The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-06-06

A man stole my wife. l did not trouble
the law courts. I killed him."
Il have the blood Of generations Of
lawyers in my VEINS" Francis de-
clared, "but l have read many a d.
vorce case in which I think 1t would
have been better and finer if the two
men had met as you and that man
met"
II was born with the love of fight
ing in my bones," Sir Timothy went
ON. 'Tn my younger days. fought
in every small war in the southern
hemisphere. I fought. as you know,
in our own war. have loved to see
men fight honestly and fairly"
"It is a mans hobby" Francis pro-
nounced. n
II encouraged you deliberately to
think" Sir Timothy went on, "what
half the world thinks-that my parties
at the Walled House were mysteri-
GUS orgies Of vice. They have, as a
matter Of fact, never been anything of
the sort. The tragedies which are
supposed to have taken place on my
launch have been just as much mock
tragedies as last nights. only i have
not previously chosen to take the au-
diences4into my confidence. The great
est pugilists in the world have fought
in my gymnasium, often. If you will,
under illegal conditions, but there has
never been fight that was not fair"
81 believe that" Francis said.
"And there is another matter for
which I take some blame" Sir Tim
othy went on, "the matter of Fairfax
and Victor Bidlake. They were nei-
Their of them young men for whose
loss the world is any the worse. Fair
fax to some extent imposed upon me.
He was brought to the Walled House
by friend who should have known
better. He sought my confidence. The
story he told was exactly that Of the
mock drama upon the launch. Bidlake
had taken his wife. He had no wish
to appeal to the courts. He wished to
fight, a point Of view with which
entirely sympathized. arranged q
fight between the two. Bidlake funked
1t and never turned up. My advice to
Fairfax was. whenever he met Bidlake,
to give him the soundest thrashing he
could. That night at Soto's caught
sight Of Fairfax some time before
dinner. He was talking to the woman
who had been his wife, and he had
evidently been drinking. He drew me
on one side. Tonight he told me, I
am going to settle accounts with Bid
lake 'WhereY l asked. Here, he
answered. He went cut to the theater.
l upstairs to dine. That was the ex-
tent Of the knowledge I possessed
which enabled me to predict some I'M
wonted happening that night. Fair
fax was bedrugged and bedrunken
decadent who had not the courage
afterward to face what he had done.
That Is ALL"
The hand slipped from Francis
shoulder. Francis, with smile, held
out his own. They stood there for a
moment with clasped hands-a queer,
detached moment. as it seemed to
Francis, in a life which during the
last few months had been full Of vivid
sensations. From outside came the
lazy sounds of the drowsy summer
morning-the distant humming of a
moving machine. the drone Of reaper
in the field beyond. the twittering OF
birds in the trees, even the soft lap
ping Of the stream against the stone
steps. The man whose hand he was
holding seemed to Francis to have be-
come somehow transformed. 1t was
as though he had dropped a mask and
were showing more human, more
kindly self. T.ancis wondered no
longer at the hating gallop Of the
horses in the field.
you'll be good to Margaret" Sir
Timothy begged. "She's had a wretched
time"
Francis smiled confidently.
"I'm going to make up for it, sir, "
he promised. "And this South Ameri-
can trip" he continued. as they turned
toward the French windows. you'll
call that OFF,?
Sir Timothy hesitated.
II am not quite sure"
When they reached the garden, Lady
Cynthia was alone. She scarcely
glanced at Francis. Her eyes were
anxiously fixed upon his companion.
Margaret has gone In to make the
cocktails herself" she explained. ave
have both sworn off absinthe for the
rest of our lives. and we know Hedges
can't be trusted to make one without. "
It'll go and help her." Francis de-
clared.
Lady Cynthia passed her arm
through Sir Timothy's.
II want to know about South Amer
ica." she begged "The sight of those
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