The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-10-28

with lovely ESTHER Arthur nau aDun-
doned his wild and spendthrift ways.
Then. too. the rivalry fer Esther's
affections with his cousin, Blair, had
steadied Arthur. He realized he loved
Esther. and he had resolved to be
worthy Of her.
AS for Esther, in the midst Of de-
pressing. morbid turmoil that followed
the discovery of the doctors death in
his study, she had moved as one in e
most Unhappy dream. Under the cold,
suspicious eyes Of Blair Stanley's moth
er. Esther had felt herself an inter
loper The judges widow had arrived
upon the scene as soon as she had
been sent for.
Although her relations with the doc
tor had been distant and constrained
for years, yet the judges widow was
next of kin. With the usual delay
characteristic of the easy going doctor,
he had delayed making out the legal
adoption papers for Esther. He had
only insisted that she be called Esther
Lee. What her real name was the po-
lite Virginians had not asked, but 1t
was whispered that it was Harding.
When questioned by the puzzled
sheriff as to what procedure he should
follow after the identficatio Of the
broken guitar, found by the footprints
in the flower beds, the judges widow
had coldly. replied, "Do your dutyr
and the sheriff, with his deputy, set
out for Stanley hall to apprehend
Arthur Stanley I'd on suspicion Of the
murder Of DR.. Henry Lee.
at their parting there had been one
gift of Hagars that Esther had since
lovingly cherished. 1t was pair Of
carrier pigeons.
Take these. my dear daughter"
Hagar had said. IF you are ever In
trouble and need me send a message
by the birds. Their homing place Is
our gypsy rendezvous in the Blue
ridge. Even If 1 am not there when
the message comes, some Of our tribe
will be. They will know where l am
and fetch me the word"
Sc Esther, under the open espionage
Of Blar's mother. had taken one Of
the pigeons from its cagadon the porch
and had hastily written the message
to send by this aerial carrier to Hagar.
The message read briefly, Come at
once, dear mother; need you" She
simply signed it Esther"
From her lattice window she releas-
ed her feathered messenger. 1t flew
swiftly to the west straight as the
arrow flies.
The sheriff: and his deputy were not
long In reaching Stanley hall They
alighted with a businessltke clatter,
and the sheriff dumped up the steps
and across the wide, hospitable portico
and made the great iron knocker wake
the echoes Of the silent mansion. With
an indicative gesture Of his thumb he
had sent his deputy to guard the rear.
Joe, the natty and worldly wise col
ored man servant of the until recently
wild young master Of Stanley hall, was
wondering at the impudent urgency Of
the clamOr that had aroused him as be
reached the bottom Of the staircase,
when he stood stock still, shaken for
once out Of his usual superior airs and
self possession, to behold his young
master, wild eyed and disheveLed, rush
from the library and seize him. ex-
claiming as he did so: Don't open that
door! l have killed a man, and they
are after mes'
With chattering teeth and shaking
knees the erstwhite dandy darky clung
for support in the weakness Of his
fright to the pedestal of the balustrade
at the foot Of the old colonial stair
case.
Still the sheriff hammered at the
door. crying s:entoriously, "Open In the
name Of the law!' and still the fright
ened darky clung to the baluStrade, d.
vided in his terror between the awful
authority of the law that he was dis
obeying and In fear Of the fate this till
now sophisticated servitor had felt for
hts young master.
One glance from the Low French WIN
dows that looked from the library upon
the grounds at the back Of Stanley hall
and Arthur was aware Of the watchful
deputy, with drawn pistol
At this juncture the automobile
agent from Richmond came with honk-
ing horn up the driveway with one Of
the first automobiles that had ever es-
sayed the roads Of Fairfax. With the
agent, who proudly drove the red
French racer, was an oily and grimy
garage mechanic driving low, old but
powerful one seated garage handy car
battered and SCARED from much hard
service, but still strong, speedy and
dependable.
The sheriff hammered and kicked
unavailingly at the stout, great white
door as these "newfangIed contrap-
IONS" as be called them, drove up to
the porttco steps. II am the sheriff"
be explained to the wondering auto
mobile man. II am after man for
r,o.,rdor and 7 S,1nprnp pos, tn nd MA