The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-12-14

stop before the house brought Jar
Wis to his window. He saw Bruce
step from his car and approach the
door. He turned from his window
and seated himself in his big chair
before his desk. Presently he heard
old Hannah's voice in the hall be-
low and in a moment Bruce Landor
presented himself in the library
doorway.
Jarvis looked up as his visitor an
nounced himself. 1t might have been
Godfrey Landor himself, he carried
himself with such ease of manner
and a bearing SO erect and challeng
ing. He was dressed in riding
breeches and a soft gray shirt that
was open at the throat.
Good morning, Landor," Jarvis
greeted him, without getting up.
"Cone in and sit down"
Bruce entered the room and re-
mained standing before the Laird.
''You wanted to talk to me-" he
prompted.
Eyes" Jarvis replied. "Sit down,
sit down"
He waved hand to a vacant
chair and Bruce seated himself and
glanced quickly about the room.
| There followed an awkward pause
which Bruce sought to break at
once.
81 hope you are well, Mr.. Dean,"
he ventured with determined cordi-
ality.
From beneath his shaggy brows,
the Laird's severe eyes pierced
Bruce with a look that would have
brought discomfort to anyone with
less easy conscience.
"Well enough-wen enough" Jar
Wis replied. "a man of my years
doesn't find fault if he's taken with
an ache or pain now and then"
You're good for long while yet,
Mr.. Dean" Bruce said.
"Quite possible, quite possible, :"
the Laird said, taking a cigar from
the box on his table and nipping the
end with his teeth. Better smoke,
Landor," he said then. ''We'n both
talk better. I'd offer you cigar,
but you young fellows"
''I have some cigarettes with me,
thanks" Bruce told him as he took
a package from his shirt pocket and
selected one. He struck match
and held it to the Laird'S cigar, odd
ly moved by this momentary inti-
macy with a man who had been a
mysterious and forbidding figure to
him as long as he could remember.
"You have lost some sheep" the
Laird began as soon as Bruce had
seated himself.
"Thirty-four, Bruce replied.
"Your prize Merinos, they were"
| eyes, sir" Bruce said.
"Too bad, too bad," Jarvis OBJ
served. "Gilly tells me they were
poisoned--strychnine in the salt
trough. You're sure of that?"
1.-THE vets report was waiting for
me when I got home"
| "Aye-so I understand. He tells
me, too, that you suspect this man,
Belfort."
1--WE have no proof of it" Bruce
said. 81 have my own opinion, and
it amounts to conviction"
"You might be wrong, of course.
Bruce smiled. Certainly, sir, but
I don't think / am this time"
The Laird leaned forward and
! tapped the ash from his cigar. 81
admit the man would do it-he's the
kind that would, if he had any rea-
son for it. But even a bad man
doesn't act without a motive"
II supplied him with a motive
I'm afraid" Bruce replied directly
"Aye-I was coming to that. You
had some sort of rumpus with
him in town last week, I'm told.
81 had," Bruce admitted.
"It was over something that Bel
fort had to say about-my daugh
ter-wasn't it?" the Laird asked,
81 should have done precisely
what I did, sir, whether it had beer
your daughter or any other woman
Jarvis dismissed the suggestion
with a wave of his hand. Ger
tainly, my boy, certainly. But thai
has nothing whatever to do with the
business" He paused and drew {
deep breath, then relaxed into his
| chair. "You are still very young
| man, Landor," he went on, "-ant
am an old man. My opinion ma,
count very little to a man of your
years. But if young woman
chooses to make a trollop of her
self, I don't see how it improves
matters to make it the cause of ;
public brawl."
"Your daughter has not made ;
trollop of herself, SIR" Bruce pro
tested. Besides, I did what / dit
because l had little choice in th
matter.
would it not have been bette
if you had left well-enough alone
instead of making both my daugh
ter and yourself the laughing stool
of the countryside?"
I'm afraid we can't agree o.
that, SIR Bruce replied. Il am, G
course, sorry for any unpleasant
ness it may have caused either yol
or Autumn.
Jarvis Deans face darkened. "B
that as it may, Landor," he said
I'D prefer to look after such thing
myself, in the future, when the
concern me or one of my ow
house.
, .tVerv good. sir Bruce returned