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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Herald, 1908-08-21, Page 3• leumeet!' e9t'eeetmy 4Lti-eeZeteed 'eloilieeeeiteleeemeneAteleerieraseedeseereetiee0 "It's what I thought, Mr. Neville! It's your father's, Sir Greville's, will!" Neville stopped short and has face flushed, '"Yes, sir, it's his will, and the last, you may depend upon it; and--" he paused and read eagerly for a minute, then slapped his hand upon ehe table and cried out delightedly, "Mr, Neville, Mr. Neville! It's all right." "All right!" repeated Neville. "What do you mean?" "I mean that the old gentleman has done the proper and' just thing!" said Trale, excitedly. "Don't you remember, Mr. Neville, what I said the other night, outside the Court? I said that every- body was surprised that Sir Greville had not mentioned you, his favorite son, but had left you without a penny." "1 remember," said Neville. "Well, .sir," hurried on Trale, "we did the old ge;itleanan „ an injus- tice! He hadn't forgotten you: and he did what was right. I congratu- late you with all my heart! This,' and lie waved the will above his head, "this makes you a rieh man, Mr. Ne- ville." Neville started. "Yes," said Trate, breathlessly, and evidently as much delighted as if he him- self had come into a fortune. "Yes, a third of the money is left to you" "A third!" said. Neville, incredulously, for he knew haw large a sum that third must represent. "And --and Sir Jordan." "Oh, he's all right," replied. Trale, da•y- ly and grudgingly; "there's' a third for him," he whistled softly, "and the rest, with all the jewels, goes to the young lady, the daughter of Sir Greville's first sweetheart; the lady Sir Greville bore such a grudge against, begging your par- don, sir." Neville took the will and read it, but it is doubtful if, in his confused state, he would have understood it without Trale's explanation. "It's all plain now, Mr. Neville,"' said Trale, gravely; "we can see now why Sir Jordan was willing to give that pot of money for the will. It just deprives him of two-thirds of his wealth!" GEIAPTER XXVIit. Jordan fled from the wood and sped across the plain at a rate which would have astonished his fellow members of the cabinet. The demon of fear had taken com- plete possession of him, and his only de- sire was to put as great a space as pos- sible between him and the ruffian who, he knew, thirsted for his blood. He ran without stopping until he had left Burrows behind him, and reached the lane leading to the Court; then he stopped for sheer lack of breath and strength, and only then became consci- ous of a stinging, burning pain in his left arm. He put his right hand to the spot, and withdrew it wet with blood. Then he remembered hearing the sound of a re- volver and feeling a sharp pang of pain at the moment the candle went out. Banks must have fired at and wounded. him. He listened, but could hear no sounds of pursuit, and after a moment to recov- er his breath he sped on to the Court again, and letting Himself in, stole up to his room. The first thing he did was to examine his wound. It was not a serious one the bullet having just scored the fleshy part of the arm below the elbow, but it was extremely painful, and Jordan gnashed his teeth and cursed and swore aa he washed the wound and bandaged it with some lotion. Then he undressed himself with dif- ficulty—he did not dare to summon his valet—and sinking into a chair tried to review the situation. For the first moment or two it seem- ed to him that he was utterly and irre- trievably ruined, and that the beat thing he could do would be to leave the country. At the thought he broke out into another fit of cursing. He, the Right Honorable Sir Jordan Lynne, Bart., a Cabinet Minister, the man people were regarding as, at any rate, a likely Premier, obliged to run away and bide himself. The thought was unendurable. Then presently he began to take a more hopeful view of the situation, and the fact that he had lost the banknotes rather helped him to this view than otherwise. Of course Jim Banks had the notes. He must have seized them a moment after he had fired, and having them he would be , atisfied, and not likely to trouble Jordan at any rate for a time. } ee"fliewebaseelielleileuele>sti So lava: a sum as Jim Banks had se- cured would keep him quiet perhaps for years. As to 'bhe will, the ruffian had either lost or destroyed it, that was evident and he, Jordan, need not feel any anx- iety on that score. His spirits began to rise. After all, the business had turned out better than it had seemed to have done at first sight. The will had disappeared; Jim J>a ice had, with the possession of the notes, every reason for absenting himself for a lengthy period, and be, Jordan, could go on his way in comparative peace. One conviction, however, stood out clear in his mind, and that was that his marriage with Audrey must take place at onee, There must be no delay; he must become the master of the Grange and Audrey's wealth as soon as possible. With that at his back, he thought he could even venture to defy Jim Backe when next he turned up. Notwithstanding that he had arrived at this most cheerful and hopeful state of mind, he did not venture to go to bed, in case the ruffian should follow him to the Court, and he sat up in his chair listening for any sound that might an- nounce Jim Banks' presence, But the night passed silently, and at 8 o'clock Sir Jordan, whose acute brain had been hard at work scheming a mode of defense against all contingencies, got up, disarranged the bed to give it the appearance of having been slept in, took his revolver, and deliberately fired. it out of the window. In a few minutes he heard. hurried footsteps in the corridor, and a knock sounded at the door. "Come in," said Jordan, in an agitated voice, and the valet, with a pale face and alarmed manner, entered. "I—t beg your pardon, Sir Jordan," he said, with suppressed excitement, "but we heard a pistol shot just now, and—" Jordan was standing at the dressing table, holding the bandage round his ATM. "It's all right, don't be alarmed," he said, turning with quite a pleasant smile, though he seemed to wince as if in pain, "it was I who fired." "You, Sir Jordan!" said the man, ad- vancing with astonishment, and staring at Jordan's bandaged arm. "Yes," said Jordan. "I was turning out this drawer in search of some medi- cine and took up the revolver. Very carelessly, I am afraid, for it went off, and the bullet struck me in the arm . I am rightly punished for keeping a load- ed firearm; it is a ridiculous and repre- hensible practice, which I have always condemned. Let this be a warning to you, Greene!" "Oh, dear," said the alarmed valet. "I'Il send for the doctor, Sir Jorda.n at once." Jordan stopped him. "No, no," he said. "It is a mere flesh wound, and does not require surgical as- sistance. Besides—well," and he smiled, "when we have committed a folly we do not desire that it should be node more public than we can avoid. You can tell the household the simple fleets, but please ask them to,be good enough not to gossip about it. I do not wish to see it running through all the London papers." "Yes, Sir Jordan," said the man, to whom this statement and explanation seemed quite reasonable and natural. "Let me bandage it. Dear, dear; the arm's quite discolored already, Sir Jor- dan." Jordan nodded blandly, thinking how quickly a practised surgeon would have seen that the wound had been caused hours ago. "Yes, but you see for yourself that it is nothing serious. Dip the bandage in the lotion, please, and—that is right, thank you. And you may get me a cup of tea. I think I will rest a little this morning. Bring me the letters, please, and rerneniber—I do not wish the—er— accident gossiped about." "Yes, Sir Jorda.n. We were all in a tre- mendous fright, and Frome thought it was burglars, for he declared he'd heard some one unlock a door after we had gone to bed last night." It was the outer door by which Jor- dan had entered stealthily on his return from the Burrows. "Frome was not mistaken," h!ksaid. "I went down to the library for a paper in the middle of the night. You had bet- ter tell him so." The man went down to the hal,l where the servants were crowding together and atlking in hurried whispers, and gave his master's accouut of the accident" Here's • Buil Summer Delight-- SHEHEAT with milk or cream and fresh fruits. Discard heavy foods and try this natural diet for a time and note how your energies will increase and your spirits re- vive. NOURISHING WITHOUT BEING HEATING SOLD BY ALL GROCG RS. rosy "And a plucky one he is," he concluded. "Took it all Ae coolly as if he'd, beers in half a dozen battles. I wouldn't have given him credit for eio much nerve, that 1 wouldn't! It only shows how mistaken you can be in reckoning up a person, don't it?" Fro.ne nodded, but looked rather per- plexed and dissatiefied, "It Wasn't the library door I heard un- locked," he said; "for le I passed it the last thing last night I';loticed that the door was open." "Or fancied you did,!;Mr, Dome," said the valet, with digiti ; he was quite impressed by his mss r'a courage and pluck. "Perhaps I did and erhaps I didn't" retorted Frome, with ueh statelincsa, as he walked off to the servants' hall, followed by the rest, of the crowd. When the valet 'be up the tea and the letters to Sir Jordan, he was in bed, and perfectly serene as it nothing had happened,, and thanked the man with bland civility. ,"Oh, one moment!" he said, as Greene, after attending to his master's wants, was leaivng the room. `I'f—er—the gen- tleman who came the other day, the old gentleman with the beard, you remem- ber?" "Yes, Sir Jordan." "If he should come, let him come up. I rather expect him with some important papers from London." When the valet had left the room Jordan turned over his pile. of letters im- patiently, and then flung them aside. There was none from Audrey; she had not written him a line. "Curse her," he muttered; "she treats me as if I were dirt. She can't write a short note of a few words to the man she is going .to marry, can she? By Heavens! my lady, I'll break that proud spirit of yours presently! I will teach you to estimate Jordan Lynne a little more highly than you appear to do. Wait awhile, my lady; wait!" He was so disappointed and mortified by her silenee that he half resolved that he would go up to London at once; but he knew that he dared not go where there was a chance of Jim Banks turning up again. "I'll give him one day," he thought. "If he does not come to -day I shall know that he is off with the notes. It's a large sum to lose," and he groaned, "but it's well spent if it rids me of the scoun- drel. He'll leave the country soon, that's one comfort, and perhaps Providence wily dispose of him once and for all. Such vermin are sure to come to it sudden end; some drunken quarrel will finish' him." The valet entered. "Mr. Trale, Sir Jordan," he said. "I told him that you were unwell; but he said it was important business, and that if you could see him--' Jordan kept his countenance, though his heart leaped with the fear which lurks ready to spring within your vil- lains' heart. Trate, the inspector, want- ing to see him! What could it nsean? Could it be possible that Jini Banks had been captured? "Certainly," he sail, bi ndly. "Let Mr. Trate come up." "1?p here, Sir •Jor ` e , said the valet, surprised. "Yes, certainly. it may be important business. We neat not neglect our public duties while we are able to per- form thein" The valet showed Trale up, and the inspector's sharp eyes ran over Sir Jor- dan's face and round the room, as he said inhis grave, official manner: "Beg your pardon for this intrusion, Sir .Jordan, and I'm very sorry to trou- ble you, but you being the nearest mag- istrate, and, in fart. the only one in the district just zit present—" Sir Jordan sat up in his dressing -gown and a faint quiver passed over his pale face, but he kept his eyelids down and his lips impassively closed. "Don't apologize, Trale," he said, graciously. "What is it? Sit down," and he waved his hand to a chair. In doing so the dressing -gown fell away from his wounded arm, and Trate, with a well -feigned start, exclaimed with re- spectful concern: "Have you had an accident, Sir Jor- dan? I'm sorry—" "Yes, an accident," assented Jordan, smoothly. "I picked up a revolver which had been lying in one of my drawers, and the thing went off and the bullet grazed my arm. It is a mere nothing. You were saying—" "Oh, one moment!" he said( as Greene, sionately. "leas the surgeon seen it, Sir Jordan? Sometimes these flesh wounds—" Jordan interrupted him, still smoothly, but with a flash of his eyes under his thick lids. "It is a mere scratch, thank you, Trate, and the surgeon would only laugh at inc for troubling him on such slight occasion. 'What is it'you want?" "Well, Sir Jordan, my men made an arrest last night." He paused, and he suw the face he was watching with covert intentness grow a shade paler. "An arrest?" said Sir Jordan, with the polite and official interest due from the magistrate—no more. "Yes, Sir Jordan, and as the man had some of your property in. his possession, 1 thought it my duty to, come to you at once and take your instructions." Jordan's face turned livid, and then he turned it away and picked up a letter and glanced at it. Trale watched him 'with the keen, but hidden enjoyment of a born detective. "Property of mine?" said Sir Jordan, after a pause, and he forced a smile. "Yes, Sir Jordan. We've been on the look -out for this man for some time past." "Yes?" said Sir Jordan, scarcely hear- ing his own voice. . All wae over, then. Banks was caught and no doubt had made aaelean breast of it in accounting for •iie,ty ssession of the hank notes. But Jordan was a man who' would die hard. . "So you have caught Jim Banks at last!" he said, with, a congratulatory smile. A.,""41% Food Products eerilesa rg4�c,, Unlike the ordinary dried beef—that sold in bulk— Libby's Peerless Dried Beef comes in a sealed glass jar in which it is packed the moment it is sliced into those delicious thin wafers.. None of the rich natural flavor or goodness escapes or dries out.. It reaches you fresh and with all the nutri. ment retained.. Libby's Peerless Dried Deer is only one of a Great number of high-grade, ready to serve, pure food products that are prepared in Libby's Great White filichen. • Just try a package of any of these, such as Ox Tongue, Vienna Sausage, Pickles, Olives, etc.., and see how delightfully diff ferent they are from others you have eaten. Libby, McNeill & Libby, Chicago keep this matter quiet. I'm sure, Mr, Neville--" He stopped again, and watched the ef- fect of the name. "Neville?" said Jordan, "'My—my bro- ther Neville? What were yougoing to say about him—what has he to do with it?" "I was only thinking of what he'd wish done in the matter," said.Trale, lowering his voice. "I suppose you haven't heard of him, Sir Jordan" Jordan knit his brows, That Trate had some object in wandering off in tells pe- culiar way in hinting and insinuating, he suspected, "No," he said. "I have—er—had him searohed for----" "Yes, sir. Perhaps if you were to put an advertisement in the papers, saying that something to his ,advantage h turned up he might think Sir Greville had left him a fortune—" He paused and eyed Jordan attentive- ly. Jordan's hand, under the bedclothes, closed spasmodically. "As Sir Greville left him nothing, Y should be sorry to receive him, Trate;' he said, slowly. "And now about this this man and property?" and he raised his eyes and met Trale's gaze defiantly. Trate breathed hard for a moment. He had given Sir Jordan the chance he, Trale, had decided to give him, and Sir Jordan had declined to cavil himself of it• Now it was to be war to the knife. His manner changed to respectful offi- cialism. "The man we caught bad been robbing the Court fowlery, Sir Jordan, and was found with some of the prize birds in his possession," he said, al- snost briskly, "He is the {on of one of the gardeners, and I didn't ,. know whether you wouldn't be inclined to let him off for his father's sake." Jordan eyed Trale keenly. "Thank you," he said. "I quite appre- ciate your feeling in the matter, but you must remember that, as a magis- trate, Trate, I have a duty to perform to society. This fellow must be made an example of. Saes, certainly, I shall prosecute, and his father will be dis- charged from eny service." "Very good, Sir Jordan," said Trale, with straightened lips. "There's nothing more, Sir Jordan?" and he looked at him steadily. "Thank you, no," said Jordan. "Be good enough to ring tha bel for my man. Good -morning, Trate. I am much oblig- ed to you for coming and laying the case before me so promptly, and I am sorry that my sense of duty will not permit me to overlook this theft." "Good -morning, Sir Jordan," said Trale respectfully, and he went downstairs. "Well," he murmured, "for Mr. Neville's and the old name's sake, Pve given you a, chance, Sir Jordan! You'll wish you'd taken it before long. You're a. cool hand, tool" and he shook his head with an air of admiration. "But you don't best Mr. Neville, if I can help it 1" Jordan lay back, his brows knit, his lips working, as he went over every word that had passed. (To be continued.) Trate put on an expression of surprise. "Jim banks, Sir Jordan? Oh, no. I wish '.rc had, confound him!" Jordan drew a long breath of relief, and his heart leaped with a sensation of reprieve. "Not --not Banks?" be said, raising his brows. but still keeping his eyes un- der the concealing lids. "I thought from your tone that you had got that notori- ous scoundrel." "No, Sir Jordan. It's curious you should have thought of him, sir. You haven't heard anything of him, Sir Jor- dan?" He had come to give Sir Jordan a chance; not for his own sake, but for Neville's. If Sir Jordan would make a clean breast of it and right his brother, Trate had, very reiuetnntly, and after a. terrible struggle with his sense of duty, decided to help Neville in "hushing up" Sir Jordan's villainy. Por Neville had thought this the better plan. in order to avoid apublic scandal, which would ex- hibit his half brother in an unenviable plight. Trale waited anxiously for a reply to his last question. Sir Jordan met his grave regard with a bland indifference. "1? How on earth should I hear any- thing of a man of that kind, my good Trak?" he said. Trale's eyes fell, and his lips grew tighter. "Just so, sir," he said. "Ib isn't likely, as you say. But about this property. You know what it is that you've lost, Sir Jordan, of course? What we found on this man?" Jordan was in a terrible fix. Had Banks passed the notes to a confederate who had ben caught? "I--er—" he began, then he *shook his head. "I have lost nothing that 1 am aware of, Trale," he said., rather huskily, Traie regarded him in silence for a moment. "Perhaps you'll give it another thought, Sir Jordan," he said, in a low voice. Jordan raised his lids and shot a keen glance at the grave face. "1 don't understand you, Trate," he said. `"Why do you not tell me what this property is?" "I'd rather it came from you, Sir Jor- dan," said Trale. "You see, it's a ques- tion for you—if you'll prosecute or not. Sometimes gentlemen woulc' rather get their property back, and let the thief go scot free. It isn't for me---" he stop- ped, then went on with extreme gravity. "Sir Jordan, 111 advise. you, if I may venture to do so without a liberty, to DANGEROUS OPIATES. Most of the liquid medicines adver- tieed to cure stomach and bowel troubles and summer complaints contain, opiates and are dangerous. When the mother gives Baby's Own Tablets to her little ones she has the guarantee of a govern- ment analyst that this medicine con- tains no opiate or narcotic, And she has the assurance that no other medi•r,ne will so speedily cure stomach and bowel troubles, if they come unexpectedly. Give the well child au occasional dose of these tablets and they will prevent sick- ness by clearing the stomach and bowels of offending matter. Mrs. Wilbert Bone, Cnrrville, Ont., says: "I have used Baby's Own Tablets for stomach and bowel troubles and know of no other medicine so satisfactory." Sold by medi- cine dealers or by mail at 25e a box from The Dr. Williams', Medicine Co., Brookville, Ont. FRUIT CROP REPORT. Weather conditions in Canada have been favorable during the month of July for the fruit industry. Apples are estimated somewhat lower for July than for June. Early and fall apples are estimated as slightly above medium. Winter apples at less than a. medium crop. Quality good. Pears are reported a light crop, ex- cept in British Columbia and southern Ontario, where a medium crop is ex- pected. Early peaches are reported a full crop. Late peaches are reported light to medium. Cherries have proved a medium crop, and have sold at.fair prices. Plums are reported light generally. In British Columbia certain sections re- port a medium crop. In the Georgian Bay district three or four varieties prow mise well. Grapes are reported a full crop. Strawberries and raspberries have been reduced by dry weather, but the average has been very good.. Small fruits, other than the above% are yielding or promise a full erop. Tomatoes are a medium crop, ripening early. Insects and fungous diseases are not so prevalent as usual. The United States report prospects for a medium crop of apples, evenly dis- tributed in season and territory. Peaches are a , full crop. Other fruits good. Great Britain has prospects for a me- diem, crop of apples; other fruits being goad.. -1. McNeill, chief fruit division. Beginning of Trouble, Mr. Phueser Cynthia, I have joined te Don't Worry Club. Mrs. Phusser—I am sorry for the elub. It will have to change its name.