San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-11
CHAPTER /.
The RuinOr.

Mark Brendon, at 80, already stood
high in the criminal investigation de
partment of the police. He was in
deed about to receive an inspector
| ship.
Mark was taking holiday on Dart
moor, devoting himself to his hobby
of trout fishing and accepting the
| opportunity to survey his own life
| from bird's-eye point of view, meas
ure his achievement, and consider I'M
partially his future. not only as a
detective but as Il man.
He found himself with 5000 pounds
saved as n result of some special grants
during the war and a large honora-
rum from the French government. He
was also in possession of hand
some salary and the prospect of pro-
motion, when q senior man retired at
10 distant date. Too intelligent TO
find all that life had to offer in his
work alone, he now began to think Of
culture, of human pleasures, and those
added interests and responsibilities
that a wife and family would offer.
He was somewhat overweary after
a strenuous year: but TO Dartmoor
he always came for health and rest
when opportunity offered, and now
he had returned for the third time
TO the Duchy Hotel at Princetown.
Being good talker he never failed
OF an audience there. But better still
he liked an hour sometimes with the
prison wardens. For the convict pris-
on that dominated that gray smudge
in the heart of the moors known as
Princetown held many interesting and
famous criminals.
He had found an unknown spot
where some good trout dwelt and on
an evening in mid-June he set forth
to tempt them. He had discovered
certain deep pools in disused
quarry fed by streamlet.
Fogsintor Quarry, wherein lay
these preserves. might be approached
in two ways. Originally broken into
the granite bosom Of the moor for
stone to build the bygone war prison
of PrincetOwn, a road still extended
to the deserted spot end joined the
main thoroughfare half a mile dis
tant.
Brendon, however, cane hither by
a direct path over the moors. Leav-
ing Princetown railway station upon
his left hand he set his face west
where The waste heaved out before
him dark against a blaze of light
from the sky.
Against the western flame ap-
pearcd figure carrying a basket.
Mark Brendon. with thoughts on the
evening rise of the trout, lifted his
face at light football. Whereupon
there passed b. him the fairest woman
he had ever known. She was slim
and not very tall. She wore no hat
and the auburn of her hair. piled high
above her forehead. tangled the warm
sunset beams and burned like a halo
round, her head. And she had blue
eycs-blue as the gcntian. Their size
impressed Brendon.
She walked quickly with n good
stride and her slight. silvery skirts
and rosy, silken jumper showed her
figure clearly enough-hcr round hips
and i'm. girlish bosom.
Fer eyes met his for n moment
Win Il lTiHh, lruSllul tAITtsslOi, lutH
she had passed.
The vision make Mark pensive, as
sudden beauty will, and he wondered
about the girl.
Tramping forward now, the d.
tective came to, great crater that
CAPPED on the hillside ard stood
above the dead quarry workings of
FoegintOr. Underneat'; him opened a
cavity with sides 200 feet high.
Mark proceeded. to the extreme
breadth of the quarry. 80 yards north
crly. and stood above two wide. still
pools in the midst. Trout moved and
here and there circles of light widened
out on the water and rippled to the
cliff beyond.
Mark set about h, sport. yet felt
that a sort of unfamiliar division had
come into his mind and. while he
brought two tiny-eyed flies from a
box ard fastened them to the hair
like leader he always used, there per-