Show E R I 1 A L STORY 11 1 1 ra III INA LIT T ULE TG AT r K I 1 lr IL A R bibba Bi BBB t att by MEREDITH NICHOLSON illustration by SAY BAY WALTERS TS C 31 FF OPy copyright right JIM ty by the tb bobb C company py SYNOPSIS thomas thomaa ardmore bored millionaire kind henry maine griswold professor in the university of 0 virginia take tak e trains out of 0 arlania At Ati lania arim griswold to hla his college ardmore in pursuit of a girl w who ho had winked at him Afi mistaken staken for gov osborne tit of south carolina Gris griswoldsr wolds life la Is threatened ile he goes to columbia to warn the governor and me mets meeta eta barbara dagorne Os Da borno borne ardmore learns that hla his winking lady la Is the daughter of 0 gov dangerfield of north carolina lie he follows her to raleigh na leleh and on the tha way war to Is given a brown JUK jug at kildare in raleigh he dla lovers that the jug juff bears beara a message threatening dangerfield unless apple weight a criminal ta Is all allowed 0 wed to go iree free ardmore becomes allied with jerry dan derfl remold ld in running the affairs of 0 the state n i the absence ot of the governor A scathing telegram Is 1 abent n t to gov osborne chapter VI mr griswold Grif wold forsakes the academic life miss osborne had asked griswold to await the outcome of the day and finding himself thus possessed of a vacation he be indulged his bis antiquarian instincts by exploring columbia the late afternoon found him in the lovely cathedral churchyard where an aged negro tending the graves of an illustrious family leaned upon his spade and recited the achievements and virtues of the dead As AB the shadows lengthened grim wold walked back to the hotel where he be ate supper then calling tor for a horse he rode through the streets in a mood of more complete alienation than he had bad ever experienced in a foreign country yet the very scents or of the surrinder infer er night stealing out from old gardens the voices that reached him from open doorways spoke of home As he be reached the outskirts of town nod rode on toward the governors mansion his mood changed and he laughed softly for he remembered ardmore and ardmore was beyond question the most moat amusing person he be knew it was unfortunate he generously reflected that ardmore rather than himself had not been plunged into this present undertaking which was much more in Ard mores line that his own there would however be a great satisfaction in telling ardmore ot of his unexpected visit to columbia in exchange for hla his friends report of his pursuit of the winking eye lie ile only regretted that in the nature of things columbia la is a modern city a sent seat of commerce as well as of government a place where bank clearings are seriously computed and where the jaunty adventurer with sword and ruffles Is quite likely to run afoul of the police lethis own imagination was far more fertile than Ard mores and he would have hailed a troop of mail mall clad men as joyfully as an his bis friend had he met them clanking in the highway thus modern as we think ourselves the least venturesome among us dreams that some day some turn of a street corner will bring him face to face with what we please to call our fate and this Is lathe the manifestation of our last drop of medieval blood the grimmest grimmeit grim seeker after reality looks out of the corner of his eye for the flutter of a white handkerchief from froin the ivied tower he affects to ignore and in spite of himself he Is buoyed by the hope that some same day a horn will sound for him over the nearest bill miss osborne met him at the hemn vert n da steps indoors a mandolin and piano struck up the merry chords of the eutaw girl my young sisters have company well sit here it you dont mind she led the way to a quiet corner and after they were seated she was silent a moment while the light ligpit from the windows showed clearly that her perplexity of the morning was not yet at an end ile he felt that she was waa serl seriously and troubled arid he wished to hearten her it if he could the soft dusk of the faintly lighted corner folded her in ile he heard whispered in his heart a mans first word of the woman he la Is destined t love in which he sets seta her apart above and beyond all other she lit la different she la 15 not like ike other women benl enl it Is nearly nine she said her voice thrilling through him lly faher father ther should have been here an hour ago ngo we vo have heard nothing from him the newspapers have telephoned repeatedly to know his whereabouts I 1 have put them off by intimating that litis away on important public business tea and that his purpose might be ne fAted it bis big exact thereabouts were known 1 I have no doubt in the world that the explanation you gave the newspapers newspaper la is the truth of the matter your father must be absent a great d deal tat wis it ie part of a governors business busine is to keel in motion but we may as well face the fact act that his absence just now Is most embarrassing thin ap matter has haa reached a crisis and a failure to handle it properly may injure your fathers future as a public man it if you will pardon roe me I 1 would suggest that there must be some one whom you can take into your confidence some borne friend some one in n your fathers administration that you can rely on ont yes father has haa many friends but I 1 cannot consider acknowledging to any one that father has disappeared when such a matter as this apple weight case is an issue through the state no I 1 have thought of every one this afternoon it would be a painful tiling thing for his best friends to know what Is what seems to be the truth tier her voice wavered a little but she was brave and lie was aware that she straightened herself in her chair and when wayward gleams of light fell upon her face that her lips were set resolutely you saw the attorney general this morning she went on As you eba suggested he be would naturally bo be the one to whom I 1 should turn but I 1 cannot do it I 1 there la Is a reason and she faltered a moment there are arc seasons why I 1 cannot appeal to mr nos DOS worth at this time she shrugged her shoulders as an though throwing off a disagreeable topic and he be saw that there was nothing more to be said on oil this point ilia heartbeats heart beats boats quickened as he realized that slie she was appealing to him that though he was only the most casual acquaint acquaintance anco she trusted him As he pondered pon dereu derea tor a moment a messenger rode into the grounds and miss alias osborne slipped away and met the boy at the steps she came back and opened a telegram reading the message at one of the windo windows wB an indignant exclamation escaped her and she crumpled the paper in her hand the impudence of it she exclaimed lie ile had risen end and she now turned to him with anger and scorn deepening her beautiful color tier her breath came quickly her head was lifted imperiously her lips quivered slightly as she spoke this Is from gov dangerfield can you imagine a man of any character or decency sending such a message to the governor of another state she watched him as he read raleigh Hal elgh N C C the honorable charles charlea osborne Oa borne governor of south carolina columbia 8 C have written by to nights mall mail tin in ap lp lewe I 1 matter your vacillating course not understood WILLIAM governor of 0 north carolina what do you think of that she demanded 1 I think its impertinent to so say arthe the least he replied guardedly impertinent its the most contemptible temp tible outrageous thing I 1 ever heard of in my fifel gov dangerfield has dilly dallied with that case tor for two years ills his administration has haa been marked from tho the beginning ng by the worst kind of incompetence why this man Apple weight and hla his gang ot of outlaws only come into south carolina now and then to hide bide and steal r f im what are our intentions but they commit roost most of their crimes in north carolina and they at always wa ys have talk about a vacillating courbet courset course father has never taken steps to arrest those men out of sheer regard for gov dangerfield he be thought north carolina had bad some pride and that her governor would prefer to take care of hla his own criminals what do you suppose Apple weight 1 la indicted for in this state for stealing one ham one single hum ham froni from a farmer in mingo county and hes killed half a dozen men in north carolina 1 she paced the corner ot the veranda angrily while griswold groped for a solution of the problem the telegram from raleigh was certainly lacking jacking in diplomatic suavity it was patent that it if thi the governor of north carolina was not tremendously tremendous lj aroused he be was playing a great game of bluff and ort orf either hypothesis a prompt response must bo b mide made to hla his telegram it 1 fiust answer this ats at once ile he must not think we are so stupid in columbia that we dout dont know when were insulted we can go through the side door to fathers study and write the message there and she led the way she found a blank and wrote rapidly without asking suggestions with this result the honorable william dangerfield raleigh N C you fat remely diverting telegram in rage case received and file CIAn chanles LES governor it A south carolina she met griswoldsr Gils Gris wolds obvious disappointment ment with prompt explanation you see the governor of south carolina cannot stoop to sin an exchange of billingsgate with an under underbred brej per on like that thata a big solemn conceited creature in a long frock coat and a shoestring ne catle who boasts of 0 be bb longing to the common peo pull lie ile have to tell anybody that when its plain as daylight the way to answer him la Is not to answer at all excellent its bound to irritate and it leaves him blin in the dark as aa to our I 1 mean gov Os bornea bornes intentions and dioso intentions intention during this byplay by play ho he had reached a decision an aa to what be done and he was waa prepared to answer when she asked with an employment of 0 the pronoun that pleasantly emphasized their relationship what are our intentions we are going to catch apple weight the first thing and until we get him were going to keep our own counsel tat let me have it a telegraph blank and I 1 will try nay my hand at being governor lie ile sat down in the governors chair asked the name of the county seat of alinee and wrote without erasure or hesitation title this message to the sheriff of alengo county jurner turner court I 1 house ouse S C make every possible effort to capture Apple t and any of his hl tans gang who are in your county swear in all the deputies you nee ceeil anti anil it friendly nesi of citizens to outlaw makes this impo impossible sib e wire we roe immediately and I 1 will send end militia any delay on an your you part will be visited with severest penal ties answer immediately by telegraph CHARLES OSBORNE governor of south carolina quite within the law said griswold handing banding barbara the message and we might as well put the thing through at a gallop ill get the telegraph company to hold open the line to turner court house until the sheriff sheri if a answers n B w e r 3 an ah barbara read the message he saw tier her pleasure in the quick corn com pres slon of 0 her lips the glow in her cheeks and then the bright glint of her bronze brown eyes as she finished there must be no mistake no failure she said eald quietly we are not going to fall we are going to carry this through within three days well have Apple weight in a north carolina jail or a flying fugitive in gov territory and now these telegrams must be sent it might be better for you to go to the telegraph office with me you must remember that I 1 am a pilgrim and a stranger and they might question my filing official messages that Is perfectly true I 1 will go 90 into town with you and it if theres an official clat coach that everybody knows as yours it would allay suspicions auspicious to have it and while he be was still speaking she vanished to order the carriage in five minutes it was at the side door and griswold and barbara fortified by the presence of phoebe left the governors study if they dont know me everybody in south carolina knows phoebe said barbara A capital idea adea I 1 can see by her eye that ashes built for conspiracy Gris griswoldsr wolds horse was to be returned to town by a boy and when this had been arranged the three entered the carriage the telegraph office tom and hurry CHAPTER VII an affair at the statehouse State home fl arbara filed the messages herself with the manager of the telegraph company who lifted the green shado shade from his eyes and smiled upon her well rush them miss Os borrie shall I 1 telephone the answers if they come tonight to night no your father likes hla his telegrams delivered I 1 remember 1 I will call for them said eald dris wold gov osborne was only at home a few hours this evening and he left ron me in charge of these matters mattera the managers face expressed surprise ohl I 1 know the governor was at home he remarked as aa he finished counting the words and charging them against the states account 1 I will send them myself and ask the operators tit at the other end to look lively about the answers you are mr air this ii maj aid griswold graswold said flar barbars barbara conferring the title with a vague feeling that it strengthened her cause vialor falor AI A alor repeated the manager and he nodded to griswold with an air that implied his familiarity with official secrets you will call in a con couple pie ot hours major tro CM BK BE CONTINUED |