Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-05-08

"Jack, are you dreaming or drunk"
Sir Harry Garndale demanded.
"Neither Harry" said Harcourt.
I'm merely paying the penalty of in
dulging in the great family weakness.
AS you know, the Harcourts have all
been too fond of liquor, and centuries
of over-indulgence have had their eff
feet on me-"
81 don't understand"
81 simply mean that I'm afraid Ii
quor has made me disgrace the family
name."
"Lord Harcourt you are nervous
upset." said the duke kindly. "You
surely do not realize what you are say
ing. and cannot mean it if you do. 1
advise you to go home and rest for the
remainder of the day. The thing is
bound to clear itself up before long"
81 hope So" said Harcourt earnest
ly. II only wish l could feel sanguine
about it."
"Just a moment, gentlemen" said
the duke warningly. "Please remem-
ber our agreement not to repeat any,
thing that has been said in this room
or to comment upon what took place
here. We are all understood on the
subject?"
There was murmur in the affirma-
tiev, and the little throng began to is
sue from the room. Sir Thomas Mars
ton was at arHcourts' side. The old
soldier was pale and haggard. The
strain of the affair had told upon him,
not only ecaubse of his regard for his
prospective son-in-law, but because of
the effect the whole occurrence would
be bound to have upon his daughter
Harcourt's fiancee.
"Will you come home with me
now?" he asked, slipping his arm
through Harcourt's. "Grace is very
anxious to see you"
"Not yet" Harcourt answered slow
ly. "Come upstairs with me. / want
to have little talk with you before
go to her. l promised to come at if
l could arrange it."
Leaving the others the two men as
cended the stairs and entered de-
serted card room. Marston closed the
door and touched the electric button
in the wall.
"Try drink, Jack. 1t will brace
you up" the major advised.
Harcourt shook his head. "Not
now," he said. 4 want to think clear
ly-and | never can when l get the
stuff in me-"
"Well, Pm for big one,"" Sir Thom-
as announced. "This thing has me all
ragged"
n don't WONDER" Harcourt said.
"I'd give anything in the world if my
engagement hadn't been announced.
The whole business is bad enough in
any event, but it is crime that
Grace's name should be hauled through
the papers in connection with it."
"Don't think of that side of it,
Jack" said Sir Thomas. at is un-
pleasant, naturally, and it will be a
great strain for her to bear, but it
does not affect our regard for you in
any way, and if she were your wife
now it would be all the harder for
her."
"But the engagement must be
broken" Harcourt said firmly.
Impossible"
"Why impossible ?" asked Harcourt.
Because it would then look as
though we were giving you up-as if
we had lost faith in you. Jack, if you
ever needed the friendship and sup
port of those who care for you it is
now. You have worked yourself up
needlessly over this. We were all fond
of Towney-he was a good soldier and
lovable fellow-but that is no rea-
son why we should lose our heads"
81 only wish hadn't lost mine last
night" Harcourt broke in.
"NonsenseW Sir Thomas broke in.
"You take foolish view of it. Sup
pose you were intoxicated-is that any
reason why you should do anything
like this?"
~ acnt' believe it-yet-"
"Yet nothing!" said Sir Thomas i'm
patiently. "Do you carry stilletos
about with you like an anarchist or an
Italian bandit?"
81 had one last night" said Har-
court.
Sir Thomas looked at him in amaze
ment. "You-what the devil were
you carrying knife for?"
~ wish l knew-in fact, I didn't
know | had it until this morning-but
/ had right enough, and there was
blood on my clothing, too"
"Jackw
"Now, do you wonder why I said
what l did in the governors room ?"
Sir Thomas was silent for a mo-
ment. 81 begin to understand" he
said. "But at that you are acting like
crazy man. PePrhaps you entered
the room after poor Towney was kill
ed and picked up the thing-not real
izing what you were doing
Harcourt shook his head. SIT would
be difficult to convince jury of the
fact-if it were true"
"But this has not been mentioned
to anyone?" Sir Thomas asked.
"Only my valet and Dickey Caring.
ton know anything of it," Harcourt
said.
"Then see that no one else does
know" Sir Thomas advised, "You'd
better engage counsel at once and tel
him the whole story"
"No," said Harcourt, 81 shall dc
nothing of the kind. OF course am
not going deliberately slip my heaG
into the moose by telling what is un,
necessary, but, on the other hand, | dc
not intend to attempt to evade the
consequences of my act-if this act
was mine"
"Do as you like" said Sir Thomas
"But if you will not consider yourself