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' Mr, Woodeld halring expressed his willingness to expend a certain [amount of money upon `this employ- 'ment of detegtives for_ the purpose. `Scotland Yard; was set to work; and ;the squire travelled home with a load lof Ieadremoved from his heart. At the end of a few weeks he re- ceived-frogm M.essrs.- Muddle and Charge a long report, drawn up by -the. detectives. Itgappeared that Mr. John _gAtkins, who rejoiced in at least half-a-dozen aliases; had once `been an oicer `in the Army, from which he had been cashiered. Falling rap- twice convicted, and had undergone imprisonment for fraud. Since then ` he had picked up ,a.' precarious living bngthe Turf,` in conection with which heghad come in" the course of his destiny, to t e `peaceful. village of` Bilaclcsliire, where we `found him. The iidlyfrom bad to worse, he had been 1 ypung woman A and the youth acted as decoy `duck sand tout `respectively. * in` .h-...,course of `his; moire than i` dub- E .liousi:.javo`catio`ns_,jneither {being in ' any ?< I3{JK,1`1T"."-=.`*~ to-h1m~~ e * s - r Thus. was {the worthy squire de- ;I-iveted - ffom the _toi`ls. of ` the (wicked, an_d'- tthch: satisfaction of confess- ing the f`w ho1e ..sty;-.y3:,to-. his 1. wife, `v\f,t1i6s` anij' tliought ,was}'jof {he suffef- ` Jirig-'.j1q?Iiich?fh@}fmutV;.:ha;jre: ;eiidu1"-;ed ` in `ng:g;9g%%;dp_,` it:-cub!` M V` . , MUDDLE AND CHARGE, }'l'I_'ssy~.rs Comraen In the Vil- ' , Iago: of England. ' ' Haman. beings as scarecrows? Why " i. not? It may. seem queer and brutal to a Canadian, but} in England the human scarecrow is common. As he stands out there in the mid- die of the at Buolk eld there is little to show he is not the ordinary .inanim ate scarecrow. He stands" motionless for ve minutes at a time,` and only when 9. bird is tempted by the fresh cam just appearing above tlfzelground does he show any sign 0 x e. ` AL. __:I _,-;__-.1- 41... s"...l.l U5 LIL: From the road outside the field he looks exactly like the convention- 11 collection of old clothes propped.` tpon a stick. Even the crows are contemptuous of the gure, and every now and then a. number of them appear ' leisurely above the hedge ang settlle :01; the eld. - 3- AL-L AL- . . . _ A . - A . an ll DCIILLC U55 lull? LLGI\ln uEB`ut then it is that the scarecrow moves. He hits an old tin can with the rusty handle of a shovel and frightens the birds and makes them- y quickly out of sight. an kn nvsann 11;a Ann n``. Uy qtucxuy Ulllo UJ 315116. 30 he spends his day, this old, bent man, and at the end he is paid 36 cents. He is `the village scare- uuu - `Being by nature a modest man} where women were concerned, he be. an to feel quite embarrassed, but there was no way out of it--tha stile was in his direct path through his Oyvn woods towards home, and the 81rl_sat quite still, looking expectantly athxm. As he came up he raised his 3? iY1*nI'|I`I.I-arr drrx `(IO 0 nu-\t\1I\.1-wing UIUW. Whatever the weather may be, he is expected to be there. In rain he may shelter under the nearest hedge, but he must watch his elds, and if the birds take advantage of his ab- sence he must go out into the open and scare them from the com. For this old man knows well that ; he is competing for his living against = the clothes propped upon a stick or` 5 the dead crows scattered about the. eld. and it is necessary that he should take 8. certain pride in his profession. 7 *rr.,.1,..... 1.- M. akmu Hm fnrrnnr QIULP-SE-1U1l. Unless he can show the farmer that he is more effective than the cornzantional scrirecrows he cannot make a living in the few months be- twenzx the sowing of the seed and the- `appearance of the corn. - ur.:v,. um km.-u M Hm m"!'ln.m are lppEll'8IiCb' U1. UH`: Uluu. While the boys of the village are in school he can earn enough in these" few montlje of the year tokeep him from the work11ouse. He is still. cap?-bie of scaring birds. 'I'.`I':.~ ..,..-n .-Jnanc arm n nnaHc3.- 38p?-DIG. (ii `.3'C:. .l'11g uuua. His very clothes are a qualica- tion. He 1o;~`: exactly like a scare- crow. and he has the advazxt.-zge uf being able to hit an old tin can with the rusty handle of a. shovel. Al. 1 ,.'n'.-u-."- hr. `hoe `rig: r1*',nn0.`.` Of` me TUB`!-y nanule U]. u u.u.U\'cz. `At 1 o'clock he has his dinner of; bread and cheese by" the side of the hedge, ' but every now and then he gets up and 100`.-ts arozmd tn see that tho elds are free from bircls. __.L..... Al... Any: an nnlranr t-1)--elds tree xrom mms. Sometimes when the day is colder t.b.a.n usual his granddaughter from the cottage a mile away brings h:'m 3 hot dinner in a basin covered with. 0. cloth, and whi!e he eats she talks to him about her schopl and 1f a. bird appears runs carefully on to `the eld and claps her hands and frightens it. A .. A um um nlzl ma n-1m shabby ingnt-ens n. A And then the old man-Jhis shabby guardian of the e1ds---is left alone. The only suggestion of life is a. col-A lec`.1on of old c`-.othes propped upon H. stack 1n t.m-.~ eld a mile away. A__'I __.I...... ALA A1,! I-non Innbu uf.f.!'!i Stlcii Inf.` IJ(.`l(1 a. m.;c: uw.z.,. And when the old man looks at this silent competitor of `his he is lled with new energy and strides o to the field. malzing a. great noise with his old tin can. . They had been chums for so long that when the one gave a chafing dish party to some of his more inti- ::::1.te feminine acquaintances the other made a point of returning early from the theatre inorder to be pres- ent. Chum No. 2 had hardly made his appearance before chum No. 1, in his anxiety `.0 chatter nonsense "'41. LL- .._..O4-fan` n;v` `fl `l'(\l|'}_ X155 `[16 pfbclcau tun; 11.1. mm. sv'uo4a,. managed to upset a basin of beaten egg yolks down the front of his new tuxedo. Chum No. 1 was much dis- tressed apparently, and chum No. 2 hastenad to his assistance. ~ un- '_-A- _.... -.....m and cairn 1I'b';1'\.D -u uuu. DD HC CEIHIC up NU ralacu ||| _hqt, intending to apologise for "his Jmstake in having waved to her; but she began rst with the sweetest smile :- hnu v In I118 llxltily -U uuum-um: uu...n....... with the prettiest girl in the room, ----------.\A On -nr.:c II 'hna'in fl" nastenaa B0 [118 atasxbtruuuo. '.`Go `into my room and take mine, he adjured his friend generously. I ve a brand new one;'just came home to-day. ' Ohum No. I smiled queerly. "I know it, old boy, was what he said, grinning in a rather forced fashion. "Fact is-weI1, my own looked a "little shabby this evening, and I ve got yours on. Mutual Disiiko. Brahms and Tschaikowsky, the famous musicians, met but twice. On the last. occasion Brahms was suficiehtly interested in .l`schaikow- sky s fth symphony t.o.trave1 ex- pressly to Hamburg in order to make its acquaintance. "After the perform-` ' ..-. .. Flu. A3n+innn3nha nnmnmanrn & CV1` uulu unnuvv . imce th distinguxs'"lied'-"co'ix'1i.)_(>-s-e-r-si dined together, and the conscienti- ousu Brahms frankly admitted that he did` not like the work at all, whereupon the usually meek Russian plucked up sufficient courage to in- Iorm his host that the dislike of each. other's music `was mutua They parted on excellent terms neverthe- Following the 0:5. I. can write," said a. little girl aged ve to her aunt. when she came - in from school one day. I m, de- lighted to hear 1 , replied the aunt, "` di what can you write? I can _-__'L. A.` nun!` Ivan` null kn` . anc'J': nuu WLHIII 0511 Jun I-v1;uc; 1. vats write cat and mat and bat, said` the child. The aunt gave her paper, and pencil. Write eat here for me, >..\... nn;1` "an:-I Yo} nan can W`)-un .311. youvu. VVAAIG van uvnc av: Auvg she. said, and let me see. The child wrote `the word fairly, but put -the letter C with its back to the A.- That is very good, said auptie, only look, dear, you have made the C the wrong way. The child gazed iat. the word for a moment. f`But _t.he`c_:a.t`waa gems that way!- aho mum snazcaowa Oh, I am so sorr3f-you must Whink me so bold to have waved to _- Y1!.but'I was afraid you mighg bran- 'h of? m some other direction. I .h"_hurt my ankle so dreadful! "- `k"18 out a neat, little foot tom under her skirt-and I don t know What to do. I am staying with my ;P'~`0D1e down at the village yonder. 590 you think you con (1 `help me? \l'1-fh '\ c u u y rant`-u H is New Coat. Suva ` had Ila ..,..\..\_u IU3 'cy1T`)l; the "mg" Washiih the s irectlml from whurryinz home come and he was HoweV1'a, -Wt" to dress for fllnen desire to 355* ml politeness and 3 _ Noiiv, % . . saying Soil ? the poor gm] prevented his r Ill the (l . 11, Oh and he answercd bps`-?yvg;:O`t1>d'? D0 Yes, by all mea5i 15 I alk at all. Or you think you could W . t tq drive shall 1 send down 9 I .`}" _.r,,.1,:tr-`*1! you home? I can 63513 . ' and ouse is only half 3 m:.l:w:1>; 1`l_.-th. . one of the maids shall gore is 8 793d! groom to help ) -0``' T C close by." (I " olaerfi` e 1116 Oh. Dlease don t leav llin S . alone, she pleaded. ha`; 13ev.. 17`?- 1 with tears, 1 Seem here fo - fri-:1 ettmg r hours, and W35 3 V ghtened tn ,1,,..+`L. u vu mum you cuuxu may uu..r 4THisJ which touched his fatherly heart. NOW f1`1lJ u`lYn.-n. --vna n -91:`- alltlr with a sweetly `best -eching jtoooowuooooouwoyuoudnnuuuuuu J - 4 V . A 1 . A ~. ,` nuk. u~9BPaeiF : , capi $3" i L. i, Head Office. T 1 General Mmage 1f's , ' A 3 - ' '`'7a. ' . ` "K" I -`..1'J. .`. - \'.'- : .5`-,', .__ .._ ` ' WV"" ' Sunny never on this earth existed more exemplary specimen of the a h - t gentleman at 1s_ very W: E1?:,I,] the person of Wxlham gflfyodeld, Esquire, at 'Woodeld P k in the County of B1a_cksh1re., alijnan in the prime of.11fe, he had sewed his country and his county `an articular, by representing the latter 1 Parliament for_ close on twenty , An indefatigable worker, '_a member of the County Councxl, hajrnian of every loca.l committee for miles around, patron of the`cr1ck- ct club, for.wh1ch he supplied the`. ground in hlS own_park, at. the head; of every local charity to the full ex-I gem of his means, no man was more popular or more widely respected..- e A sportsman, of course, he hunted and shot regularly, and _was not aver- se to a bit of racing 1 season, al- 'though he was no gambler; but, In his quieoway, he knew as much about l'8.Clllg as a great many men who spend their lives at it. . _ u7:.t. .. l-n-cm Fmnilv m-owing I1!) W` - I - - `.`\.T4'`~,..-: V__ l - V.` V`) One dollar opens an accour_1T: Ed {pit _ _ A V , . _ 9 3 es; 3'dded.J qua" I GEN-[RM S..AV| N 7 g`: L` `gin? ;z;1-`1t b'e smmat.am1ss, .1 pncxcu .up_ be! my gunand run_. down` to wf1e.re I hing` thought I heard It, and there 1t was, shed`Si"' % . .. y _- - .0m_I v.N_ow., this` was cxagtly . what ;tl_Ie L rm squu_'e had feaged, jand..1t cettannlyghd `_ not improve has casg._ T_For,_a few;mo- ft"-,,_,~' -nients; hevjstgode . .011`: 1:1,. gtlenqe, _,th_:e . F ?* ` man just. beh1n;l~-hxxxyz, iI{I`gi<-.u_1.x_a,g1nat_i,gn . ` ` =`' 119 could 9.:=*11.~-m5P!1 ztInn%I8.;;b11md . V .h1s;v .ba_k,',. apd; ;tAl3;xtjI.;_%n1adg=rLghxgnjwfeelf f An Awkward Position Who the deuce are you, sir? -How dare you molest` my daughter? The Squire, whose hat 'had'fa1len. off an theJstruggle,, looked quickly round, to'see an elderly man, who mightonce have been a gentleman, but certain] wasjnot one now, ac- companied by sees only. on `suburban; racecourses, standing within a. yard or two, having a youth` Isu-ch"as one" evidently been in hiding all the time. Who are you, sir, to call yourself a gentleman and molest a poor girl like this just because `you thought ;her' alone and uprotected? If I wer `In \VI\III`IlVQ- arena neat` and nn:4\.\`n.I I.-. lI%l 0UI\lII% IbII\l Idyl UF\i\vF\v\`i '&I 1. VV VI C I la younger man, and not "crippled_.by lrheumatism as I -am: now, I d break every bone in your body, `that I would. As it is, I ll have the law of you, as sure as my name's Atkins, see if I don t. What s your precious name?" ` ` Seeing the class of man he had to deal with, the Squire collected his. scattered dignity and his wits "at once, `and replied. My name is known to every soul in this neghbourhood; in fact you are on my property now, and are a trespasser. You 1 had bet- ter makeyourself scarce -at once. I f\L T 111... 01...` 9 `nan-A-AA .4-L--..... ` `Cl IllGl\C- LCIDCII GDGI SC `Club Ullbbg . Oh I lJi'l:e thz_a.t,' `sneezed the ruf- fnan, `that s.a m_xghE;r.ne game, try- :o-u GA ml! 051:; an t\1I rvuvvn Ovln 1vl\III' IIQCI, Ella` 9 - Q IIIIEIILJ ' IIll\r SQIIIQ, BI ' in to_ bluff me so. You give me your -card.xf ou re a mapat all, apd w.e 11 see furt er: about th1s.- To_ thmk that --.._ ...:..I -a... L .....H. CC lul LIICI GUUUL LllI0 .I.U_ Lllclllh Lila!- a poor innocent girl can t walk through a country lane without bein molested by blackguards like you. Hallo, here s someone who can tell nun u-vL4\ qr:-nu non OQA>'l1Af`\II`\" ,, ant` `l\`- ! 11dllU, ucxca auulcuuc Vvuu wan Lyn` us who-you are, no 'doubt, and fo- lowing `the direction. of the other s. glance the `Squire saw, to his great relief, one of his own keepers ra.pidly approaching. The man touched his hat respectfully, and waited to v be spoken to. T V an-`r ,, H--.` 9! L1_'._L;_-.: n}- ....m.... Gyvlsvls D\-IO .- V. _> ,_ Here, you, _bIustered the ruian before the.Sgu1re -could speak, do `you know this man? . ursr _ _ . _ _ __ `I J- -..2I.I LI... Iyggnnob II\v I3 IIlJ' IIIBOHIUVAI .A pretty rnaster," indeed, said the scamp, and was proceeding to .enlarge upon the situation,` giving his own version of the affair,` when the Squire interposed:' Here,_ Baxter,to the keeper,` see these people off my pro- -perty, nd out"where they are stay- 1n:g,_ and come up to the house after. dinner and tell me all about them. , -16- ..____ LL _' 5.3-1 . who Sperlu Ulcll JIVCE? at. u. with a large fannly growing up `around him. and a charming wife,` all of whom he adored, he was` never so happy as when in} thei_r society; and, indeed, during hxs daily walks and rides about his own dcmesne, It was noticeable that he was seldom unac- companied by one or more of them.l VA... ...1m+ Qui-znn'z~ lrnn nnnlrl have _opp_ortumty, to- turn Inc Launfa .v.. ..... master. If,'then, he walked down to ;the village in" compa_ny with that `crew he would acertamly "hear `the wrong side of the story rst. Be- sideAs--and the !Squire s blood ran. cold ---had he heard that scream.-? _ Anawful` thought this! Accordmg~ ly he halted, [and calling out Bax- ter, . summoned the keeper to him, ' M -1--`I-..>In3n1.r we need, troubles VUI Isonv VI vnucu an -vvu-U Of course I do, said thekeeper`; "he s m'y.master. ` u. -_--.-_--:_.|.--.1n ....:.1 :1... ,t?:r, summongd tne xeepcr w ...._.., I don't -th1nk we need. trouble about those peopl_e, f. he said,Tas the man came up; `here, come -on wxth me; I want to get ham-e--I m late al- ready. -By-the-bye, what brought you` down to the bottom th'`xre?"" A `W'ell,~_sir,[ ; said the man, you see 2 I was a. feedu)? of In gtgirds up onthe _ iscr eech_,_ 190! So, ~_t_13`inkin` .~.a_t(s there` must be -summatamxss, .-Ii pxcked .up,_ . _.__.. -...... +., ..A .1-ant down" V.t'o7.~whe.re -I wvnhenly he. merely "said v.=`<.;...~ w. . 1....1 g _\_5_uuI'; uau uguxancu SpC3ll.I!g' ` W _he\ merely "sand ' .` ,_ `V `.-n__ Jqggggyhpw. \ turns. nqAL.: 4-.-4-_L H _ V b neuv , _}_{es,Lsu_-;A1t`s,a bad 1 _-...-'_A. .' 1.--). ; 10.0.`; ;anyn9w;;"`~ I-Thi's 2 was` nf xiiiich ' conifo}t,"_ but, `felirig . tht the . manf must be Timptes- sed with t_he duty of holding his ton-M1 _`gue, hefcontinued, Well, `now, you see, Baxter, Ithe less said about this` the` bettgr. ?~ - ' --Ta. .'---A. _'___-L_ '_- ~_"', - "-1 ` "' V`F.."`El.f-;4 .=` " g "`;_ l$_Vget_,y..~sorely ._d,_g`a;:1_1s,t, the s`quxre s .grahrn-"yto` 'saS""` ~_n 10re-`-._h`vf.-`, who "had lived an -open, h`onourabie>-life,* to have to stoop to_ asking his own -servant to _l Ssiteen 'h1mlAnd what security had he_ -that the..man ,woul_d not go right} away and tell the whole tale at the village alehouse-_? Bah! The squire felt absolutely sick .with disgust. `However, it had to be done, and in a lame,` ,h_alting fashion,. 'quite_ unusua-l with him, `he told the fellow that of course nothing more would be heard of the matter from outsi`de, and that if any-gossip should arise among the servants, he (the squire) would know from what source it arose, and would punish the originator 'ac`cordingly.*He ' concluded by telling `the man to go down to the village the first thing next morning, nd out what strang- ers were there, ad where -they were staying, and report to him as soon-/as he could get back. ' TA t-`:13 li .._.n.--A.- L- 1--.` 4...! nu \.Uu:.u 561. Udlllt. ' V To hts assembled guests he had to make the best apologies hecould for llis verylate arrival, and one and all were-struck by his. curious nervous- ness of manner and absence of any real excuse r for keeping them all waiting. During dinner, which. he` scarcely .touched, he hardly spoke a word,1and although he was always very quiet in his manner he was, as n ....l.. .. .......a. .......:..1 1.--. .*r:__-,, very quiet an ms {manner he as a rule, a most egemal host. ' Even the 91d port, for which'his cellar! was re- owned, failed to cheer him up, al- though he drank a glass or two more than was his wont. I 'D----_...\__._ I_:_.__,|1- r,_,_A .1 _,,,1 I `yuan W63 Illa WUul.. ' Excusing himself from the smok-i ing-room, he ret_iredV_to'his den tol 'think'it over inasolitude, and was- there discovered by his anxious spou- ,Ch 0*-not nl` {Jinn ALL-` nqnnnn Ln.` ua:\.|\. ulayuvcxcu U] 1113 GIIAIUUD BpUll." -se long after all the other men had gone to bed. This was `the worse momentof all, for fromher he had ever had a secret. He longed to tell her the wholehateful story,'feeling sure of her sympathy and righteous indignation; but he could not bring himself to do so. She, wise woman," with innite tact, forebore to press the question when once he had ans- wered, No, `there is nothing to wor- ry you` about. And thenhe felt he had lied to her . I AIL--- _I,_,.t ,_ `I. U IICIV-I ll\.\.Iv LU IICIo' After a sleepless night he rose un- refreshed, and, making a pretence of breakfast, retired to. his study, leav- ing orders that `he wished to see Baxter when he came -up to the hotnseue ` 4 ' _-- __,_,,,. 11, 4,, '1 I In due course Baxter arrived to say that the `three people had been lodging at Mrs. Jones , and` had driv-, en away to Newbury' late last night` to catch the-last-train to town; they: were racing folk, so -Mrs, Jones had said, had been there about a week, and _had spent their time on the Downs watching the horses at their work. That was all that could be gleaned about them. I said nothing Ito nobody, sir, added the voluble Baxter, `with a knowing look which `fairly made the squire squirm in his chair. . Ir. 1:` .a 1 ' . -n . .. w`?C'.`e.1-y well; thank you, Baxter, that will do," was'all he saig, In his qmet way, and the keeper wxthdrew. ` A an-II:aa `nah-pa.` 4. n:...L `Ll __`:..f way, auu sue Ixccycl. wuuuncw. The squire heaved a. sigh of relief to think that, at any rate. those -ends had gone away from the neighour- hood. Surely now he had heard the last of .them? They would never dare---no. `the `thing was absurd, he would dismiss it:fr,om his mind like a bad` dream and think no more about it: 1' 1 1-. _ ' o a no Ila '- It was Saturday morning-a holi- lday in the schoo room--so, strolling out into the_ hall, whence he could hear the sound: of girlish voices from .a distant part of the house, he. made his way in the direction whence the voices `came. ' ` l (4I !'~.>1I'. ....I_ M L- _-2_I ,o___ ,9 ,1: ' VVJIDUE BIllV I-Tallo, girls, he. said, cheerfully, as he found them; I m going to ride over_to Lambourne to see that new lly of your uncle's. Who will come 'with me? L 9,- I__I1'_,_ 1_ -__,, - I!,,1,.'o __ . o T :,.ooooooo9oooo6Q3 ., ,_ 4.|.Z. Ah o-I-`u ur:1!`aA` fhn. tAIn`A an-..( q-nun 4-:.-3 'I'_'l:'A--- AComlete Story. ' I 1 V`: sick` women; It 1) `I YT * ':2 w -:;:..r.. .. do; was nverypoor t an _ :,-;~:.:=I~,:::h:~ n os on ion. win rvoua . and hsubjgcth to crazy Ipellsuad ginful pet -iqds each mo::th._ A tnend sngeltod Lydaa. E. Pink- is ' 22F" ttle of this remedy and . lag, and `before it was nished, I fclt. him V {the -Coinpoundas -the tngainqfor me. *Ivprocu1-gkg` so much better that Igcontinued its use and gave it. mthorough test. with the ,resv_:lt I a;m"to-dIyVw`el-l;a.nd a much healthiar girl` thgn I -wamthree you-at _. ... h--`I 1-nnria ..nn.'infn1 $210118. `-3-? More % .tlgat'LydiaE.Pink- I ham : egetabio Compound cures nnlgbl Zlllll, -' '-"msaM.1LMoan,{sss Onmo_S,| on to I nvery poor _h_sn.1th and_ healthier Wgll-'1' inll. L uuvc gjuuu L V .1 have` no morepain dgzzinou ox-snenoustroublea_.V _ - . 3 `A4... nQIJ -A113. ' CUZZlll$l I): luv; vwuw guv-....-... V rAc'I's ran smug yvonI;n.{ "For 'ILII IILG 5 `In half-an-hour a. light,-hearted par- %NOR*l'fIERN mAm` WICU HCT HZITIUKCTCHICI lll IcapUuac.. As he came nearer he saw, to his astonishment. that she was a. strang- er-a pretty-looking creature, too.-- m_ut?vvhy on earth had She waved to ~ 1m. ' . - \ty Io_f< three `started _h<:`ax`1teriig1g.,. Q35 th1"ouAgh_ethe and out `on. the `love-1 ' ly-gsprmgy turf of_the'Dow;1s. There thejresh air and wholesome exercise tbanished for a while the `squire -s de-! ,pression, and he chattedfas usual.8 az- jing fondly at his pretty daughters as `they gracefully rode beside him. A well-bred girl, riding as one to the .manner born, and on a wellbred -horse, isa sight toidispel "all melan- lcholy thoughts, and a happy trio-they were. a ` The- lly was a matter of great in- Tterest to all,, fox-the girls had `inherit- ed enough of the true. sporting in- _stinct to appreciate a treasure "such an +115}: .21.. .....- 4.- _..... 1:-.. .1. r\-:_- .9s8ll\oB.' I.\J aypscvlauz 6` I.Ica'lll'C SUCH as this. -She was to run for the Oaks next year, and keenly they listened to` the tramex- s jargop gs` he _d1scussed the pros and cons wxth their father.` Tho-up 1-nucc-can.-I :n n-.A.. `L:..L-_ -_3._ ouc pxup auu CUILS WI-In IHCIT Iatnef. They returned in even higher spir-' its than they set out, and the squire almost for ot_ that;the.incident of yesterday ad ever occurred, .save once, when he took a different path from that by which they usually re- turned from' this direction to avoid, that .which would have brought him: near-the one hated spot in all his broad acres. ' '- -At dinner that evening he was quite `his old self, and seemed even anxious to make amends for his dull behavi-_ our of the previous night. A- I... I-:_I L3- 1 0 -> - w;\s"h<;l'ai:l. ~}1'i;mf.x'ez`1`<`1?.<.);; his pillowl the bogey tried to obtrude itself, but` by an effort of will, aided by a clear "conscience, he thrust it from him and slept soundly. o `L L,., If ..vv--g--J - | breakfast next morning a thun- |`der bolt e1_1. L and recited _ righteous .18 -- wvou swung On opening the postbag the letters ` were distributed asusual, r and the squire divided his attention between 1 his toast and his correspondence. 7 `Suddenly he ceased to eat, reading `intently and with paling face.XHe said ' not'a_word, but, after an ineffectual l .attempt, to drink his coffee without advertising the fact that hecould scarcely raise it to his lips for the- shaking of his hand, he gathered up'_ his letters and retired to his den. .W'hat he read was a blackmailing communicationifrom Levy & Dunn, a rm of London solicitors, demand- ' 5000 on behalf'of their client, John Atkins, in satisfaction of an as- sault which was alleged to have tak- Ven place on the evening in question, when -the squire had gallantly comel to the assistance of the young lady at the stile. lt was a long document, a harrowing` tale of pat- ernal perturbation, outraged feelings, indignation, etc., and wasl couched after` the usual manner ad- opted by solicitors in such cases. The postscript stated -that the services of Mr. C. J. Grill, K.C., and. Mr; Mast- ' erful Ball, K.C., had been retained in! `the event of l T,. .1 the matter going further. V as bad as they, if -not worse, and they ,_- .._-..---- av-up; Qlal I-ll\uln , In the soiitude oflus den he read this precious- rigmarole carefully; through, and set to work to think; the matter out. `Man of the world as he was, it was more than ever clear to him that the ,whole thing had been a deep-laid plot for the ob-. taining of_ money by blackmail, and` yet, with the shorttime at his com- mand, what could be done? To trace out and expose this horrible gang might not be very difcult, but it` would all take time. It could not be! done in an hour, or a day, or at week,` and meanwhile, although such people! are not fond of obtrudingx themselves upon the notice of the police in any! way, yet they were probably a set of` desperadoes, and, as likely as not these hi-gh-falutin solicitors of theirs were might go so far as -to set the law. in motion. Even with` all the evidence against! him he did not for a moment fear a} conviction. 'His name, his position,` and unsullied character were surely proof against such an extremity as that; but the publicity, the` fearful scandal, thehorror of his sweet wife` that -anyone should dare to bring" such an accusation against him, and then -the fact that he had not taken _ her into his condence from the first! This was the worst of all. Oh, what a tangled _web we weave 'When first wetpractise to deceive? _ The lines occurred to him instinct- ively. / ~ ' IIlp8.l1lt'U U_y UIIC U1 ununw vs uu.nu._ Now what Satanic imp could have devised so diabolical and yet so sim- ple a. plot to ruin the peace of` mind of such a man as this? T ' W ',IL, 1...... Ann n-manna-run- A1vA!Q_ H'e was aroused from his medita- tions by one, of the girls bursting in- to the room, Now, then, father, you ll be late for church; the others have all walked on. _ What s the mat- ter, father, dear? Aren t you well? Oh,- yes, dear, I'm all right; I rn. coming, and he went to seek his hat from the hall. The girl found him singular] un- responsive to ' her bright pratt e as they walked the mile across` the love- ly 'park` among the deer, `and wond- ered what was amiss. It was so un-I like him; - _ T T The service, so "far as he was con-.` cerned, was-.a hollow. mockery, for he heard`none`o`f it. `His time-was spent in plots and schemes` for defeat-1 ing these terrible foes who threaten-' ed his` peace ~ and that.of all those dear ones around `him. p 7 E; the way _hotne he briey men- txoned to has w1fe_ that he must go to town by the evemng tram, and might ,np*t be back `to -'morro_v`_v.~ ' Sihevreplied ~sw_eetly,,as* usual, merely hoping that n'o.thing serious had`occurre_d to `put him to 1 this inconvenience; ~ It .see;nedf an` i:t_gt'nity before ~_t_he old man arriypd," :#md,thn the Squu'e_ ,had"_to{ivai-izftdl the'_r`nor1ning s letters ` ~hb,d-: been` i;.bp`e`nd. -`his own V. amongst ._ I am .. -. ' ` A know " a.yvyeIl`%% hay ' ' ` :`of._th:s; After luncheon he wrote to his old] fa.mi1y~sOlicitQrs,' Messrs. Muddle and-; Charge, pf` -Bedford Row, requesting that the `senior partne-fr would see-`him atqthe eVarlies1:".pos_sibl"e moment on Mobnday--vmoming. ' ' A " - I .nn _~..` _,_. .1}, ghe waitingroqm; , Arriving `at their _o`1ces on: ithe` stroke o_i.:t\en, he was inf__o;-med-.1at' Mr. 'tMItddle wou_1d`,~ be` {here shortly, and was 'rega1ed,'With `the Times In - I .-~.-. '1 9- `. .u -of stohf; b`eJ5gan_"ito: tihirilci that i `there. ` wre ,\ \J' ; sides to ever)? tale, and cert_ainIy_ -the other side `had a strong case on the surface. However. (he_was not going to let his client kn w- how helplesshe felt to deal wi 11 the case, and iallin'gback upon his ponderous dignityfand that of his o1d-estab1ished "rm, he said, Now. my dear sir, do not distress yourself. T Aft uni `J:-Irsvlr. 0v|u9`L|:9I|r- l'\: L1-u;;.-an - |.y~`u\.A on, uv uut. unaucaa yuuxacu. -I. do not know; anything` of these Messrs_'.`"Levy and Dunn, but when they. nd theyhave got us to reckon with they wxlt very_ soon alter their tune. V ' " V Ringing his "hand-be1l.he.called in a" shorthand clerk, and dictated .a let- ter requesting that the writer of the letter to Mr. Woodveld, which we have seen, would do him the favour to step round and see him in the course of the morning. `I nC Apparently Messrs. Levy and Dunn would see Mr. Muddle somewhere first, though theyreplied politely en- ough that Mr. Levy. who had the case in hand, would be at his office ;atWthe time mentioned in the letter lint question, or earlier if Mr. Muddle choseto call. ' It takesga surgical operation to drag these heavy old family solicitors out of their `offices, but Mr. Muddle .felt that there was nothing for it but n n-A Annfsv-(`:v1nr`Iv Ina `|...oJ-.1-\l...1 AC uxu u ubuta uu uunuuc VI Walking home ope summer even-V mg from a local cricket match, for a. wonder alone, he saw sitting on a.- stile at the foot of the bill before `him a slight girlish gure in ordinary country costume, whom,` at the dist- ance, he took to be one of his own dagghters ...cn./`J L.';~ L091!` T4`/\ n I.\..AI. Luau LIILIC was ,llULllAll) I ll. UUL to go. Accordingly, he hoglgledn off. afer appointing to see Mr. Woodeld `again at 12.30. 1170 A - >- -79.. _ .._ __ What really` passed at the interview has never been recorded in detail. Suffice it to say that Mr. Muddle cameback thoroughly upset and ner- vous,` having evidently had the worst of the encounter. ` My dear sir, `he said to his client. I fear that this matter is more ser- ious than I had supposed. These people will not budge one iota from the terms of their letter to you, even if-n (viva .1If\ on `any Ln.-e nun-.. In- guxc I.\.Axu: Us Lucu ICLLCI LU yuu, CVCII `to give `up a few hours grace for consideration. `I have tried them, to see whether they would not be tempt-V .ed by a smaller sum in hard cash, but `they replied that their client was a man of means, to whom the money was only a secondary consideration. T nnnnnt anew Ln. n A - _ -- T K-..` I-.. vvua vuly G o\-\.uu\LaA.y LUIIDLULLGLIUII. I. cannot say how _sorrv I[ feel for yciau, but we are evxdently in a `tight lp_ace. . -~ `.`I. `wonder, said Mr. woodeml ruminatively, how far it is true that` they have retained those two leading {counsel of whom they wrote? . A capital. notion. said the old lawyer, jumping at the suggestion as ifit were his own. I will send round at once to Mr. Grill s. clerkeas though to retain Mr. Grill, and then we shall see. If he is not already retained it will cost you a guinea or two, but it will showthat a part at any rate of .that letter is a lie. AIn twenty minutes a breathless clerk returned to say that Mr.- Grill accepted Mr. Mud(lle s retainer. and `his clerk had certainly never heard of .Messrs. Levy `and Dunn. in the case. As .a matter of fact (he added this information gratuitously) Mr. Grill] would never accent` a brief from that .rm on any consideration. PF! c . . . . .i ` Gentlemen.- ` Things began to look better. A second venture to `Mr. Masterful Ball proved conclusively that he had not been retained either. Now here was !a handle to work uoon. Old Muddle iwas jubilant over his own astuteness. taking the whole credit of this point to,..himself. -He resolved to take the [bull by the horns, and, summoning `his letter clerk. once more, he threw .all `caution to the winds;-~and deliver- led himself of the fol1owing`=epistle:--- oo, Be_dford Row, W.C., August 17, 190-. To `Messrs. Levy and Dunn, Birkbeck Chambers, ' Chancery Lane. Red Mr. William Woodeld. Since seeing. you this morning, we have ascertained that two of the statements contained in your letterto our client of the 15th inst. are ab- solute fabrications. ' I I There, Mr, Woodeld, he said, turning to the squire, "I don t think you need` have any further anxiety about the; matter. yWith your leave, however,`_ I should like to -nd out lmore about the principal actor in this drama- -in fact; it is almost a duty . which you owe to socicty to- do so. Treating. therefore, the part as a sample of the whole of your said let- ter, we must `decline to hold any fur- `ther communication with you, nor will our client reply to any further letters which you may be so ill-ad-' vised as to address to. him. | -We tnay further add that it is our xed intention to lay the letter in question`, together with `the facts, be- fore. the proper authonties at the eat_-liest possible moment.---Yours ob- edxently, y uaugntu s`._ He waved his hand. For a. momerlt she did not appear to see him,` lqok-. ing round in the other direction: into the wood behind her. Then, as. she turned, he waved again, and she ui- tered her handkerchief in response. A. L,. -...._, ....-_,... 1... -..... 4.. Lin