The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-06-16


and most rigidly exclusive country club
In America.
That night the frightened Major tel
egraphed to MunnvilIe, Maine, an offer
to buy the O'Hara place at double its
real value. The business-like message
ended. "Wire reply at my expense"
The next morning an lncoherent reply
came by wire, at the Majors expense,
refusing to sell, and quoting several
passages of Scripture at Western Union
rates per word.
The operator at the station counted
the words carefully, and collected eight
dollars and fourteen cents from the
Major, whose fury deprived him of
speech.
Colonel Hyssop awaited his comrade
at the clubhouse, nervously pacing the
long veranda, gnawing his cigar.
HelloP' he called out, as Major Brent
waddled up. Have you bought the
O'Hara place for us?"
The Major made no attempt to reply;
he painted violently at the Colonel, then
began to run about, taking little, short,
distracted steps.
made a mess of it?" inquired the
Colonel, with a badly concealed sheer
He eyed the Major in deepening dis
pleasure. If you get any redder In the
face you'll blow up he said, coldly;
and don't propose to have you spat-
ter me.
"He-he's an impudent swindlerl''
Kissed the Major, convulsively.
The Colonel shifted: 81 expected it.
What of it? After all, there's nobody
on the farm to annoy us, is there?"
Watt" groaned the Major" waltz
and he toddled into the hall and fell on
a chair, beating space with his pudgy
hands.
When the Colonel at length learned
L. E IL IL
he utterly refused to credit it.
Rubbish" he said calmly-"rub-
Dish! my dear fellow; this man Mum is
holding out for more money, dye see?
Rubbish rubbish! It's blackmail, dye
seer"
'Do you think so?" faItered the
Major, hopefully
come, IS it? Fancy all those fanatics
shouting about under our windows
" Rubbish" said the Colonel, calmly
"Il write to the fellow myself
All through that rainy month of May
the two old cronies had the clubhouse
to themselves; they stopped about to-
gether. fishing cheek by iowl as they
had fished for thirty years; at night they
sat late over their toddy, and disputed
and bickered and wagged their fingers
at each other, and went to bed with the
perfect gravity of gentlemen who could
hold their own with any toddy ever
brewed.
No reply came to the Colonel, but
that did not discourage him.
They are playing waiting game, u
he said, sagely. This man Mum has
bought the land from O'Hara's daughter
for a song, and he means to bleed us
I'll write to Sprowl; he'll fix things
Early In June DR. Lansing and his
young kinsman, De Witt Coursay. ar
rived at the clubhouse. They, also
were of the opinion that Munn's obiect
was to squeeze the club by threats.
The second week In June, Peystel
Sprowl, Master of Fox-hounds. Shadoe-
brook, appeared with his wife the cele
brated beauty, Agatha Sprow1, nee Val
Guilder
Sprowl, now immensely large and fat
had few cares in life beyond an anxiou.
apprehension concerning the durabiIit,
Of his own digestion. However, he wa
still able to make midnight mouthfu
of q Welsh rarebit on a hot mince-pie
and wash it down with a quart of cham
payne, and so the world went very wei
with him, even if it wabbled a trifI