Show p 1 SMITH au SE tiVICE P SMITH CHAPTER VII continued 12 A sneeze fron from un der whose bose the duenna was burn ing feat feathers hers of attracted at to the couch 1 I trust the lady Is uninjured he asked with a suspicious suspicions glance at fellowes companions r slie she fainted an excess ot of dball we say contrition mr tag lepin AU ali excess ot abominable masus nee age flared tier her father whitt worn wom nn an filut after such a night A pitched bottle battle outside her windows a mangled body before her eyes naked men mcd forcing themselves into her presence I 1 you overlook oer luok a period ot of captivity in the hands bunds of her count rys en ell euiles emlea remarked fellowes and I 1 must add still another to your list of outrages twill be necessary to search her as I 1 have said miss no chance to humiliate her returned ris to be expected sir air yet for all tits his bluster fellowes detected in the merchants hearing on an aspect ot relief chater too re fumed his position by the mantel piece alece a leer of derision in his bis green tall ish eyes could it be that they had nu no documentary evidence to conceal and accepted the threat ol 01 search as a admission his case ag against a dinst them would collapse without III ili ilia lips imps tightened tits his voice olce hardened send a man for urs mrs rhodes nim rod ashes outside site she came up from the village when nhen she heard some of the men were hurt hint have her in I 1 want vant her to search these hung flung up a window corporal Corpor nl earties I 1 ask ahk A mrs rs rhodes to be nood good enough to step in side she bustled in the door and stood for a moment blinking her eyes at the company A reg party she commented gaall I 1 see hee ye lost yer shirt must blust ben a real battle by all accounts wrong with file he gal thay shell she II 11 be all right fellowes answered 1 I 1 want you to search her mrs II 11 rs rhodes the portuguese woman too mis s rhodes liodes ll planted herself in front ot of tile sofa arnia arms akimbo and what to do I 1 careb em tor for she dennin demanded ded papers anything except the clothes they benr and make certain no BO documents lot are concealed in seams or pockets leme leaie em ein to me the widow returned briskly and elar clar out all these men filiks As fellowes Fel lones herded captives and captors into the hall she was already at her task closing the doors that hint connected with the lining dining room her lips moving in prayer copner dropped haile back beside fel lowes a worried look in the lawyers horsey face alit not entirely positive as to the legality y of these measures lion he remarked rema led coll confidentially aident tally it if we find nothing alan I 1 saw bliss Ingle plit coming out of british headquarters in lis tion bon with lord well wellington I 1 agton tal talking king treason it if words voids mean anything I 1 sn saw her exchanging documents with Colli shawe in Ch cantera aters cabin and was I 1 crimped by rolli showe simply belase nse he needed another hand use your wits Nial I 1 my ms wits tell me we must have documentary proof of nil all that the lawyer retorted doggedly but ment will carry us as no whither do you yoa search log lepin and I 1 will take chater chafer their prisoners submitted with on an III grace both however in no wise disturbed seriously whick odd for nothing of moment was found on either of them A search of the house produced a quantity ot of corre spon dence and a map of the country showing the rough division of eat cal sentiment but not n line of mat ter more offensive than was openly P reached preached to in every federalist news paper descending the stairs very mourn fully they ohp encountered mrs birs rhodes 0 A search ot the house produced a quantity of correspondence waiting outside the parlor door a trl tri smile on her angular feat ures wore noie lest jest this she an jounced nou noun ned ced ext extending erdIng a single sheet of in the ladys bodice fellowes Fel lottes accepted accept cd the sheet from wr her and tind carried it to theoper theo the opeil ped front door to examine sopher p peering over his shoulder the let letter ter flap was unsealed an and d und franked frnnk ed on the inner side was writ 1 ten fl tl 8 badger on station oft off new york july S 1813 dearest cara if we are denied a word alone I 1 write this to substitute for or the plea I 1 would prefer to in oter ofer with my lips tie the plea ties has been in my heart since we met first at the Iloth Roth says in london W will you marry me I 1 have little to oter ofer save a fond heart and I 1 see no chance oncoming of coming off oct the sea short of a general peace and god knows when that will bee if ever but there you are be kind and send tie ine hope of the future wether YOU do or dont don t tho I 1 aub ribs myself with all good wishes yr abt able sat james collish awo bewildered reluctantly al arfa lashed sned fellowes wits was yet entirely skeptical ill not believe it heer he cried led tie a blind I 1 cant you see that they are clever abominably clever 1 I 1 grant you lion returned sopher but IN the one piece of evidence we find and it upholds miss Ing lepins story fellowes fellow es studied the letter through n narrowed eyes i 11 atis honest but dw do you believe nimrod that the captein of a british nian man o war came ashore with twenty nion men ant a boat to pay a cull call on a woman no do you believe that ers will believe it itt sopher shrugged tits his shoulders how ow matters it what we believe or others therell be talk and people will say any Ingle plu anil and his dough ter are disloyal out but that to Is said already and am talk tn ak to Is not legal evidence W mrs rs rhodes listening to their do bate truck struck in swiftly 1 I 1 baboul what other fulk folk sll beleve Dl leve but I 1 can tell ye right anew nimrod sopher miss aint happy halpy over what ashes done or aint lone done she dian didn t want for or me to take that letter not one bit bil ali ant I 1 I 1 think ill III return it to her fellowes said and walked down the hall to the parlor door come la in cura cara Ing lepin answered ala ht 8 knock she se was sitting on the auto aufa as when he ba 1 ili ilist first st seen sect her drinking a glass of wine tile the duenna was beside tier her dumbly protective prote olve other father and clutter chatari talking restrainedly in fi a far ar corner met fellowes with frankly bow bo tile glances Is tt it necessary tor for you to annoy all further sir air demanded Ing Ingle lepla plo felloes Fell owea ignored the question 1 I regret we felt obliged to take this from you maam maaia ue placed the letter in the listless hand she put out tor for it IL you have my apologies tor for the intrusion I 1 am confident cAt ident captain Colli shawe Is too boon roble a man to have intended it should be used to cover a political intrigue the startled took look she gave him was wa tits his reward your confidence does you yon honor bonor sir she ilie acknowledged gratefully and oh captain fellowes Fell owea 0 IV ye talk to him miss cara choler interrupted ill thank yo ye to git out 0 ol 01 my house and stay outs out fellowes ye aint got no excuse tor for a menil oili alt ill have the law on ye it ye bochet me agin try the law you fool fellowes retorted contemptuously im done with it passing out the parlor door he be heard beard cara Ing lepin catch her breath and understood she was shocked anew at the spectacle of his scarred back but he be was puzzled that this sign of remorse should about inspire him with pity rather than exultation he ele resolved to root out all pity from his heart lest it undermine the strength of his hatred 0 0 0 fellowes awakened slowly conscious ot of an unaccustomed sense of luxury sunshine was warm in his bis face soft linen caressed tits his body it was very different from the berth deck dech ot of the 13 adger ue was in ills his own room at the ainner A suit of clothes hung bung on a chair all brushed and neat towels were draped on a rack evidently some one had been busy putting a disused house in order while he slept lie learned who that some one was waa when the widow rhodes hodes ll voice drifted in to him through a door that stood ajar come right in nimrod it if he aint up yet its time lie he was alm A man cant moren sleep the clock ramound in ID comfort coni fort fellowes slid out of bed chuckling languidly satisfied the world seemed good after twenty taur hours houra rest and lie he was houle boie he strolled to the window and tile the world turned gloomy in a moment beyond the ibe maples and the creek fields and the creek itself be saw the lane winding from centers canter a house boue to the south country road and rolling along in a shower of dust a cumbersome post chaise while he h e watched it lurched around a corner and vanished under the thick leafage of the trees lining the main road ills face was so grim that when sopher entered the room the tawyer lawyer nodded bodde d understandingly u n der stand I 1 ng ly good morning lion good borni morning n 9 my dear fell fellow owl 1 lie he exclaimed with a patent effort at cheeriness you are the better for a proper sleep I 1 see and watching our ah antagonists departure returning to the city I 1 believe let us as hope a thought chastened chasteney chast ened by their experience you may hope it snapped fellowes beginning to dress 1 I 1 dont they are on their way wai to do whatever they arranged with Colli shawe oh my dear aloni you are unreasonable sonn ble we have no evidence y we have plenty of evidence what we require Is I 1 a method of exploiting it I 1 think joshua Ing lepla Is the nian man for my purpose it if be Is and sees it well lay the story before the federal authorities and the governor a jeff riggle still in the village 1 yes he waited on the possibility you might wish his services 1 send word to the general armstrong well drive west in an hour have you any money for mea me enough to buy a ship TO BM BE CONTINUED |