The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-01

to write him q note as soon rs he had |
examined the picture. OF course the
letter could not by any possibility ar |
rive till afternoon. but Rennie was In
that state of citation when the impos-
sible seems certainty.
He paced the streets after the post
man had gone. waiting for the next
delivery. At the news stand he picked
up his morning paper. On the front
page he read the news Of st. Glars
death. The old man had had . stroke
Of apoplexy the evening before.
Rennie let the paper fall from his
hands and tears OF modification
STRAINED down his face. His last
hope gone! st. Clair dead, on whom
Ill had depended!
L was three days before he recov.
cred sufficiently to 60 for his picture.
But, to his Amazement. he was refused
admission. The butler referred him
to st. Glars lawyer. who listened to
his story with quiet smile.
you must realize. Mr.. Rennie. that
unless you can bring some proof that
the picture IL yours have you
any proof' You did not sign 1t, you
sayr"
But 1t was not finished" cried Rem
ME.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders.
"All Mr. st. Glars paintings are to be
Sold" he said You will have to take
legal action in the matter. And.
frankly, young man, no jury will be-
lieve you unless you have some evil
dence to bring forward. More than
that, you will run the risk of prose
cution for perjury"
Rennie went out in daze. He saw
the truth of the lawyers words. There
was nothing that he could do.
A week later the auction came. Crit
! les were enthusiastic over the large
number of paintings that was to be
put on the market. But Of them all
none excited greater enthusiasm than
the unfinished work to which the crit
! les gave the name The Wild Horses. "
Rennie attended the auction. The
bidding quickly passed the average Of
4 five thousand dollars, at which the
other pictures had gone. A dealer
from the West offered seven thousand.
Finally, after q spirited competition
between him and Rennie's own dealer
the picture fell to the latter for twelve
thousand
And MacDrew had paid Rennie an
average of fifteen dollars apiece.
Rennie went out Of the auction room
and wrote a letter to one of the pa
pers. The newspaper refused to print
It. It had no doubt that Rennie was
an impostor. aad, anyway. the editor
felt that such q case should be aired
In the law courts.
Rennie waited another day. Their
he sat down and wrote long letter tc
Muriel 1t was the hopeless letter oil
man who has been bowled over by
the buffets Of fate. He told her the
facts of his struggle. eliminating II
the loss of his painting, and released
her from their engagement.
But before he had risen from the
table there came a knock at the door
Rennie opened 1t, to find An elderl,
woman. attired in black, standing be
fore him.
IT am Mrs. st. Clair" she said. mi
Rennie, terrible injustice has beef
done you, and It would have slippet
from my mind had not our lawyer toll
me about your claim. He thought 20,
were an impostor. but as soon a. h,
, told me remembered.
"Mr. Rennie, my husband was tn
best and justest man in the world. o.
the night he died-the stroke cam
very suddenly, you know-he was try
ing to speak to me. He was paralyze,
, and he could only humble, but l man
aged to make out what me was tryini
to say. He said that picture in hi
studio had been painted BY couldn'
l catch the name, but 1t was yours-an,
that, in case he died, he didn't wan
I 1t to be sold es his, especially sine
| you had left no address, and he ha
/ given you no receipt for 1t.
> 81 have written letter to the newi
! papers. and meanwhile the money 70
: the painting must go to you"
: Rennie did not know how he replied
3 He remembered taking her hands 4
his and thanking her thousand timei
. And when she left 1t was with the VI
p Outstanding that Rennie was to col
, slider her his friend-always, she sale
Hardly mad she gone before tn
postman brought a letter-from NJ,
8 riel this time. Opening It, Renni
: read that she loved him. he mus
e never think otherwise, and she woul
g wait dozen more years il necessar!
q "Only | hope to see you, dear, a
most as soon as yJu get this letter
:, she said because my uncle has lei
S me FIVE hundred dollars and ! al
taking the morning train to New Yorl
I and | want you to meet me at seve
d o'clock in the evening at the station
n And, dearest. remember that five hui
bred dollars will go far, and what
mine is yours"
!, Rennie had never been so happy a
when he was wildly sprinting to met
+ the seven O'Clock train. And he kne
s In his heart that Muriel would neve
I return, alone, TO Freeport.
\ Rio1est Borrower