| Show AT A T rad ram 7 ay 0 Y tard CA SYNOPSIS allen ml holbrook and ats helen holbrook her nit niece ce were entrusted to the care of laurance donovan a writer 11 ing near port annandale Annani lale miss allen fu at confided to donovan that she h feared her broth brother henry who ruined by a bank failure allure g had a constantly or antly threatened her lor for money from his f tat athers herg will of at which ulsa patricia was cu guardian euard ardian laii they came t to 0 port fort annandale Annan dalo to escape scap henry D donovah Do 0 no novat vaa sympathized with the two women ile he learned of miss allen lle helens lons annoying suitor donovan discovered and an intruder who proved t to b reginald gillespie aiU Mple suitor tor for trie the han hand d ot of allen helen holbrook gillespie disappeared the following morning A roukh sailor llor appeared and was waa ordered away donovan saw aw MIB M so I 1 albrook Holbro olt and her father meet on friendly terms Dj donovan novan fought an italian assassin ile ha met the roan man lie he supposed was wa holbrook but who sald he ha was ll artridge a canoe banoo malier maker after a short dis russion donovan left su surilla aur llly rilly gillespie wits wa discovered covered dla ba by donovan presenting at country chuoc church with stobo gillespie admitted he h knew of hoi brockb presence allen pat acknowledged to donovan that allen ml helen had been hissink for a tow few hours houra while in a launch laun cli the it italian a ilan sailor bailor attempted to molest the trio but failed avis pat announced her intention of at fighting henry glenry holbrook a and 1 1 d no not t seeking another hiding place D donovan 0 van me nt t helen in garden rard tin at night duplicity of tielen helen was waa confes aed by the younk young lady slit she admitted conniving wit with h her father despite her aunts aunt a rr in a might meeting with donovan the three went for a long un g ride rida the following day that night hol as i a L nun helen stele from the hauae use she met m e t ile dinald gillespie who told her his love na e evja was waa confronted by donovan nolen a lover escaped at the town own post poat 1110 helen ill unseen except by donovan slipped a draft into on ahn hand of the italian sailor lor she also staled her father esat hila pat and donovan to took 0 k in n the tha canoe noe carniv carniani ni A young lady resembling ca M 1 he helen felen holbrook Hol bronk was observed alone in a canoe when helen was waa tl blought to I 1 have been at home donovan met gil leople CHAPTER XII continued 1 1 I myself he continued taking a chair near mo and placing ble feet in an open window vind nw am cursed coreed with rugged health I 1 have quite recovered from those unkind cuts at the y thanks to your ministrations and am willing td id put on the he gloves with yon at any time you do me great honor but the affair must wait for a lower temperature As you will it la III not like my great and grac gracious ibus ways to force a fight pardon me but may I 1 inquire for the health of the ladles ladies at saint ber names they are quite well thank you 1 I am glad to know ik if and his bis tone lost loot for the moment its ita jainti jeaa genrl jH Tenry baa gone to now new yo york rk good clod it riddance dance I 1 exclaimed hear illy and ana now and now it if I 1 would only follow au cult t everything would be joy plus for youl you I 1 lie he laughed and slapped hla his knees at my discomfiture tor for he had read my thoughts exactly you cartall certainly n li rio are tho the only blot on the lands landscape capell I 1 quite so BO and it if I 1 would only go hence tho the pretty little jda ly that to la being enacted in the delightful garden under the eye of a friendly chaperon would go forward without interruption 1 he spoke soberly and I 1 had cb served that when ho be dropped hla his chaff a note of melancholy crept into his talk lie folded his arms and went on ashes a wonderful girl donovan theres no other girl like her in all the wide widd world I 1 tell you its hard tor for a orl girl like that to be in her position the whole family broken up and that contemptible father of hers hanging banging about with his schemes of plunder its pitiful donovan Us iva pitiful ita ila a cheerless mess it all came a after ter the ban bank k failure I 1 suppose practically though t the he brothers never got on you see my governor was bit by their bank failure and miss pat resented the tact fact that he be banked oft when stung but the gil take their medicine father never squealed which makes me sore that your aunt rat pat gives me the ley icy eye their their a attalea are certainly mixed bilea 11 I 1 replied non commit tally they are indeed and I 1 have studied the whole athola business until my near mind la Is mussed up like scrambled eggs your own pretty idyl of 0 the nunnery garden adds the note pl cross my palm with gold and ill tell teil you of strange things that ilu I 1 in the future I 1 have an idea dono done vaal vaa sinju singular lir though it seem 1 ive je a notion in my head bead keep it I 1 retorted to prevent it a cranial vacuum Crus hedl absolutely crushed I 1 ho he replied kick me lae im only the host we were silent while the few sounds ot of the village street droned dronek la in lie he rose and paced the floor to shake off art hla his mood and when he ha sat down he isee in better spirits holbrook will undoubtedly return I 1 said I 1 yes yea theres no mannerow manne ot doubt I 1 and then thero ero will bo be more trouble of course I 1 out but I 1 suppose theres no gues guessing slag when lie ho will come back baab iho will VIII come back as soon jooa lis its ke kes hes s hta his money I 1 felt fell a delicacy cacy about nebout referring to that transaction trans actton on the pier it was t I 1 wretched burtney bust busi ney neiLs and I 1 now noi alneil al zeil eliat tho the shame of it haq not lust lost on j box does doea henry coin to 10 hate thi that i NIT cow I 1 I 1 whai the devai did you bring me up here for italian scoundrel with him I 1 asked after a pause iles hes the skipper of the stiletto gillespie replied readily iles hes a long lone W way sy from tidewater tide water I 1 remarked A blackguard of just his sort once sailed me around the italian peninsula in a 6 felucca and saved pe me from drowning on the way ills hla heroism was wag not hoi however veyer wholly disinterested when we got back to naples ho he robbed no me of my watch and money belt and I 1 profited by the transaction having intended to give him double e their value but there are plenty of farm boys around the lako lake who could handle tut the stiletto henry need t a dago ex expert P ert the mention of the italian clearly troubled gillespie after a moment he said he may be holding on to henry instead of henrys hold ingon to him do you see no I 1 dont well I 1 have an alidea taa that the dago knows thing teats valuable last summer henry went cruising in the sound with a pretty rotten crowd poker being the chief diversion A man died ba tha boat before they chiy got back to new new york the report was that he be tell fell I 1 yown a hatchway when he be was drunk but there were some ugly stories in tho the papers about it that italian sailor bailor was ono one of the crew where is IB he now over at battle orchard ile he knowe his m man ah and knows hell be back im waiting for henry too helen gave him the way the market Is running hes likely to go broke any day he plays stocks stoc a like ilka a crazy man and after hes bes busted hell be back on our hands bands Us ita hard on miss pat and Ws its harder on helen ashes in terror all the time tor for tear fear her father will go up against the law and bring further disgrace on the family theres her uncle arthur a wanderer on the face of the earth tor for his sins that was had bad enough without the rest of it that was greed too it no just general cussedness ile he blow blew in the holbrook bank anaf skipped you told me ma that henry holbrook found his way here ahead of you how do you account for that ile he looked at me quickly and rose again pacing the narrow room 1 11 I dentt I 1 wish I 1 coul coulat dl its about aboa the last place in the world to attract him port annandale Anna hdale Is tt a quia resort frequented by western people only theres neither hunting nor fishing worth mentioning and a man come from new york to indiana to sail a boat on oil a thimbleful of water like this lake you are quite right if helen holbrook gave him warning that they were coming here dont don t you date dare say bay iti she he coulden couldn donel done she havo have done dona ILI I 1 tell you I 1 know independently delilly of her that he bo was waa here before father stoddard Blod dard ew suggested this place to miss altos paw pat weh vell you got get so eo hot about it and you insinuate that sibe ehe Is not acting honorably in this I 1 should think that after making love to her as you have been doing and playing the roleon comforter to miss pat you would have the decency not to accuse her of connivance with hnry holbrook ayou you let houi your jealousy Ia lousy got gat the better of your good sense I 1 have not been making love to miss holbrooks I 1 declared angrily and knew la in my heart that I 1 lied well weil irishman he exclaimed with entire good humor let us not bring up mine host to find us locked in mortal combat what whai the devil did you bring brine me up here for I 1 demanded oh just to enjoy your society I 1 ret get lonesome sometimes I 1 toll tell you a man does get lonesome in this world when he be has nothing to lean on but a blooming button factory and a stepmother stepa who flits among the worlds world a expensive sanatoria I 1 know you fa u have never had button button chos got the button chanted chante d in your ears ear 01 but may I 1 ask whether you have ever known the joy of a stepmother step mothe I 1 can see that your answer will be an negative ile he was quite the fool again and stared at me vacuously my stepmother ts s not the cammon common ipe ot of juvenile fiction slie she has never never attempted during her widowhood to rob iob the orphan or to polson poison him bless your irish heart no not shea a good W woman an and rich I 1 in n jerown her own right but I 1 t stand liar dietary ashes afraid ira im going to de Donovan 1 she he thinks going t to 0 die father died of pneumonia and she said ice fee water in the finger bowl did it and she wanted to have the butler arrested for murder she had it a new disease for me every morning it was worse than being left with a button works to draw a stepmother like that sho she ate nothing but hot water a and n d zwerbach herself and shuddered when I 1 demanded salvage and buckwheat cakes every day she caught me one day clearing up a couple of chickens and a mug of bass with the gardener and it was all over she had noticed she said that I 1 had been coughing of late I 1 was waa doing a few cigarettes too many that was all and wired to new york for doctors she had fiad all sorts norta donovan alienists and specialists and lung experts the people on strawberry hill thought there was waa a medical convention in town I 1 was on the golt course where I 1 was about to win the eastern connecticut long drive cup and looked locked up la in a dark room at home for two days while they tested me ma they made all the known tests testa donovan they tested me tor for diseases 3 that been discovered yet let and for some that have been extinct since the days of noah you can see where that put me I 1 was afraid to tight or sulk for fear the alienists would send me to the madhouse 1 I was afraid to eat tor for fear they would think that was a symptom and every time I 1 asked for food the tapeworm tape worm roan man looked intelligent and began pro scribing while the rest of them ware terribly chagrined because they scored first the only joy I 1 got out or of the rumpus was in hitting hilling one or of those alienists a damned hard ello clip in the ribs and im glad I 1 did it he was waa fooling feeling my mr medulla gAa ta at the moment and as I 1 resent being man handled I 1 pasted him one he was a young chap and fair anine I 1 pasted him on one and then tbell grabbed a sult suit caso and slid I 1 stol 0 away in III a clam boat for new haven and kept right on up into northern northera maine alaimo where I 1 stayed with tho indians until ray fathers father 3 to ie lica went orr off broken hearted to bad to drink the waters and here I 1 am by the grace of gud god in I 1 J sa U perfect health and in im full control of the button market ol of the world you have undoubtedly been sorely tried I 1 said ax as he broke off mournfully in spite of myself I 1 bad been entertained ile he was ana a fellow felloe of curious humor and with unusual experience per peri lence ence or of life he ha fol followed loed me to the street and as aa I 1 rode away he be called me back its as though to impart something of moment did you ever meet charles darwin ile he need me tor for proof buttons 1 I wish I 1 might have had one word with him its on my mind that he put the monkeys back too far I 1 should be happier it if be had bad brought broucht them a little nearer up to date I 1 should feel less leas Iono lonesome some irishman ile he stopped me again once I 1 had bad an ambition to find and an honest onest man donovan but I 1 gai gave it tup up its easier to be an honest man th than an to find one on I 1 give you pe peace acell I 1 had bad learned some things from the young button king but much was waa still opaque in the affairs of the hoi 1101 brooks the italians presence presen cB assumed a new significance from gilles pies story ile he had been party to a conspiracy to kill holbrook alias hartridge on the night of my adventure at the houseboat and I 1 fell to wondering who had bad been the shadowy director of that chaj enterprise the coward mhd bad hung off in the creek and waited for tho the evil deed to be done CHAPTER XIII the gato gate of dreams in n my heart I 1 was waa anxious to to ado do autice justice to gillespie sad it la Is that we are all so BO given to passing solemn judgment on an trilling testimony tesi timo I 1 myself am not impeccable I 1 should at any time give to the lions hona a man who uses his thum as a paper cutter for such aone a one la Is clearly marked tor for brutality my aly prejudice rally as to a trumpet call at the sight bight of 0 a girl wearing overshoes or nibbling bon bons the one augg suggestive estive of predatory habits and weak lungs the other of nervous dyspepsia the night was wasi fine and attar after returning my horse to the stable I 1 continued on to the glenarm glenara boat boathouse bouse I 1 was strolling along pipe in mouth and was halfway half way up the boathouse steps when a woman shrank away from the veranda rail whore where she had been standing gazing out upon the lake there was no mistaking her alfe wits was not even evea disguised tonight and as I 1 advanced across the he little veranda she turned toward me the lantern over the boathouse door suffused us both as I 1 greeted her pardon me miss holbrook im afraid I 1 have disturbed your meditations eions s I 1 said but it if you dont manc you have the advantage of being on OIL your own aroun ground d she replied 1 I waive all my rights aa it you will remain it Is much nicer here than on st agathas pier you can see the lake and the stars better on the whole she laughed 1 I think I 1 shall ahall stay t ay a moment lo longer figer it if you will tolee tolerate ate MO me I 1 brought out some pome chairs and we sat down by the rail where we could look out exit upon t the he B tar star sown heavens and the dark floor ot of stars beneath helen bent forward W with A her elbows resting on the rall rail her hands casp clasped ed under her chin the lamplight foil full upon her slightly lifted head bead and upon her shoulders over which lay |
