The Springdale news., 1915-08-06

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 it was whispered that it was Harding.
 When questioned by the puzzled sheriff as to what procedure he should follow after the identification of the broken guitar found by the footprints in the flower beds, the judges widow had eoldy replied, Do your duty" and the sheriff, with his deputy, set out for Stanley hall to apprehend Arthur Stanley 2d on suspicion of the murder of Tr Henry Lee.
 At their parting there had been one gift of Haear's that Esther had since lovingly cherished. It was q pair of carrier pigeons.
 "Take these, 'nly 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 ill the Blue ridge Even if am not there when the message comes, some Of our tribe will be They will know where am and fetch me the word
 So Esther. under the open espionage of Blair's mother. had taken one of the pigeons from its cage on the porch and had hastily written the message to send by this aerial carrier te 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. It 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 basinesslike clatter, and the sheriff clumped 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 he 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! 1 have killed man, and they are after mei''
 With chattering teeth and shaking knees the erstwhile 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 stentoriously, "Open in the name of the lawi' and still the fright ened darky clung to the balustrade, d- yided 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 selyitor had felt for his 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- saved the roads of Fairfax With the agent, who proudly drove the red French racer, was an oily and grimv 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 ..newfangled contrap- tons," as lie called them. drove up to the portico steps. "I am the sheriff" he explained to the wondering auto mobile man. T am after man for murder, and summon you to aid me" The tac1turn garage mechanic brought a heavy iron jack from his battered old
 
 the stout oak door shattering beneath the battering ram blows they dealt 1t with this heavy instrument of iron.
 AS the door gave way Arthur darted from the library, past the still quaking negro in the hallway and into the din- ing room He passed through the din ing room into the conservatory at it's back that overlooked as did the libra ", the grounds at the rear of Stan ley hall. But here his way was block ed by iron and glass, there was no egress from the conservatory save through the dining room.
 AS he turned to retrace his steps the sheriff, with the frightened automobile man at his back, appeared at the door of the conservatory with leveled re- yolver and demanded Arthu,'s sur render. Arthur's reply was to seize q heavy rustic chair and with one swinging, sweeping blow thrust aside the leyeled revolver and then smash the heavy glass and the metal frames of the rear wall of tho concaryotorr