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Show Brown Jm at KJLDAIff Vhf MEREDITH NICHO&g!MSffl- JU SYNOPSIS. j Thomns Ardmoro nnd Henry Malno Grlswold stumble upon Intrigue when tlio governors of North and South Carolina uro reported to have quarreled. Oris-wold Oris-wold allies himself with Harbara Osborne, Os-borne, daughter of the governor of South Carolina, while Ardmoro espouses the cause of Jerry Dungorllcld, daughter of the governor of North Carolina. These two young Indies are trying to fill tho shoes of their fathers, whiio tho latter are missing. Hoth states are In a turmoil tur-moil over one Applewelght, an outlaw with great political Influence. Unaware of each other's position, both Qrlswold and Ardmoro get out to mako the other prosecute Applewolght. Valuablo papers In the Applewolght case are missing from the olllce of Gov. Osborno and Orlswold places tho theft at tho door of tho scheming attorney genernl. Ardmoro charters a caboose anil starts for the border to plan the arrest of Applewolght. Jerry meanwhile, Is a guest at Ardsley. Ardmoro's posse takes the field. Oris-wold, Oris-wold, plotting to tho name end as Ard-more. Ard-more. Is also scouting the border with a posse. CHAPTER XI. Two Ladles on a Balcony. Tho outer nspect of Ardsley Is, frankly, feudal. The Idea of a North Carolina estate had grown out of Ard-moro's Ard-moro's lovo of privacy and his wish to get away from New York where his family was all too frequently struck by tho spot light. The great tract of land once secured he had not concerned con-cerned himself about a house, but had thrown together a comfortnblo bungalow bunga-low which satisfied him for n year. Hut Ardmoro's gentle heart, Inaccessible Inacces-sible to demands of many sorts, was a defenseless citadel when nppeals wero made to his generosity. A poor young architect, lately home from the Ecolo def Beaux Arts, with many honors but fpw friends, fell under Ardmoreis eyes. The towers nnd battlcriien'ts that soon thereafter crowned the terraced' ter-raced' slopes at Ardsley, etching a noblo lino against the lovely panorama pano-rama of North Carolina hills, testified at opco to tho architect's talent for adaptation nnd Ardmoro's diminished balances at tho Bronx Loan and-.TruErtj Comnany. On a balcony that commanded tho sunset a balcony bright with geraniums geran-iums that hung dnrlngly over a rayrnp pn the west, Mrs. Atchison nnd -Mies terry Dangcrfleld wore cozlly taking tlielr tea. Their white gQWis, jfctHo snowy awning stirring snghtlyln- tlio hill air, tho bright trifles of the tea-table tea-table mingled in a picturo of charm and contentment. "I wonder," said Mrs. Atchison nb; ruptly, "where Tommy Is." "I have no definite Idea," said Jerry, Jer-ry, pouring cream, "but lot us hopo that ho Is earning his salary." "His salary?" and Mrs. Atchison's brows contracted. "Do you mean that my brother Is taking pay for this mysterious work ho Is doing?" "He shall be paid In money," replied re-plied Jerry with decision. "As I have only the barest acquaintance with Mr. Ardmoro, never, In fact, having seen him until a few days ago, It would bo very Improper for mo to permit him 1 to servo mo except under tho rules thnt govern tho relations of employer and employe." Mrs. Atchison smiled with tho wlso tolerance of n woman of the world; nnd she was a lady, It must bo said, who had a keen percoptlon of thnt sano and nmplo philosophy of llfo which proceeds, wo may say, for tho sake of convenience, from tho senso of humor. Sho did not liko to bo puzzled: puz-zled: nnd sho hnd nover In her llfo been surprised, least of all by any word or deed of her slngulnr brother Tommy. Sho liked and evon cultivated with daring tho Inadvertent turps ln a day's affairs. Tho cool fashion In which her brother hnd placed tho daughter of tho governor of North Carollnn ln her-hands on board her car at Halelgh had amused her. Sho had learned nothing, from Jerry of tho beginnings of that, y.oiipg. woman's." ncqualntanco with the master of Ardsley Ards-ley an acquaintance which seemed to bo Intlmnto In certain aspects .buj;. amazingly dlstnnt nnd opaqu&Vn bt3s ers, Miss Goraldlne Dnngorftoj.d, like; Mrs. Atchison herself, wns;illir)culv?p; surprise, and Tommy .Anfin'ocqlssis; ter admired this In any oriphn.d, Hljn; particularly admired It In ji!i:fy,yjfia was so chnrnilng In so n'infji'y-'Qt('li6 ways. r 'ItV'-'-J "I hope," said Mrs. Atchison, .putting .put-ting down her cup and gnzjng dreamily dreami-ly Into tho west, "that you ha.vo not given Tommy any commission lh which ho lu likely to fall." This -was, as tho lady knewt almppU viilgarly. leading; but Jerry foldedjion arms, and'spoko out with charmjng. frankness. "I havo henrd my father say," said ,orry, "that Incapable men often rise, to-'grcat opportunities whon they are pushed. Mr. Ardmoro has undertaken to perform for mo a servlco of the greatest dellcncy and not unattendod with danger. You. havo been klnd to mo, Mrs. Atchison, nnd as you aro my chaperon and untitled to my fullest full-est confidence It Is right for you to know just how I camo hero, and why your brother Is absent ln my servlco." For onco curiosity bound Mrs. Atchison Atch-ison in chains of steel. "Tell mo nothing, dear, unless you are quite free to do so," sho murmured; mur-mured; but her heart skipped n beat us sho waited. "I should not think of doing so except ex-cept of my own free will," declared Jerry, carelessly following tho flight of a hawk that flapped closo by toward to-ward tho neighboring woods. "It may Interest", you to know that Just now your brother, Mr. Thomas Ardmoro, is the governor of North Carolina.. Ho does riot: exactly know It, for at Raleigh I myself was governor of North Carolina at tho time wo mot and I jJmly'Ajido Mr. Ardniore my private secretary; but when It became necessary to tako. tho field I placed him In full charge, and he Is now not only governor .of tho Old North State, but nls.Q yio, coiiiiunnder-in-chlef of her tr5opsim tho field." Mrs. Atchison moved forward slightly, slight-ly, but ovlnced no other, sign of surprise. sur-prise. Tho hour, the scene, tho girl wero all to her liking. Sho would even prolong tho delight of hearing the further history of her brother's amnzlng elevntlon to supremo power In an American commonwealth It was so foreign to all experience, so heavy with possibilities, so delicious In that It had happened to Tommy of all men In the world! . ."I$rust," sho snld, smiling a little, Whnr'fommy will not provo unworthy of the confidence you havo reposed ln him." "If ho does," said Jerry, slapping her hnnds together to free them of an lmnglnnry sugar crumb, "I shall never, nej-er marry him." ,V lovo you moro -and morol You "Aria' that was'tomthy-Wny brothoy To.mmyV' v . ;. "That gentlpman has prqyd to bo Mr..'ThomnB' Ardmibro. I had, not tho slightest, Idea that I should oyer ln tho world seo ,hlin again.. My only, hopo was thnt ho would BO on his way cheered and rofreshed by my sign of good-will, though ho was either so depressed de-pressed or so surprised thnt ho mado no response. I novor expected to see him again In this world; and when IHind almost forgotten all about htm ho coolly sent ln his card to, mo nt tho executivo mnnslon in Halelgh. And I was very harsh with him when I learned who ho was; for you know tho Ardmoro estnto owns a lot of North Carolina bonds that aro duo on tho first of Juno, and Mr.. Hillings had been chnslng papa all over tho country coun-try to know whether they will bo paid; and I supposed of courso your brother was looking for papa,: too, to annoy him about soma mere detnll of that bond business, for tho state treasurer, treas-urer, who does not lovo papa, has gopo away fishing and Mr. Hillings Is perfectly wild." ''I Hope That You Have Not Given1 Tommy Any Commission In Which ; He Is Llkety to Fall." t, ' . ... ;'n'fayj te;! mo ;aiything you like with-,out with-,out fear" 'of being wjiBijni5erstood; .but; tell mo nothing that you prefoi-tto'' keep, to yourself " . "If you . wero ijo Mc. Ardmoro's Bister I should not lull $jqu this; nhd"i. shall novqr tell another' soul. 'JvYtf&' coming liomo from? a .visit In ftjilti-moro ftjilti-moro and tho train stopped somewhere some-where ifyt Jet .another tr.aln pass. Tho two trniflvstood sjdo '"by sldo for;. a,-, little wiilt'eand In the v.Indow of tlio slofip;pr.'.'.oi)nuBlto me I !,Raw a young mn'ir whp' 8!jemouVvory sad.' So, .jut as. iny ft-jalftBtarcd, at tho Tory fat ,momen0hfitj we looked at oach other, 'X winked nit that gentleman with, I think, my' right oyot" Miss dornldlno Dangorflold touphed tho offending membor delicately with hen handkerchief. Mrs. Atchison bent forward . nnd took bctli tho girl's hands. "Delicious!" exclaimed Mrs. Atchison. "Perfectly delicious! May I call you Jerry? Thank you, denr. Lot mo tell you thnt I am 32 and you are ?" "Seventeen," supplied Jerry. "And this Is tho most nmuslng, Interesting In-teresting nnd exciting thing I havo heard In nil my life. It might be difficult dif-ficult ordinarily for me to forgive tho wink, but your explanation lifts It out of the realm of social Impropriety Into tho sphero of .generous benevolence." benevo-lence." r; "Your brother dojs not seem particularly par-ticularly proud of Jus fnmlly connection," connec-tion," snld Jerry. plo Bpoko of you in tho nrost beautiful way, but ho seems distressed 13y tho actions of some of the othersi!' Mrs. Atchison sighed. "Tommy Is rightabout us. .Wo aro a sad lot." "Hut ho Is verjjrihard on tho duko. Since I camo to Ardsley h'ls grace lifts treated mo with tfr groatest courtesy, and ho has spokojY to mo ln the most complimentary terms. 'Ho Is beyond question a man 0$ kind hqnrt,. for ho has promised m&ihls mother's pearl necklace, which lutd been ln her family fam-ily for 400 years! . i. "I should not ;ttcsltntp to.'tak.o. tho necklace, Jerry, lfj hti reaHy produces It, for my Blstcr:His''Nvlfe,;!fm's"' never nad the sllghteBt:-gllmpso.,lt: nnd It Itf, 1 believe, In tjtio lianas. pf, certain Ungllsh trustees 'for tho 'boricft of tho duke's creditors; .Ii'dlsHkV-'to spoil 0110 of jlils grace's pretty illu'sTori8,"'bit unless ;Mr. Hillings softens : his" fienft'' !a' grent deal toward tho difl&'.'l fear that you will not got tho pearls this summer." "I must tell you ns' my')olinperon, Mrs. Atchison, that tho jlpk'o has already al-ready offered to olopo Wfth mo, Ho told moMast night ns wo'wbro having our coffoo on tho terrace, that ho jwpuld gladly glyp up' his wife, mean-'ing, mean-'ing, I suppose, you'slster, and tho Ardmoro ijiilllons for mp; but while ,1 tl'jlnlc lilm fascinating I want you to f,eol- q'ulto 8nfo, for I promlso you I shall elopo with no ono wJHo I am your guest." , ,'''.. Mrs. Atchison's faco had grown a Uttlo whlto and sho compressed her ilps In lines' that 'wero tho lenst bit grim. ' . , '.' ( "Tho 'scoundrel!'!, sho! exclaimed lialf.unaor her breath. "To think-that' . " ' v , , 7 r . ' 44"j-:u-: y. 'kVv: t . - ' ''"i-ftr . -,... " ' f '1iVVoumn1ttncn11tfjni1i-o'u!Hd. . ' jH Is hanging fchout. us-hero ln. tho hopq . iH of getting nloro'mVficywh lief trtjrif)oqr 5 ' fH sister, his wlfo, Is .In nil English san- , i ntorlum half crazed by his brhtalltr- ' " ilf Tommy knew this 'ho would, urt-j V douUteuly kill him!" "Tlidt would bo very unnecessary. fLM A duke, after all, Is 8omothlng,'nnd I should hate to havo tho poor man kill- cd on my account. 'And besides, Mrs. i Atchison, I am perfectly nblo to tako , UmmU caro of myself." ifl "I bollovo ybU'-hro,, Jerry. But It'n f H a terrlblo tblngilo Iravo. that beast about, and I shall tell him to-night HbH that ho must leave tlilo place' and tho,' illl country." Irfail "But first," snld Jprry, ''I liavo nn engagement to rldo with him after din- . nor' to seo tho mobri, rind the. oppor- .'Uinlty of seeing a moon wltliii duke of IMI ancient family hqr.o on the snqred. ffjf sbll of North CnrpUnn,. Is something lll that I cannot lightly put nsldo." laaH ' "You cannot vou must not go!" Hl "Lcnvo It to me," snld Jerry, smll- '. (n Ing slightly; "and I promlso you that rfnaii the duko will never ngaln Insult nn 1 kUH American girl. And now I think I 1 must dress for dinner." lil CHAPTER XII. The Embarrassments of the Duke ot Ballywlnkle. ' Mr. Prank Collins of tho Atlanta Palladium I rod thn tics beyond Kll- 0 dnro with a light heart;, gaily swing- ' jH Ing n largo suitcase. lib had Rl walked far, but a harrow-brim straw III hat, perched on the bnck of his head, IH and the chcory lilt of tho waltz ho rH whistled spoko Tor n Jauntj spirit. As tal his eye ranged tho landscape ho mark- cd n faint cloud, of smoko rising bo- jH yond n lonely strip of wood; and LibI coming to a dilapidated pleco of track 11 that led vaguely away Into tho heart of tho forest, ho again noted tho tiny jH smoke cloud. On such a day the half-gods half-gods go and tho gods nrrlvo; and tho world that afternoon "knew. no checrfullor spirit. than tho Palladiuhi'a agMe young commissioner. Mr. Col-11 Col-11 lis was not only'ln capital health and spirits, but ho rejoiced In that do- WM llclous tltlllatlon of expectancy which Is tho chief compensation of tho Jour- El nnllst's life. . His mission was secret, and this ln itself gnvo flavor to his -Ml errand; .and, moreover, it promised "'El adventures of a kind that wero great- - ly to lilajlklng. LHsj JAs tho woodland closed In about . him nnd tho curving spur carried him farther from tho main right of way he ceased whistling and his stops h'ch 1 came moro guarded. Suddenly a md'n"- rose from tho bushes nnd leveled, a ; long arm at him dctnlnlngly. '"Stop, young man, stop where you - , J'llollol" cnllcd Collins, pausing. 'nLH V:YelI. I'm Jiggered, If It nln't old ' Cookie. I say, old man, Is tho untaxed Juice flowing ln tho forest primeval IH or what brings you hero?" EaH Cooko grinned as ho recalled .tho IH reporter, whom ho remembered ns a KaH particularly lrrepresslblo specimen of his genus whom he hnd met while "fH pursuing moonshiners ln Georgia'. The 11 two shook hnnds nminbly midway of the two Btrenks of rust. - EH (TO lin CONTINUED.) VmmmW |