The Raymer enterprise., 1916-11-23
EIGHTH EPISODE
The Stroke Of Twelve.

lne SUOke OF Twelve.
Enoch Golden had never been known
- . half-hearted fighter. He was, in
tact, OF that pertinacious breed who
light best when half defeated. And
a. he grew into q fuller realization of
the virulence Of Jules Legar's hatred
for him and his house, he proceeded to
take more effective steps to protect
himself.
One Of his precautions was to place
an armed guard about the home which
had been repeatedly and audaciously
invaded by Legsr and his agents.
But the mere posting of q couple
Of paid sentinels about his doors did
not mark the limit of his activities.
He strove for still more substantial
protection by installing in one of the
upper rooms of his house q huge bur.
glar-proof vault Of chromium steel.
The installation of 90 ponderous q
vault. however, involved much mate
rial strengthening of a structure not
primarily designed for the support of
seven-ton safes. and for days q small
body of expert workmen had been busy
putting In pillars and girders and
Disgusting these ponderous supports
under veneer Of mahogany ceiling
beams and oriental teakwood columns.
In the ornamentation Of the latter, IN
fact, the owner of the house found q
valued assistant in Count Luigi Da
Espares who. with his finished taste
and his knowledge of the flne arts, ad-
vanced many suggestions for beautify-
ing what might otherwise have been
an ungainly and cumbersome innova-
ton.
1t was Margery Golden, even more
than her father, to whom Es Espares,
In these small efforts. looked for graft
tude. And the more Margery Golden
saw Of that gallant young antiquarian
the more mysteriously impressed she
became.
David Manley, who was not alto
gether ignorant OF this new turn In
he tide Of events. found little to add
to his happiness In this evergrowing
intimacy between Margery and her
guest. For Manley. by this time. did
more than merely distrust Da Es-
pares; he hated him.
These vague misgivings Of Man
iey's extended even to the costume
iinner-dance which this esthetic for.
eigner undertook to engineer for Mar.
gerys amusement. And In talking
over his plans with Golden himself,
- the latter was making ready for
one of his hurried trips to Washing
ton, the young nobleman even ven
tured the hope that this fete might
be made the occasion Of an even more
auspicious announcement.
But the moroseeyed old millionaire
did not quite follow the others line
Of thought. 90 Da Espares was driven
to the expedient Of openly yet cour-
teously requesting the privilege of
pressing his suit for the hand Of this
fairest daughter Of America.
What d'you mean BY thst!" de-
manded the astounded financier. Are
you trying to tell me that you want to
marry my daughter?"
THAT il the honor Of which have
dreamed" was Da Espares' quietly In.
toned reply.
We'll. the point IL. has my Margery
been dreaming along the same liner
THAT l cannot venture to say" re-
piled that unctuously gallant suitor.
We'll. In America that's about the
nrst thing that countsi And I guess
we'd better call OF this courtship talk
until We ind out how the girl feels
about I'll"
The disappointed. but not dishesrt-
ened, count accordingly. proceeded
quietly yet earnestly to sound Margery
Golden herself ~ to her feelings In
the mattsr. But here, too. he was
met with reply which, II graciously
NoFded. was at least noncommittal.
But you ct least know that l wish
b bring you happiness. that I was
yow friend IN the past. that always
m tho future I want to b your
frisnd!"
But when friendship remains
mashed. It remains harder to under.
stapd!"
Then the mask may be Withdrawn,
and withdrawn sooner than you ex-
yect."
"Just what dose that mean r. asked
- dsasssysl giri. studying his facA