Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-28

such as Castle. He was marked fol
failure.
She heard her mothers shrill voice
at a window, and rose to go in.
At the door a sealed note, sent by
hand, was given her. 1t was signed
"Ridforth." The girl gave an exclama-
ton of great surprise.
She had met that middle-aged peer
a few weeks before on cruise among
the islands. The MARQUIS of Rid
forth, making leisure tour of the
globe, CHANGED to include this little
cruise in his itinerary, and so fell
in with Miss Violet Linden and her
mother, also with a fat gentleman
called Soames, sheep owner. He
left the ship, however, at Suva in the
Fijis instead of returning to Sydney,
and Miss Linden had heard no more
of him.
She thought of him now as she sat
over his note. A little flush came
to her cheeks as she remembered the
convenient opportunities she had Of
fered Lord Ridforth for increasing
the warmth of their acquaintance if
! he had chosen to do so. Perhaps
Lord Ridforth was slow to see oppor-
tunities. In any case she had failed
there-failed outright Hence-vic-
tory for the long patient Soames
Miss Lindon took up the note, which
she had let fall in her lap, and read
| it through. A slow smile came upon
her lips and remained there. 1t had
an oddly triumphant look, and so
had a new light that was in her eyes.
Miss Lindon wrote a little note
and dispatched it by her chauffeur.
| Afterward she went up stairs to her
own room and began to look over her
evening dresses. Once she said aloud
Lady Ridforthi The Marchioness
of Ridforth!" Her eyes fell upon a
| photograph of her f1ance which stood
on the dressing table-a fat, genial
gentleman with diamond shirt but
gers at him and laughed.
The walters cleared away the din
ner things and departed to return no
more until summoned. The orchestra
began to play Gounod's little Der
ceuse" Lord Ridforth drew long
breath as one who says, Now for it!'
and raised his eyes.
He said:
1t concerns a man | found in Fiji
at Suva, where / left the ship.
You may remember" said Lord
Ridforth, that we arrived in Suva
early one morning and were to have
the day there. The passengers all en-
gagged vehicles to take them on the
usual drive across the hills and along
the shore. But the late afternoon
spent in wandering about the little
village. / had once or twice noticed
a very ragged and unkempt white
man who seemed to be loaf1ng about
with no object. Well, presently the
ships purser came past, and this
ragged object accosted the purser
and was repulsed. | asked him who
this rather piteous tramp might be.
The purser told me that he was a
half Australian reduced to ex-
tremities, doubtless through drink,
that he was without means and that
he was trying to beg passage back
to Brisbane or Sydney
presently the ragged tramp came
up to me and began to beg in most
piteous terms that | would help him.
l questioned the man He was not
altogether sane, / think, for he had
suffered the most hideous and unbe-
lievable things, but | learned that he
had come to the islands from Aus
tralia-ah, 4 few years ago, though
he was English born. | learned the
reason for his coming and his name.
/ found that I knew his people in
England and Ireland-had known
them, / should say-and it fell to me
to tell this poor starved and half
crazed beach comber that through a
succession of deaths he was now the
head of his house and an Irish peer.
al need not tell you that | at once
promised to engage a passage for
him on our ship The poor fellow s
gratitude, Miss Lindon, would,
think, have touched your heart"
YES" she said vaguely. Yes, Of
! course, very terrible," Lord Rtdforth
regarded her a moment in silence
Then he said:
"a very odd thing occurred. | was
leading my protege up the beach
| toward one of the traders stores
| There were trees and shrubbery at
the end of the alley, and among them
stood two of the ships passengers, q
man and a woman. The two must
| have imagined themselves screened
securely from observation, for they
were-ah, permitting themselves, IL ]
may say so, some slight expression
/ of mutual regard. My friend graspeo
me by the arm. and when | turned
/ to him he was trembling very vio-
| pointed TO the-ah, lady, among the
! shrubbery, and he asked me, in a
sort of whisper, who she was. ] tolc
him, and he gave a dreadful cry OF
anguish and despair To be brief
the poor wretch collapsed then and
| there. 1t was as if the life had beer
| broken in him. There was no longer
any question of fitting him out and
taking him ON board ship, it was a
matter of bed and medical attend.
ance and nursing"
The girl stared at Lord Ridforth
with frowning, puzzled eyes. She
still failed to understand, but she
began to be afraid.
IT nursed this wreck of man fol
ten days. ten very terrible days.
heard horrors which will haunt ms
SO long as | live as they haunted my
poor friend before he died"
Miss Linden hid her face with 3
little exclamation of horror. but LORD
Ridforth faced her sternly
perhaps you would like to know,
said he, why this poor lad left civ.
| ilization and suffered and died so ter
1 ribly. II was, SO please you, to fint
a pearl for lady who had told hin
she loved him."
The girls hands slipped down from