The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-21
(Continued.o

(Continuedo
 She was several years under forty and as light and active as a young girl. Her smooth cheek glowed with &he happiness and thrill of the sport. and he was hard put to hold his own against her. even though she insisted that he play his level best. l Truxton King, stalwart and lazy, dounged on the turf, umpiring the game, attended by two pretty young girls, lieutenant in hannels and the Eeremonious Count QHinnox, iron gray and gaunt faced battleman with the eaber scars on his cheek and the bul- Jet wound In his side.
 Good work, Rainie!" shouted the umpire as his wife safely placed the haI1 far out of her opponents reach.
 @Hi!" shouted Robin, turning on him with a scowI. You're not sup posed to cheer anybody, dyou under stand? You're only an umpire.'
 "Outburst of excitement, kid,'' apoI- i0gized the umpire conp1acently s~couldn't help it. Forty thirty. Get busy"
 sHe called him .kid,' :" whispered one of the young girls to the other.
 ssWeIl, I heard the prince call MT King Truck little while ago." Whfs- pered the other.
 Isn't he good Iooking?' sighed the first one.
 They were sisters, very young, and lived in the cottage across the road with their widowed mother Their existence was quite unknown to Mr. and Mrs. B1ithers. although the ami able Maud was rather nice to them. She had once picked them up in her automobile when she encountered them walking to the station. After that she called them by their Chris tian names and generously asked them to call her Maud. It might ap- pear from this that Maud suffered somewhat from loneliness in the great house dn the hill. The We1ton girls had known Robin a scant three-quar- ters of an hour and were deeply in love with him. Fannie was eighteen and Nellie but little more than six teen He was their first prince.
 1tWhee-eer shrined Mrs. King. going hnad1y after return that her opponent had IObbed over the net She missed Deuce" said her husband 1acopieal- Jy. A servant was crossing the lawn with a tray of iced drinks As he neared the recumbent group he paused arresofuteIy and allowed his gaze to shift toward the road below. Then he came on, and as he drew alongside the interested umpire he leaned over and spoke in low tone of voice. i ssfWhat ?, demanded King, squinting t1Just come in the gate, sir," said the &ootman.
 King shot a glance over his shoulder nd then sat up in astonishment
 Good LordI Blfthers! What the nence can he be doing here? I say, AoraineI H1!''
 Vantage in,'' cried his pretty wife, flashing stray lock from her eyes. ME Kings astpnishment was gen. 1ine. It might better have been pro- Arnunced Bewilderment- MT Rlithers knas paying his first visit to Red Roof. Dp to this minute it is doubtful if he Ezer had accorded it so much as tgzance of interest in passing. He bowed to King occasionally at the sta hon. but that was all.
 1 But now bis manner was exceeding ky friendly as he advanced upon the group. One might have been pardon ed for believing him to be most in- EkRnate friend of the family and given to constantly dropping in at any and nE1 hours of the day.
 CHAPTER IH.
 Protecting the Blood. 1T(HE game was promptly inter
 rupted It would not be far
 wrong to say that Mrs. Kings
 pretty mouth was open not en- tfreIy as an aid to breathing. She couldn't believe her eyes as she slow fy abandoned her court and came for ward to meet their advancing visitor.
 @4Take my racket, dear" she said to one of the Feltons. It happened to be Fannie, and the poor child almost tainted with joy.
 The prince remained in the far court, idly twirIing his racket,
 Afternoon, King said MT. Blithers, dohing his panama-to fan heated brow. "Been watching the game from the road for a spell. Out for a stroll. Couldn't resist running in for min ute= You play a beautiful game, Mrs. King How do you do? Pretty hot work, though, isn't it?''
 He was shaking hands with King and smiling genially upon the trim, panting figure of the princes adTer- saFy.
 ssGood afternoon, MT. Blfthers," said King, still staring. "You-you know my wife?' =
 MT. BIithers ignored what might have been regarded as an introduction and bIandly announced that tennis wasn't q game for fat people, batting his somewhat aggressive extension iil mock doIefulness as he spoke.