The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-14

tiers, financial and social, were going
, from bad to worse with him. Hope
heard that he had squandered about
all he had and was in desperate straits.
tie amazed Nellie with his persistent
wooing whenever he was fortunate
enough to find himself alone with her.
One evening both Hull and Hope
were at the home The latter noticed
that Hull was restless and uneasy He
left the lovers to themselves He
strolled in the garden with the profess
sor, and Hope saw him later come out
'of the library and soon after leave the
house.
The next morning Hope received q
frantic telephone call from Nellie
Come quick" she fiuttered-"papa
is in great trouble and needs your
help"
Hope found the old man fairly pros
trated. His story was that only the
day preceding he had converted near.
ly all of his liquid means into negotia-
BILE securities. An hour previous he
had gone to his desk in the library, to
hnd the lock of a special drawer where
he always kept his valuable papers
broken and the securities gone.
1T means beggary!" gasped Mr.
Ashton desolately.
Trusty had followed Hope that
morning. He moved about the library
as though in his quick and intelligent
way he surmised that something was
wrong and that he was expected to as
sist in righting it.
Suddenly Trusty uttered a SOUND
that suggested q canine challenge. H,
, stood looking inQuisitively at his mas
ter and then ran his nose along thu
surface of q rug directly in front o
the desk. 1t was as though he had de
tected the scent of some unfamilia
footmarks that did not belong there
: Then the animal. bristling and cage
OF eye. leaped towards the door an,
A paused, looking back at his master a
a though inviting him to follow.
Why, how strange Trusty is act
ing" exclaimed Nellie
w oit' oPohC iiOPC, dhu, 90 thC w
started from the house. kept pace wit
him slightly to the rear.
1t was patent to Hope that the do
was on trail. Once, when Hope ha
been to an entertainment with Nelli'
rhe had carried her gloves home wit
him by mistake. They had fallen OF
of his pocket and Trusty had Instant
seized them recognized them by tn
perfume Nellie used and selling then
darted for the Ashton home and d
livered them to Nellie.
The animal proceeded down tn
street without deviating from dire,
; line to the business district Trust
reached the one office building in IL
town and started up that stairs. A
Hope reached the top landing he heal
frightful crash, then a wild shire
Hull had an Office in the buildin
nursing the wreck of real esta
business that he had allowed to go
ruin. The dog had sprung cle'
through the broad glass top of the do'
of the office. Through the jagged ru
| saw uoty HOW. IlC udu Spi III
2 at Hull and pinned his shoulder hol
Z ing him into the chair where he 81
Y with bulldog ferocity.
Hope hurried into the room. 1t W
to see upon the desk before the ter
- fed and covering Hull the securiti
that had been taken from the riff
" desk of Professor Ashton.
"Trusty-here!" he called comman
nd ingly, and it was with reluctance tn
ne the animal Embossed his grip on L
he enemy he hated.
m A packed valise showed that HI
ID. had prepared to leave the town. Ho
ne insisted upon his doing so, but min
the wealth he had planned to car
VS. away with him.
of go somewhere and make man
nd yourself" he said. "and if you do yo
ad part not even the Ashtons shall ey
as know who stole the bonds"
&c. Professor Ashton found his secu
ie- ties back in his desk, with the myste
to OF their abstraction never reveal'
and Perry Hull drifted out of the sig
ret and memory of the happy united Il
ed ers