and cons. found it no easy matter
to decide between the qualification Of
his revenge upon Robin and the fear
of losing what might be his last chance
OF securing the coveted documents.
1t is impossible to say how long HI
might have fluctuated between two de-
sires equally importunate, but it was
rent of his intelligence that the GER
tificates were possibly that moment in
he possession Of Lady Prudence
Brooke, who certainly would not hest
tate to use them for his humiliation IL
he e~xasperated her.
What will you do II I refuse" he
said at last.
Then said Prue. with spirit, IL
shall go straight from here to the
duchess of Marlborough and lay the
whole story-including the documents
before her. She has pledged herself
to grant me any request / make Of her,
and will not consider tho life Of a
highwayman too high a price to cancel
her debt to me-"
The duchess is no longer the power
behind the throne said Beachcombe.
with a scowl. IF you rely upon her
Influence
II do no rely upon that alone" said
Prue. retaining her patience with the
greatest difficulty: =" will 20 to the