,,uniform ,,with ,,this ,,volume ,,the ,,primrose ,,path4 ,mrs4 ,oliphant4 ,,thompson',s ,,progress4 ,c4 ,j4 ,cutcliffe ,hyne4 ,,love ,,and ,,mr4 ,,lewisham4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 ,,the ,,food ,,of ,,the ,,gods4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 ,,kipps4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 ,,cynthia',s ,,way4 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,sidgwick4 ,,clarissa ,,furiosa4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 ,,raffles4 ,e4 ,w4 ,hornung4 ,,french ,,nan4 ,agnes ,egerton ,castle4 ,,springtime4 ,h4 ,c4 ,bailey4 ,,moonfleet4 ,j4 ,meade ,falkner4 ,,white ,,fang4 ,jack ,london4 ,,major ,,vigoureux4 8,q40 ,,eight ,,days4 ,r4 ,e4 ,forrest4 ,,the ,,translation ,,of ,a ,,savage4 ,sir ,g4 ,parker4 ,a ,,lame ,,dog',s ,,diary4 ,s4 ,macnaughtan4 ,,fortune ,,of ,,christina ,m',,nab4 ,s4 ,macnaughtan4 ,,the ,,recipe ,,for ,,diamonds4 ,c4 ,j4 ,cutcliffe ,hyne4 ,,old ,,gorgon ,,graham4 ,george ,horace ,lorimer4 ,,mrs4 ,,galer',s ,,business4 ,w4 ,pett ,ridge4 ,,the ,,duenna ,,of ,a ,,genius4 ,m4 ,e4 ,francis4 ,,the ,,octopus4 ,frank ,norris4 ,,the ,,pit4 ,frank ,norris4 ,,matthew ,,austin4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 ,,his ,,grace4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 ,,marcella4 ,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward4 ,,the ,,intrusions ,,of ,,peggy4 ,anthony ,hope4 ,,the ,,princess ,,passes4 ,c4 ,n4 ,a4 ,m4 ,williamson4 ,and ,many ,other ,equally ,popular ,copyright ,novels4 ,,nelson',s ,,library4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,she loosed his horse's rein1 and led it rapidly towards her own horse4 ,illustration3 ,the ,war of the ,carolinas ,by ,,meredith ,,nicholson ,,thomas ,,nelson ,,and ,,sons ,illustration ,oh1 for you that ,i never knew1 ,only in dreams that bind you6-- ,by ,spring's own grace ,i shall know your face ,when under the may ,i find you6 ,h4 ,c4 ,bunner4 ,,to ,,you ,,at ,,the ,,gate4 ,there was a daisy-meadow1 that flowed brimming to the stone wall at the roadside1 and on the wooded crest beyond a lamp twinkled in a house round which stole softly the unhurried1 eddyless dusk4 ,you stood at the gate1 your arms folded on the top bar1 your face uplifted1 watching the stars and the young moon of ,june4 ,i was not so old but that ,i marked your gown of white1 your dark head1 your eyes like the blue of mid-ocean sea-water in the shadow of marching billows4 ,as my step sounded you looked up startled1 a little disdainful1 maybe2 then you smiled gravely2 but a certain dejection of attitude1 a sweet wistfulness of lips and eyes1 arrested and touched me2 and ,i stole on guiltily1 for who was ,i to intrude upon a picture so perfect1 to which moon and stars were glad contributors8 ,as ,i reached the crown of the road1 where it dipped down to a brook that whispered your name1 ,i paused and looked back1 and you waved your hand as though dismissing me to the noisy world of men4 ,in other ,junes ,i have kept tryst with moon and stars beside your gate1 where daisies flow still across the meadow1 and insect voices blur the twilight peace2 but ,i have never seen again your house of shadows among the trees1 or found you dreaming there at the gate with uplifted face and wistful eyes4 ,but from the ridge1 where the road steals down into the hollow with its fireflies and murmuring water1 ,i for ever look back to the star- and moon-hung gate in the wall1 and see your slim1 girlish figure1 and can swear that you wave your hand4 ,,katonah1 ,june #cj1 #aijh4 ,m4 ,n4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,,two ,,gentlemen ,,say ,,good-,,bye #g ,,ii4 ,,the ,,absence ,,of ,,governor ,,osborne #bi ,,iii4 ,,the ,,jug ,,and ,,mr4 ,,ardmore #dj ,,iv4 ,,duty ,,and ,,the ,,jug #ee ,v4 ,,mr4 ,,ardmore ,,officially ,,recognized #ga ,,vi4 ,,mr4 ,,griswold ,,forsakes ,,the ,,academic ,,life #hi ,,vii4 ,,an ,,affair ,,at ,,the ,,state ,,house #ajj ,,viii4 ,,the ,,labours ,,of ,,mr4 ,,ardmore #aae ,,ix4 ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,the ,,little ,,brown ,,jug #abi ,x4 ,,professor ,,griswold ,,takes ,,the ,,field #ach ,,xi4 ,,two ,,ladies ,,on ,a ,,balcony #adi ,,xii4 ,,the ,,embarrassments ,,of ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,ballywinkle #afj ,,xiii4 ,,miss ,,dangerfield ,,takes ,a ,,prisoner #age ,,xiv4 ,a ,,meeting ,,of ,,old ,,friends #aia ,,xv4 ,,the ,,prisoner ,,in ,,the ,,corn-,,crib #bji ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,flight ,,of ,,gillingwater #bbh ,,xvii4 ,,on ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,turner',s #bcg ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,raccoon #bdf ,,xix4 ,,in ,,the ,,red ,,bungalow #bee ,,xx4 ,,ros ,,mundi #bfi ,,xxi4 ,,good-,,bye ,,to ,,jerry ,,dangerfield #bha ,,the ,,war ,,of ,,the ,,carolinas4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,two ,,gentlemen ,,say ,,good-,,bye4 8,if anything really interesting should happen to me ,i think ,i should drop dead10 declared ,ardmore1 as he stood talking to ,griswold in the railway station at ,atlanta4 8,i entered upon this life under false pretenses1 thinking that money would make the game easy1 but here ,i am1 twenty-seven years old1 stalled at the end of a blind alley1 with no light ahead2 and to be quite frank1 old man1 ,i don't believe you have the advantage of me4 ,what's the matter with us1 anyhow80 8,the mistake we make10 replied ,griswold1 8is in failing to seize opportunities when they offer4 ,you and ,i have talked ourselves hoarse a thousand times planning schemes we never pull off4 ,we are cursed with indecision1 that's the trouble with us4 ,we never see the handwriting on the wall1 or if we do1 it's just a streak of hieroglyphics1 and we don't know what it means until we read about it in the newspapers4 ,but ,i thought you were satisfied with the thrills you got running as a reform candidate for alderman in ,new ,york last year4 ,it was a large stage1 and the lime-light struck you pretty often4 ,didn't you get enough8 ,no doubt they'd be glad to run you again40 ,ardmore glanced hastily about and laid his hand heavily on his friend's shoulder4 8,don't mention it--don't think of it6 ,no more politics in mine4 ,the world may go hang if it waits for me to set it right4 ,what ,i want is something different1 a real adventure--something with spice in it4 ,i have bought everything money can buy1 and now ,i'm looking for something that can't be tagged with a price40 8,there's your yacht and the open sea10 suggested ,griswold4 8,sick of it6 ,sick to death of it60 8,you're difficult1 old man1 and mighty hard to please4 ,why don't you turn explorer and go in for the ,north ,pole80 8,perfectly bully6 ,i've thought of it a lot1 but ,i want to be sure ,i've cleaned up everything else first4 ,it's always up there waiting--on ice1 so to speak--but when it's done once there will be nothing left4 ,i want to save that for the last call40 8,you said about the same thing when we talked of ,thibet that first evening we met at the ,university ,club1 and now the ,grand ,lama sings in all the phonographs1 and for a penny you can see him in a kinetoscope1 eating his luncheon4 ,i remember very well that night4 ,we were facing each other at a writing-table1 and you looked up timidly from your letter and asked me whether there were two g's in aggravate2 and ,i answered that it depended on the meaning--one g for a mild case1 two for a severe one--and you laughed1 and we began talking4 ,then we found out how lonesome we both were1 and you asked me to dinner1 and then took me to that big house of yours up there in ,fifth ,avenue and showed me the pictures in your art gallery1 and we found out that we needed each other40 8,yes1 ,i had needed you all right60 ,and ,ardmore sniffed dolefully1 and complained of the smoke that was drifting in upon them from the train sheds4 8,i wish you wouldn't always be leaving me4 ,you ought to give up your job and amuse me4 ,you're the only chap ,i know who doesn't talk horse or automobile or yacht1 or who doesn't want to spend whole evenings discussing champagne vintages2 but you're too good a man to be wasted on a college professorship4 ,better let me endow an institution that will make you president--there might be something in that40 8,it would make me too prominent1 so that when we really make up our minds to go in for adventures ,i should be embarrassed by my high position4 ,as a mere lecturer on #8,the ,libelling of ,sunken ,ships' in a law school1 ,i'm the most obscure person in the world4 ,and for another thing1 we couldn't risk the scandal of tainted money4 ,it would be nasty to have your great-grandfather's whisky deals with the ,mohawk ,indians chanted in a college yell40 ,the crowd surged past them to the ,washington express1 and a waiting porter picked up ,griswold's bags4 8,wish you wouldn't go4 ,i have three hours to wait10 said ,ardmore1 looking at his watch1 8and the only ,atlanta man ,i know is out of town40 8,what did you say you were going to ,new ,orleans for80 demanded ,griswold1 taking out his ticket and moving towards the gate4 8,i thought you exhausted the ,creole restaurants long ago40 8,the fact is10 faltered ,ardmore1 colouring1 8,i'm looking for some one40 8,out with it--out with it60 commanded his friend4 8,i'm looking for a girl ,i saw from a car window day before yesterday4 ,i had started north1 and my train stopped to let a south-bound train pass somewhere in ,north ,carolina4 ,the girl was on the south-bound sleeper1 and her window was opposite mine4 ,she put aside the magazine she was reading and looked me over rather coolly40 8,and you glanced carelessly in the opposite direction and pulled down your shade1 of course1 like the well-bred man you are----0 interrupted ,griswold1 holding fast to ,ardmore's arm as they walked down the platform4 8,i did no such thing4 ,i looked at her and she looked at me4 ,and then my train started----0 8,well1 trains have a way of starting4 ,does the romance end here80 8,then1 just at the last moment1 she winked at me60 8,it was a cinder1 ,ardy4 ,the use of soft coal on railways is one of the saddest facts of ,american transportation4 ,i need hardly remind you1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that nice girls don't wink at strange young men4 ,it isn't done60 8,i would have you know1 ,professor1 that this girl is a lady40 8,don't be so irritable1 and let me summarize briefly on your own hypothesis4 ,you stared at a strange girl1 and she winked at you1 safe in the consciousness that she would never see you again4 ,and now you are going to ,new ,orleans to look for her4 ,she will probably meet you at the station1 with her bridesmaids and wedding cake all ready for you4 ,and you think this will lead to an adventure--you defer finding the ,north ,pole for this--for this8 ,poor ,ardy6 ,but did she toss her card from the window8 ,why ,new ,orleans8 ,why not ,minneapolis1 or ,bangor1 ,maine80 8,i'm not an ass1 ,grissy4 ,i caught the name of the sleeper--you know they're all named1 like yachts and tall buildings--the name of her car was the ,alexandra4 ,i asked our conductor where it was bound for1 and he said it was the ,new ,orleans car4 ,so ,i took the first train back1 ran into you here1 and that's the whole story to date40 8,i admire your spirit4 ,new ,orleans is much pleasanter than the polar ice1 and a girl with a winking eye isn't to be overlooked in this vale of tears4 ,what did this alleviating balm for tired eyes look like1 if you remember anything besides the wicked wink80 8,she was bareheaded1 and her hair was wonderfully light and fluffy1 and it was parted in the middle and tied behind with a black ribbon in a great bow4 ,she rested her cheek on her hand--her elbow on the window-sill1 you know--and she smiled a little as the car moved off1 and winked--do you understand8 ,her eyes were blue1 ,grissy1 big and blue--and she was perfectly stunning40 8,there are winks and winks1 ,ardy10 observed ,griswold1 with a judicial air4 8,there is the wink inadvertent1 to which no meaning can be attached4 ,there is the wink deceptive1 usually given behind the back of a third person1 and a vulgar thing which we will not associate with your girl of the ,alexandra4 ,and then1 to be brief1 there is the wink of mischief1 which is observed occasionally in persons of exceptional bringing up4 ,there are moments in the lives of all of us when we lose our grip on conventions--on morality1 even4 ,the psychology of this matter is very subtle4 ,here you are1 a gentleman of austerely correct life2 here is a delightful girl1 on whom you flash in an out-of-the-way corner of the world4 ,and she1 not wholly displeased by the frank admiration in your eyes--for you may as well concede that you stared at her----0 8,well1 ,i suppose ,i did look at her10 admitted ,ardmore reluctantly4 8,pardonably1 no doubt1 just as you would look at a portrait in a picture gallery1 of course4 ,this boarding-school miss1 who had never before lapsed from absolute propriety1 felt the conventional world crumble beneath her as the train started4 ,she could no more have resisted the temptation to wink than she could have refused a caramel or an invitation to appear as best girl at a church wedding4 ,thus wireless communication is established between soul and soul for an instant only1 and then you are cut off for ever4 ,perhaps1 in the next world1 ,ardy----0 ,griswold and ,ardmore had often idealized themselves as hopeless pursuers of the elusive1 the unattainable1 the impossible2 or at least ,ardmore had1 and ,griswold had entered into the spirit of this sort of thing for the joy it gave ,ardmore4 ,they had discussed frequently the call of soul to soul--the quick glance passing between perfect strangers in crowded thoroughfares--and had fruitlessly speculated as to their proper course in the event the call seemed imperative4 ,a glance of the eye is one thing1 but it is quite another to address a stranger and offer eternal friendship4 ,the two had agreed that1 while1 soul-call or no soul-call1 a gentleman must keep clear of steamer flirtations1 and avoid even the most casual remarks to strange young women in any circumstances1 a gentleman of breeding and character may nevertheless follow the world's long trails in search of a never-to-be-forgotten face4 ,the fact is that ,ardmore was exceedingly shy1 and a considerable experience of fashionable society had not diminished this shortcoming4 ,griswold1 on the other hand1 had the ,virginian's natural social instinct1 but he suffered from a widely-diffused impression that much learning had made him either indifferent or extremely critical where women are concerned4 ,ardmore shrugged his shoulders and fumbled in his coat pockets as though searching for ideas4 ,an austere composure marked his countenance at all times1 and emphasized the real distinction of his clean-cut features4 ,his way of tilting back his head and staring dreamily into vacancy had established for him a reputation for stupidity that was wholly undeserved4 8,please limit the discussion to the present world1 ,professor40 ,when ,ardmore was displeased with ,griswold he called him ,professor1 in a withering tone that disposed of the academic life4 8,we shall limit it to ,new ,orleans or the universe1 as you like40 8,i'm disappointed in you1 ,grissy4 ,you don't take this matter in the proper spirit4 ,i'm going to find that girl1 ,i tell you40 8,i want you to find her1 ,ardy1 and throw yourself at her feet4 ,be it far from me to deprive you of the joy of search4 ,i thoroughly admire your resolute spirit4 ,it smacks of the old heroic times4 ,nor can ,i conceal from you my consuming envy4 ,if a girl should flatter me with a wink1 ,i should follow her thrice round the world4 ,she should not elude me anywhere in the ,copernican system4 ,if it were not the nobler part for you to pursue alone1 ,i should forsake my professorship and buckle on my armour and follow your standard-- ,with the winking eye ,for my battle-cry40 ,and ,griswold hummed the words1 beating time with his stick1 much to ,ardmore's annoyance4 8,in my ignorance10 ,griswold continued1 8,i recall but one allusion to the wink in immortal song4 ,if my memory serves me1 it is no less a soul than ,browning who sings3 #8,all heaven1 meanwhile1 condensed into one eye ,which fears to lose the wonder1 should it wink4' ,you seem worried1 ,ardy4 ,does the wink press so heavily1 or what's the matter80 8,the fact is1 ,i'm in trouble4 ,my sister says ,i've got to marry40 8,which sister80 8,mrs4 ,atchison4 ,you know ,nellie8 ,she's a nice girl and she's a good sister to me1 but she's running me too hard on this marrying business4 ,she's going to bring a bunch of girls down to ,ardsley in a few days1 and she says she'll stay until ,i make a choice40 ,griswold whistled4 8,then1 as we say in literary circles1 you're up against it4 ,no wonder you're beginning to take notice of the frolicsome boarding-school girl who winks at the world4 ,i believe ,i'd rather take chances myself with that amiable sort than marry into your ,newport transatlantic set40 8,well1 one thing's certain1 ,grissy4 ,you've got to come to ,ardsley and help me out while those people are there4 ,nellie likes you2 she thinks you're terribly intellectual and all that1 and if you'll throw in a word now and then1 why----0 8,why1 ,i may be able to protect you from the crafts and assaults of your sister4 ,you seem to forget1 ,ardy1 that ,i'm not one of your ,american leisure class4 ,i'm always delighted to meet ,mrs4 ,atchison1 but ,i'm a person of occupations4 ,i have a consultation in ,richmond to-morrow1 then me for ,charlottesville4 ,we have examinations coming on1 and while ,i like to play with you1 ,i've positively got to work40 8,not if ,i endow all the chairs in the university6 ,you've not only got to come1 but you're going to be there the day they arrive40 ,thomas ,ardmore1 of ,new ,york and ,ardsley1 struck his heavy stick--he always carried a heavy stick--smartly on the cement platform in the stress of his feeling4 ,he was much shorter than ,griswold1 to whom he was deeply attached--for whom he had1 indeed1 the frank admiration of a small boy for a big brother4 ,he sometimes wondered how fully ,griswold entered into the projects of adventure which he1 in his supreme idleness1 planned and proposed2 but he himself had never been quite ready to mount horse or shake out soil1 and what ,griswold had said about indecision rankled in his heart4 ,he was sorry now that he had told of this new enterprise to which he had pledged himself1 but he grew lenient towards ,griswold's lack of sympathy as he reflected that the quest of a winking girl was rather beneath the dignity of a gentleman wedded not merely to the law1 but to the austere teaching profession as well4 ,in his heart he forgave ,griswold1 but he was all the more resolved to address himself stubbornly to his pursuit of the deity of the car ,alexandra1 for only by finding her could he establish himself in ,griswold's eyes as a man of action1 capable of carrying through a scheme requiring cleverness and tact4 ,ardmore was almost painfully rich1 but the usual diversions of the wealthy did not appeal to him2 and having exhausted foreign travel1 he spent much time on his estate in the ,north ,carolina hills1 where he could ride all day on his own land1 and where he read prodigiously in a huge library that he had assembled with special reference to works on piracy1 a subject that had attracted him from early youth4 ,it was this hobby that had sealed his friendship with ,griswold1 who had relinquished the practice of law1 after a brilliant start in his native city of ,richmond1 to accept the associate professorship of admiralty in the law department of the ,university of ,virginia4 ,marine law had a particular fascination for ,griswold1 from its essentially romantic character4 ,as a law student he had read all the decisions in admiralty that the libraries afforded1 and though faithfully serving the university1 he still occasionally accepted retainers in admiralty cases of unusual importance4 ,his lectures were constantly attended by students in other departments of the university for sheer pleasure in ,griswold's racy and entertaining exposition of the laws touching the libelling of schooners and the recovery of jettisoned cargoes4 ,henry ,maine ,griswold was tall1 slender1 and dark1 and he hovered recklessly1 as he might have put it1 on the brink of thirty4 ,he stroked his thin brown moustache habitually1 as though to hide the smile that played about his humorous mouth--a smile that lay even more obscurely in his fine brown eyes4 ,he did violence to the academic traditions by dressing with metropolitan care1 gray being his prevailing note1 though his scarfs ventured upon bold colour schemes that interested his students almost as much as his lectures4 ,the darkest fact of his life--and one shared with none--was his experiments in verse4 ,from his undergraduate days he had written occasionally a little song1 quite for his own pleasure in versifying1 and to a little sheaf of these things in manuscript he still added a few verses now and then4 8,don't worry1 ,ardy10 he was saying to his friend as 8all aboard0 was called1 8and don't be reckless4 ,when you get through looking for the winking eye1 come up to ,charlottesville1 and we'll plan ,the ,true ,life of ,captain ,kidd that is some day going to make us famous40 8,i'll wire you later10 replied ,ardmore1 clinging to his friend's hand a moment after the train began to move4 ,griswold leaned out of the vestibule to wave a last farewell to ,ardmore1 and something very kind and gentle and good to see shone in the lawyer's eyes4 ,he went into the car smiling1 for he called ,ardmore his best friend1 and he was amused by his last words1 which were always ,ardmore's last in their partings1 and were followed usually by telegrams about the most preposterous things1 or suggestions for romantic adventures1 or some new hypothesis touching ,captain ,kidd and his buried treasure4 ,ardmore never wrote letters2 he always telegraphed1 and he enjoyed filing long1 mysterious1 and expensive messages with telegraph operators in obscure places where a scrupulous ten words was the frugal limit4 ,griswold lighted a cigar and opened the afternoon ,atlanta papers in the smoking compartment4 ,his eye was caught at once by imperative headlines4 ,it is not too much to say that the eye of the continent was arrested that evening by the amazing disclosure1 now tardily reaching the public1 that something unusual had occurred at the annual meeting of the ,cotton ,planters' ,association at ,new ,orleans on the previous day4 ,every copy-reader and editor1 every paragrapher on every newspaper in the land1 had smiled and reached for a fresh pencil as a preliminary bulletin announced the passing of harsh words between the ,governor of ,north ,carolina and the ,governor of ,south ,carolina4 ,it may as well be acknowledged here that just what really happened at the ,cotton ,planters' ,convention will never be known1 for this particular meeting was held behind closed doors2 and as the two governors were honoured guests of the association1 no member has ever breathed a word touching an incident that all most sincerely deplored4 ,indeed1 no hint of it would ever have reached the public had it not been that both gentlemen hurriedly left the convention hall1 refused to keep their appointments to speak at the banquet that followed the business meetings1 and were reported to have taken the first trains for their respective capitals4 ,it was whispered by a few persons that the ,governor of ,south ,carolina had taken a fling at the authenticity of the ,mecklenburg ,declaration of ,independence2 it was rumoured in other quarters that the ,governor of ,north ,carolina was the aggressor1 he having--it was said--declared that a people 7meaning the freemen of the commonwealth of ,south ,carolina7 who were not intelligent enough to raise their own hay1 and who1 moreover1 bought that article in ,ohio1 were not worth the ground necessary for their decent interment4 ,it is not the purpose of this chronicle either to seek the truth of what passed between the two governors at ,new ,orleans1 or to discuss the points of history and agriculture raised in the statements just indicated4 ,as every one knows1 the twentieth of ,may 7or was it the thirty-first871 #agge1 is solemnly observed in ,north ,carolina as the day on which the patriots of ,mecklenburg ,county severed the relations theretofore existing between them and his ,majesty ,king ,george the ,third4 ,equally well known is the fact that in ,south ,carolina it is an article of religious faith that on that twentieth day of ,may1 #agge1 the citizens of ,mecklenburg ,county1 ,north ,carolina1 cheered the ,english flag and adopted resolutions reaffirming their ancient allegiance to the ,british crown4 ,this controversy and the inadequacy of the ,south ,carolina hay crop must be passed on to the pamphleteers1 with such other vexed questions as ,andrew ,jackson's birthplace--more debated than ,homer's1 and not to be carelessly conceded to the strutting sons of ,waxhaw4 ,griswold read of the ,new ,orleans incident with a smile1 while several fellow-passengers discussed it in a tone of banter4 ,one of them1 a gentleman from ,mississippi1 presently produced a flask1 which he offered to the others1 remarking1 8,as the ,governor of ,north ,carolina said to the ,governor of ,south ,carolina10 which was1 to be sure1 pertinent to the hour and the discussion1 and bristling with fresh significance4 8,they were both in ,atlanta this morning10 said the man with the flask1 8and they would have been travelling together on this train if they hadn't met in the ticket office and nearly exploded with rage40 ,the speaker was suddenly overcome with his own humour1 and slapped his knee and laughed2 then they all laughed1 including ,griswold4 8,one ought to have taken the lower berth and one the upper to make it perfect10 observed an ,alabama man4 8,i wonder when they'll get home40 8,they'll probably both walk to be sure they don't take the same train10 suggested a commercial traveller from ,cincinnati1 who had just come from ,new ,orleans4 8,their friends are doing their best to keep them apart4 ,they both have a reputation for being quick on the trigger40 8,bosh60 exclaimed ,griswold4 8,i dare say it's all a newspaper story4 ,there's no knife-and-pistol nonsense in the ,south any more4 ,they'll both go home and attend to their business1 and that will be the last of it4 ,the people of ,north ,carolina ought to be proud of ,dangerfield2 he's one of the best governors they ever had4 ,and ,osborne is a first-class man1 too1 one of the old ,palmetto families40 8,i guess they're both all right10 drawled the ,mississippian1 settling his big black hat more firmly on his head4 8,dangerfield spoke in our town at the state fair last year1 and he's one of the best talkers ,i ever heard40 ,therefore1 as no one appeared to speak for the governor of ,south ,carolina1 the drummer volunteered to vouch for his oratorical gifts1 on the strength of an address lately delivered by ,governor ,osborne in a lecture course at ,cincinnati4 ,being pressed by the ,mississippian1 he admitted that he had not himself attended the lecture1 but he had heard it warmly praised by competent critics4 ,the ,mississippian had resented ,griswold's rejection of the possibility of personal violence between the governors1 and wished to return to the subject4 8,it's not only themselves10 he declared1 8but each man has got the honour of his state to defend4 ,suppose1 when they met in the railway office at ,atlanta this morning1 ,dangerfield had drawed his gun4 ,do you suppose1 gentlemen1 that if ,north ,carolina had drawed ,south ,carolina wouldn't have followed suit8 ,i declare1 young man1 you don't know what you're talking about4 ,if ,bill ,dangerfield won't fight1 ,i don't know fightin' blood when ,i see it40 8,well1 sir10 began the ,alabama man1 8my brother-in-law in ,charleston went to college with ,osborne1 and many's the time ,i've heard him say that he was sorry for the man who woke up ,charlie ,osborne4 ,charlie--,i mean the governor1 you understand--is one of these fellows who never says much1 but when you get him going he's terrible to witness4 ,bill ,dangerfield may be ,governor of ,north ,car'line1 and ,i reckon he is1 but he ain't ,governor of ,south ,car'line1 not by a damned good deal40 ,the discussion had begun to bore ,griswold1 and he went back to his own section1 having it in mind to revise a lecture he was preparing on 8,the ,right of ,search on the ,high ,seas40 ,it had grown dark1 and the car was brilliantly lighted4 ,there were not more than half a dozen other persons in his sleeper1 and these were widely scattered4 ,having taken an inventory of his belongings to be sure they were all at hand1 he became conscious of the presence of a young lady in the opposite section4 ,in the seat behind her sat an old coloured woman in snowy cap and apron1 who was evidently the young lady's servant4 ,griswold was aware that this dusky duenna bristled and frowned and pursed her lips in the way of her picturesque kind as he glanced at her1 as though his presence were an intrusion upon her mistress1 who sat withdrawn to the extreme corner of her section1 seeking its fullest seclusion1 with her head against a pillow1 and the tips of her sude shoes showing under her gray travelling skirt on the farther half of the section4 ,she twirled idly in her fingers a half-opened white rosebud--a fact unimportant in itself1 but destined to linger long in ,griswold's memory4 ,the pillow afforded the happiest possible background for her brown head1 her cheek bright with colour1 and a profile clear-cut1 and just now--an impression due1 perhaps1 to the slight quiver of her nostrils and the compression of her lips--seemingly disdainful of the world4 ,griswold hung up his hat and opened his portfolio2 but the presence of the girl suggested ,ardmore and his ridiculous quest of the alluring blue eye1 and it was refreshing to recall ,ardmore and his ways4 ,here was one man1 at least1 in this twentieth century1 at whose door the ,time ,spirit might thump and thunder in vain4 ,the black woman rose and ministered to her mistress1 muttering in kind monotone consolatory phrases from which 8chile0 and 8honey0 occasionally reached ,griswold's ears4 ,the old mammy produced from a bag several toilet bottles1 a fresh handkerchief1 a hand mirror1 and a brush1 which she arranged in the empty seat4 ,the silver trinkets glowed brightly against the blue upholstery4 8,thank you1 ,aunt ,phbe1 ,i'm feeling much better4 ,just let me alone now1 please40 ,the girl put aside the white rose for a moment and breathed deeply of the vinaigrette1 whose keen1 pungent odour stole across the aisle to ,griswold4 ,she bent forward1 took up the hand mirror1 and brushed the hair away from her forehead with half a dozen light strokes4 ,she touched her handkerchief to the cologne flask1 passed it across her eyes1 and then took up the rose again and settled back with a little sigh of relief4 ,in her new upright position her gaze rested upon ,griswold's newspapers1 which he had flung down on the empty half of his section4 ,one of them had fallen open1 and lay with its outer page staring with the bold grin of display type4 ,,two ,,governors ,,at ,,war4 ,,what ,,did ,,the ,,governor ,,of ,,north ,,carolina ,,say ,,to ,,the ,,governor ,,of ,,south ,,carolina8 ,the colour deepened in the girl's face2 a slight frown gathered in her smooth forehead2 then she called the coloured woman1 and a brief colloquy followed between them4 ,in a moment ,griswold was addressed in a tone and manner at once condescending and deferential4 8,if yo' please1 suh1 would yo' all 'low my mistus t' look at yo' newspapahs80 8,certainly4 ,take them along40 ,and ,griswold1 recalled from a passage in his lecture that dealt with contraband munitions of war1 handed over the newspapers1 and saw them pass into the hands of his fellow-passenger4 ,he had read the newspapers pretty thoroughly1 and knew the distribution of their contents1 so that he noted with surprise the girl's immediate absorption in the telegrams from ,new ,orleans relating to the difficulty between the two governors4 ,as she read she lost1 he thought1 something of her splendid colour1 and at one point in her reading her face went white for a moment1 and ,griswold saw the paper wrinkle under the tightening grasp of her hands4 ,the tidings from ,new ,orleans had undoubtedly aroused her indignation1 which expressed itself further in the rigid lines of her figure as she read1 and in the gradual lifting of her head1 as though with some new resolution4 ,she seemed to lose account of her surroundings1 and several times ,griswold was quite sure that he heard her half exclaim1 8,preposterous6 ,infamous60 ,when she had finished the ,new ,orleans telegrams she cast the offending newspapers from her2 then1 recalling herself1 summoned the black woman1 and returned them to ,griswold1 the dusky agent expressing the elaborate thanks of her race for his courtesy4 ,the girl had utterly ignored ,griswold1 and she now pulled down the curtain at her elbow with a snap and turned her face away from him4 ,professor ,griswold's eyes wandered repeatedly from his manuscript to the car ceiling1 then furtively to the uncompromisingly averted shoulder and head of the young lady1 then back to his lecture notes1 until he was weary of the process4 ,he wished ,ardmore were at hand1 for his friend would find here a case that promised much better than the pursuit to which he had addressed himself4 ,the girl in this instance was at least a self-respecting lady1 not given to flirtations with chance travellers1 and the brown eyes1 of which ,griswold had caught one or two fleeting glimpses1 were clearly not of the winking sort4 ,the attendance of the black mammy distinguished the girl as a person of quality1 whose travels were stamped with an austere propriety4 ,her silver toilet articles testified to an acquaintance with the comforts if not the luxuries of life4 ,the alligator-hide suit-case thrust under the seat bore the familiar label of a ,swiss hotel where ,griswold had once spent a week1 and spoke of the girl's acquaintance with an ampler world4 ,when ,phbe had brought it forth1 the initials 8,b4 ,o40 in small black letters suggested ,baltimore and ,ohio to ,griswold's lazy speculations1 whereupon he reflected that while ,baltimore was plausible1 the black servant eliminated ,ohio2 and as every ,virginian knows every other ,virginian1 he tried to identify her with ,old ,dominion family names beginning with ,o1 but without result4 ,he finally concluded that1 while her name might be ,beatrice or ,barbara1 it could not be ,bessie1 and he decided that very likely the suit-case belonged to her brother ,benjamin1 in whom he felt no interest whatever4 ,he went out to supper1 secured the only remaining table for two1 and was giving his order when the young lady appeared4 ,she had donned her hat1 and as she stood a moment in the entrance1 surveying the line of tables1 her distinction was undeniable4 ,there were but two vacant places in the car1 one facing ,griswold1 the other across the aisle at a larger table where three men were engaged in animated discussion4 ,the girl viewed the prospect with evident disappointment as the waiter drew out the vacant chair at ,griswold's table4 ,she carried herself bravely1 but wore still a triste air that touched ,griswold's sympathy4 ,he rose1 told the waiter that he would sit at the other table1 and the girl murmured her thanks with a forlorn little smile as she took his seat4 ,the appearance of ,griswold aroused the ,mississippian to a renewal of the discussion of the ,new ,orleans incident4 ,he was in excellent humour1 and had carried to the car a quart bottle1 which he pushed toward ,griswold4 8,as the ,governor of ,north ,carolina said to the ,governor of ,south ,carolina----0 8,no1 thank you10 and as he spoke ,griswold's eyes fell upon the girl1 and he saw annoyance written fleetingly on her face4 8,you needn't be afraid of that whisky4 ,it's all right10 the ,mississippian protested4 8,i'm confident of that2 but some other time1 thank you40 8,well1 sir10 the ,mississippian declared1 8after you left us a while ago we got to talking about ,dangerfield and his trouble with ,osborne4 ,there's something back of this rumpus4 ,you see1 if they lived in the same state you might account for a fierce rivalry between them4 ,both of 'em1 for example1 might have the senatorial bee in their bonnets2 but either one of 'em could make the senate any time he pleased4 ,i guess they're the two biggest men in the ,south right now4 ,they're too big to be touchy about any small matter2 that's why ,i reckon there's something behind this little racket over there at ,new ,orleans4 ,no passing remark would send men off that way1 so wild that they wouldn't travel on the same train together4 ,why1 gentlemen----0 8,please pass the salt10 interposed ,griswold4 ,the ,mississippian enjoyed the sound of his own voice1 which boomed out above the noise of the train with broad effects of dialect that these types will not be asked to reproduce4 ,griswold's eyes had again met those of the girl opposite1 and there was1 he felt1 a look of appeal in them4 ,the discussion distressed her1 just as the telegrams from ,new ,orleans in the afternoon papers had distressed her1 and ,griswold began at once to entertain his table companions with his views on a number of national political issues1 that were as vital to ,arizona or ,wyoming as to the ,carolinas4 ,he told stories to illustrate his points1 and told them so well that his three companions forgot the estrangement of the belligerent governors4 ,griswold ran on in the low1 musical voice that distinguishes the cultivated ,virginian in any company anywhere in the world1 and the noisy loquacity of the ,mississippian went down before him4 ,he was so intent on holding their attention that his dishes were taken from him almost untouched4 ,the others lingered until his coffee was brought4 ,he was so absorbed that he failed to see the smile that occasionally passed over the girl's face as some fragment of one of his stories found its way to her4 ,he had undertaken to deflect the talk from a channel which had1 it seemed1 some painful association for her1 but he had done more in unwittingly diverting her own thoughts by his droll humour4 ,he did not cease until she had left the car1 whereupon he followed his trio of auditors to the smoking compartment1 and there suffered the ,mississippian to hold uninterrupted sway4 ,when he went back into the car at eleven o'clock he found the girl and her maid still sitting in their sections1 though most of the other berths1 including his own1 had been made up4 ,the train was slowing down1 and wishing a breath of air before retiring1 he went to the rear platform of the sleeper1 which was the last car of the train4 ,the porter had opened the door in the vestibule to allow the brakeman to run back with his torpedoes4 ,the baggage car had developed a hot box1 and jumping out1 ,griswold saw lanterns flashing ahead where the trainmen laboured with the sick wheel4 ,the porter vanished1 leaving ,griswold alone4 ,the train had stopped at the edge of a small town1 whose scattered houses lay darkly against the hills beyond4 ,the platform lamps of a station shone a quarter of a mile ahead4 ,the feverish steel yielded reluctantly to treatment1 and ,griswold went forward and watched the men at work for a few minutes1 then returned to the end of the train4 ,he swung himself into the vestibule and leaned upon the guard rail1 gazing down the track toward the brakeman's lantern4 ,then he grew impatient at the continued delay and dropped down again1 pacing back and forth in the road-bed behind the becalmed train4 ,the night was overcast1 with hints of rain in the air1 and a little way from the rear lights it was pitch dark4 ,griswold felt sure that the train would not leave without the brakeman1 and he was further reassured by the lanterns of the trainmen beside the baggage car4 ,suddenly1 as he reached the car and turned to retrace his steps1 a man sprang up1 seemingly from nowhere1 and accosted him4 8,i reckon y'u're the gov'nor1 ain't y'u80 8,yes1 certainly1 my man4 ,what can ,i do for you80 replied ,griswold instantly4 8,i reckoned it was y'u when y'u fust come out on the platform4 ,i'm app'inted to tell y'u1 ,gov'nor1 that if y'u have ,bill ,appleweight arrested in ,south ,car'lina1 y'u'll get something one of these days y'u won't like4 ,and if y'u try to find me y'u'll get it quicker4 ,good-night1 ,gov'nor40 8,good-night60 stammered ,griswold4 ,the least irony had crept into the word governor as the man uttered it and slipped away into the darkness4 ,the shadows swallowed him up2 the frogs in the ditch beside the track chanted dolorously2 then the locomotive whistled for the brakeman1 whose lantern was already bobbing toward the train4 ,as ,griswold swung himself into the vestibule the girl who had borrowed his newspapers turned away hurriedly and walked swiftly before him to her section4 ,the porter1 who was gathering her things together1 said1 as she paused in the aisle by her seat1-- 8,beginnin' to get ready1 ,miss ,osbo'n4 ,we're gwine intu ,columbia thirty minutes late all account dat hot box40 ,griswold passed on to the smoking compartment and lighted a cigar4 ,his acquaintances of the supper table had retired1 and he was glad to be alone with his thoughts before the train reached ,columbia4 ,he dealt harshly with himself for his stupidity in not having associated the girl's perturbation over the breach between the governor of ,north ,carolina and the governor of ,south ,carolina with the initials on her travelling bag2 he had been very dull1 but it was clear to him now that she was either the daughter or some other near relative of ,governor ,osborne4 ,in a few minutes she would leave the train at ,columbia1 where the governor lived1 and1 being a gentleman1 he would continue on his way to ,richmond1 and thence to the university1 and the incident would be closed4 ,but ,griswold was a lawyer1 and he had an old-fashioned ,southern lawyer's respect for the majesty of law4 ,on the spur of curiosity or impulse he had received a threatening message intended for the governor of ,south ,carolina1 who1 from the manner of the delivery of the message1 had been expected on this train4 ,griswold argued that the man who had spoken to him had been waiting at the little station near which they had stopped1 in the hope of seeing the governor2 that the waiting messenger had taken advantage of the unexpected halt of the train2 and1 further1 that some suggestion of the governor in his own appearance had deceived the stranger4 ,he felt the least bit guilty at having deceived the man1 but it was now clearly his duty to see that the governor was advised of the threat that had been communicated in so unusual a manner4 ,he was pondering whether he should do this in person or by letter or telegram1 when the rattle of the train over the switch frogs in the ,columbia yards brought him to the point of decision4 ,the porter thrust his head into the compartment4 8,columbia1 sah4 ,yo' berth's all ready1 sah4 ,yo' gwine t' ,richmond--yes1 sah40 ,his hands were filled with the young lady's luggage4 ,the lettering on the suit-case seemed1 in a way1 to appeal to ,griswold and to fix his determination4 8,porter6 ,put my things off4 ,i'll wait here for the morning train40 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,absence ,,of ,,governor ,,osborne4 ,griswold spent the night at the ,saluda ,house1 ,columbia1 and rose in the morning with every intention of seeing ,governor ,osborne1 or some one in authority at his office1 as soon as possible1 and proceeding to ,richmond without further delay4 ,as he scanned the morning newspaper at breakfast he read with chagrin this item1 prominently headlined3 ,governor ,osborne1 who was expected home from the ,cotton ,planters' ,convention yesterday morning1 has been unavoidably detained in ,atlanta by important personal business4 ,miss ,barbara ,osborne arrived last night and proceeded at once to the governor's mansion4 ,several matters of considerable importance await the governor's return4 ,among these is the matter of dealing with the notorious ,bill ,appleweight4 ,it is understood that the ,north ,carolina officials are unwilling to arrest ,appleweight1 though his hiding-place in the hills on the border near ,kildare is well known4 ,although he runs back and forth across the state line at pleasure1 he is a ,north ,carolinian beyond question1 and it's about time ,governor ,dangerfield took note of the fact4 ,however1 the governor of ,south ,carolina may be relied on to act with his usual high sense of public duty in this matter4 ,professor ,griswold was not pleased to learn that the governor was still absent from the capital4 ,he felt that he deserved better luck after the trouble he had taken to warn the governor4 ,his conscience had got the better of his comfort--he knew that1 and he wrote a telegram to the law firm at ,richmond with which he was consultant1 asking that a meeting with certain clients arranged for to-day be deferred twenty-four hours4 ,it was now ,tuesday2 he had no further lectures at the university until the following ,monday1 and after he had taken his bearings of ,columbia1 where it occurred to him he had not an acquaintance1 he walked toward the capitol with a well-formed idea of seeing the governor's private secretary--and1 if that person appeared to be worthy of confidence1 apprising him of the governor's danger4 ,standing in the many-pillared portico of the capitol1 ,griswold turned to look down upon ,columbia1 a city distinguished to the most casual eye by streets an acre wide6 ,and having an historical imagination and a reverence for the past1 ,griswold gave himself for a moment to ,memory1 hearing the tramp of armed hosts1 and the thunder of cannon1 and seeing flames leap again in the wake of battle4 ,it was a glorious day1 and the green of late ,may lay like a soft scarf upon the city4 ,the sky held the wistful blue of spring4 ,griswold bared his head to the faint breeze1 or perhaps unconsciously he saluted the bronze figure of ,hampton1 who rides for ever there at the head of his stubborn legion4 ,he turned into the capitol with a little sigh1 for he was a son of ,virginia1 and here1 in this unfamiliar scene1 the ,past was revivified1 and he felt the spell of things that were already old when he was born4 ,it was not yet nine o'clock when he entered the governor's office4 ,he waited in the reception-room1 adjoining the official chamber1 but the several desks of the clerical staff remained unoccupied4 ,he chafed a bit as time passed and no one appeared1 for his north-bound train left at eleven1 and he could not fairly be asked to waste the entire day here4 ,he was pacing the floor1 expecting one of the clerks to appear at any moment1 when a man entered hurriedly1 walked to the closed inner door1 shook it impatiently1 and kicked it angrily as he turned away4 ,he was a short1 thick-set man of thirty-five1 dressed in blue serge1 and his movements were quick and nervous4 ,he growled under his breath and swung round upon ,griswold as though to tax him with responsibility for the closed door4 8,has no one been here this morning80 he demanded1 glaring at the closed desks4 8,if you don't count me ,i should answer no10 replied ,griswold quietly4 8,oh60 ,the two gentlemen regarded each other for a moment1 contemptuous dislike clearly written on the smaller man's face1 ,griswold half-smiling and indifferent4 8,i am waiting for the governor10 remarked ,griswold1 thinking to gain information4 8,then you're likely to wait some time10 jerked the other4 8,the whole place seems to be abandoned4 ,i never saw such a lot of people40 8,not having seen them myself1 ,i must reserve judgment10 ,griswold remarked1 and the blue serge suit flung out of the room4 ,presently another figure darkened the entrance1 and the coloured servant whom ,griswold had seen attending ,miss ,osborne on the train from ,atlanta swept into the reception-room1 and grandly ignoring his presence1 sat down in a chair nearest the closed door of the inner chamber4 ,griswold felt that this was encouraging1 as implying some link between the governor and his domestic household1 and he was about to ask the coloured woman if she knew the business hours of the office when the closed door opened and ,miss ,osborne appeared on the threshold4 ,the coloured woman rose1 and ,griswold1 who happened to be facing the door when it swung open with such startling suddenness1 stared an instant and bowed profoundly4 8,i beg your pardon1 but ,i wish very much to see ,governor ,osborne or his secretary40 ,miss ,osborne1 in white1 trailing a white parasol in her hand1 and with white roses in her belt1 still stood half withdrawn inside the private office4 8,i am very sorry that ,governor ,osborne and his secretary are both absent10 she answered1 and the two eyed each other gravely4 ,griswold felt that the brown eyes into which he looked had lately known tears2 but she held her head high1 with a certain defiance1 even4 8,that is unfortunate4 ,i stopped here last night on purpose to see him1 and now ,i fear that ,i must leave0--and he smiled the ,griswold smile1 which was one of the secrets of his popularity at the university--8,i must leave ,columbia in a very few minutes40 8,the office does not keep very early hours10 remarked the girl1 8but some one will certainly be here in a moment4 ,i am sorry you have had to wait40 ,she had not changed her position1 and ,griswold rather hoped she would not1 for the door framed her perfectly1 and the sunlight from the inner windows emphasized the whiteness of the snowy gown she wore4 ,her straw hat was shaped like a soldier's campaign hat1 with sides pinned up1 the top dented1 and a single feather thrust into the side4 8,it was not ,i10 said ,griswold1 8who so rudely shook the door4 ,i beg that you will acquit me of that violence40 ,the girl did not1 however1 respond to his smile4 ,she poked the floor with her parasol a moment1 then raised her head and asked1-- 8,who was it1 if you please80 8,a gentleman with a brown beard1 a red necktie1 and a bad disposition40 8,i thought as much10 she said1 half to herself1 and her eyes were bent again upon the point of her parasol1 with which she was tracing a design in the rug4 ,she lifted her head with the abruptness of quick decision1 and looked straight at ,griswold4 ,the negress had withdrawn to the outer door1 by which she sat with sphinx-like immovability4 8,i am ,miss ,osborne4 ,governor ,osborne is my father4 ,would you mind telling me whether your business with my father is----0 ,she hesitated1 and her eyes met ,griswold's4 8,miss ,osborne1 as ,i have no acquaintances here1 let me introduce myself4 ,my name is ,griswold4 ,my home is ,charlottesville4 ,pardon me1 but you and ,i were fellow-passengers from ,atlanta yesterday evening4 ,i am unacquainted with your father1 and ,i have no business with him except----0 ,he was not yet clear in his mind whether to tell her that her father's life was threatened2 it did not seem fair to alarm her when he was powerless to help2 but as he weighed the question the girl came out into the reception-room and sat down near the window4 8,won't you have a seat1 ,mr4 ,griswold8 ,may ,i ask you again whether you know the gentleman who came in here and beat the door a while ago80 8,i never saw him before in my life40 8,that is very well4 ,and now1 ,mr4 ,griswold1 ,i am going to ask you to tell me1 if you will1 just what it is you wish to say to my father40 ,she was very earnest1 and the request she made rang the least bit imperiously4 ,she now held the white parasol across her lap in the tight clasp of her white-gloved hands4 8,i should not hesitate----0 began ,griswold1 still uncertain what to do4 8,you need not hesitate in the fear that you may alarm me4 ,i think ,i know0--and she half-smiled now--8,i think perhaps ,i know what it is40 8,my reason for wishing to see your father is1 then1 to warn him that if a criminal named ,appleweight is brought back from his hiding-place on the ,north ,carolina frontier1 and tried for his crimes in ,south ,carolina1 the governor of that state1 your father1 will be made to suffer by ,appleweight's friends40 8,that is what ,i thought10 said the girl1 slowly nodding her head4 8,and now1 to be quite honest about it1 ,miss ,osborne1 ,i must confess that ,i received this warning last night from a man who believed me to be the governor4 ,to tell the truth1 ,i told him ,i was the governor60 ,the girl's eyes made a fresh inventory of ,griswold1 then she laughed for the first time--a light laugh of honest mirth that would not be gainsaid4 ,the beautiful colour deepened in her cheeks2 her eyes lighted merrily1 as though at the drollery of ,griswold standing1 so to speak1 in loco parentis4 8,i have my own confession to make4 ,i heard what you said to that man4 ,i had gone to the rear platform to see what was the matter4 ,the stop there in that preposterous place seemed interminable4 ,you must have known that ,i listened40 8,i didn't suppose you heard what that man said to me or what ,i said to him4 ,i don't know how ,i came to palm myself off as the governor--,i am not in the habit of doing such things1 but it was due1 ,i think1 to the fact that ,i had just been saying to a friend of mine at ,atlanta----0 ,he ceased speaking1 realizing that what he might have said to ,ardmore was not germane to the point at issue4 ,his responsibility for the life and security of ,governor ,osborne of the sovereign state of ,south ,carolina was at an end1 and he was entering upon a social chat with ,governor ,osborne's daughter4 ,some such thought must have passed through her mind1 too1 for she straightened herself in her chair and dropped the point of her parasol to the floor4 ,but she was the least bit curious1 in spite of herself4 ,the young man before her1 who held his hat and gloves so quietly and who spoke with so nice a deference in a voice so musical1 was beyond question a gentleman1 and he had stopped at ,columbia to render her father a service4 ,there was no reason why she should not hear what he had said to his friend at ,atlanta4 8,what had you been saying1 ,mr4 ,griswold80 8,oh1 really nothing1 after all6 ,i'm ashamed of it now6 ,but he's the most amusing person1 with nothing to do but to keep himself amused4 ,we discuss many daring projects1 but we are never equal to them4 ,i had just been telling him that we were incapable of action2 that while we plan our battles the foe is already breaking down the outer defences and beating in the gates4 ,you see1 we are both very ridiculous at times1 and we talk that sort of idiocy to keep up our spirits4 ,and having berated my friend for his irresolution1 ,i seized the first opportunity to prove my own capacity for meeting emergencies4 ,the man flattered me with the assumption that ,i was the governor of ,south ,carolina1 and ,i weakly fell40 ,distress was again written in ,miss ,osborne's face4 ,she had paid little heed to the latter half of ,griswold's recital1 though she kept her eyes fixed gravely upon him4 ,in a moment the gentleman in blue serge who had manifested so much feeling over the governor's absence strode again into the room4 8,ah1 ,miss ,osborne1 so you are back60 ,he bowed over the girl's hand with a great deal of manner1 then glanced at once toward the door of the private office4 8,hasn't your father come in yet8 ,i have been looking for him since eight o'clock40 8,my father is not home yet1 ,mr4 ,bosworth40 8,not home6 ,do you mean to say that he won't be here to-day80 8,i hardly expect him10 replied the girl calmly4 8,very likely he will be at home to-night or in the morning40 ,griswold had walked away out of hearing2 but he felt that the girl purposely raised her voice so that he might hear what she said4 8,i must know where he is2 there's an important matter waiting--a very serious matter it may prove for him if he isn't here to-day to pass on it4 ,i must wire him at once40 8,very good4 ,you had better do so1 ,mr4 ,bosworth4 ,he's at the ,peach ,tree ,club1 ,atlanta40 8,atlanta6 ,do you mean to say that he isn't even in this state to-day80 8,no1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 and ,i advise you to telegraph him immediately if your business is so urgent40 8,it isn't my business1 ,barbara2 it's the state's business2 it's your father's business1 and if he isn't here to attend to it by to-morrow at the latest1 it will go hard with him4 ,he has enemies who will construe his absence as meaning----0 ,he spoke rapidly1 with rising anger1 but some gesture from the girl arrested him1 and he turned frowningly to see ,griswold calmly intent upon an engraving at the farther end of the room4 ,the coloured woman was dozing in her chair4 ,before ,bosworth could resume1 the girl spoke1 her voice again raised so that every word reached ,griswold4 8,if you refer to the ,appleweight case1 ,i must tell you1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 that ,i have all confidence that my father will act whenever he sees fit40 8,but the people----0 8,my father is not afraid of the people10 said the girl quietly4 8,but you don't understand1 ,barbara1 how much is at stake here4 ,if some action isn't taken in that matter within twenty-four hours your father will be branded as a coward by every newspaper in the state4 ,you seem to take it pretty coolly1 but it won't be a trifling matter for him40 8,i believe10 replied the girl1 rising1 8that you have said all that ,i care to hear from you now or at any further time1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 about this or any other matter40 8,but1 ,barbara----0 ,miss ,osborne turned her back and walked to the window4 ,bosworth stared a moment1 then rushed angrily from the room4 ,griswold abandoned his study of the picture1 and gravely inclined his head as ,bosworth passed4 ,then he waited a minute4 ,the girl still stood at the window1 and there was1 ,griswold felt1 something a little forlorn in her figure4 ,it was quite time that he was off if he caught his train for ,richmond4 ,he crossed the room1 and as he approached the window ,miss ,osborne turned quickly4 8,it was kind of you to wait4 ,that man is the state's attorney-general4 ,you doubtless heard what he said to me40 8,yes1 ,miss ,osborne1 ,i could not help hearing4 ,i did not leave1 because ,i wished to say----0 ,the associate professor of admiralty in the department of law of the ,university of ,virginia hesitated and was lost4 ,miss ,osborne's eyes were brown1 with that hint of bronze1 in certain lights1 that is the distinctive possession of the blessed4 ,health and spirit spoke in her bright colour4 ,she was tall and straight1 and there was something militant in her figure as she faced ,griswold4 8,i beg to say1 ,miss ,osborne1 that if there is any way in which ,i can serve you1 my time is wholly at your disposal40 8,i thank you4 ,i fear that you have already given yourself too much trouble in stopping here4 ,my father will wish to thank you on his return40 ,her lips trembled1 and tears were bright in her eyes4 ,then she regained control of herself4 8,mr4 ,griswold1 ,i have no claim whatever on your kindness1 but ,i am in very great distress4 ,i don't see just where ,i can turn for aid to any one ,i know4 ,but you as a stranger may be able to help me--if it isn't asking too much--but then ,i know it is asking too much60 8,anything1 anything whatever10 urged ,griswold kindly4 8,mr4 ,bosworth1 the attorney-general1 warns me that if my father does not use the power of the state to capture this outlaw ,appleweight1 the results will be disastrous4 ,he says my father must act immediately4 ,he demanded his address1 and1 and--,i gave it to him40 8,but you must remember1 ,miss ,osborne1 that the attorney-general probably knows the intricacies of this case4 ,he must have every reason for upholding your father2 in fact1 it's his sworn duty to advise him in such matters as this40 8,there's another side to that1 ,mr4 ,griswold10 and the girl's colour deepened2 but she smiled and went on4 ,it was quite evident that she was animated now by some purpose1 and that she was resolved to avail herself of ,griswold's proffered aid4 8,i have my own reasons for doubting ,mr4 ,bosworth's motives2 and ,i resent his assumption that my father is not doing his full duty4 ,no one can speak to me of my father in that way--no one60 8,certainly not1 ,miss ,osborne60 8,this whole matter must be kept as quiet as possible4 ,i can appeal to no one here without the risk of newspaper publicity which would do my father very great injury4 ,but if it is not altogether too great a favour1 ,mr4 ,griswold1 may ,i ask that you remain here until to-night--until my father returns8 ,his secretary has been ill and is away from town4 ,the other clerks ,i sent away on purpose this morning4 ,father had left his office keys at home1 and ,i came in to see if ,i could find the papers in the ,appleweight case4 ,they are there1 and on the top of the packet is a requisition on the governor of ,north ,carolina for ,appleweight's return40 8,signed80 8,signed4 ,i'm sure he had only deferred acting in the case until his return1 and he should have been back to-day40 8,but of course he will be back2 it is inconceivable that he should ignore1 much less evade1 a duty as plain as this--the governor of a state--it is preposterous6 ,his business in ,atlanta accounts for his absence4 ,governor ,osborne undoubtedly knows what he is about40 8,my father is not in ,atlanta1 ,mr4 ,griswold4 ,he is not at the ,peach ,tree ,club1 and has not been4 ,i have not the slightest idea where my father is60 ,the echoing whistle of the departing ,virginia express reached them faintly as they stood facing each other before the open window in the governor's reception-room4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,jug ,,and ,,mr4 ,,ardmore4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 of ,new ,york and ,ardsley1 having seen his friend ,griswold depart1 sought a book-shop where1 as in many other book-shops throughout the ,united ,states1 he kept a standing order for any works touching piracy1 a subject which1 as already hinted1 had long afforded him infinite diversion4 ,he had several hours to wait for his train to ,new ,orleans1 and he was delighted to find that the bookseller1 whom he had known only by correspondence1 had just procured for him1 through the dispersion of a ,georgia planter's valuable library1 that exceedingly rare narrative1 ,the ,golden ,galleons of the ,caribbean1 by ,dominguez y ,pascual--a beautifully bound copy of the original ,madrid edition4 ,with this volume under his arm1 ,ardmore returned to the hotel where he was lodged and completed his arrangements for leaving4 ,it should be known that ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore was a person of democratic tastes and habits4 ,in his ,new ,york house were two servants whose sole business it was to keep himself and his wardrobe presentable2 yet he preferred to travel unattended4 ,he was by nature somewhat secretive1 and his adventurous spirit rebelled at the thought of being followed about by a hired retainer4 ,his very wealth was1 in a way1 a nuisance1 for wherever he went the newspapers chronicled his movements1 with speculations as to the object of his visit1 and dark hints at large public gifts which the city honoured by his presence at once imagined would be bestowed upon it forthwith4 ,the ,american press constantly execrated his family1 and as he was sensitive to criticism he kept very much to himself4 ,it was a matter of deep regret to ,ardmore that his great-grandfather1 whose name he bore1 should have trifled with the morals of the red men1 but he philosophized that it was not his fault1 and if he had known how to squeeze the whisky from the ,ardmore millions he would have been glad to do so4 ,his own affairs were managed by the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company1 and ,ardmore took little personal interest in any of his belongings except his estate in ,north ,carolina1 where he dreamed his dreams1 and had1 on the whole1 a pretty good time4 ,when he had finished packing his trunk he went down to the dinner he had ordered to be in readiness at a certain hour1 at a certain table1 carefully chosen beforehand2 for ,ardmore was very exacting in such matters1 and had an eye to the comforts of life1 as he understood them4 ,as he crossed the hotel lobby on his way to the restaurant he was accosted by a reporter for the ,atlanta ,palladium1 who began to question him touching various ,ardmores who were just then filling rather more than their usual amount of space in the newspapers4 ,ardmore's family1 with the single exception of his sister1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 bored him immensely4 ,his two brothers and another sister1 the ,duchess of ,ballywinkle1 kept the family name in display type a great deal of the time1 and their performances had practically driven ,thomas ,ardmore from ,new ,york4 ,he felt keenly his shame in being brother-in-law to a dissolute duke1 and the threatened marriage of one of his brothers to a chorus girl had added1 he felt1 all too great a burden to a family tree whose roots1 he could not forget it1 were soaked in contraband rum4 ,the reporter was a well-mannered youth1 and ,ardmore shook his hand encouragingly4 ,he was rather curious to see what new incident in the family history was to be the subject of inquisition1 and the reporter immediately set his mind at rest4 8,pardon me1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 but is it true that your sister1 the ,duchess of ,ballywinkle1 has separated from the duke80 8,you may quote me as saying that while ,i am not quite sure1 yet ,i sincerely hope the reports are true4 ,to be frank with you1 ,i do not like the duke2 in fact1 strictly between ourselves1 ,i disliked him from the first10 and ,ardmore shook his head gravely1 and meditatively jingled the little gold pieces that he always carried in his trousers pockets4 8,well1 of course1 ,i had heard that there was some trouble between you and your brother-in-law1 but can't the ,palladium have your own exact statement1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 of what caused the breach between you80 ,ardmore hesitated and turned his head cautiously4 8,you understand1 of course1 that this discussion is painful to me1 extremely painful4 ,and yet1 so much has been published about my sister's domestic affairs----0 8,exactly1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,what we want is to print your side of the story40 8,very decent of you1 ,i'm sure4 ,but the fact is0--and ,ardmore glanced over his shoulder again to be sure he was not overheard--8the fact is----0 and he paused1 batting his eyes as though hesitating at the point of an important disclosure4 8,yes1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 encouraged the reporter4 8,well1 ,i don't mind telling you1 but don't print this4 ,let it be just between ourselves40 8,oh1 of course1 if you say not----0 8,that's all right2 ,i have every confidence in your discretion2 but if this will go no further1 ,i don't mind telling you----0 8,you may rely on me absolutely1 ,mr4 ,ardmore40 8,then1 with the distinct understanding that this is sub rosa--now we do understand each other1 don't we80 pleaded ,ardmore4 8,perfectly1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 and the perspiration began to bead the reporter's forehead in his excitement over the impending revelation4 8,then you shall know why ,i feel so bitter about the duke4 ,i assure you that nothing but the deepest chagrin over the matter causes me to tell you what ,i have never revealed before--not even to members of my family--not to my most intimate friend40 8,i appreciate all that----0 8,well1 the fact is--but please never mention it--the fact is that his ,grace owes me four dollars4 ,i gave it to him in two bills--,i remember the incident perfectly--two crisp new bills ,i had just got at the bank4 ,his ,grace borrowed the money to pay a cabman--it was the very day before he married my sister4 ,now let me ask you this3 ,can an ,american citizen allow a duke to owe him four dollars8 ,the villain never referred to the matter again1 and from that day to this ,i have made it a rule never to lend money to a duke40 ,the reporter stared a moment1 then laughed4 ,he abandoned the idea of getting material for a sensational article and scented the possibilities of a character sketch of the whimsical young millionaire4 8,how about that story that your brother1 ,samuel ,ardmore1 is going to marry the chorus girl he ran over in his automobile80 8,i hope it's true2 ,i devoutly do4 ,i'm very fond of music myself1 and1 strange to say1 nobody in our family is musical4 ,i think a chorus girl would be a real addition to our family4 ,it would bring up the family dignity--you can see that40 8,the wires brought a story this afternoon that your cousin1 ,wingate ,siddall--he is your cousin1 isn't he80 8,i'm afraid so4 ,what's ,siddy's latest80 8,why1 it's reported that he's going to cross the ,atlantic in a balloon4 ,can you tell us anything about that from the inside80 8,well1 the ocean is only four miles deep2 ,i'd take more interest in ,cousin ,siddy's ballooning if you could make it a couple of miles more to the dead men's chests4 ,and now1 much as ,i'd like to prolong this conversation1 ,i've got to eat or ,i'll miss my train40 8,if you don't mind saying where you are going1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,i'd tell you in a minute1 only ,i haven't fully decided yet2 but ,i shall probably take the ,sambo ,flyer at #i4ac1 if you don't make me lose it40 8,you have large interests in ,arkansas1 ,i believe1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,yes2 important interests4 ,i'm searching for the original fiddle of the ,arkansaw ,traveller4 ,when ,i find it ,i'm going to give it to the ,british ,museum4 ,and now you really must excuse me40 ,ardmore looked the reporter over carefully as they shook hands4 ,he was an attractive young fellow1 alert and good-humoured1 and ,ardmore liked him1 as1 in his shy way1 he really liked almost every one who seemed to be a human being4 8,i'll tell you what ,i'll do with you4 ,if you'll forget this rot we've been talking and come up to ,ardsley as soon as ,i get home1 ,i'll see if ,i can't keep you amused for a couple of weeks4 ,i don't offer that as a bribe2 my family affairs are of interest to nobody but hostlers and kitchen-maids4 ,wire me at ,ardsley when you're ready1 throw away your lead-pencil1 then come on and ,i'll show you the finest collection of books on ,captain ,kidd in the known world4 ,what did you say your name is8 ,collins--,frank ,collins8 ,i never forget anything1 so don't disappoint me40 8,that's mighty nice of you1 but ,i don't have much time for vacations10 replied the reporter1 who was1 however1 clearly pleased4 8,if the office won't give you a couple of weeks1 wire me1 and ,i'll buy the paper40 ,the young man laughed outright4 8,i'll remember2 ,i really believe you mean for me to come40 8,of course ,i do4 ,it's all settled2 make it next week4 ,good-bye60 ,ardmore ate his dinner oblivious of the fact that people at the neighbouring tables turned to look at him4 ,he overheard his name mentioned1 and a woman just behind him let it be known to her companions and any one else who cared to hear that he was the brother-in-law of the ,duke of ,ballywinkle4 ,another voice in the neighbourhood kindly remarked that ,ardmore was the only decent member of the family1 and that he was not the one whose wife had just left him1 nor yet the one who was going to marry the chorus girl whose father kept a delicatessen shop in ,hoboken4 ,it is very sad to be unable to dine without having family skeletons joggle one's elbow1 and ,ardmore was annoyed4 ,the head waiter hung officiously near2 the man who served him was distressingly eager2 and then the voice behind him rose insistently3 8--worth millions and yet he can't find anybody to eat with him40 ,this was almost true1 and a shadow passed across ,ardmore's face and his eyes grew grave as he humbly reflected that he was indeed a pitiable object4 ,he waved away his plate and called for coffee1 and at that moment a middle-aged man appeared at the door1 scanned the room for a moment1 and then threaded his way among the tables to ,ardmore4 8,i heard you were here and thought ,i'd look you up4 ,how are you1 ,ardy80 8,very well1 thank you1 ,mr4 ,billings4 ,have you dined8 ,sorry2 which way are you heading80 ,the newcomer had the bearing of a gentleman used to consideration4 ,he was1 indeed1 the secretary of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company1 whose business was chiefly the administration of the ,ardmore estate1 and ,ardmore knew him very well4 ,he was afraid that ,billings had traced him to ,atlanta for one of those business discussions which always vexed and perplexed him so grievously1 and the thought of this further depressed his spirits4 ,but the secretary at once eased his mind4 8,i'm looking for a man1 and ,i'm not good at the business4 ,i've lost him and ,i don't understand it1 ,i don't understand it10 and the secretary seemed to be half-musing to himself as he sat down and rested his arms on the table4 8,you might give me the job4 ,i'm following a slight clue myself just at present40 ,the secretary1 who had no great opinion of ,ardmore's mental capacity1 stared at the young man vacantly4 ,then it occurred to him that possibly ,ardmore might be of service4 8,have you been at ,ardsley recently80 he asked4 8,left there only a few days ago40 8,you haven't seen your governor lately1 have you80 8,my governor80 ,ardmore stared blankly4 8,why1 ,mr4 ,billings1 don't you remember that father's dead80 8,i don't mean your father1 ,ardy10 replied ,billings1 with the exaggerated care of one who deals with extreme stupidity4 8,i mean the ,governor of ,north ,carolina--one of the ,american states4 ,ardsley is still in ,north ,carolina1 isn't it80 8,oh yes1 of course4 ,but bless your soul1 ,i don't know the governor4 ,why should one80 8,i don't know why1 ,ardy2 but people sometimes do know governors and find it useful40 8,i'm not in politics any more1 ,mr4 ,billings4 ,what's this person's name80 8,dangerfield4 ,don't you ever read the newspapers80 demanded the secretary1 striving to control his inner rage4 ,he was in trouble1 and ,ardmore's opaqueness taxed his patience4 ,and yet ,tommy ,ardmore had given him less trouble than any other member of the ,ardmore family4 ,the others galloped gaily through their incomes2 ,tommy was rapidly augmenting his inheritance from sheer neglect or inability to scatter his dividends4 8,no2 ,i quit reading newspapers after the noble ,duke of ,ballywinkle didn't break the bank at ,monte ,carlo that last time4 ,i often wish1 ,mr4 ,billings1 that the ,mohawks had scalped my great-grandfather before they bought his whisky4 ,that would have saved me the personal humiliation of being brother-in-law to a duke40 8,you mustn't be so thin-skinned4 ,you pay the penalty of belonging to one of the wealthiest families in ,america10 and ,billings's tone was paternal4 8,so ,i've heard1 but ,i'm not so terribly proud of it4 ,what about this governor80 8,that's what troubles me--what of the governor80 ,billings dropped his voice so that no one but ,ardmore could hear4 8,he's missing--disappeared40 8,that's the first interesting thing ,i ever heard of a governor doing10 said ,ardmore4 8,tell me more40 8,he's had a row with the ,governor of ,south ,carolina1 at ,new ,orleans4 ,i was to have met him here on an important matter of business this afternoon1 but he's cleared out and nobody knows what's become of him4 ,his daughter even1 who was in ,new ,orleans with him1 doesn't know where he is40 8,when was she in ,new ,orleans with him80 asked ,ardmore1 looking at his watch4 8,she--who80 asked ,billings1 annoyed4 8,why1 the daughter60 8,i don't know anything about the daughter1 but if ,i could find her father ,i'd give him a piece of my mind10 and the secretary's face flushed angrily4 8,well1 ,i suppose she isn't the one ,i'm looking for1 anyhow10 said ,ardmore resignedly4 8,i should hope not10 blurted ,billings1 who had not really taken in what ,ardmore said1 but who assumed that it must necessarily be something idiotic4 8,she had fluffy hair10 persisted ,ardmore to this serious-minded gentleman whose life was devoted to the multiplication of the ,ardmore millions4 ,ardmore's tone was that of a child who persists in babbling inanities to a distracted parent4 8,better let girls alone1 ,tommy4 ,mrs4 ,atchison told me you were going to marry ,daisy ,waters1 and ,i should heartily approve the match40 8,did ,nellie tell you that8 ,i wonder if she's told ,daisy yet8 ,you'll have to excuse me now1 for ,i'm taking the ,sambo ,flyer4 ,i'd like to find your governor for you2 and if you'll tell me when he was seen last----0 8,right here1 just before noon to-day1 and a couple of hours before ,i reached town4 ,his daughter either doesn't know where he went or she won't tell40 8,ah6 the daughter6 ,she remains behind to guard his retreat40 8,the daughter is still here4 ,she's a peppery little piece10 and ,billings looked guardedly around the room4 8,that's she1 alone over there in the corner--the girl with the white feather in her hat who's just signing her check4 ,there--she's getting up60 ,ardmore gazed across the room intently1 then suddenly a slight smile played about his lips4 ,to gain the door the girl must pass by his table1 and he scrutinized her closely as she drew near and passed4 ,she was a little girl1 and her light fluffy hair swept out from under a small blue hat in a shell-like curve1 and the short skirt of her tailor-made gown robbed her1 it seemed1 of years to which the calendar might entitle her4 8,she gave me the steadiest eye ,i ever looked into when ,i asked her where her father had gone10 remarked ,billings grimly as the girl passed4 8,she said she thought he'd gone fishing for whales40 8,so she's ,miss ,dangerfield1 is she80 asked ,ardmore indifferently2 and he rose1 leaving on the plate1 by a sudden impulse of good feeling towards the world1 exactly double the generous tip he had intended giving4 ,billings was glad to be rid of ,ardmore1 and they parted in the hotel lobby without waste of words4 ,the secretary of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company announced his intention of remaining another day in ,atlanta in the hope of finding ,governor ,dangerfield1 and he was so absorbed in his own affairs that he did not heed1 if indeed he heard1 ,ardmore's promise to keep an eye out for the lost governor4 ,like most other people1 the secretary of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company did not understand ,ardmore1 but ,thomas ,ardmore1 having long ago found himself ill-judged by the careless world1 lived by standards of his own1 and these would have meant nothing whatever to ,billings4 ,ardmore's effects had been brought down1 and were already piled on a carriage at the door4 ,in his pocket were his passage to ,new ,orleans and a stateroom ticket4 ,at the cashier's desk ,miss ,dangerfield paid her bill1 just ahead of him4 8,if any telegrams come for my father1 please forward them to ,raleigh10 said the girl4 ,the manager came out personally to show her to her carriage1 and having shut the door upon her1 he wished ,ardmore1 who stood discreetly by1 a safe journey4 8,off for ,new ,orleans1 are you1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 asked the manager courteously4 8,no10 said ,ardmore1 8,i'm going to ,raleigh to look at the tall buildings10 whereat the manager returned to his duties1 gravely shaking his head4 ,at the station ,ardmore caught sight of ,miss ,dangerfield1 attended by two porters1 hurrying toward the ,tar ,heel ,express4 ,he bought a ticket to ,raleigh1 and secured the last available berth from the conductor on the platform at the moment of departure4 ,ardmore did not like to be hurried1 and this sudden change of plans had been almost too much for him1 but he was consoled by the reflection that after all these years of waiting for just such an adventure he had proved himself equal to an emergency that required quick thought and swift action4 ,he had not only found the girl with the playful eye1 but he had learned her identity without1 as it were1 turning over his hand4 ,not even ,griswold1 who was the greatest man he knew--,griswold with his acute legal mind and ability to carry through contests of wit with lawyers of highest repute--not even ,griswold1 ,ardmore flattered himself1 could have managed better4 ,the stateroom door stood open1 and from his seat at the farther end of the car ,ardmore caught a fleeting glimpse of ,miss ,dangerfield as she threw off her jacket and hat2 then she summoned the porter1 gave him her tickets1 bade him a smiling good-night1 and the door closed upon her4 ,the broad grin on the porter's face--a grin of delight1 as though he had spoken with some exalted deity--filled ,ardmore with bitterest envy4 ,he went back to smoke and plan his future movements4 ,for the first time in his life he faced to-morrow with eager anticipations1 resolved that nothing should thwart his high resolves1 though these1 to be sure1 were somewhat hazy4 ,then1 from a feeling of great satisfaction1 his spirit reacted1 and he regretted that he had been deprived of the joy of prolonged search4 ,if he could only have followed her until1 at the last moment1 when about to give up for ever and accept the frugal consolations of memory1 he met her somewhere face to face6 ,these reflections led him to wonder whether he might not have been mistaken about the wink after all4 ,griswold1 with his wider knowledge of the world1 had scouted the idea4 ,very likely if one of those blue eyes had actually winked at him it had been out of mere playfulness1 and he would never in the world refer to it when they met4 ,billings had applied the term peppery to her1 and he felt that he should always hate ,billings for this2 ,billings was only a financial automaton anyhow1 who bought at the lowest and sold at the highest1 and bored one very often with strangely-worded papers which one was never expected to understand4 ,he did not know why ,billings was so anxious to find ,miss ,dangerfield's father1 but as between a man of ,billings's purely commercial instincts and the governor of a great state like ,north ,carolina1 ,ardmore resolved to stand by the ,dangerfields to the end of the chapter4 ,he was proud to remember his estate at ,ardsley1 which was in ,governor ,dangerfield's jurisdiction1 and had been visited by the game warden1 the state forester1 and various other members of the governor's official household1 though ,ardmore could not remember their names4 ,he had never in his life visited ,raleigh1 but far down some dim vista of memory he saw ,sir ,walter covering a mud-puddle with his cloak for ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,it was a picture of this moving incident in an old history that rose before him1 as he tried vainly to recall just how it was that ,sir ,walter had lost his head4 ,he wondered whether ,miss ,dangerfield's name was ,elizabeth1 though he hoped not1 as the name suggested a town in ,new ,jersey where his motor had once broken down on a rainy evening when he was carrying ,griswold to ,princeton to deliver a lecture4 ,ardmore smoked many pipes1 and did not turn in until after midnight4 ,the car was hot and stuffy1 and he slept badly4 ,at some hour of the morning1 being again awake and restless1 he fished his dressing-gown and slippers out of his bag and went out on the rear platform4 ,his was the last car1 and he found a camp-stool and crouched down upon it in a corner of the vestibule and stared out into the dark4 ,the hum and click of the rails soothed him1 and he yielded himself to pleasant reveries4 ,griswold was well on his way back to ,virginia1 he remembered--8,dear old ,grissy60 he murmured2 but he resolved to tell ,griswold nothing of the prosperous course of his quest4 ,griswold would never1 he knew1 countenance so grave a performance as the following of a strange girl to her home2 but this would be something for later justification4 ,ardmore was half-dozing when the train stopped so abruptly that he was pitched from the camp-stool into a corner of the entry4 ,he got himself together and leaned out into the cool moist air4 ,the porter came out and stared1 for a gentleman in a blue silk wrapper who sat up all night in a vestibule was new to his experience4 8,what place is this1 porter80 8,kildare1 sah4 ,this place is wha' we go from ,south ,c'lina into ,no'th ,c'lina4 ,ain't yo' be'th comfor'ble1 sah80 8,perfectly1 thank you40 ,kildare was a familiar name1 and the station1 that lay at the outskirts of the town1 and a long grim barracks-like building that he identified as a cotton mill1 recalled the fact that he was not far from his own ample acres which lay off somewhere to westward4 ,he had occasionally taken this route from the north in going to ,ardsley1 riding or driving from ,kildare about ten miles to his house4 ,in this way he was enabled to go or come without appearing at all in the little village of ,ardsley4 ,the porter left him4 ,he felt ready for sleep now1 and resolved to go back to bed as soon as the train started4 ,just then a dark shadow appeared in the track1 and a man's voice asked cautiously1-- 8,air y'u the conductor80 ,the questioner saw that he was not1 before ,ardmore could reply1 and hesitated a moment4 8,the porter's in the car2 you can get aboard up forward10 ,ardmore suggested4 8,be ,gov'nor ,dangerfield on this train80 asked the man1 whom ,ardmore now saw dimly outlined in the track below4 8,certainly1 my friend4 ,the governor's asleep1 but ,i'm his private secretary4 ,what can ,i do for you80 8,well1 hyeh's somethin' fer 'im--it's confidential4 ,sure1 air ye1 th' gov'nor's in they80 ,the man--a tall1 bearded countryman in a slouch hat1 handed up to ,ardmore a jug--a plain1 brown1 old-fashioned ,american gallon jug4 8,it's a present fer ,gov'nor ,dangerfield4 ,he'll understand10 and the man vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared1 leaving ,ardmore holding the jug by its handle1 and feeling a little dazed by the transaction4 ,the train lingered1 and ,ardmore was speculating as to which one of the ,carolina commonwealths was beneath him1 when another figure appeared below in the track--that of a bareheaded1 tousled boy this time4 ,he stared up at ,ardmore sleepily1 having apparently been roused on the arrival of the train4 8,air y'u the gov'nor80 he piped4 8,yes1 my lad2 in what way can ,i serve you80 and ,ardmore put down his jug and leaned over the guard rail4 ,it was just as easy to be the governor as the governor's private secretary1 and his vanity was touched by the readiness with which the boy accepted him in his new rle4 ,his costume1 vaguely discernible in the vestibule light1 evidently struck the lad as being some amazing robe of state affected by governors4 ,the youngster was lifting something1 and he now held up to ,ardmore a jug1 as like the other as one pea resembles another4 8,pa ain't home1 and ma says hyeh's yer jug o' buttermilk40 8,thank you1 my lad4 ,while ,i regret missing your worthy father1 yet ,i beg to present my compliments to your kind and thoughtful mother40 ,he had transferred his money to his dressing-gown pocket on leaving his berth1 and he now tossed a silver dollar to the boy1 who caught it with a yell of delight and scampered off into the night4 ,ardmore had dropped the jugs carelessly into the vestibule1 and he was surveying them critically when the train started4 ,the wheels were beginning to grind reluctantly when a cry down the track arrested his attention4 ,a man was flying after the train1 shouting at the top of his lungs4 ,he ran1 caught hold of the rail1 and howled1-- 8,the gov'nor ain't on they6 ,gimme back my jug40 8,indian-giver60 yelled ,ardmore4 ,he stooped down1 picked up the first jug that came to hand1 and dropped it into the man's outstretched arms4 ,the porter1 having heard voices1 rushed out upon ,ardmore1 who held the remaining jug to the light1 scrutinizing it carefully4 8,please put this away for me1 porter4 ,it's a little gift from an old army friend40 ,then ,mr4 ,ardmore returned to his berth1 fully pleased with his adventures1 and slept until the porter gave warning of ,raleigh4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,duty ,,and ,,the ,,jug4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 one trunk1 two bags1 and a little brown jug reached the ,guilford ,house1 ,raleigh1 at eight o'clock in the morning4 ,ardmore had never felt better in his life1 he assured himself1 as he chose a room with care1 and intimated to the landlord his intention of remaining a week4 ,but for the ill luck of having his baggage marked he should have registered himself falsely on the books of the inn2 but feeling that this was not quite respectable1 he assured the landlord1 in response to the usual question1 that he was not ,ardmore of ,new ,york and ,ardsley1 but an entirely different person4 8,well1 ,i don't blame you for not wanting to be taken for any of that set10 remarked the landlord sympathetically4 8,i should think not60 returned ,ardmore1 in a tone of deep disgust4 ,the ,guilford ,house coffee was not just what he was used to1 but he was in an amiable humour1 and enjoyed hugely the conversation of the commercial travellers with whom he took his breakfast4 ,he did not often escape from himself or the burden of his family reputation1 and these strangers were profoundly entertaining4 ,it had never occurred to ,ardmore that man could be so amiable so early in the day1 and his own spirits rallied as he passed the sugar1 abused the hot bread1 and nodded his approval of bitter flings at the inns of other southern towns of whose existence he only vaguely knew4 ,they spoke of the president of the ,united ,states and of various old world monarchs in a familiar tone that was decidedly novel and refreshing2 and he felt that it was a great privilege to sit at meat with these blithe spirits4 ,commercial travellers1 he now realized1 were more like the strolling players1 the wandering knights1 the cloaked riders approaching lonely inns at night1 than any other beings he had met out of books4 ,it was with the severest self-denial that he resisted an impulse to invite them all to visit him at ,ardsley or to use his house in ,fifth ,avenue whenever they pleased4 ,when the man nearest him1 who was having a second plate of corn-cakes and syrup1 casually inquired his 8line10 ,ardmore experienced a moment of real shame1 but remembering the jug he had acquired in the night1 he replied1-- 8,crockery40 8,mine's drugs4 ,do you know ,billy ,gallop8--he's in your line40 8,should say ,i did10 replied ,ardmore unhesitatingly4 8,i took supper with him in ,philadelphia ,sunday night40 8,how's trade80 8,bully10 replied ,ardmore1 reaching for the syrup4 8,i broke my record yesterday40 ,the drug man turned to listen to a discussion of the row between ,governors ,osborne and ,dangerfield precipitated by one of the company who had fortified himself with a newspaper1 and ,ardmore also gave ear4 8,whatever did happen at ,new ,orleans10 declared a ,maiden ,lane jewellery representative1 8you can be quite sure that ,dangerfield won't get the hot end of the poker4 ,i've seen him1 right here at ,raleigh1 and he has all the marks of a fighting man4 ,he'd strip at two hundred1 and he's six in his socks40 8,pshaw6 ,those big fellows are all meat and no muscle10 retorted the drug man4 8,i doubt if there's any fight in him4 ,now ,osborne's a different product--a tall1 lean cuss1 but active as a cat4 ,a man to be governor of ,south ,carolina has got to have the real stuff in him4 ,if it comes to a show-down you'll see ,dangerfield duck and run40 ,this discussion was continued at length1 greatly to ,ardmore's delight1 for he felt that in this way he was being brought at once into touch with ,miss ,dangerfield1 now domiciled somewhere in this town1 and to whom he expected to be properly introduced just as soon as he could devise some means to that end4 ,as he had not read the newspapers1 he did not know what the row was all about1 but he instinctively aligned himself on the ,dangerfield side4 ,the ,osbornes were1 he felt1 an inferior race1 and he inwardly resented the imputations upon ,governor ,dangerfield's courage4 8,i wonder if the governor's back yet80 asked one man4 8,the morning paper says not1 but he's expected to-day10 replied the man with the newspaper4 8,about the first thing he'll have to do will be to face the question of arresting ,appleweight4 ,i was in ,columbia the other day1 and everybody was talking of the case4 ,they say0--and the speaker waited for the fullest attention of his hearers--8they say ,osborne ain't none too anxious to have ,appleweight arrested on his side of the line40 8,why not80 demanded ,ardmore4 8,well1 you hear all kinds of things4 ,it was only whispered down there1 but they say ,osborne was a little too thick with the ,appleweight crowd before he was elected governor4 ,he was their attorney1 and they were a bad lot for any man to be attorney for4 ,but they haven't caught ,appleweight yet40 8,where's he hiding8 don't the authorities know80 8,oh1 he's up there in the hills on the state line4 ,his home is as much on one side as the other4 ,he spends a good deal of time in ,kildare40 8,kildare80 asked ,ardmore1 startled at the word4 8,yes1 it's the county seat1 what there is of it4 ,i hope you never make that town80 and the inquirer bent a commiserating glance upon ,ardmore4 8,well1 they use jugs there1 ,i know that60 declared ,ardmore2 whereat the table roared4 ,the unanimity of their applause warmed his heart1 though he did not know why they laughed4 8,you handle crockery80 asked a man from the end of the table4 8,well1 ,i guess ,dilwell ,county consumes a few gross of jugs all right4 ,but you'd better be careful not to whisper jugs too loud here4 ,there's usually a couple of revenue men around town40 ,they all went together to the office1 where they picked up their sample cases and sallied forth for a descent upon the ,raleigh merchants2 and ,ardmore1 thus reminded that he was in the crockery business1 and that he had a sample in his room1 sat down under a tree on the sidewalk at the inn door to consider what he should do with his little brown jug4 ,it had undoubtedly been intended for ,governor ,dangerfield1 who was supposed to be on the train he had himself taken from ,atlanta to ,raleigh4 ,there had been1 in fact1 two jugs1 but one of them he had tossed back into the hands of the man who had pursued the train at ,kildare4 ,ardmore smoked his pipe and meditated1 trying to determine which jug he had tossed back2 and after long deliberation1 he slapped his knee1 and said aloud1-- 8,i gave him the wrong one1 by jing60 ,the boy had said that his offering contained buttermilk1 a beverage which ,ardmore knew was affected by eccentric people for their stomach's sake4 ,he had sniffed the other jug1 and it contained1 undeniably1 an alcoholic liquid of some sort4 ,jugs had not figured prominently in ,ardmore's domestic experiences2 but as he sat under the tree on the curb before the ,guilford ,house he wondered1 as many other philosophers have wondered1 why a jug is so incapable of innocency6 ,a bottle1 while suggestive1 is not inherently wicked2 but a jug is the symbol of joyous sin4 ,even the soberest souls1 who frown at the mention of a bottle1 smile tolerantly when a jug is suggested4 ,jugs of many centuries are assembled in museums1 and round them the ethnologist reconstructs extinct races of men2 and yet even science and history1 strive they never so sadly1 cannot wholly relieve the jug of its cheery insouciance4 ,a bottle of inferior liquor may be dressed forth enticingly1 and alluringly named2 but there's no disguising the jug2 its genial shame cannot be hidden4 ,there are pleasant places in ,america where1 if one deposit a half-dollar and a little brown jug behind a certain stone1 or on the shady side of a blackberry bush1 jug and coin will together disappear between sunset and sunrise2 but lo6 the jug1 filled and plugged with a corn-cob1 will return alone mysteriously1 in contravention of the statutes in such cases made and provided4 ,too rare for glass this fluid1 which bubbles out of the southern hills with as little guilt in its soul as the brooks beside which it comes into being6 ,but1 lest he be accused of aiding and abetting crime against the majesty of the law1 this chronicler hastens to say that on a hot day in the harvest field1 honest water1 hidden away in a little brown jug in the fence corner1 acquires a quality and imparts a delight that no mug of crystal or of gold can yield4 ,as ,mr4 ,ardmore pondered duty and the jug a tall man in shabby corduroy halted near by and inspected him carefully4 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 hard upon his pipe1 had not noticed him1 somewhat1 it seemed1 to the stranger's vexation4 ,he patrolled the sidewalk before the inn1 hoping to attract ,ardmore's attention1 but finding that the young man's absorption continued1 he presently dropped into a neighbouring chair under the maple tree4 8,good-morning10 said ,ardmore pleasantly4 ,the man nodded but did not speak4 ,he was examining ,ardmore with a pair of small1 shrewd gray eyes4 ,in his hands he held a crumpled bit of brown paper that looked like a telegram4 8,well1 ,i reckon you jest got to town this mornin'1 young fella40 8,yes1 certainly10 ,ardmore replied promptly4 ,he had never been addressed in quite this fashion before1 but it was all in keeping with his new destiny1 and he was immediately interested in the stranger1 who was well on in middle age1 with a rough grizzled beard1 and a soft hat1 once black1 that now struggled for a compromise tint between yellow and green4 8,ever been hyeh befo'80 8,never2 but ,i'm crazy about the place1 and ,i'll be seen here a good deal hereafter40 ,ardmore produced his cigar-case and extended it to the stranger4 ,the man1 awed by the splendour of the case1 accepted a cigar a little gingerly4 8,drummer1 ,i reckon80 8,commercial traveller1 we prefer to be designated10 replied ,ardmore1 with dignity4 8,i guess drummer's good enough down hyeh4 ,what y'u carry80 8,jugs4 ,i'm in the jug business4 ,never had any business but jugs40 ,the man paused in lighting his cigar1 stared at ,ardmore over the flaming match1 drew the fire into the cigar several times1 then settled back with his hands in his pockets4 8,full 'r empty80 8,the jugs8 ,oh1 empty jugs2 but it's no affair of mine what becomes of the jugs afterwards40 8,y'u likely got samples with y'u80 8,well1 not many4 ,you see my line is so well known ,i don't have to carry samples any more4 ,the trade knows our goods40 8,stop at ,kildare on the way up80 and the stranger looked about guardedly4 8,certainly1 my friend1 ,i always #8make' ,kildare10 replied ,ardmore1 using a phrase he had acquired at breakfast4 8,train runs through the' pretty late at night80 8,beastly4 ,but ,i hardly ever sleep1 anyhow4 ,a man in my splendid health doesn't need sleep4 ,it's a rotten waste of time40 ,silence for several minutes2 then the stranger leaned forward in his chair1 resting his elbows on his knees1 and said in a low tone1-- 8,i got a telegram hyeh says y'u got a jug thet y'u ain't no right t' last night at ,kildare4 ,i want thet jug1 young fella40 8,now that's very unfortunate4 ,ordinarily ,i should be delighted1 but ,i really couldn't give away my ,kildare jug4 ,now if it was one of my other jugs--even my ,omaha jug or my dear old ,louisville jug--,i shouldn't hesitate a minute1 but that old ,kildare jug6 ,my dear man1 you don't know what you ask60 8,y'll give me thet jug1 or it'll be the worse for y'u4 ,y'u ain't in thet game1 young fella40 8,not in it6 ,you don't know whom you are addressing4 ,i'm not only in the game1 but ,i'm in to the finish10 declared ,ardmore1 sitting upright in his chair4 8,you've got the wrong idea1 my friend1 if you think you can intimidate me4 ,that jug was given me by a friend1 a very old and dear friend----0 8,a friend of yourn60 ,the keen little gray eyes were blinking rapidly4 8,one of the best friends ,i ever had in this world10 and ,ardmore's face showed feeling4 8,he and ,i charged side by side through the bloodiest battles of our ,civil ,war4 ,i will cheerfully give you my watch1 or money in any sum1 but the jug--,i will part with my life first6 ,and now10 concluded ,ardmore1 8while ,i should be glad to continue this conversation1 my duties call me elsewhere40 ,as he rose1 the man stood quickly at his side1 menacingly4 8,give me thet jug1 or ,i'll shoot y'u right hyeh in the street40 8,no1 you wouldn't do that1 ,old ,corduroy4 ,i can see that you are kind and good1 and you wouldn't shoot down an unarmed man4 ,besides1 it would muss up the street40 8,y'u took thet jug from my brother by lyin' to 'im4 ,he's telegraphed me to git it1 and ,i'm a-goin' to do it40 8,your brother sent you8 ,it was nice of him to ask you to call on me4 ,why1 ,i've known your brother intimately for years40 8,knowed my brother80 and for the first time the man really seemed to doubt himself4 8,wheh did y'u know ,bill80 8,we roomed together at ,harvard1 that's how ,i know him1 if you force me to it6 ,we're both ,hasty ,pudding men4 ,now if you try to bulldoze me further1 ,i'll slap your wrists4 ,so there60 ,ardmore entered the hotel deliberately1 climbed to his room1 and locked the door4 ,then he seized the little brown jug1 drew the stopper1 and poured out a tumblerful of clear white fluid4 ,he took a swallow1 and shuddered as the fiery liquid seemed instantly to cause every part of his being to tingle4 ,he wiped the tears from his eyes and sat down4 ,the corn-cob stopper had fallen to the floor1 and he picked it up and examined it carefully4 ,it had been fitted tightly into the mouth of the jug by the addition of a bit of calico1 and he fingered it for a moment with a grin on his face4 ,he was1 considering his tranquil past1 making history rapidly1 and he wished that ,griswold1 whom he imagined safely away on his law business at ,richmond1 could see him now embarked upon a serious adventure1 that had already brought him into collision with a seemingly sane man who had threatened him with death4 ,griswold had been quite right about their woeful incapacity for rising to emergencies1 but the episode of the jugs at ,kildare was exactly the sort of thing they had discussed time and time again1 and it promised well4 ,his throat was raw1 as though burned with acid1 and it occurred to him for an anxious moment that perhaps he had imbibed a poison intended for the governor4 ,he was about to replace the cob stopper when1 to his astonishment1 it broke in his fingers1 and out fell a carefully folded slip of paper4 ,he carried it to the window and opened it1 finding that it was an ordinary telegraph blank on which were written in clear round characters these words3 ,the ,appleweight crowd never done you harm4 ,if you have any of them arrested you will be shot down on your own doorstep4 ,when ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore had read this message half a dozen times with increasing satisfaction he folded it carefully and put it away in his pocket-book4 ,taking half a sheet of notepaper he wrote as follows3 ,appleweight and his gang are cowards4 ,within ten days those that have not been hanged will be in jail at ,kildare4 ,he studied the phraseology critically1 and then placed the paper in the cob stopper1 whose halves he tied together with a bit of twine4 ,as the jug stood on the table it was1 to all appearances1 exactly as it had been when delivered to ,ardmore on the rear of the train at ,kildare1 and he was thoroughly well pleased with himself4 ,he changed the blue scarf with which he had begun the day for one of purple with gold bars1 and walked up the street toward the state house4 ,this venerable edifice1 meekly reposing amid noble trees1 struck agreeably upon ,ardmore's fancy4 ,here was government enthroned in quiet dignity1 as becomes a venerable commonwealth1 wearing its years like a veteran who has known war and tumult1 but finds at last tranquillity and peace4 ,he experienced a feeling of awe1 without quite knowing it1 as he strolled up the walk1 climbed the steps to the portico and turned to look back from the shadow of the pillars4 ,he had never but once before visited an ,american public building--the ,new ,york city hall--and he felt that now1 indeed1 he had turned a corner and entered upon a new and strange world4 ,he had watched army manuvres abroad with about the same attention that he gave to a ballet1 and with a like feeling of beholding a show contrived for the amusement of spectators2 but there was not even a policeman here to represent arsenals and bayonets4 ,the only minion of government in sight was the languid operator of a lawn-mower1 which rattled and hummed cheerily in the shadow of the soldiers' monument4 ,there was something fine about a people who1 as he learned from the custodian1 would not shake down these historic walls obedient to the demands of prosperity and growth1 but sent increased business to find lodgment elsewhere4 ,he ascended to the toy-like legislative chambers1 where flags of nation and state hung side by side1 and where the very seats and desks of the law-makers spoke of other times and manners4 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 feeling that he should now be about his business1 sought the governor's office1 where a secretary1 who seemed harassed by the cares of his position1 confirmed ,ardmore's knowledge of the governor's absence4 8,i didn't wish to see the governor on business10 explained ,ardmore pleasantly1 leaning upon his stick with an air of leisure4 8,he and my father were old friends1 and ,i always promised my father that ,i would never pass through ,raleigh without calling on ,governor ,dangerfield40 8,that is too bad10 remarked the young man sympathetically1 though with a preoccupation that was eloquent of larger affairs4 8,could you tell me whether any members of the governor's family are at home80 8,oh yes2 ,mrs4 ,dangerfield and ,miss ,jerry are at the mansion40 8,miss ,jerry80 8,miss ,geraldine4 ,we all call her ,miss ,jerry in ,north ,carolina40 8,oh yes2 to be sure4 ,let me see2 it's over this way to the mansion1 isn't it80 inquired ,ardmore4 8,no2 out the other end of the building--and turn to your right4 ,you can't miss it40 ,the room was quiet1 the secretary a young man of address and intelligence4 ,here1 without question1 was the place for ,ardmore to discharge his business and be quit of it2 but having at last snatched a commission from fleeting opportunity1 it was not for him to throw it to another man4 ,as he opened the door to leave1 the secretary arrested him4 8,oh1 ,mr4--pardon me1 but did you come in from the south this morning80 8,yes2 ,i came up on the ,tar ,heel ,express from ,atlanta40 8,to be sure4 ,of course you didn't sit up all night8 ,there's some trouble brewing around ,kildare4 ,i thought you might have heard something1 but1 of course1 you couldn't have been awake at two o'clock in the morning80 ,the secretary was so anxious to acquit him of any knowledge of the situation at ,kildare that it seemed kindest to tell him nothing4 ,the secretary's face lost its anxiety for a moment1 and he smiled4 8,the governor has an old friend and admirer up there who always puts a jug of fresh buttermilk on board when he passes through4 ,the governor was expected home this morning1 and ,i thought maybe----0 8,you're positive it's always buttermilk1 are you80 asked ,ardmore1 with a grin4 8,certainly10 replied the secretary1 with dignity4 8,governor ,dangerfield's sentiments as to the liquor traffic are well known40 8,of course1 all the world knows that4 ,but ,i'm afraid all jugs look alike to me2 but then1 the fact is ,i'm in the jug business myself4 ,good-morning40 ,the governor's mansion was easily found1 and having walked about the neighbourhood until his watch marked eleven1 ,ardmore entered the grounds and rang the bell at the front door4 ,once within1 the air of domestic peace1 the pictures on the walls1 a whip and a felt hat with a blue band on the hall table1 and a book on a chair in the drawing-room1 turned down to mark the absent reader's place1 rebuked him for his impudence4 ,if he had known just how to escape he would have done so2 but the maid who admitted him had said that ,miss ,dangerfield was at home1 and had gone in search of her with ,ardmore's card4 ,he deserved to be sent to jail for entering a gentleman's house in this way4 ,he realized now1 when it was too late1 that he ought to have brought letters to one of the banks and been introduced to the ,dangerfields by some gentleman of standing1 if he wished to know them4 ,the very portraits on the walls1 the photographs on the mantel and table1 frowned coldly upon him4 ,the foundations of his character were set in sand2 he knew that1 because he had found it so easy to lie1 and he had been told in his youth that one sin paved the way for another4 ,he would take the earliest train for ,ardsley and bury himself there for the remainder of his days4 ,he had hardly formed this resolution when a light step sounded in the hall1 and ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield stood at the threshold4 ,his good resolutions went down like a house of cards4 8,miss ,dangerfield10 he began1 8,i had the pleasure of meeting your father in ,new ,orleans the other day1 and as ,i was passing through town unexpectedly1 ,i thought ,i should give myself the pleasure of calling on him4 ,he said that in case ,i found him absent ,i might call upon you4 ,in fact1 he wrote a line on a card for me to present1 but ,i stupidly left it at my hotel40 ,they faced each other in the dim1 cool room for what seemed to him endless centuries4 ,she was much younger than he had imagined2 but her eyes were blue1 just as he remembered them1 and her abundant light hair curled away from her forehead in pretty waves1 and was tied to-day with a large bow of blue ribbon4 ,for an instant she seemed puzzled or mystified1 but her blue eyes regarded him steadily4 ,the very helplessness of her youth1 the simplicity of her blue linen gown1 the girlish ribbon in her hair1 proclaimed him blackguard4 8,won't you please sit down1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 ,and when they were seated there was another pause1 during which the blue eyes continued to take account of him1 and he fingered his tie1 feeling sure that there was something wrong with it4 8,it's warm1 isn't it80 8,i suppose it is4 ,it's a way summer has1 of being mostly warm40 ,he was quite sure that she was laughing at him2 there was a tinge of irony in the very way in which she pronounced 8wa'm10 lingeringly1 as though to prolong her contempt for his stupidity in not finding anything better to say4 ,she had taken the largest chair in the room1 and it seemed to hide her away in its shadows1 so that she could examine him at her leisure as he sat under a window in the full glare of its light4 8,i enjoyed meeting your father so much1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,i think we are always likely to be afraid of great men1 but your father made me feel at home at once4 ,and he tells such capital stories--,i've been laughing over them ever since ,i left ,new ,orleans40 8,father has quite a reputation for his stories4 ,when did you leave ,new ,orleans1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,sunday night4 ,i stopped in ,atlanta a few hours and came on through4 ,what a fine old town ,atlanta is6 don't you think so80 8,i certainly do not1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,it's so dreadfully northernized40 ,when she said 8no'thenized0 her intonation gave the word a fine1 cutting edge4 8,i suppose1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that you saw papa at the luncheon at the ,pharos ,club in ,new ,orleans80 8,why1 yes1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,it was there ,i met the governor60 8,are you sure it was there1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,why1 ,i think that was the place4 ,i don't know my ,new ,orleans as ,i should1 but----0 ,ardmore was suddenly conscious that ,miss ,dangerfield had risen1 and that she stood before him1 with her fair face the least bit flushed1 her blue eyes alight with anger1 and that the hands at her sides were clenched nervously4 8,my father was not at luncheon at the ,pharos ,club1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,you never saw my father in your life4 ,i know why it is you came here1 and if you are not out of that door in one second ,i shall call the servants and have them throw you out40 ,she ceased abruptly and turned to look into the hall where steps sounded4 8,is that you1 ,jerry80 8,yes1 mamma2 ,i'll be up in just a minute4 ,please don't wait for me4 ,it's only the man to see about the plumbing40 ,the lady who had appeared for an instant at the door went on slowly up the stairs1 and the girl held ,ardmore silent with her steady eyes until the step died away above4 8,i know what you want my father for4 ,mr4 ,billings and you are both pursuing him--it's infamous1 outrageous6 ,and it isn't his fault4 ,i would have you know that my father is an honourable man60 ,the bayonets were at his breast3 he would ask for mercy4 8,miss ,dangerfield1 you are quite mistaken about me4 ,i shall leave ,raleigh at once1 but ,i don't want you to think ,i came here on any errand to injure or annoy your father40 8,you are one of those ,ardmores1 and ,mr4 ,billings represents you4 ,you thought you could come here and trick me into telling where my father is4 ,but ,i'm not so easily caught4 ,my mother is ill because of all this trouble1 and ,i must go to her4 ,but first ,i want to see that you leave this house60 8,oh1 ,i'm sorry you are in trouble4 ,on my honour1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 ,i know nothing of ,billings and his business with your father40 8,i suppose you will deny that you saw ,mr4 ,billings in ,atlanta yesterday80 8,why1 no4 ,i can't exactly----0 8,you'd better not6 ,i saw you there talking to him2 and ,i suppose he sent you here to see what you could find out40 ,the room whirled a moment as she dealt this staggering blow4 ,billings1 of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company1 had said that ,miss ,dangerfield was peppery1 but his employment of this trifling term only illustrated his weak command of the ,english language4 ,it is not pleasant to be pilloried for undreamed-of crimes1 and ,ardmore's ears tingled4 ,he must plunge deeper and trust to the gods of chance to save him4 ,he brought himself together with an effort1 and spoke so earnestly that the words rang oddly in his own ears4 8,miss ,dangerfield1 you may call me anything you please1 but ,i am not quite the scoundrel you think me4 ,it's true that ,i was not in ,new ,orleans1 and ,i never saw your father in my life4 ,i came to ,raleigh on a mission that has absolutely nothing to do with ,mr4 ,billings2 he did not know ,i was coming4 ,on the way here a message intended for your father came into my hands4 ,it was thrown on the train at ,kildare last night4 ,i had gone out on the platform because the sleeper was hot1 and a warning to your father to keep his hands off of ,appleweight was given to me4 ,here it is4 ,it seems to me that there is immediate danger in this1 and ,i want to help you4 ,i want to do anything ,i can for you4 ,i didn't come here to pry into your family secrets1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 honestly ,i didn't60 ,she took the piece of paper into her slim little hands and read it1 slowly nodding her head1 as if the words only confirmed some earlier knowledge of the threat they contained4 ,then she lifted her head1 and her eyes were bright with mirth as ,ardmore's wondering gaze met them4 8,did you get the jug80 8,i got two jugs1 to tell the truth2 but when they seemed dissatisfied and howled for me to give one back1 ,i threw off the buttermilk40 8,you threw back father's buttermilk to the man who gave you the applejack8 ,oh6 oh60 ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield sat down and laughed2 and ,ardmore1 glad of an opportunity to escape1 found his hat and rushed from the house4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,mr4 ,,ardmore ,,officially ,,recognized4 8,she never did it2 she never1 never did60 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 from a bench in the ,state ,house ,park1 thus concluded a long reverie4 ,it was late afternoon1 and he had forgotten luncheon in his absorption4 ,there was no manner of use in recurring again to that episode of the lonely siding4 ,he had found the girl--indubitably the girl--but not the wink6 ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield was not the winking sort2 he was well satisfied on that point1 and so thoroughly ashamed into the bargain that he resolved to lead a different life and be very heedful of the cry of the poor in the future4 ,his emotions had never been taxed as to-day1 and he hoped that he might never again suffer the torture he had experienced as he waited in the governor's drawing-room for ,miss ,dangerfield to appear4 ,after that agony it had been a positive relief to be ordered out of the house4 ,her anger when she caught him lying about having met her father in ,new ,orleans was superior to any simulated rage he had ever seen on the stage1 and no girl with a winking eye would be capable of it4 ,he was not clever2 he knew that2 but if he had had the brains of a monkey he would not have risked his foolish wits against those of a girl like ,geraldine ,dangerfield1 who had led him into an ambush and then shot him to pieces4 8,she threatened to have the servants throw me out60 he groaned4 ,and her slight1 tense figure rose before him1 and her voice1 still the voice of young girlhood1 rang in his ears4 ,as she read the threatening message from ,kildare he had noted the fineness of her hands1 the curve of her fair cheek1 the wayward curls on her forehead1 and he remembered all these things now1 but more than anything else her wrath1 the tiny fists1 the flashing eyes as she confronted him4 ,as he sat dejectedly on his park bench he was unaware that ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield1 walking hurriedly through the park on her way from the governor's mansion to the state house1 passed directly behind him4 ,his attitude was so eloquent of despair that it could not have failed to move a much harder heart than that of ,miss ,dangerfield1 yet she made no sign2 but a few minutes later the private secretary came out on the steps of the state house1 and after a brief survey of the landscape crossed the lawn and called ,ardmore by name4 8,i beg your pardon1 but ,miss ,dangerfield wished me to say that she'd like to see you for a minute4 ,she's at the governor's office40 ,a prisoner1 sentenced to death1 and unexpectedly reprieved with the rope already on his neck1 could not experience greater relief than that which brought ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore to his feet4 8,you are sure of it--that there's no mistake80 8,certainly not4 ,miss ,dangerfield told me ,i was to bring you back40 ,enthroned at the secretary's desk1 a mass of papers before her1 ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield awaited him4 ,he was ready to place his head on the block in sheer contrition for his conduct1 but she herself took the initiative1 and her tone was wholly amiable4 8,this morning1 ,mr4 ,ardmore----0 8,oh1 please forget this morning60 he pleaded4 8,but ,i was rude to you2 ,i threatened to have you thrown out of the house2 and you had come to do us a favour40 8,miss ,dangerfield1 ,i cannot lie to you4 ,you are one of the most difficult persons to lie to that ,i have ever met4 ,i didn't come to ,raleigh just to warn your father that his life was threatened4 ,i can't lie to you about that----0 8,then you are a spy80 and ,miss ,dangerfield started forward in her chair so suddenly that ,ardmore dropped his hat4 8,no6 ,i am not a spy6 ,i don't care anything about your father4 ,i never heard of him until yesterday40 8,well1 ,i like that60 ejaculated ,miss ,dangerfield4 8,oh1 ,i mean that ,i wasn't interested in him--why should ,i be8 ,i don't know anything about politics40 8,neither does father4 ,that's why he's governor4 ,if he were a politician he'd be a senator4 ,but0--and she folded her hands and eyed him searchingly--8here's a lot of telegrams from the sheriff of ,dilwell ,county about that jug4 ,how on earth did you come to get it80 8,lied1 of course4 ,i allowed them to think ,i was intimately associated in business with the governor1 and they began passing me jugs4 ,then the man who gave the jug with that message in the cork got suspicious1 and ,i dropped the buttermilk jug back to him40 8,you traded buttermilk for moonshine80 8,i shouldn't exactly call it moonshine4 ,it's more like dynamite than anything else4 ,i've written a reply to the note and put it back in the cork1 and ,i'm going to return it to ,kildare40 8,what answer did you make to that infamous effort to intimidate my father80 demanded ,miss ,dangerfield4 8,i told the ,appleweight gang that they are a lot of cowards1 and that the governor will have them all in jail or hanged within ten days40 8,splendid6 ,perfectly splendid6 ,did you really say that80 8,what else could ,i do8 ,i knew that that's what the governor would say--he'd have to say it--so ,i thought ,i'd save him the trouble40 8,where's the jug now1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,in my room at the hotel4 ,the gang must have somebody on guard here4 ,a gentleman who seemed to be one of them called on me this morning1 demanding the jug2 and if he's the man ,i think he is1 he's stolen the little brown jug from my room in the hotel by this time40 ,miss ,dangerfield had picked up a spool of red tape1 and was unwinding it slowly in her fingers and rewinding it4 ,they were such nice little hands1 and so peaceful in their aimless trifling with the tape that he was sure his eyes had betrayed him into imagining she had clenched them in the quiet drawing-room at the mansion4 ,this office1 now that its atmosphere enveloped him1 was almost as domestic as the house in which she lived4 ,the secretary had vanished1 and a ,sabbath quiet was on the place4 ,the white inner shutters swung open1 affording a charming prospect of the trees1 the lawn1 and the monument in the park outside4 ,and pleasantest of all1 and most soothing to his weary senses1 she was tolerating him now2 she had even expressed approval of something he had done1 and he had never hoped for this4 ,she had not even pressed him to disclose his real purpose in visiting ,raleigh1 and he prayed that she would not return to this subject1 for he had utterly lost the conceit of his own lying gift4 ,miss ,dangerfield threw down the spool of tape and bent toward him gravely4 8,mr4 ,ardmore1 can you keep a secret80 8,nobody ever tried me with one1 but ,i think ,i can1 ,miss ,dangerfield10 he murmured humbly4 8,then please stand up40 ,and ,ardmore rose1 a little sheepishly1 like a school-boy who fears blame and praise alike4 ,miss ,dangerfield lifted one of the adorable hands solemnly4 8,i1 acting governor of ,north ,carolina1 hereby appoint you my private secretary1 and may ,god have mercy on your soul4 ,you may now sit down1 ,mr4 ,secretary40 8,but ,i thought there was a secretary already4 ,and besides1 ,i don't write a very good hand10 ,ardmore stammered4 8,i am just sending ,mr4 ,bassford to ,atlanta to find papa4 ,he's already gone1 or will be pretty soon40 8,but ,i thought your father would be home to-night40 ,miss ,dangerfield looked out of the open window upon the park1 then into the silent outer hall1 to be sure she was not overheard4 8,papa will not be at home to-night1 or probably to-morrow night1 or the night afterward4 ,i'm not sure we'll wait next ,christmas dinner for papa40 8,but1 of course1 you know where he is6 ,it isn't possible----0 and ,ardmore stared in astonishment into ,miss ,dangerfield's tranquil blue eyes4 8,it is possible4 ,papa is ducking his official responsibilities4 ,that's what's the matter with papa6 ,and ,i guess they're enough to drive any man into the woods4 ,just look at all this60 ,miss ,dangerfield rested one of those diminutive hands of hers on the pile of documents1 letters1 and telegrams the secretary had left behind him2 with a nod of the head she indicated the governor's desk in the inner room1 and it too was piled high with documents4 8,i supposed10 faltered ,ardmore1 8that in the absence of the governor the lieutenant-governor would act4 ,i think ,i read that once40 8,you must have read it wrong1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,in ,north ,carolina1 in the absence of the governor1 ,i am governor6 ,don't look so shocked2 when ,i say ,i1 ,i mean ,i--me6 ,do you understand what ,i said80 8,i heard what you said1 ,miss ,dangerfield40 8,i mean what ,i said1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,i have taken you into my confidence because ,i don't know you4 ,i don't know anything about you4 ,i don't want to know anything about you4 ,i'd be ashamed to ask anybody ,i know to help me4 ,the people of ,north ,carolina must never know that the governor is absent during times of great public peril4 ,and if you are afraid1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 you had better not accept the position40 8,there's nothing ,i wouldn't do for you10 blurted ,ardmore4 8,i'm not asking you--,i would not ask you--to do anything for me4 ,i am asking you to do it for the ,old ,north ,state4 ,our relations1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 will not be social1 but purely official4 ,do you accept the terms80 8,i do2 and ,i warn you now that ,i shall never resign40 8,i have heard papa say that life is short and the tenure of office uncertain4 ,i can remove you at any time ,i please4 ,now do you understand that this is a serious business8 ,there's likely to be a lot of trouble1 and no time for asking questions1 so when ,i say it's so it's so40 8,it's so10 repeated ,ardmore docilely4 8,now1 here's the sheriff at ,kildare1 on our side of the line1 who writes to say that he is powerless to catch ,appleweight4 ,he's afraid of the dark1 that man6 ,you see1 the grand jury in ,dilwell ,county--that's ,kildare1 you know--has indicted ,appleweight as a common outlaw1 but the grand jurors were all friends of ,appleweight1 and the indictment was only to satisfy law-and-order sentiment and appease the ,woman's ,civic ,league of ,raleigh4 ,now1 papa doesn't--,i mean ,i don't want to offend those ,appleweight people by meddling in this business4 ,papa wants ,governor ,osborne to arrest ,appleweight in ,south ,carolina2 but ,i don't believe ,governor ,osborne will dare do anything about it4 ,now1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 ,i am not going to have papa called a coward by anybody1 particularly by ,south ,carolina people1 after what ,governor ,osborne said of our state40 8,why1 what did he say80 8,he said in a speech at ,charleston last winter that no people who fry their meat can ever amount to anything1 and he meant us6 ,i can never forgive him for that2 besides1 his daughter is the stuck-upest thing6 ,and ,i'd like ,barbara ,osborne to tell me how she got into the ,colonial ,dames1 and what call she has to be inspector-general of the ,granddaughters of the ,mexican ,war2 for ,i've heard my grandfather ,dangerfield say many a time that old ,colonel ,osborne and his ,south ,carolina regiment never did go outside of ,charleston until the war was over and the ,american army had come back home40 ,one tiny fist this time6 ,ardmore was sure of it4 ,her indignation against the ,osbornes was so sincere1 the pouting petulance to which it diminished so like a child's1 and the gravity of the offence so novel in his simple experiences1 that ,ardmore was bound in chains before her speech was finished4 ,the little drawl with which she concluded gave heightened significance to her last three words1 so that it seemed that all the veterans of the war with ,mexico trudged by1 bearing the flag of ,north ,carolina and no other banner4 8,governor ,osborne is a contemptible ruffian10 declared ,ardmore1 with deep feeling4 ,miss ,dangerfield nodded judicial approval1 and settled back in her chair the better to contemplate her new secretary1 and said1-- 8,i'm a ,daughter of the ,confederacy and a ,colonial ,dame4 ,what are you80 8,i suppose you'll never speak to me again2 papa sent three expensive substitutes to the ,civil ,war40 8,three6 ,horrible60 8,two of them deserted1 and one fell into the ,potomac on his way south and was drowned4 ,i guess they didn't do you folks much harm40 8,we'll forgive you that2 but what did your ancestors do in the ,revolution80 8,i'm ashamed to say that my great-grandfather was a poor guesser4 ,he died during ,washington's second administration still believing the ,revolution a failure40 8,do you speak of the war of #ahfa as the ,rebellion or as the war between the states8 ,i advise you to be careful what you say10 and ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield was severe4 8,i don't believe ,i ever mentioned it either way1 so ,i'm willing to take your word for it40 8,the second form is correct1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,when well-bred ,southern people say ,rebellion they refer to the uprising of #aggf against the ,british oppressor40 8,good4 ,i'm sure ,i shall never get them mixed4 ,now that you are the governor1 what are you going to do first about ,appleweight80 8,i've written--that is to say1 papa wrote before he went away--a strong letter to ,governor ,osborne1 complaining that ,appleweight was hiding in ,south ,carolina and running across the state line to rob and murder people in ,north ,carolina4 ,papa told ,governor ,osborne that he must break up the ,appleweight crowd1 or he would do something about it himself4 ,it's a splendid letter2 you would think that even a coward like ,governor ,osborne would do something after getting such a letter40 8,didn't he answer the letter80 8,answer it8 ,he never got it6 ,papa didn't send it2 that's the reason6 ,papa's the kindest man in the world1 and he must have been afraid of hurting ,governor ,osborne's feelings4 ,he wrote the letter1 expecting to send it1 but when he went off to ,new ,orleans he told ,mr4 ,bassford to hold it till he got back4 ,he had even signed it--you can read it if you like40 ,it was undoubtedly a vigorous epistle1 and ,ardmore felt the thrill of its rhetorical sentences as he read4 ,the official letter paper on which it was typewritten1 and the signature of ,william ,dangerfield1 governor of ,north ,carolina1 affixed in a bold hand1 were sobering in themselves4 ,the dignity and authority of one of the sovereign ,american states was represented here1 and he handed the paper back to ,miss ,dangerfield as tenderly as though it had been the original draft of ,magna ,charta4 8,it's a corker1 all right40 8,i don't much like the way it ends4 ,it says1 right here0--and she bent forward and pointed to the place under criticism--8it says1 #8,trusting to your sense of equity1 and relying upon a continuance of the traditional friendship between your state and mine1 ,i am1 sir1 awaiting your reply1 very respectfully1 your obedient servant4' ,now1 ,i wouldn't trust to his sense of anything1 and that traditional friendship business is just fluffy nonsense1 and ,i wouldn't be anybody's obedient servant4 ,i decided when ,i wasn't more than fifteen years old1 with a lot of other girls in our school1 that when we got married we'd never say obey1 and we never have1 though only three of our class are married yet1 but we're all engaged40 8,engaged80 8,of course2 we're engaged4 ,i'm engaged to ,rutherford ,gillingwater1 the adjutant-general of this state4 ,you couldn't be my private secretary if ,i wasn't engaged2 it wouldn't be proper40 ,the earth was only a flying cinder on which he strove for a foothold4 ,she had announced her engagement to be married with a cool finality that took his breath away2 and not realizing the chaos into which she had flung him1 she returned demurely to the matter of the letter4 8,we can't change that letter1 because it's signed close to the #8obedient servant1' and there's no room4 ,but ,i'm going to put it into the typewriter and add a postscript40 ,she sat down before the machine and inexpertly rolled the sheet into place2 then1 with ,ardmore helping her to find the keys1 she wrote3 ,i demand an imediate reply4 8,demand and immediate are both business words4 ,are you sure there's only one m in immediate8 ,all right1 if you know4 ,i reckon a postscript like that doesn't need to be signed4 ,i'll just put #8,w4 ,d4' there with papa's stub pen1 so it will look really fierce4 ,now1 you're the secretary2 you copy it in the copying press and ,i'll address the envelope40 8,don't you have to put the state seal on it80 asked ,ardmore4 8,of course not4 ,you have to get that from the secretary of state1 and ,i don't like him2 he has such funny whiskers1 and calls me little girl4 ,besides1 you never put the seal on a letter2 it's only necessary for official documents40 ,she bade him give the letter plenty of time to copy1 and talked cheerfully while he waited4 ,she spoke of her friends1 as ,southern people have a way of doing1 as though every one must of course know them--a habit that is illuminative of that delightful ,southern neighbourliness that knits the elect of a commonwealth into a single family1 that neither time and tide nor sword and brand can destroy4 ,ardmore's humility increased as the names of the great and good of ,north ,carolina fell from her lips2 for they were as strange to him as an ,abyssinian dynasty4 ,it was perfectly clear that he was not of her world1 and that his own was insignificant and undistinguished compared with hers4 ,his spirit was stayed somewhat by the knowledge that he1 and not the execrable ,gillingwater1 had been chosen as her coadjutor in the present crisis4 ,his very ignorance of the royal families of ,north ,carolina1 which she recited so glibly1 and the fact that he was unknown at the capital1 had won him official recognition1 and it was for him now to prove his worth4 ,the political plot into which he had been most willingly drawn pleased him greatly2 it was superior to his fondest dream of adventure1 and now1 moreover1 he had what he never had before1 a definite purpose in life1 which was to be equal to the task to which this intrepid girl assigned him4 8,well1 that's done10 said ,miss ,jerry1 when the letter1 still damp from the copy-press1 had been carefully sealed and stamped4 8,governor ,osborne will get it in the morning4 ,i think maybe we'd better telegraph him that it's coming40 8,i don't see much use in that1 when he'll get the letter first thing to-morrow10 ,ardmore suggested4 8,it costs money to telegraph1 and you must have an economical administration40 8,the good of it would be to keep him worried and make him very angry4 ,and if he told ,barbara ,osborne about it1 it would make her angry1 too1 and maybe she wouldn't sleep any all night1 the haughty thing6 ,hand me one of those telegraph blanks40 ,the message1 slowly thumped out on the typewriter1 and several times altered and copied1 finally read3 ,,raleigh1 ,n4 ,c4 ,the ,honourable ,charles ,osborne1 ,governor of ,south ,carolina1 ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c43 ,have written by to-night's mail in ,appleweight matter4 ,your vacillating course not understood4 ,,william ,,dangerfield1 ,governor of ,north ,carolina4 8,i reckon that will make him take notice10 and ,miss ,jerry viewed her work with approval4 8,and now1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 here's a telegram from ,mr4 ,billings which ,i don't understand4 ,see if you know what it means40 ,ardmore chuckled delightedly as he read3 ,cannot understand your outrageous conduct in bond matter4 ,if payment is not made ,june first your state's credit is ruined4 ,where is ,foster8 ,answer to ,atlanta4 ,,george ,p4 ,,billings4 8,i don't see what's so funny about that6 ,mr4 ,bassford was walking the floor with that message when ,i came to the office4 ,he said papa and the state were both going to be ruined4 ,there's a quarter of a million dollars to be paid on bonds that are coming due ,june first1 and there isn't any money to pay them with4 ,that's what he said4 ,and ,mr4 ,foster is the state treasurer1 and he's gone fishing40 8,fishing80 8,he left word he had gone fishing4 ,mr4 ,foster and papa don't get along together1 and ,mr4 ,bassford says he's run off just to let those bonds default and bring disgrace on papa and the state40 ,ardmore's grin broadened4 ,the ,appleweight case was insignificant compared with this new business with which he was confronted4 ,he was vaguely conscious that bonds have a way of coming due1 and that there is such a thing as credit in the world1 and that it is something that must not be trifled with2 but these considerations did not weigh heavily with him4 ,for the first time in his uneventful life vengeance unsheathed her sword in his tranquil soul4 ,billings had always treated him with contempt1 as a negligible factor in the ,ardmore millions1 and here at last was an opportunity to balance accounts4 8,i will show you how to fix ,billings4 ,just let me have one of those blanks40 ,and after much labour1 and with occasional suggestions from ,miss ,jerry1 the following message was presently ready for the wires3 ,your famous imputation upon my honour and that of the state shall meet with the treatment it deserves4 ,i defy you to do your worst4 ,if you come into ,north ,carolina or bring legal proceedings for the collection of your bonds ,i will fill you so full of buckshot that forty men will not be strong enough to carry you to your grave4 8,isn't that perfectly grand60 murmured ,jerry admiringly4 8,but ,i thought your family and the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company were the same thing4 ,that's what ,rutherford ,gillingwater told me once40 8,you are quite right4 ,billings works for us4 ,before ,i came of age he used to make me ask his permission when ,i wanted to buy a new necktie1 and when ,i was in college he was always fussing over my bills1 and humiliating me when he could40 8,but you mustn't make him so mad that he will cause papa trouble and bring disgrace on our administration40 8,don't you worry about ,billings4 ,he is used to having people get down on their knees to him1 and the change will do him good4 ,when he gets over his first stroke of apoplexy he will lock himself in a dark room and begin to think hard about what to do4 ,he usually does all the bluffing1 and ,i don't suppose anybody ever talked to him like this telegram in all his life4 ,where is this man ,foster80 8,just fishing2 that's what ,mr4 ,bassford said1 but he didn't know where4 ,father was going to call a special session of the legislature to investigate him1 and he was so angry that he ran off so that papa would have to look after those bonds himself4 ,then this ,appleweight case came up1 and that worried papa a great deal4 ,here's his call for the special session4 ,he told ,mr4 ,bassford to hold that1 too1 until he came back from ,new ,orleans40 ,ardmore read ,governor ,dangerfield's summons to the legislature with profound interest4 ,it was signed1 but the space for the date on which the law-makers were to assemble had been left blank4 8,it looks to me as though you had the whole state in your hands1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,but ,i don't believe we ought to call the special session just yet4 ,it would be sure to injure the state's credit1 and it will be a lot more fun to catch ,foster4 ,i wonder if he took all the state money with him40 8,mr4 ,bassford said he didn't know and couldn't find out1 for the clerks in the treasurer's office wouldn't tell him a single thing40 8,one should never deal with subordinates10 remarked ,ardmore sagely4 8,deal with the principals--,i heard a banker say that once1 and he was a man who knew everything4 ,besides1 it will be more fun to attend to the bonds ourselves40 ,he seemed lost in reverie for several minutes1 and she asked with some impatience what he was studying about4 8,i was trying to think of a word they use when the government has war or any kind of trouble4 ,it's something about a corpse1 but ,i can't remember it40 8,a corpse8 ,how perfectly horrid6 ,can it be possible1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that you mean the writ of habeas corpus80 ,the twinkle in his eye left her unable to determine whether his ignorance was real1 or assumed for his own amusement4 8,that's it10 beamed ,ardmore4 8,we've got to suspend it if worst comes to worst4 ,then you can put anybody you like into a dungeon1 and nobody can get him out--not for a million years40 8,i wonder where they keep it80 asked ,jerry4 8,it must be here somewhere4 ,perhaps it's in the safe40 8,i don't think it's a thing1 like a lemon1 or a photograph1 or a bottle of ink2 it's a document1 like a ,thanksgiving proclamation1 and you order out the militia1 and the soldiers have to leave their work and assemble at their armouries1 and it's all very serious1 and somebody is likely to get shot40 8,i don't think it would be nice to shoot people10 said ,jerry4 8,that would do the administration a terrible lot of harm40 8,of course we won't resort to extreme measures unless we are forced to it4 ,and then1 after we have exhausted all the means at our command1 we can call on the president to send ,united ,states troops40 ,he was proud of his knowledge1 which had lingered in his subconsciousness from a review of the military power of the states which he had heard once from ,griswold1 who knew about such matters2 but he was brought to earth promptly enough4 8,mr4 ,ardmore1 how dare you suggest that we call ,united ,states troops into ,north ,carolina6 ,don't you know that would be an insult to every loyal son of this state8 ,i should have you know that the state of ,north ,carolina is big enough to take care of herself1 and if any president of the ,united ,states sends any troops down here while ,i'm running this office1 he'll find that1 while our people will gladly die1 they never surrender40 8,oh1 ,i didn't mean anything like that by what ,i said10 pleaded ,ardmore1 frightened almost to tears4 8,of course1 we've got our own troops1 and we'll get through all our business without calling for help4 ,i shouldn't any more call on the president than ,i'd call on the ,czar of ,russia40 ,she seemed satisfied with this disclaimer1 and produced a diary in which ,governor ,dangerfield had noted his appointments far into the future4 8,we'll have to break a lot of engagements for papa4 ,here's a speech he promised to make at ,wilmington at the laying of the corner-stone of the new orphan asylum4 ,that's to-morrow1 and papa can't be there1 so we'll send a telegram of congratulation to be read instead4 ,then he was to preside at a convention of the ,old ,fiddlers' ,association at ,goldsboro the next day1 and he can't do that4 ,i guess we'd better telegraph and say how sorry he is to be delayed by important official business4 ,and here's--why1 ,i had forgotten about the ,national ,guard encampment1 that's beginning now40 8,do you mean the state militia80 ,ardmore inquired4 8,why1 of course4 ,they're having their annual encampment over in ,azbell ,county at ,camp ,dangerfield--they always name the camp for the governor--and father was to visit the camp next ,saturday for his annual inspection4 ,that's near your county1 where your farm is2 didn't you know that80 ,ardmore was humble1 as he always was when his ignorance was exposed1 but his face brightened joyfully4 8,you mustn't break that engagement4 ,those troops ought to be inspected4 ,inspecting his troops is one of the most important things a governor has to do4 ,it's just like a king or an emperor4 ,i've seen ,emperor ,william and ,king ,humbert inspect their soldiers1 and they go galloping by like mad1 with all the soldiers saluting1 and it's perfectly bully4 ,and then there have to be manuvres1 to see whether the troops know how to fight or not1 and forced marches and sham battles40 8,papa always speaks to the men10 suggested ,jerry1 a little abashed by the breadth and splendour of ,ardmore's knowledge4 ,his comparison of the ,north ,carolina militia with the armies of ,europe pleased her4 8,i think the ladies of the royal family inspect the troops too1 sometimes10 he continued4 8,the queens are always honorary colonels of regiments1 and present them with flags1 which is a graceful thing to do40 8,colonel ,gillingwater never told me that1 and he's the adjutant-general of the state and ought to know40 8,what's he colonel of80 asked ,ardmore gloomily4 8,he was colonel in the ,spanish war1 or was going to be1 but he got typhoid fever1 and so he couldn't go to ,cuba1 and papa appointed him adjutant-general as a reward for his services2 but everybody calls him ,colonel just the same40 8,it looks like a pretty easy way of getting a title10 murmured ,ardmore4 8,i had typhoid fever once1 and nearly died1 and all my hair came out40 8,you oughtn't to speak that way of my fianc4 ,it's quite impertinent in a mere private secretary to talk so40 8,i beg your pardon4 ,i forgot that you were engaged4 ,you'll have to go to ,camp ,dangerfield and inspect the troops yourself1 and they would a lot rather have you inspect them than have your father do it40 8,you mustn't say things like that6 ,i thought ,i told you your appointment carried no social recognition4 ,you mustn't talk to me as though ,i was a girl you really know----0 8,but there's no use of making-believe such things when ,i do know you60 8,not the least little tiny bit1 you don't6 ,do you suppose1 if you were a gentleman ,i knew and had been introduced to1 ,i would be talking to you here in papa's office80 8,but ,i pretend to be a gentleman2 you certainly wouldn't be talking to me if you thought me anything else40 8,i can't even discuss the matter1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,a gentleman wouldn't lie to a lady40 8,but if you know ,i'm a liar1 why are you telling me these secrets and asking me to help you play being governor80 and ,ardmore1 floundering hopelessly1 marvelled at her more and more4 8,that's exactly the reason--because you came poking up to my house and told me that scandalous fib about meeting papa in ,new ,orleans4 ,mr4 ,bassford is a beautiful liar2 that's why he's papa's secretary2 but you are a much more imaginative sort of liar than ,mr4 ,bassford4 ,he can only lie to callers about papa being engaged1 or write encouraging letters to people who want appointments which papa never expects to make2 but you lie because you can't help it4 ,now1 if you're satisfied1 you can take those telegrams down to the telegraph office2 and you'd better mail that letter to ,governor ,osborne yourself1 for fear the man who's running the lawn-mower will forget to come for it40 ,the roll of drums and the cry of a bugle broke in upon the peace of the late afternoon4 ,miss ,jerry rose with an exclamation and ran out into the broad portico of the state house4 ,several battalions of a tide-water regiment1 passing through town on their way to ,camp ,dangerfield1 had taken advantage of a wait in ,raleigh to disembark and show themselves at the capital4 ,they were already halted and at parade rest at the side of the street1 and a mounted officer in khaki1 galloping madly into view1 seemed to focus the eyes of the gathering crowd4 ,he was a gallant figure of a man2 his mount was an animal that realized ,job's ideal of a battle-horse2 the soldiers presented arms as the horseman rode the line4 ,miss ,dangerfield waved her handkerchief1 standing eagerly on tiptoe to make her salutation carry as far as possible4 8,who is that80 asked ,ardmore1 with sinking spirit4 8,why1 ,rutherford ,gillingwater1 of course40 8,fours right60 rang the command a moment later1 and the militiamen tramped off to the station4 ,it was then that ,ardmore1 watching the crowd disperse at the edge of the park1 saw his caller of the morning striding rapidly across the street4 ,ardmore started forward1 then checked himself so suddenly that ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield turned to him inquiringly4 8,what's the matter80 she demanded4 8,nothing4 ,i have been robbed1 as ,i hoped to be4 ,over there1 on the sidewalk1 beyond the girl in the pink sunbonnet1 goes my little brown jug4 ,that lank individual with the shabby hat has lifted it out of my room at the hotel1 just as ,i thought he would40 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,mr4 ,,griswold ,,forsakes ,,the ,,academic ,,life4 ,miss ,osborne had asked ,griswold to await the outcome of the day1 and1 finding himself thus possessed of a vacation1 he indulged his antiquarian instincts by exploring ,columbia4 ,the late afternoon found him in the lovely cathedral churchyard1 where an aged negro1 tending the graves of an illustrious family1 leaned upon his spade and recited the achievements and virtues of the dead4 ,men who had been law-makers1 others who had led valiantly to battle1 and ministers of the ,prince of ,peace1 mingled their dust together2 and across the crisp hedges a robin sang above ,timrod's grave4 ,as the shadows lengthened1 ,griswold walked back to the hotel1 where he ate supper1 then1 calling for a horse1 he rode through the streets in a mood of more complete alienation than he had ever experienced in a foreign country2 yet the very scents of the summer night1 stealing out from old gardens1 the voices that reached him from open doorways1 spoke of home4 ,as he reached the outskirts of town and rode on toward the governor's mansion1 his mood changed1 and he laughed softly1 for he remembered ,ardmore1 and ,ardmore was beyond question the most amusing person he knew4 ,it was unfortunate1 he generously reflected1 that ,ardmore1 rather than himself1 had not been plunged into this present undertaking1 which was much more in ,ardmore's line than his own4 ,there would1 however1 be a great satisfaction in telling ,ardmore of his unexpected visit to ,columbia1 in exchange for his friend's report of his pursuit of the winking eye4 ,he only regretted that in the nature of things ,columbia is a modern city1 a seat of commerce as well as of government1 a place where bank clearings are seriously computed1 and where the jaunty adventurer with sword and ruffles is quite likely to run afoul of the police4 ,yet his own imagination was far more fertile than ,ardmore's1 and he would have hailed a troop of mail-clad men as joyfully as his friend had he met them clanking in the highway4 ,thus modern as we think ourselves1 the least venturesome among us dreams that some day some turn of a street corner will bring him face to face with what we please to call our fate2 and this is the manifestation of our last drop of medival blood4 ,the grimmest seeker after reality looks out of the corner of his eye for the flutter of a white handkerchief from the ivied tower he affects to ignore2 and1 in spite of himself1 he is buoyed by the hope that some day a horn will sound for him over the nearest hill4 ,miss ,osborne met him at the veranda steps4 ,indoors a mandolin and piano struck up the merry chords of ,the ,eutaw ,girl4 8,my young sisters have company4 ,we'll sit here1 if you don't mind40 ,she led the way to a quiet corner1 and after they were seated she was silent a moment1 while the light from the windows showed clearly that her perplexity of the morning was not yet at an end4 ,the music tinkled softly1 and a breeze swept in upon them with faint odours of the garden4 8,i hope you won't mind1 ,mr4 ,griswold1 if ,i appear to be ashamed of you4 ,it's not a bit hospitable to keep you outside our threshold2 but--you understand--,i don't have to tell you60 8,i understand perfectly1 ,miss ,osborne60 8,it seems best not to let the others know just why you are here4 ,i told my sisters that you were an old friend--of father's--who wished to leave a message for him40 8,that will do first-rate60 he laughed4 8,my status is fixed4 ,i know your father1 but as for ourselves1 we are not acquainted40 ,he felt that she was seriously anxious and troubled1 and he wished to hearten her if he could4 ,the soft dusk of the faintly-lighted corner folded her in4 ,behind her the vines of the verandah moved slightly in the breeze4 ,a thin1 wayward shaft of light touched her hair1 as though searching out the gold4 ,when we say that people have atmosphere1 we really mean that they possess indefinite qualities that awaken new moods in us1 as by that magic through which an ignorant hand thrumming a harp's strings may evoke some harmony denied to conscious skill4 ,he heard whispered in his heart a man's first word of the woman he is destined to love1 in which he sets her apart--above and beyond all other womenkind2 she is different2 she is not like other women6 8,it is nearly nine10 she said1 her voice thrilling through him4 8,my father should have been here an hour ago4 ,we have heard nothing from him4 ,the newspapers have telephoned repeatedly to know his whereabouts4 ,i have put them off by intimating that he is away on important public business1 and that his purpose might be defeated if his exact whereabouts were known4 ,i tried to intimate1 without saying as much1 that he was busy with the ,appleweight case4 ,one of the papers that has very bitterly antagonized father ever since his election has threatened to expose what the editor calls father's relations with ,appleweight4 ,i cannot believe that there is anything wrong about that2 of course there is not60 ,she was controlling herself with an effort1 and she broke off her declaration of confidence in her absent father sharply but with a sob in her voice4 8,i have no doubt in the world that the explanation you gave the newspapers is the truth of the matter4 ,your father must be absent a great deal--it is part of a governor's business to keep in motion4 ,but we may as well face the fact that his absence just now is most embarrassing4 ,this ,appleweight matter has reached a crisis1 and a failure to handle it properly may injure your father's future as a public man4 ,if you will pardon me1 ,i would suggest that there must be some one whom you can take into your confidence--some friend1 some one in your father's administration that you can rely on80 8,yes2 father has many friends2 but ,i cannot consider acknowledging to any one that father has disappeared when such a matter as this ,appleweight case is an issue through the state4 ,no2 ,i have thought of every one this afternoon4 ,it would be a painful thing for his best friends to know what is--what seems to be the truth40 ,her voice wavered a little1 but she was brave1 and he was aware that she straightened herself in her chair1 and1 when wayward gleams of light fell upon her face1 that her lips were set resolutely4 8,you saw the attorney-general this morning10 she went on4 8,as you suggested1 he would naturally be the one to whom ,i should turn1 but ,i cannot do it4 ,i--there is a reason0--and she faltered a moment--8there are reasons why ,i cannot appeal to ,mr4 ,bosworth at this time40 ,she shrugged her shoulders as though throwing off a disagreeable topic1 and he saw that there was nothing more to be said on this point4 ,his heart-beats quickened as he realized that she was appealing to him2 that1 though he was only the most casual acquaintance1 she trusted him4 ,it was a dictum of his1 learned in his study and practice of the law1 that issues must be met as they offer--not as the practitioner would prefer to have them1 but as they occur2 and here was a condition of affairs that must be met promptly if the unaccountable absence of the governor was to be robbed of its embarrassing significance4 ,as he pondered for a moment1 a messenger rode into the grounds1 and ,miss ,osborne slipped away and met the boy at the steps4 ,she came back and opened a telegram1 reading the message at one of the windows4 ,an indignant exclamation escaped her1 and she crumpled the paper in her hand4 8,the impudence of it60 she exclaimed4 ,he had risen1 and she now turned to him with anger and scorn deepening her beautiful colour4 ,her breath came quickly2 her head was lifted imperiously2 her lips quivered slightly as she spoke4 8,this is from ,governor ,dangerfield4 ,can you imagine a man of any character or decency sending such a message to the governor of another state80 ,she watched him as he read3 ,,raleigh1 ,n4 ,c4 ,the ,honourable ,charles ,osborne1 ,governor of ,south ,carolina1 ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c43 ,have written by to-night's mail in ,appleweight matter4 ,your vacillating course not understood4 ,,william ,,dangerfield1 ,governor of ,north ,carolina4 8,what do you think of that80 she demanded4 8,i think it's impertinent1 to say the least10 he replied guardedly4 8,impertinent6 ,it's the most contemptible1 outrageous thing ,i ever heard of in my life6 ,governor ,dangerfield has dilly-dallied with that case for two years4 ,his administration has been marked from the beginning by the worst kind of incompetence4 ,why1 this man ,appleweight and his gang of outlaws only come into ,south ,carolina now and then to hide and steal1 but they commit most of their crimes in ,north ,carolina1 and they always have4 ,talk about a vacillating course6 ,father has never taken steps to arrest those men1 out of sheer regard for ,governor ,dangerfield2 he thought ,north ,carolina had some pride1 and that her governor would prefer to take care of his own criminals4 ,what do you suppose ,appleweight is indicted for in this state8 ,for stealing one ham--one single ham from a farmer in ,mingo ,county1 and he's killed half a dozen men in ,north ,carolina40 ,she paced the corner of the veranda angrily1 while ,griswold groped for a solution of the problem4 ,the telegram from ,raleigh was certainly lacking in diplomatic suavity4 ,it was patent that if the governor of ,north ,carolina was not tremendously aroused1 he was playing a great game of bluff2 and on either hypothesis a prompt response must be made to his telegram4 8,i must answer this at once4 ,he must not think we are so stupid in ,columbia that we don't know when we're insulted4 ,we can go through the side door to father's study and write the message there10 and she led the way4 8,it might be best to wait and see what his letter is like10 suggested ,griswold1 with a vague wish to prolong this discussion1 that he might enjoy the soft glow of the student lamp on her cheek4 8,i don't care what his letter says2 it can't be worse than his telegram4 ,we'll answer them both at once40 ,she found a blank and wrote rapidly1 without asking suggestions1 with this result3 ,the ,honourable ,william ,dangerfield1 ,raleigh1 ,n4 ,c43 ,your extremely diverting telegram in ,appleweight case received and filed4 ,,charles ,,osborne1 ,governor of ,south ,carolina4 ,she met ,griswold's obvious disappointment with prompt explanation4 8,you see1 the governor of ,south ,carolina cannot stoop to an exchange of billingsgate with an underbred person like that--a big1 solemn1 conceited creature in a long frock-coat and a shoestring necktie1 who boasts of belonging to the common #8peo-pull4' ,he doesn't have to tell anybody that1 when it's plain as daylight4 ,the way to answer him is not to answer at all40 8,the way to answer him is to make ,north ,carolina put ,appleweight in jail1 for crimes committed in that state1 and then1 if need be1 we can satisfy the cry for vengeance in ,south ,carolina by flashing our requisition4 ,there is a rule in such cases that the state having the heaviest indictments shall have precedence2 and you say that in this state it's only a matter of a ham4 ,i am not acquainted with the ,south ,carolina ham10 he went on1 smiling1 8but in ,virginia the right kind of a ham is sacred property1 and to steal one is a capital offence40 8,i should like to steal one such as ,i had last winter in ,richmond10 and ,miss ,osborne forgot her anger2 her eyes narrowed dreamily at an agreeable memory4 8,was it at ,judge ,randolph ,wilson's80 asked ,griswold instantly4 8,why1 yes1 it was at ,judge ,wilson's1 ,mr4 ,griswold4 ,how did you know80 8,i didn't know--,i guessed2 for ,i have sat at that table myself4 ,the judge says grace twice when there's to be ham--once before soup1 then again before ham40 8,then thanksgiving after the ham would be perfectly proper60 ,miss ,osborne was studying ,griswold carefully1 then she laughed1 and her attitude toward him1 that had been tempered by a certain official reserve1 became at once cordial4 8,are you the ,professor ,griswold who is so crazy about pirates8 ,i've heard the ,wilsons speak of you1 but you don't look like that40 8,don't ,i look like a pirate8 ,thank you6 ,i had an appointment at ,judge ,wilson's office this morning to talk over a case in which ,i'm interested40 8,i remember now what he said about you4 ,he said you really were a fine lawyer1 but that you liked to read about pirates40 8,that may have been what he said to you2 but he has told me that the association of piracy and law was most unfortunate1 as it would suggest unpleasant comments to those who don't admire the legal profession40 8,and you are one of those tide-water ,griswolds1 then1 if you know the ,randolph ,wilsons4 ,they are very strong for the tide-water families2 to hear them talk you'd think the people back in the ,virginia hills weren't really respectable40 8,it's undeniably the right view of the matter10 laughed ,griswold1 8but now that ,i live in ,charlottesville ,i don't insist on it4 ,it wouldn't be decent in me4 ,and ,i have lots of cousins in ,lexington and through the ,valley4 ,the broad view is that every inch of the ,old ,dominion is holy ground40 8,it is an interesting commonwealth1 ,mr4 ,griswold2 but ,i do not consider it holy ground4 ,south ,carolina has a monopoly of that20 and then the smile left her face and she returned to the telegram4 8,our immediate business1 however1 is not with ,virginia1 or with ,south ,carolina1 but with the miserable commonwealth that lies between40 8,and that commonwealth10 said ,griswold1 wishing to prolong the respite from official cares1 8that state known in law and history as ,north ,carolina1 ,i have heard called1 by a delightful ,north ,carolina lady ,i met once at ,charlottesville1 a valley of humility between two mountains of conceit4 ,that seems to hit both of us60 8,north ,carolina isn't a state at all10 ,miss ,osborne declared spitefully2 8it's only a strip of land where uninteresting people live4 ,and now1 what do you say to this telegram80 8,excellent4 ,it's bound to irritate1 and it leaves him in the dark as to our--,i mean ,governor ,osborne's--intentions4 ,and those intentions----0 ,during this by-play he had reached a decision as to what should be done1 and he was prepared to answer when she asked1 with an employment of the pronoun that pleasantly emphasized their relationship1-- 8,what are our intentions80 8,we are going to catch ,appleweight1 that's the first thing--and until we get him we're going to keep our own counsel4 ,let me have a telegraph blank1 and ,i will try my hand at being governor40 ,he sat down in the governor's chair1 asked the name of the county seat of ,mingo1 and wrote without erasure or hesitation this message3 ,to the ,sheriff of ,mingo ,county1 ,turner ,court ,house1 ,s4 ,c43 ,make every possible effort to capture ,appleweight and any of his gang who are abroad in your county4 ,swear in all the deputies you need1 and if friendliness of citizens to outlaws makes this impossible wire me immediately1 and ,i will send militia4 ,any delay on your part will be visited with severest penalties4 ,answer immediately by telegraph4 ,,charles ,,osborne1 ,governor of ,south ,carolina4 8,that's quite within the law10 said ,griswold1 handing ,barbara the message2 8and we might as well put the thing through at a gallop4 ,i'll get the telegraph company to hold open the line to ,turner ,court ,house until the sheriff answers40 ,as ,barbara read the message he saw her pleasure in the quick compression of her lips1 the glow in her cheeks1 and then the bright glint of her bronze-brown eyes as she finished4 8,that's exactly right4 ,i didn't know just how to manage such a thing1 but ,i see that that is the proper method40 8,yes2 the sheriff must have his full opportunity to act40 8,and what1 then1 if the sheriff refuses to do anything80 8,then--then0--and ,griswold's jaw set firmly1 and he straightened himself slightly before he added in a quiet tone--8then ,i'm going down there to take charge of the thing myself40 8,oh1 that is too much6 ,i didn't ask that2 and ,i must refuse to let you take any such responsibility on yourself1 to say nothing of the personal danger4 ,i merely wanted your advice--as a lawyer1 for the reason that ,i dared not risk father's name even among his best friends here4 ,and your coming to the office this morning seemed so--so providential----0 ,he sought at once to minimize the value of his services1 for he was not a man to place a woman under obligations1 and1 moreover1 an opportunity like this1 to uphold the dignity1 and perhaps to exercise the power1 of a state laid strong hold upon him4 ,he knew little enough about the ,appleweight case1 but he felt from his slight knowledge that he was well within his rights in putting spurs to the sheriff of ,mingo ,county4 ,if the sheriff failed to respond in proper spirit and it became necessary to use the militia1 he was conscious that serious complications might arise4 ,he had not only a respect for law1 but an ideal of civic courage and integrity1 and the governor's inexplicable absence aroused his honest wrath4 ,the idea that a mere girl should be forced to sustain the official honour and dignity of a cowardly father further angered him4 ,and then he looked into her eyes and saw how grave they were1 and how earnest and with what courage she met the situation2 and the charm of her slender figure1 that glint of gold in her hair1 her slim1 supple hands folded on the table--these things wrought in him a happiness that he had never known before1 so that he laughed as he took the telegram from her4 8,there must be no mistake1 no failure10 she said quietly4 8,we are not going to fail2 we are going to carry this through6 ,within three days we'll have ,appleweight in a ,north ,carolina jail or a flying fugitive in ,governor ,dangerfield's territory4 ,and now these telegrams must be sent4 ,it might be better for you to go to the telegraph office with me4 ,you must remember that ,i am a pilgrim and a stranger1 and they might question my filing official messages40 8,that is perfectly true4 ,i will go into town with you40 8,and if there's an official coach that everybody knows as yours1 it would allay suspicions to have it10 and while he was still speaking she vanished to order the carriage4 ,in five minutes it was at the side door1 and ,griswold and ,barbara1 fortified by the presence of ,phbe1 left the governor's study4 8,if they don't know me1 everybody in ,south ,carolina knows ,phbe10 said ,barbara4 8,a capital idea4 ,i can see by her eye that she's built for conspiracy40 ,griswold's horse was to be returned to town by a boy2 and when this had been arranged the three entered the carriage4 8,the telegraph office1 ,tom2 and hurry40 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,an ,,affair ,,at ,,the ,,state ,,house4 ,barbara filed the messages herself with the manager of the telegraph company1 who lifted the green shade from his eyes and smiled upon her4 8,we'll rush them1 ,miss ,osborne4 ,shall ,i telephone the answers if they come to-night8 ,no2 your father likes his telegrams delivered1 ,i remember40 8,i will call for them10 said ,griswold4 8,governor ,osborne was only at home a few hours this evening1 and he left me in charge of these matters40 ,the manager's face expressed surprise4 8,oh6 ,i didn't know the governor was at home10 he remarked1 as he finished counting the words and charging them against the state's account4 8,i will send them myself1 and ask the operators at the other end to look lively about the answers4 ,you are ,mr4----0 8,this is ,major ,griswold10 said ,barbara1 conferring the title with a vague feeling that it strengthened her cause4 8,major10 repeated the manager1 as he nodded to ,griswold with an air that implied his familiarity with official secrets4 8,you will call8 ,in a couple of hours1 ,major40 ,as ,barbara and ,griswold turned to leave1 a young man who had been writing a message at the standing desk in the lobby lifted his hat and addressed ,barbara4 ,he was a reporter for the ,columbia ,intelligencer1 and his manner was eager4 8,oh1 ,miss ,osborne1 pardon me1 but ,i've been trying to get you on the telephone4 ,can you tell me where your father is to-night80 8,father was in town only a few hours1 and then left on state business40 ,the young man glanced from one to the other4 ,he was a polite youngster1 and ,miss ,barbara ,osborne was--,miss ,barbara ,osborne1 and this1 to the people of ,south ,carolina1 was a fact of weight4 ,still the reporter twirled his hat uncertainly4 8,well1 ,i thought ,i had met all the trains1 but ,i guess ,i missed the governor40 8,no2 you didn't miss him10 smiled ,barbara4 8,father drove in from the country and went back the same way4 ,he didn't come into town at all40 ,the news instinct is the keenest with which man may be blessed1 and the reporter scented events4 ,griswold1 seeing the light flash in the young man's eye1 felt that here was an opportunity to allay public criticism4 8,governor ,osborne is engaged upon important public business4 ,he will be absent from town for a day--perhaps a week4 ,he will not return to ,columbia until the business is thoroughly disposed of40 8,may ,i ask if it's the ,appleweight case8 ,the ,raleigh papers have wired for information1 and we'd like to know here40 8,i cannot answer that question4 ,it's enough that the governor is absent on state business1 and that the business is important4 ,you may print that in the ,intelligencer1 and repeat it to ,raleigh4--,there is no harm in that1 is there1 ,miss ,osborne80 8,no2 certainly not10 ,barbara replied4 8,but the papers all over the state are talking about the ,appleweight gang4 ,they intimate that those people enjoy immunity from prosecution1 and that the governor--you will pardon me1 ,miss ,osborne--will take no steps to arrest them1 for personal reasons40 8,your question is quite proper10 replied ,griswold4 8,the governor's acts are subject to scrutiny at all times1 and it is just as well to have this matter understood now4 ,i am employed by the governor as special counsel in some state matters4 ,my name is ,griswold4 ,take out your book and come to the desk here1 and ,i will give you a statement which you may publish as by the authority of the governor40 ,the three found seats at a table1 and ,griswold dictated while the reporter wrote1 ,barbara meanwhile sitting with her cheek resting against her raised hand4 ,she was experiencing the relief we all know1 of finding a strong arm to lean upon in an emergency1 and she realized that ,griswold was not only wise1 but shrewd and resourceful4 8,please print this exactly as ,i give it3 ,it having been intimated in certain quarters that the ,appleweight gang of outlaws1 which has been terrorizing the ,north ,carolina frontier for several years1 enjoys immunity from prosecution in ,south ,carolina owing to the fact that ,governor ,osborne was at some time attorney for ,appleweight1 ,governor ,osborne begs to say that steps have already been taken for the arrest of this man and his followers1 dead or alive4 ,the governor presents his compliments to those amiable critics who have so eagerly seized upon this pretext for slurring his private character and aspersing his official acts4 ,the governor has no apologies to proffer the people of ,south ,carolina1 who have so generously reposed in him their trust and confidence4 ,he is intent upon safeguarding the peace1 dignity1 and honour of the state through an honest enforcement of law1 and he has no other aim or ambition40 ,griswold took the reporter's notebook and read over this pronunciamiento2 then he handed it to ,barbara1 who studied it carefully4 8,i think that sounds just right1 only why not substitute for #8honest' the word #8vigorous'80 8,excellent10 assented ,griswold1 and thus amended the statement was returned to the reporter4 8,now10 said ,griswold to the young man1 8you are getting a pretty good item that no other paper will have4 ,please wire your story to ,raleigh2 ,governor ,osborne is very anxious that the people up there shall understand fully his attitude in the ,appleweight matter40 8,i reckon this will wake up old ,dangerfield all right10 said the reporter1 grinning4 8,he'll be paralyzed4 ,may ,i use your name in this connection1 sir80 8,not at all4 ,my engagement with ,governor ,osborne is of the most confidential character1 and our purposes would be defeated by publicity4 ,remember1 you get the exclusive use of this story--the return and immediate departure of the governor1 his statement to the people in the ,appleweight case--all with the understanding that you use what you have to the best advantage40 8,this is all right1 is it1 ,miss ,osborne80 asked the reporter4 8,major ,griswold has full authority to act1 and you need question nothing he tells you10 ,barbara replied4 8,i suppose the governor didn't see the attorney-general to-day80 asked the reporter detainingly1 as ,barbara rose4 ,she exchanged a glance with ,griswold4 8,father didn't see ,mr4 ,bosworth at all1 if that's what you mean60 8,didn't see him8 ,well1 ,bosworth didn't exactly tell me he had seen him to-day1 but ,i asked him about the ,appleweight case an hour ago at his house1 and he said the governor wasn't going to do anything1 and that was the end of it so far as the administration is concerned40 8,print his story and see what happens6 ,we have no comment to make on that1 have we1 ,miss ,osborne80 8,nothing at all10 replied ,barbara scornfully4 8,i'm at the ,saluda ,house at present4 ,see me to-morrow and ,i may have another story for you60 and ,griswold shook the reporter warmly by the hand as they parted at the carriage door4 8,home10 said ,barbara for the reporter's benefit1 and then1 to ,griswold3 8,i must speak of another matter4 ,drive with me a little way until we can throw the reporter off40 ,she spoke quietly1 but he saw that she was preoccupied with some new phase of the situation1 and as the carriage gained headway she said earnestly1-- 8,that young man told the truth--,i am sure of it--about ,mr4 ,bosworth4 ,i knew he would do something to injure father if he could1 but ,i did not know he had the courage to go so far40 8,it's only politics1 ,miss ,osborne10 said ,griswold lightly4 8,besides1 you may be sure the ,intelligencer will print the governor's side of it in its largest type40 8,no2 it is not politics4 ,it is more despicable1 more contemptible1 more ungenerous even than politics4 ,but he shall be punished1 humiliated1 for his conduct40 8,you shall fix his punishment yourself60 laughed ,griswold2 8but the state's business first4 ,we have a little more to do before ,i am satisfied with the day's work40 8,yes1 of course4 ,we must leave nothing undone that father would do were he here to act for himself40 8,we must be even more careful in his absence to safeguard his honour than the case really requires4 ,we not only have his public responsibility but our own into the bargain in so far as we speak and act for him4 ,and there's always the state--the ,palmetto flag must be kept flying at the masthead40 ,their eyes met as they passed under an electric lamp1 and he saw how completely she was relying on his guidance4 ,they were now at the edge of town1 and she bade him stop the carriage4 8,we must go to the state house10 said ,griswold4 8,we must get that requisition1 to guard against treason in the citadel4 ,assuming that ,governor ,osborne really doesn't want to see ,appleweight punished1 we'd better hold the requisition anyhow4 ,it's possible that your father had it ready--do pardon me6--for a grand-stand play1 or he may have wanted to bring ,appleweight into the friendlier state--but that's all conjectural4 ,we'd better keep out of the principal streets4 ,that reporter has a sharp eye40 ,she gave the necessary directions1 and the driver turned back into ,columbia4 ,it was pleasant to find his accomplice in this conspiracy a girl of keen wit who did not debate matters or ask tiresome questions4 ,the business ahead was serious enough1 though he tried by manner1 tone1 and words to minimize its gravity4 ,if the attorney-general was serving a personal spite1 or whatever the cause of his attitude1 he might go far in taking advantage of the governor's absence4 ,griswold's relation to the case was equivocal enough1 he fully realized2 but the very fact of its being without precedent1 and so beset with pitfalls for all concerned1 was a spur to action4 ,in the present instance a duly executed requisition for the apprehension of a criminal1 which could not be replaced if lost1 must be held at all hazards1 and ,griswold had determined to make sure of the governor's warrant before he slept4 8,have you the office keys80 he asked4 8,yes2 ,i have been afraid to let go of them4 ,there's a watchman in the building1 but he knows me very well4 ,there will not be the slightest trouble about getting in40 ,the watchman--an old ,confederate veteran--sat smoking in the entrance1 and courteously bade them good-evening4 8,i want to get some papers from father's office1 ,captain40 8,certainly1 ,miss ,barbara40 ,he preceded them1 throwing on the lights1 to the governor's door1 which he opened with his own pass-key4 8,it's pretty lonesome here at night1 ,miss ,barbara40 8,i suppose nobody comes at night10 remarked ,griswold4 8,not usually1 sir4 ,but one or two students are at work in the library1 and ,mr4 ,bosworth is in his office40 ,the veteran walked away jingling his keys4 ,barbara was already in the private office1 bending over the governor's desk4 ,she found the right key1 drew out a drawer1 then cried out softly4 ,she knelt beside the desk1 throwing the papers about in her eagerness1 then turned to ,griswold with a white face4 8,the drawer has been opened since ,i was here this morning4 ,the requisition and all the other papers in the case are gone40 ,griswold examined the lock carefully and pointed to the roughened edges of the wood4 8,a blade of the shears there1 or perhaps the paper-cutter--who knows8 ,the matter is simple enough1 so please do not trouble about it4 ,wait here a moment4 ,i want to make some inquiries of the watchman40 ,he found the old fellow pacing the portico like a sentry4 ,he pointed out the attorney-general's office1 threw on a few additional lights for ,griswold's guidance1 and resumed his patrol duty outside4 ,the attorney-general's door was locked1 but in response to ,griswold's knock it was opened guardedly4 8,i am very sorry to trouble you1 ,mr4 ,bosworth10 began ,griswold1 quietly edging his way into the room1 8but one never gets wholly away from business these days40 ,he closed the door himself1 and peered into the inner rooms to be sure the attorney-general was alone4 ,bosworth's face flushed angrily when he found that a stranger had thus entered his office with a cool air of proprietorship2 then he stared blankly at ,griswold for a moment before he recalled where he had seen him before4 8,i don't receive visitors at night10 he blurted1 laying his hand on the door4 8,i'm engaged1 and you'll have to come in office hours40 ,he shook the door as though to call ,griswold's attention to it4 8,do you see this thing8 it's the door60 he roared4 8,i have seen it from both sides1 ,mr4 ,bosworth4 ,i intend to stay on this side until ,i get ready to go40 8,who the devil are you8 ,what do you mean by coming here at this time of night80 8,i'm a lawyer myself1 if you will force the ignoble truth from me4 ,now1 when you are perfectly quiet1 and once more the sane1 reasonable human being you must be to have been trusted with the office you hold1 we'll proceed to business4 ,meanwhile1 please put on your coat4 ,a man in his shirt-sleeves is always at a disadvantage2 and we ,virginians are sticklers for the proprieties40 ,the attorney-general's fury abated when he saw that he had to deal with a low-voiced young man who seemed unlikely to yield to intimidation4 ,griswold had1 in fact1 seated himself on a table that was otherwise covered with law books1 and he sniffed with pleasure the familiar atmosphere of dusty law calf1 which no one who has had the slightest acquaintance with a law office ever forgets4 ,to his infinite amusement ,bosworth was actually putting on his coat1 though it may have been a little absent-mindedly to give him an opportunity to decide upon a plan for getting rid of his visitor4 ,however this may have been1 ,bosworth now stepped to the side of the room and snatched down the telephone receiver4 ,griswold caught him by the shoulder and flung him round4 8,none of that6 ,by calling the police you will only get yourself into trouble4 ,i'm bigger than you are1 and ,i should hate to have to throw you out of the window4 ,now0--and he caught and hung up the receiver1 which was wildly banging the wall--8now let us be sensible and get down to business40 8,who the devil are you80 demanded ,bosworth1 glaring4 8,i'm special counsel for ,governor ,osborne in the ,appleweight case4 ,there's no use in wasting time in further identification1 but if you take down that volume on ,admiralty ,practice just behind you1 you will find my name on the title-page4 ,or1 to save you the trouble1 as you seem to be interested in my appearance1 ,i will tell you that my name is ,griswold1 and that my address is ,charlottesville1 ,virginia40 8,you are undoubtedly lying4 ,if you are smart enough to write a book1 you ought to know enough about legal procedure to understand that the attorney-general represents the state1 and special counsel would not be chosen without his knowledge40 8,allow me to correct you1 my learned brother4 ,you should never misquote the opposing counsel--it's one of the rules of the game4 ,what ,i said a moment ago was that ,i represented the governor--,governor ,osborne4 ,i didn't say ,i represented the state1 which is a different matter1 and beset with ultra vires pitfalls4 ,there is no earthly reason why a governor should not detach himself1 so to speak1 from his office and act in propria persona1 as a mere citizen4 ,his right to private remedy is not abridged by the misfortune of office-holding4 ,whether he can himself be made defendant in an action at law touches that ancient question1 whether the monarch or the state can be sued4 ,that's a question law students have debated from the beginning of time1 but we must not confuse it with the case at issue4 ,the governor1 as a citizen1 may certainly employ such counsel as he pleases1 and just now ,i represent him4 ,of course1 if you want me to furnish a brief----0 ,griswold's manner was deliberate and ingratiating4 ,he saw that the attorney-general had not the slightest sense of humour1 and that his play upon legal phrases was wasted4 ,bosworth grinned1 but not at the legal status of monarchs and states4 ,he had thought of a clever stroke1 and he dealt the blow with confidence4 8,let us assume10 he said1 8that you represent ,mr4 ,osborne4 ,may ,i ask the whereabouts of your client80 8,certainly4 ,you may ask anything you please1 but it will do you no good4 ,it's an old rule of the game never to divulge a client's secret4 ,governor ,osborne has his own reasons for absenting himself from his office4 ,however1 he was at home to-night40 8,i rather guess not1 as ,i had all the trains watched4 ,you'll have to do a lot better than that1 ,mr4 ,griswold40 8,he has issued a statement to the public since you lied to the ,intelligencer reporter about him to-day4 ,i suppose it's part of your official duty to misrepresent the head of the state administration in the press1 but the governor is in the saddle1 and ,i advise you to be good40 ,the attorney-general felt that he was not making headway4 ,his disadvantage in dealing with a stranger whose identity he still questioned angered him4 ,he did not know why ,griswold had sought him out1 and he was chagrined at having allowed himself to be so easily cornered4 8,you seem to know a good deal10 he sneered4 8,how did you get into this thing anyhow80 8,my dear sir1 ,i was chosen by the governor because of my superior attainments1 don't you see8 ,but ,i'm in a hurry now4 ,i came here on a particular errand4 ,i want that requisition in the ,appleweight case--quick6--if you please1 ,mr4 ,bosworth40 ,he jumped down from the table and took up his hat and stick4 8,mr4 ,griswold1 or whoever you are1 you are either a fool or a blackguard4 ,there isn't any requisition for ,appleweight4 ,the governor never had the sand to issue any1 if you must know the truth6 ,if you knew anything about the governor1 you would know that that's why ,osborne is hiding himself4 ,he can't afford to offend the ,appleweights1 if you must know the disagreeable truth4 ,your coming here and asking me for that requisition is funny1 if you had the brains to see it4 ,poor old ,osborne is scared to death1 and ,i doubt if he's within a hundred miles of here4 ,you don't know the governor2 ,i do6 ,he's a dodger1 a trimmer1 and a coward40 8,mr4 ,bosworth10 began ,griswold deliberately1 8that requisition1 duly signed and bearing the seal of the secretary of state as by the statutes in such cases made and provided1 was in ,governor ,osborne's desk this morning at the time you were so daintily kicking the door in your anxiety to see the governor4 ,it has since been taken from the drawer where the governor left it when he went to ,new ,orleans4 ,you have gone in there like a sneak-thief1 pried open the drawer1 and stolen that document2 and now----0 8,it's an ugly charge10 mocked the attorney-general4 8,it's all of that10 and ,griswold smiled4 8,but you forget that you represent ,mr4 ,osborne4 ,on the other hand1 ,i represent ,governor ,osborne1 and if ,i want the ,appleweight papers ,i had every right to them40 8,after office hours1 feloniously and with criminal intent80 laughed ,griswold4 8,we will assume that ,i have them10 sneered ,bosworth1 8and such being the case ,i will return them only to the governor40 8,then0--and ,griswold's smile broadened--8if it comes to concessions1 ,i will grant that you are within your rights in wishing to place them in the governor's own hands4 ,the governor of ,south ,carolina is now1 so to speak1 in camera40 8,the governor is hiding4 ,he's afraid to come to ,columbia1 and the whole state knows it40 8,the papers1 my friend2 and ,i will satisfy you that the governor of ,south ,carolina is under this roof and transacting business40 8,here in the state house80 demanded ,bosworth1 and he blanched and twisted the buttons of his coat nervously4 8,the governor of ,south ,carolina1 the supreme power of the state1 charged with full responsibility1 enjoying all the immunities1 rights1 and privileges unto him belonging40 ,it was clear that ,bosworth took no stock whatever in ,griswold's story2 but ,griswold's pretended employment by the governor and his apparent knowledge of the governor's affairs piqued his curiosity4 ,if this was really the ,griswold who had written a widely accepted work on admiralty and who was known to him by reputation as a brilliant lawyer of ,virginia1 the mystery was all the deeper4 ,by taking the few steps necessary to reach the governor's chambers he would prove the falsity of ,griswold's pretensions to special knowledge of the governor's whereabouts and plans4 ,he stepped to an inner office1 came back with a packet of papers1 and thrust a revolver into his pocket with so vain a show of it that ,griswold laughed aloud4 8,what6 ,do you still back your arguments with firearms arms down here8 ,it's a method that has gone out of fashion in ,virginia60 8,if there's a trick in this it will be the worse for you10 scowled ,bosworth4 8,and pray1 remember1 on your side1 that you are to give those documents into the hands of the governor4 ,come along40 ,they met the watchman in the corridor1 and he saluted them and passed on4 ,bosworth strode eagerly forward in his anxiety to prick the bubble of ,griswold's pretensions4 ,griswold threw open the door of the governor's reception-room1 and they blinked in the stronger light that poured in from the private office4 ,there1 in the governor's chair by the broad official desk1 sat ,barbara ,osborne reading a newspaper4 8,your ,excellency10 said ,griswold1 bowing gravely and advancing1 8,i beg to present the attorney-general40 8,barbara60 ,the papers fell from the attorney-general's hands4 ,he stood staring until astonishment began to yield to rage as he realized that a trap had been sprung upon him4 ,the girl had risen instantly1 and a smile played about her lips for a moment4 ,she had vaguely surmised that ,griswold would charge ,bosworth with the loss of the papers1 but her associate in the conspiracy had now given a turn to the matter that amused her4 8,barbara60 blurted the attorney-general1 8what game is this--what contemptible trick is this stranger playing on you8 ,don't you understand that your father's absence is a most serious matter1 and that in the present condition of this ,appleweight affair it is likely to involve him and the state in scandal80 ,barbara regarded him steadily for a moment with a negative sort of gaze4 ,she took a step forward before she spoke1 and then she asked quickly and sharply1-- 8,what have you done1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 to avert these calamities1 and what was in your mind when you pried open the drawer and took out those papers80 8,i was going to use the requisition----0 8,how80 8,why1 ,i expected----0 8,mr4 ,bosworth expected to effect a coup for his own glory during the governor's absence10 suggested ,griswold4 8,how80 and ,barbara's voice rang imperiously and her eyes flashed4 8,send this unknown person1 this impostor and meddler away1 and ,i will talk to you as old friends may talk together10 and he glared fiercely at ,griswold1 who stood fanning himself with his hat4 8,i asked you how you intended to serve my father1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 because you sent me this afternoon a letter in which you threatened me--you threatened me with my father's ruin if ,i did not marry you4 ,you would take advantage of my trouble and anxiety to force that question on me when ,i had answered it once and for all long ago4 ,before this stranger ,i want to tell you that you are a despicable coward1 and that if you think you can humiliate me or my father or the state by such practices as you have resorted to you are very greatly mistaken4 ,and further1 ,mr4 ,bosworth1 if ,i find you interfering again in this matter1 ,i shall print that letter you wrote me to-day in every newspaper in the state6 ,now1 that is all ,i have to say to you1 and ,i hope never to see you again40 8,before you go1 ,mr4 ,bosworth10 said ,griswold1 8,i wish to say that ,miss ,osborne has spoken of your conduct with altogether too much restraint4 ,i shall add1 on my own account1 that if ,i find you meddling again in this ,appleweight case1 ,i shall first procure your removal from office1 and after that ,i shall take the greatest pleasure in flogging you within an inch of your life4 ,now go60 ,the two had dismissed him1 and before ,bosworth's step died away in the hall1 ,griswold was running his eye over the papers4 8,that man will do something nasty if he is clever enough to think of anything40 8,he's a disgusting person10 said ,barbara1 touching her forehead with her handkerchief4 8,he's all of that10 remarked ,griswold1 as he retied the red tape round the packet of papers4 8,and now1 before we leave we may as well face a serious proposition4 ,your father's absence and this fiction we are maintaining that he is really here cannot be maintained for ever4 ,i don't want to trouble you1 for you1 of course1 realize all this as keenly as ,i4 ,but what do you suppose actually happened at ,new ,orleans between your father and the governor of ,north ,carolina80 ,she leaned against her father's desk1 her hands lightly resting on its flat surface4 ,she was wholly serene now1 and she smiled and then laughed4 8,it couldn't have been what the governor of ,north ,carolina said to the governor of ,south ,carolina in the old story1 for father is strongly opposed to drink of all kinds4 ,and in the story----0 8,i've forgotten where that story originated40 8,well1 it happened a long time ago1 and nobody really knows the origin4 ,but according to tradition1 at the crisis of a great row between two governors1 the ice was broken by the governor of ,north ,carolina saying to the governor of ,south ,carolina those shocking words about its being a long time between drinks4 ,what makes the ,new ,orleans incident so remarkable is that father and ,governor ,dangerfield have always been friends1 though ,i never cared very much for the ,dangerfields myself4 ,the only tiffs they have had have been purely for effect4 ,when father said that the people of ,north ,carolina would never amount to anything so long as they fry their meat1 it was only his joke with ,governor ,dangerfield--but it did make ,north ,carolina awfully mad4 ,and ,jerry--she's the governor's daughter--refused to visit me last winter just on that account4 ,jerry ,dangerfield's a nice little girl1 but she has no sense of humour40 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,labours ,,of ,,mr4 ,,ardmore4 ,while he waited for ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield to appear ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore read for the first time the constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,he had reached the governor's office early1 and seeking diversion1 he had picked up a small volume that bore some outward resemblance to a novel4 ,this proved1 however1 to be ,johnston's ,american ,politics1 and he was amazed to find that this diminutive work contained the answers to a great many questions which had often perplexed him1 but which he had imagined could not be answered except by statesmen or by men like his friend ,griswold1 who spent their lives in study4 ,he had supposed that the constitution of a great nation like the ,united ,states would fill many volumes1 and be couched in terms bewildering and baffling2 and it was perhaps the proudest moment in ,mr4 ,ardmore's life when1 in the cool and quiet of the ,may morning1 in the historic chambers of the governor of ,north ,carolina1 it dawned upon him that the charter of ,american liberty filled hardly more space than the stipulations for a yacht race1 or a set of football rules2 and that1 moreover1 he understood the greater part of it1 or thought he did4 ,such strange words as 8attainder0 and 8capitation0 he sought out in the dictionary1 and this also gave him a new sensation and thrill of pleasure at finding the machinery of knowledge so simple4 ,he made note of several matters he wished to ask ,griswold about when they met again2 then turned back into the body of the text1 and had read as far as ,burr's conspiracy when ,jerry came breezily in4 ,he experienced for the first time in his life that obsession of guilt which sinks in shame the office-boy who is caught reading a dime novel4 ,jerry seemed to tower above him like an avenging angel1 and though her sword was only a parasol1 her words cut deep enough4 8,well1 you are taking it pretty cool60 8,taking what80 faltered ,ardmore1 standing up1 and seeking to hide the book behind his back4 8,why1 this outrageous article60 and she thrust a newspaper under his eyes4 8,do you mean to say you haven't seen the morning paper80 8,to tell you the truth1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 ,i hardly ever read the papers40 8,what's that you were reading when ,i came in80 she demanded severely1 withholding the paper until she should be answered4 8,it's a book about the government1 and the powers reserved to the states and that sort of thing4 ,i was just reading the constitution2 ,i thought it might help us--,i mean you--in your work40 8,the constitution help me8 ,hasn't it occurred to you before this that what ,i'm doing is all against the constitution and the revised statutes and all those books you see on the shelf there80 8,but the constitution sounds all right4 ,it seems remarkably reasonable4 ,you couldn't ask anything fairer than that60 8,so are the ten commandments fair enough2 but you're on the wrong track1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 if you're trying to support the present administration with stupid things in books4 ,i don't follow precedents1 ,mr4 ,ardmore2 ,i create them40 8,but ,i should think you would have to be awfully careful not to mix up the business of the executive and judicial branches of the government4 ,i think ,i heard ,grissy speak of that once1 though ,i'm not certain4 ,grissy knows more than almost any other living man40 8,i don't doubt that your friend is a well-educated person1 but in times like these you've got to rise above the constitution2 and just now it's more convenient to forget it4 ,there's a constitution of ,north ,carolina1 too1 if you're looking for constitutions1 but in good society such things are not mentioned4 ,papa always refers to the constitution with tears in his eyes when he's making speeches1 but papa's very emotional4 ,if ,i could make a speech ,i should tell the people what ,i think of them--that they're too silly and stupid for words40 8,you are right1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,i have felt exactly that way about the people ever since ,i was defeated for alderman in ,new ,york4 ,but let me have the paper40 ,she turned to the morning mail while he read and opened the envelopes rapidly4 ,such of the letters as she thought interesting or important she put aside1 and when ,ardmore finished reading a double-leaded telegram from ,columbia1 in which the governor of ,south ,carolina was quoted as declaring his intention of taking immediate steps for the apprehension of ,appleweight1 she was still reading and sorting letters1 tapping her cheek lightly meanwhile with the official paper-knife4 8,here1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 she said1 drawing a paper from her pocket1 8is the answer to that telegram we sent yesterday evening4 ,suppose you read that next1 and we can then decide what to do40 ,she was making the letters into little piles1 humming softly meanwhile2 but he felt that there was a storm brewing4 ,he read the message from ,columbia a number of times1 and if the acting governor had not been so ominously quiet he would have laughed at the terse sentences4 8,there must be a mistake about this4 ,he wouldn't have used #8diverting' that way2 that's insulting60 8,so you appreciate its significance1 do you1 ,mr4 ,ardmore8 ,the iron enters your soul1 does it8 ,you realize that ,i have been insulted1 do you80 8,i shouldn't put it that way1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,governor ,osborne would never have sent a message like that to you--he thought he was sending it to your father40 8,he's insulted me and every other citizen in the ,old ,north ,state2 that's who he's insulted1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,let me read it again20 and she repeated the telegram aloud3 8#8,your extremely diverting telegram in ,appleweight case received and filed4' ,i think it's the extremely that's so perfectly mean4 ,the diverting by itself would not hurt my feelings half so much4 ,he's a good deal smarter man than ,i thought he was to think up a telegram like that4 ,but what do you think of that piece in the newspaper80 8,he says he's going to catch ,appleweight dead or alive4 ,that sounds pretty serious40 8,i think it's a bluff myself4 ,that telegram we sent him yesterday must have scared him to death4 ,he was driven into a corner and had to do something to avoid being disgraced1 and it's easy enough to talk big in the newspapers when you haven't the slightest intention of doing anything at all4 ,i've noticed that father talks the longest and loudest about things he doesn't believe at all40 8,is it possible80 whispered ,ardmore incredulously4 8,of course it's possible6 ,father would never have been elected if he'd expressed his real sentiments2 neither would anybody else ever be elected if he said beforehand what he really believed40 8,that must have been the reason ,i got defeated for alderman on the reform ticket4 ,i told 'em ,i was for turning the rascals out40 8,that was very stupid of you4 ,you've got to get the rascals to elect you first2 then if you're tired of office and don't need them any more you bounce them4 ,but that's political practice2 it's a theory we've got to work out now4 ,governor ,osborne's telegram is much more important than his interview in the newspapers1 which is just for effect and of no importance at all4 ,he doesn't say the same things in the telegram to father that he said to the reporter4 ,a governor who really meant to do anything wouldn't be so ready to insult another governor4 ,the newspapers are a lot of bother4 ,i spent all yesterday evening talking to reporters4 ,they came to the house to ask where papa was and when he would be home60 8,what did you tell them80 8,i didn't tell them anything4 ,i sent out for two other girls1 and we all just talked to them and kept talking1 and gave them lemon sherbet and ginger cookies2 and ,eva ,hungerford played the banjo--you don't know ,eva8 ,of course you don't know anybody1 and ,i don't want you to1 for it would spoil you for private secretary4 ,but ,eva is simply killing when she gets to cutting up1 and we made those reporters sing to us1 and all they say in the papers1 even the opposition papers1 this morning is that ,governor ,dangerfield is in ,savannah visiting an old friend4 ,they all tell the same story1 so they must have fixed it up after they left the house4 ,but what were you doing1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that you didn't come around to help8 ,it seems to me you don't appreciate the responsibilities of being secretary to a governor40 8,i was afraid you might scold me if ,i did4 ,and besides ,i was glued to the long distance telephone all evening1 talking to my manager at ,ardsley4 ,he read me my letters and a lot of telegrams that annoyed me very much4 ,i wish you wouldn't be so hard on me1 for ,i have trifling troubles of my own40 8,i didn't suppose you ever had troubles2 you certainly don't act as though you ever had40 8,no one who has never been brother-in-law to a duke has the slightest idea of what trouble is40 8,i've seen the ,duke of ,ballywinkle's picture in the papers1 and he looks very attractive40 8,well1 if you'd ever seen him eat celery you'd change your mind4 ,he's going down to ,ardsley to visit me2 for sheer nerve ,i must say my relations beat the world4 ,i got my place over here in ,north ,carolina just to get away from them1 and now my sister--not the duchess1 but ,mrs4 ,atchison--is coming down there with a lot of girls1 and ,ballywinkle has attached himself to the party4 ,they'll pass through here to-day1 and they'll expect to find me at ,ardsley40 8,if the duke's really coming to our state ,i suppose we ought to recognize him officially10 and ,jerry's eyes were large with reverie as she pondered her possible duty4 8,do something for him60 blazed ,ardmore4 8,i hope you don't labour under the delusion that a duke's any better than anybody else8 ,if you'd suffered what ,i have from being related to a duke you'd be sorry to hear he was even passing through your state1 much less stopping off for a couple of weeks40 8,because you don't like him is no reason why every one else should feel the same way1 is it8 ,i've read about the ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 and he belongs to one of the oldest families in ,england1 and ,i've seen pictures of ,ballywinkle ,castle----0 8,worse than that10 grinned ,ardmore1 with rising humour1 8,i had to chip in to pay for it6 ,and the plumbing isn't yet what it ought to be4 ,the last time ,i was over there ,i caught cold and nearly died of pneumonia4 ,i make it a rule now never to visit dukes4 ,you never know what you'll strike when you stay in those ancestral castles1 even when they've been restored with some silly ,american girl's grandfather's money4 ,those places are all full of draughts and malaria and ghosts1 and they make you drink tea in the afternoon1 which is worse than being haunted40 8,i suppose we might invite his ,grace to inspect our militia10 persisted ,jerry4 8,it would sound well in the papers to have a real duke inspect the ,north ,carolina troops40 8,it would sound better than he would look doing it1 ,i can tell you that4 ,old ,wellington may have been all right1 but these new dukes were never made for horseback40 8,he might appear in a carriage1 wearing his orders and ride the lines that way1 with all the troops presenting arms40 8,or you might pin his debts on him and mount him on a goat on the rifle-range and let the sharpshooters pepper away at him6 ,please let us not talk about ,ballywinkle any more2 the thought of him gives me that sinking feeling40 ,he had opened an atlas and was poring over it with a magnifying glass4 8,it's positively funny10 he murmured1 laughing a little to himself1 8but ,i know something about this country over here4 ,here's ,ardsley1 in the far corner of ,dilwell ,county1 and here's ,kildare40 8,yes2 ,i understand maps4 ,dilwell is green1 and there's the state line1 and that ugly watery sort of yellow is ,mingo ,county1 ,south ,carolina1 and ,turner ,court ,house is the county seat of it4 ,those little black marks are hills on the border1 and it's right there that these ,appleweight people live1 and dance on the state line as though it were a skipping-rope40 8,that's exactly it4 ,now what we want to do is to arrest ,appleweight and put him in jail in ,south ,carolina1 which relieves the governor of ,north ,carolina1 your honoured father1 of all embarrassment40 ,she snatched the paper-cutter and took possession of the map for a moment1 then pointed1 with a happy little laugh4 8,why1 that will be only too easy4 ,you see there's ,azbell ,county1 where the militia is encamped1 just three counties away from ,dilwell1 and if we needed the soldiers it wouldn't hurt the troops to march that far1 would it80 8,hurt them1 nothing60 exclaimed ,ardmore4 8,it will be good for them4 ,you have to give orders to the adjutant-general1 and1 being engaged to him1 he would be afraid not to obey your orders1 even if you told him to go in balloons40 8,well1 of course1 ,i'd send him an official order2 and if he was disobedient ,i could break our engagement4 ,when ,i broke my engagement with ,arthur ,treadmeasure1 it was only because he was five minutes late coming to take me to a dance40 8,you were perfectly right1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,no gentleman would keep you waiting40 8,but he didn't keep me waiting6 ,i was sick in bed with a sore throat1 and mamma wouldn't let me go2 but ,i thought it was very careless and taking too much for granted for him to think he could come poking along any time he pleased1 so ,i ended everything40 ,it would have interested ,ardmore to know the total of ,miss ,dangerfield's engagements1 but the time did not seem propitious for such inquiries2 and1 moreover1 his awe of her as a young person of great determination and force of character increased4 ,she spoke of employing the armed forces of the state as though playing with the militia were a cheerful pastime1 like horseback riding or tennis4 ,his heart sank as he foresaw the possibility of the gallant ,gillingwater coming out of the ,appleweight affair with flying colours1 a hero knighted on the field for valour4 ,the remembrance of ,gillingwater receiving the salutes of the militia and riding off to the wars to the beat of drums had deprived ,ardmore of sleep all night4 8,well1 there's the map1 and there's that insulting telegram2 what are you going to do about it80 asked ,jerry4 ,she seemed to be honestly inviting suggestions1 and the very thought of this affected him like wine4 ,he deliberated for several minutes1 while she watched him4 ,a delicious country quiet lay upon the old state house2 in the tranquil park outside the birds whistled their high disdain of law and precedent4 ,it was no small thing to be identified with a great undertaking like this1 with the finest girl in the world2 and he could not help thinking of the joy of telling ,griswold1 the sober professor and sedate lawyer1 of this adventure when it should be happily concluded4 ,never again should ,grissy taunt him with his supineness before the open door of opportunity6 8,a governor10 he began1 8is always a dignified person who doesn't bother his head about little things like this unless everybody else has gone to sleep4 ,now1 who's the chief of police in a county like ,dilwell--what do you call him80 8,do you mean the sheriff1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 8,certainly4 ,now1 give me those telegraph blanks1 and ,i'll drop him a few lines to let him know that the government at ,raleigh still lives40 ,it is in the telegram alone that we ,americans approach style4 ,our great commanders did much to form it2 our business strategists took the key from them4 8,i propose to fight it out on this line1 if it takes all summer0 is not more admirable than 8,cancel order our number six hundred and eighteen10 or 8,have drawn at sight40 ,through the most familiar and commonplace apparatus clicks and ticks the great ,american epic in phrases concise1 unequivocal1 and apt4 ,von ,moltke1 roused at night with news of war1 merely waved his hand to the long-prepared orders in his chiffonier and went to sleep again2 but the great ,prussian has his counterpart in the ,american magnate who ties up a railroad by telegraph over his after-dinner coffee4 ,telegrams were1 however1 with ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 something more than a form of communication or a mere literary exercise4 ,letter-writing seemed to him the most formidable of human undertakings1 but with a pad of telegraph blanks under his hand his spirit soared free4 ,all untrammelled by the horror of the day tariff1 whose steep slopes have wrought so much confusion and error among the economical1 he gave to the wires and the wireless what he never would have confided to a stamp4 ,he wrote and submitted to ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield the following3 ,to the ,sheriff of ,dilwell ,county1 ,kildare1 ,n4 ,c43 ,what is this ,i hear about your inability to catch ,appleweight and the rest of his bunch8 ,your inattention to your duties is a matter of common scandal1 and if you don't get anxious pretty soon ,i shall remove you from your job and then come4 ,i shall be down soon to see whether you are pitching quoits at the blacksmith shop or fishing for lobsters in ,raccoon ,creek1 instead of attending to your knitting4 ,your conduct has annoyed me until ,i am something more than vexed by your behaviour4 ,the eyes of the great ,north ,state are upon you4 ,wire me at length just what you propose doing or not doing in this matter4 ,,william ,,dangerfield1 ,governor of ,north ,carolina4 8,what do you think of that80 he asked1 his pride falling as she scanned the paper carefully4 8,isn't it pretty expensive80 ,jerry inquired1 counting the words to ten and then roughly computing the rest4 8,i'll take care of that1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,what ,i want to know is whether you think that will make the sheriff sit up40 8,well1 here's what father sent him only about a week ago4 ,i found it in his private letter book1 and it's marked confidential in red ink40 ,she read3 8#8,act cautiously in ,appleweight case4 ,indictment by grand ,jury is undoubtedly faulty1 and ,foster threatens trouble in case parties are arrested4' 8,and there's more like that6 ,papa never intended to do anything1 that's as plain as daylight4 ,mr4 ,foster1 the treasurer1 comes from that county4 ,he thought papa was going to have to do something1 so he's holding back the payment of the state bonds just to frighten papa4 ,you see1 the state owes the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars1 and if it isn't paid ,june first the state will be everlastingly disgraced40 8,oh yes2 ,i'd forgotten about that40 8,i don't see how you could forget about it4 ,that must be almost as much money as there is in the world1 ,mr4 ,ardmore40 8,we've got to raise it1 anyhow1 even if we go to the pawn-shop4 ,i pawned my watch once when ,i was in college and ,billings--he was my guardian--had shut me off4 ,grissy--he's my friend--,grissy says pawn-broking is only a more vulgar form of banking4 ,there was a fellow in my class at college who pawned his pawn-ticket to get money to pay his laundress1 and then gave the new ticket to a poor blind man4 ,he's a big man in ,wall ,street--has a real genius for finance1 they say4 ,but please don't worry about this rascal ,foster4 ,we'll put some digitalis into the state's credit when the time comes40 8,i think your telegram to the sheriff is all right10 said ,jerry1 reading it again4 8,if you'll go to the door and whistle for the messenger we'll get it off4 ,i'll sign it with the rubber stamp4 ,papa hardly ever signs anything himself2 he says if you don't sign documents yourself you can always repudiate them afterward1 and papa's given prayerful thought to all such things40 ,ardmore addressed himself once more to the map4 ,it was clear that the ,appleweight gang was powerful enough to topple great states upon their foundations4 ,it had1 to ,ardmore's own knowledge1 driven a governor into exile1 and through the wretched ,foster1 who was their friend1 the credit of the state was gravely menaced4 ,the possibilities of the game fascinated ,ardmore4 ,he was eager for action on the scene of this usurpation and defiance4 ,responsibility1 for the first time1 had placed a warrant of trust in his hands1 and1 thus commissioned1 the spurs of duty pricked his sides4 8,i'll wait for the sheriff's answer1 and if he shows no signs of life ,i'll go down there this afternoon40 8,then you will undoubtedly be shot60 ,jerry declared1 as though announcing a prospect not wholly deplorable4 8,that has its disagreeable side1 but a great many people have to be shot every year to keep up the average1 and if the statistics need me ,i won't duck4 ,i'll call up my man on the telephone this forenoon and tell him to put my forester at ,ardsley to work4 ,he's a big fellow who served in the ,german army1 and if he's afraid of anything ,i haven't heard of it4 ,if we can drive the gang into ,south ,carolina1 right along here1 you see0--and ,miss ,dangerfield bent her pretty head over the map and saw--8if we can pass the chief outlaw on to ,governor ,osborne1 then so much the better1 and that's what we will try to do40 8,but you're only the private secretary1 and you can't assume too much authority4 ,i shall have to go to ,kildare to visit my aunt1 who is a nice old lady that lives there4 ,the fried corn mush and syrup at her house is the best ,i ever tasted1 and if papa should come when he sees that something is being done quite different from what he intended1 then ,i should be there to explain4 ,if you should be killed1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 no one would be there to identify you1 and ,i have always thought it the saddest thing in the world for any one to die away from home----0 8,it would be sad2 but ,i hope you would be sorry40 8,i should regret your death1 and ,i'd make them give you a perfectly beautiful military funeral1 with ,chopin's funeral march1 and your boots tied to the saddle of your horse40 8,but don't let them fuss about pulling off the boots1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 if ,i die with them on4 ,it would be all right for you to visit your aunt1 but ,i shouldn't do it if ,i were you4 ,i once visited my aunt1 ,mrs4 ,covington-,burns1 at ,newport for a week4 ,it was a deep game to get me to marry my aunt's husband's niece1 whose father had lost his money1 and the girl was beginning to bore my aunt40 8,was she a pretty girl80 asked ,jerry4 8,she was a whole basket of peaches1 and ,i might have married her to get away from my aunt if it were not that ,i have made it a life-long rule never to marry the orphaned nieces of the husbands of my aunts4 ,it's been a good rule to me1 and has saved me no end of trouble4 ,but if my sister doesn't change her mind1 and if she really comes through ,raleigh to-day in her car with those friends of hers1 she will be delighted to have you join her for a visit at ,ardsley4 ,and then you would be near at hand in case some special edict from the governor seemed necessary40 8,but wouldn't your sister think it strange----0 8,not in the least1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,nothing is strange to my sister4 ,nobody ever sprang a surprise on ,nellie yet4 ,and besides1 you are the daughter of the governor of a great state4 ,she refuses to meet senators1 because you can never be sure they are respectable1 but she rather prides herself on knowing governors4 ,governors are very different4 ,since ,i read the constitution ,i can see very plainly that governors are much nearer the people1 but ,i guess the senators are nearer the banks40 8,well1 ,i have some shopping to do1 and it's ten o'clock4 ,it would be hospitable to ask you to luncheon1 but mamma cries so much because she doesn't know where papa is that our meals at the executive mansion are not exactly cheerful functions4 ,and besides0--and she eyed ,ardmore severely as she rose and accepted her parasol from him--8and besides1 you know our relations are purely official4 ,you have never been introduced to me1 and socially you are not known to us40 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,the ,,little ,,brown ,,jug4 ,caboose #jahf1 with three box-cars and a locomotive attached1 lay in the south-eastern yards at ,raleigh late in the evening of the same day4 ,in the observatory sat ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 chatting with the conductor1 while they waited for the right of way4 ,mr4 ,ardmore's pockets were filled with papers1 and he held half a dozen telegrams in his hand4 ,the freight cars behind him were locked and sealed1 and a number of men lounging near appeared to be watching them4 ,the reply of the sheriff of ,dilwell ,county had precipitated the crisis4 ,that official succinctly replied to ,ardmore's message3 ,be good and acquire grace4 ,while this dictum had aroused ,miss ,dangerfield's wrath and indignation1 it calmed her fellow-conspirator1 and for hours ,ardmore had poured forth orders by telegraph and telephone4 ,no such messages as his had ever before radiated from ,raleigh4 ,the tolls would have bankrupted the commonwealth if ,ardmore had not cared for them out of his private purse4 ,his forester1 with an armed posse from ,ardsley1 was already following the streams and beating the brush in search of ,appleweight4 ,one car of ,ardmore's special train contained a machine gun and a supply of rifles2 another abundant ammunition and commissary supplies1 and the third cots and bags4 ,the men who loafed about the train were a detail of strike-breakers from a detective agency1 borrowed for the occasion4 ,cooke1 the conductor of the train1 had formerly been in the government secret service1 and knew the ,carolina hill country as he knew the palm of his hand4 ,ardmore had warned his manager and the housekeeper on his estate to prepare for the arrival of ,mrs4 ,atchison1 whose private car had come and gone1 carrying ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield on to ,ardsley4 ,ardmore had just received a message from his sister at some way station1 reporting all well and containing these sentences3 8,she is rather different1 and ,i do not quite make her out4 ,she has our noble brother-in-law a good deal bewildered40 ,cooke ran forward for a colloquy with the engineer over their orders2 the guards climbed into one of the box-cars1 and the train moved slowly out of the ,raleigh yards to the main line and rattled away toward ,kildare1 with ,mr4 ,ardmore1 pipe in mouth1 perched in the caboose cupola4 ,a caboose1 you may not know1 is the pleasantest place in the world to ride4 ,essentially a thing of utility1 it is not less the vehicle of joy4 ,neither the captain of a trading schooner nor the admiral of a canal fleet is more sublimely autocratic than the freight conductor in his watch-tower4 ,the landscape is disclosed to him in leisurely panoramas2 the springs beneath are not so lulling as to dull his senses4 ,if he isn't whipped into the ditch by the humour of the engineer1 or run down and telescoped by an enemy from behind1 he may ultimately deliver his sombre fleet to its several destinations2 but he is the slave of no inexorable time-table1 and his excuses are as various as his cargoes4 ,not ,captain ,kidd nor another of the dark brotherhood sailed forth with keener zest for battle than ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,indeed1 the trailing smoke of the locomotive suggested a black flag1 and the thought of it tickled his fancy4 ,above bent the bluest sky in the world2 fields of corn and cotton1 the brilliant crimson of ,german clover1 and long stretches of mixed forest held him with enchantment4 ,in a cornfield a girl ploughing with a single steer--a little girl in a sunbonnet1 who reached wearily up to the plough handles--paused and waved to him1 and he knew the delight of the lonely mariner when a passing ship speaks to him with flags4 ,and when night came1 after the long mystical twilight1 the train passed now and then great cotton factories that blazed out from their thousand windows like huge steamships4 ,when they sought a lonely siding to allow a belated passenger train to pass1 the conductor brewed coffee and cooked supper1 and ,ardmore called in the detectives and trainmen4 ,the sense of knowing real people1 whose daily occupations were so novel and interesting1 touched him afresh with delight4 ,these men said much in few words4 ,the taciturnity of ,cooke1 the conductor1 in particular1 struck ,ardmore as very fine1 and it occurred to him that very likely men who have had the fun of doing things never talk of their performances afterward4 ,one of the detectives chaffed ,cooke covertly about some adventure in which they had been jointly associated4 8,i never thought they'd get the lead out of you after that business in ,missouri4 ,you were a regular mine10 said the detective to ,cooke1 and ,cooke glanced deprecatingly at ,ardmore4 8,he's the little joker1 all right40 8,you can't kill him10 remarked the detective4 8,i've seen it tried40 ,before the train started the detectives crawled back into their car1 and ,cooke drew out some blankets1 tossed them on a bench for ,ardmore1 and threw himself down without ado4 ,ardmore held to his post in the tower1 as lone as the lookout in a crow's-nest4 ,the night air swept more coolly in as they neared the hills1 and the train's single brakeman came down as though descending from the sky1 rubbed the cinders from his eyes1 and returned to his vigil armed with a handful of ,ardmore's cigars4 ,for the greater part of the night they enjoyed a free track1 and thumped the rails at a lively clip4 ,shortly after midnight ,ardmore crawled below and went to sleep4 ,at five o'clock ,cooke called him4 8,we're on the switch at ,kildare4 ,one of your men is here waiting for you40 ,big ,paul1 the ,german forester1 was called in1 and ,ardmore made his toilet in a pail of water while listening to the big fellow's report4 ,cooke joined in the conversation1 and ,ardmore was gratified to see that the two men met on common ground in discussing the local geography4 ,the forester described in clear1 straightforward ,english just what he had done4 ,he had distributed his men well through the hills1 and they were now posted as pickets on points favourable for observation4 ,they had found along the streams four widely scattered stills1 and these were being watched4 ,paul drew a small map1 showing the homes of the most active members of the ,appleweight gang1 and ,ardmore indicated all these points as nearly as possible on the county map he had brought with him4 8,here's ,raccoon ,creek1 and my own land runs right through there--just about here1 isn't it1 ,paul8 ,i always remember the creek1 because ,i like the name so much40 8,you are right1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,the best timber you have lies along there1 and your land crosses the ,north ,carolina boundary into ,south ,carolina about here4 ,there's ,mingo ,county1 ,south ,carolina1 you see40 8,well1 that dashes me60 exclaimed ,ardmore1 striking the table with his fist4 8,i never knew one state from another1 but you must be right40 8,i'm positive of it1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,one of my men has been living there on the creek to protect your timber4 ,some of these outlaws have been cutting off our wood40 8,it seems to me ,i remember the place4 ,there's a log house hanging on the creek4 ,you took me by it once1 but it never entered my head that the state line was so close40 8,it runs right through the house6 ,and some one1 years ago1 blazed the trees along there1 so it is very easy to tell when you step from one state to another4 ,my man left there recently1 refusing to stay any longer4 ,these ,appleweight people thought he was a spy1 and posted a notice on his door warning him to leave1 so ,i shifted him to the other end of the estate40 8,did you see the sheriff at ,kildare80 8,i haven't seen him4 ,when ,i asked for him yesterday ,i found he had left town and gone to ,greensboro to see his sick uncle40 ,ardmore laughed and slapped his knee4 8,who takes care of the dungeon while he's away80 8,there are no prisoners in the ,kildare jail4 ,the sheriff's afraid to keep any2 and he's like the rest of the people around here4 ,they all live in terror of ,appleweight40 8,appleweight is a powerful character in these parts10 said ,cooke1 pouring the coffee he had been making1 and handing a tin cupful to ,ardmore4 8,he's tolerable well off1 and could make money honestly if he didn't operate stills1 rob country stores1 mix up in politics1 and steal horses when he and his friends need them40 8,i guess he has never molested us any1 has he1 ,paul80 asked ,ardmore1 not a little ashamed of his ignorance of his own business4 8,a few of our cows stray away sometimes and never come back4 ,and for two years we have lost the corn out of the crib away over here near the deer park40 8,they've got the juice out of it before this10 remarked ,cooke4 8,that would be nice for me1 wouldn't it80 said ,ardmore1 grinning--8to be arrested for running a still on my place40 8,we don't want to lose our right to the track1 and we must get out of this before the whole community comes to take a look at us10 said ,cooke1 swinging out of the caboose4 ,ardmore talked frankly to the forester1 having constant recourse to the map2 and ,paul sketched roughly a new chart1 marking roads and paths so far as he knew them1 and indicating clearly where the ,ardsley boundaries extended4 ,then ,ardmore took a blue pencil and drew a straight line4 8,when we get ,appleweight1 we want to hurry him from ,dilwell ,county1 ,north ,carolina1 into ,mingo ,county1 ,south ,carolina4 ,we will go to the county town there1 and put him in jail4 ,if the sheriff of ,mingo is weak-kneed1 we will lock ,appleweight up anyhow1 and telegraph the governor of ,south ,carolina that the joke is on him40 8,we will catch the man10 said ,paul gravely1 8but we may have to kill him40 8,dead or alive1 he's got to be caught10 said ,ardmore1 and the big forester stared at his employer a little oddly2 for this lord proprietor had not been known to his employees and tenants as a serious character1 but rather as an indolent person who1 when he visited his estate in the hills1 locked himself up unaccountably in his library1 and rarely had the energy to stir up the game in his broad preserves4 8,certainly1 sir2 dead or alive10 ,paul repeated4 ,cooke came out of the station and signalled the engineer to go ahead4 8,we'll pull down here about five miles to an old spur where the company used to load wood4 ,there's a little valley there where we can be hidden all we please1 so far as the main line is concerned1 and it might not be a bad idea to establish headquarters there4 ,we have the tools for cutting in on the telegraph1 and we can be as independent as we please4 ,i told the agent we were carrying company powder for a blasting job down the line1 and he suspects nothing40 ,paul left the caboose as the train started1 and rode away on horseback to visit his pickets4 ,the train crept warily over the spur into the old woodcutters' camp1 where1 as ,cooke had forecast1 they were quite shut in from the main line by hills and woodland4 8,and now1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 if you would like to see fire-water spring out of the earth as freely as spring water1 come with me for a little stroll4 ,the thirsty of ,dilwell ,county know the way to these places as city topers know the way to a bar4 ,we are now in the land of the little brown jug1 and while these boys get breakfast ,i'll see if the people in this region have changed their habits40 ,it was not yet seven as they struck off into the forest beside the cheerful little brook that came down singing from the hills4 ,ardmore had rarely before in his life been abroad so early1 and he kicked the dew from the grass in the cheerfullest spirit imaginable4 ,within a few days he had reared a pyramid of noble resolutions4 ,life at last entertained him4 ,the way of men of action had been as fabulous to him as the dew that now twinkled before him4 ,griswold knew books1 but here at his side strode a man who knew far more amazing things than were written in any book4 ,cooke had not been in this region for seven years1 and yet he never hesitated1 but walked steadily on1 following the little brook4 ,presently he bent over the bank and gathered up a brownish substance that floated on the water1 lifted a little of it in his palm1 and sniffed it4 8,that10 said ,cooke1 holding it to ,ardmore's nose1 8is corn mash4 ,that's what they make their liquor out of4 ,the still is probably away up yonder on that hillside4 ,it seems to me that we smashed one there once when ,i was in the service2 and over there1 about a mile beyond that pine tree1 where you see the hawk circling1 three of us got into a mix-up1 and one of our boys was killed40 ,he crossed the stream on a log1 climbed the bank on the opposite shore1 and scanned the near landscape for a few minutes4 ,then he pointed to an old stump over which vines had grown in wild profusion4 8,if you will1 walk to that stump1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 and feel under the vines on the right-hand side1 your fingers will very likely touch something smooth and cool40 ,ardmore obeyed instructions4 ,he thrust his hand into the stump as ,cooke directed1 thrust again a little deeper1 and laughed aloud as he drew out a little brown jug4 ,cooke nodded approvingly4 8,we're all right4 ,the revenue men come in here occasionally and smash the stills and arrest a few men1 but the little brown jug continues to do business at the same old stand4 ,they don't even change the hiding-places4 ,and while we stand here1 you may be pretty sure that a freckled-faced1 tow-headed boy or girl is watching us off yonder1 and that the word will pass all through the hills before noon that there are strangers abroad in old ,dilwell4 ,if you have a dollar handy1 slip it under the stump1 so they'll know we're not stingy40 ,ardmore was scrutinizing the jug critically4 8,they're all alike10 said ,cooke1 8but that piece of calico is a new one--just a fancy touch for an extra fine article of liquor40 8,i'll be shot if ,i haven't seen that calico before10 said ,ardmore2 and he sat down on a boulder and drew out the stopper1 while ,cooke watched him with interest4 ,the bit of twine was indubitably the same that he had unwound before in his room at the ,guilford ,house1 and the cob parted in his fingers exactly as before4 ,on a piece of brown paper that had been part of a tobacco wrapper was scrawled3 ,this ain't yore fight1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,wher's the guvner of ,north ,carolina8 8,that's a new one on me10 laughed ,cooke4 8,you see1 they know everything4 ,mind-reading isn't in it with them4 ,they know who we are and what we have come for4 ,what's the point about the governor80 8,oh1 the governor's all right10 replied ,ardmore carelessly4 8,he wouldn't bother his head about a little matter like this4 ,the powers reserved to the states by the constitution give a governor plenty of work without acting as policeman of the jungle4 ,that's the reason ,i said to ,governor ,dangerfield1 #8,governor1' ,i said1 #8don't worry about this ,appleweight business4 ,time is heavy on my hands1' ,i said4 #8,you stay in ,raleigh and uphold the dignity of your office1 and ,i will take care of the trouble in ,dilwell4' ,and you can't understand1 ,cooke1 how his face brightened at my words4 ,being the brave man he is1 you would naturally expect him to come down here in person and seize these scoundrels with his own hands4 ,i had the hardest time of my life to get him to stay at home4 ,it almost broke his heart not to come40 ,and as they retraced their steps to the caboose1 it was ,ardmore who led1 stepping briskly along1 and blithely swinging the jug4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,professor ,,griswold ,,takes ,,the ,,field4 ,barbara and ,griswold stopped at the telegraph office on their way back to the executive mansion1 and were met with news that the sheriff of ,mingo had refused to receive ,griswold's message4 8,his private lines of communication with the capital are doubtless well established10 said ,griswold1 8and ,bosworth probably warned him1 but it isn't of great importance4 ,it's just as well for ,appleweight and his friends1 high and low1 to show their hands40 ,when they were again on the veranda1 ,griswold lingered for a moment with no valid excuse for delay beyond the loveliness of the night and his keen delight in ,barbara's voice and her occasional low laughter1 which was so pleasant to hear that he held their talk to a light key1 that he might evoke it the more4 ,professor ,griswold's last flirtation was now so remote that he would have been hard put to say whether the long-departed goddess's name had been ,evelyn or ,laura4 ,he had so thoroughly surrendered himself to the exactions of the law that love and marriage held small place in his speculations of the future4 ,he had heard himself called a bachelor professor with the humorous tolerance of one who is pretty sure of himself1 and who is not yet reduced to the cynical experiment of peering beneath the top layer of his box of strawberries to find the false bottom4 ,he recalled the slender manuscript volume of verses in his desk at home1 and he felt that it would be the easiest thing in the world to write a thousand songs to-night1 beside which the soundest brief ever filed in any court would be the silliest of literary twaddle4 8,you have done all that could be asked of you1 ,mr4 ,griswold1 and ,i cannot permit you to remain longer4 ,father will certainly be here to-morrow4 ,i assure you that it is not like him to avoid his public obligations4 ,his absence is the most unaccountable thing that ever happened4 ,i have my difficulties here at home1 for since my mother's death ,i have had the care of my young sisters1 and it is not pleasant to have to deceive them40 8,oh1 but your father isn't absent6 ,he is officially present and in the saddle10 laughed ,griswold4 8,you must not admit1 even to me1 that he is not here in full charge of his office4 ,and as for my leaving the field1 ,i have not the slightest intention of going back to ,virginia until the ,appleweight ghost is laid1 the governor of ,north ,carolina brought to confusion1 and the governor of ,south ,carolina visibly present and thundering his edicts again1 so to speak1 ex cathedra4 ,my own affairs can wait1 ,miss ,osborne4 ,my university may go hang1 my clients may be mulcted in direst damages1 but just now ,i am your humble servant1 and ,i shall not leave your service until my tasks are finished4 ,i am consulting not my duty1 but my pleasure4 ,the joy of having a hand in a little affair like this1 and of being able to tell my friend ,tommy ,ardmore about it afterward1 would be sufficient4 ,ardmore will never speak to me again for not inviting him to a share in the game40 ,he was more buoyant than she had seen him1 and she liked the note of affection that crept into his tone as he spoke of his friend4 8,ardmore is the most remarkable person alive10 ,griswold continued4 8,you remember--,i spoke of him this morning4 ,he likes to play the inscrutable idiot1 and he carries it off pretty well2 but underneath he's really clever4 ,the most amazing ideas take hold of him4 ,you never could imagine what he's doing now6 ,i met him accidentally in ,atlanta the other day1 and he was in pursuit of a face--a girl's face that he had seen from a car window for only an instant on a siding somewhere40 8,he must have a romantic temperament10 suggested ,barbara4 8,quite that4 ,his family have been trying to marry him off to some one in their own set ever since ,i have known him1 but he's extremely difficult4 ,one of the most remarkable things about him is his amazing democracy4 ,he owns a palace on ,fifth ,avenue1 but rarely occupies it1 for he says it bores him4 ,he has a camp in the ,adirondacks1 but ,i have never known him to visit it4 ,his place in ,north ,carolina pleases him because there he commands space1 and no one can crowd him or introduce him to people he doesn't want to meet4 ,he declares that the most interesting people don't have more than a dollar a day to spend2 that the most intelligent and the best-looking girls in ,america clerk in shops and work in factories4 ,a philanthropic lady in ,new ,york supplies him every ,christmas with a list of names of laundry girls1 who seem to appeal particularly to ,ardy's compassion1 though he never knew one in his life1 but he admires them for the zeal with which they destroy buttonholes and develop the deckle-edge cuff2 and he has twenty-dollar bills mailed to them quite mysteriously1 and without any hint of who ,santa ,claus really is40 8,but the girl he saw from the car window--did she also appeal to him altruistically80 8,no2 it was with her eye4 ,he declared to me most solemnly that the girl winked at him60 ,griswold was aware that ,miss ,osborne's interest in ,ardmore cooled perceptibly4 8,oh60 she said1 with that delightful intonation with which a woman utterly extinguishes a sister4 8,i shouldn't have told you that10 said ,griswold1 guiltily aware of falling temperature4 8,he is capable of following a winking eye at a perfectly respectful distance for a hundred years1 and of being entertained all the time by the joy of pursuit40 8,it seems very unusual10 said ,barbara1 with cold finality4 ,griswold remembered this talk as1 the next day aboard the train bound for ,turner ,court ,house1 the seat of ,mingo ,county1 ,south ,carolina1 he pondered a telegram he had received from ,ardmore4 ,he read and re-read this message1 chewing cigars and scowling at the landscape1 and the cause of his perturbation of spirit may be roughly summarized in these words3 ,on leaving the executive mansion the night before1 he had studied maps in his room at the ,saluda ,house1 and carefully planned his campaign4 ,he had talked by telephone with the prosecuting attorney of ,mingo ,county1 and found that official politely responsive4 ,so much had gone well4 ,then the juxtaposition of ,ardmore's estate to the border1 and the possible use of the house as headquarters1 struck in upon him4 ,he would1 after all1 generously take ,ardmore into the game1 and they would uphold the honour and dignity of the great commonwealth of ,south ,carolina together4 ,the keys of all ,ardmore's houses were1 so to speak1 in ,griswold's pocket1 and invitations were unnecessary between them2 yet at ,atlanta ,ardmore had made a point of asking ,griswold down to help while away the tedium of ,mrs4 ,atchison's house party1 and as a matter of form ,griswold had wired from ,columbia1 advising ,ardmore of his unexpected descent4 ,even in case ,ardmore should still be abroad in pursuit of the winking eye1 the doors of the huge house would be open to ,griswold1 who had entered there so often as the owner's familiar friend4 ,these things he pondered deeply as he read and re-read ,ardmore's reply to his message1 a reply which was plainly enough dated at ,ardsley1 but which1 he could not know1 had really been written in caboose #jahf as it lay on a siding in the south-eastern yards at ,raleigh1 and thence despatched to the manager at ,ardsley1 with instructions to forward it as a new message to ,griswold at ,columbia4 ,the chilling words thus flung at him were3 ,professor ,henry ,maine ,griswold1 ,saluda ,house1 ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c43 ,i am very sorry1 old man1 but ,i cannot take you in just now4 ,scarlet fever is epidemic among my tenants1 and ,i could not think of exposing you to danger4 ,as soon as the accursed plague passes ,i want to have you down4 ,,ardmore4 ,an epidemic that closed the gates of ,ardsley would assume the proportions of a national disaster2 for even if the great house itself were quarantined1 there were lodges and bungalows scattered over the domain1 where a host of guests could be entertained in comfort4 ,griswold reflected that the very fact that he had wired from ,columbia must have intimated to ,ardmore that his friend was flying toward him1 pursuant to the ,atlanta invitation4 ,griswold dismissed a thousand speculations as unworthy4 ,ardmore had never shown the remotest trace of snobbishness1 and as far as the threatened house party was concerned1 ,griswold knew ,mrs4 ,atchison very well1 and had been entertained at her ,new ,york house4 ,the patronizing tone of the thing caused ,griswold to flush at every reading4 ,if the ,ardsley date-line had not been so plainly written1 if the phraseology were not so characteristic1 there might be room for doubt2 but ,ardmore--,ardmore of all men--had slapped him in the face6 ,but scarlet fever or no scarlet fever1 the pursuit of ,appleweight had precedence of private grievances4 ,by the time he reached ,turner ,court ,house ,griswold had dismissed the ungraciousness of ,ardmore1 and his jaws were set with a determination to perform the mission intrusted to him by ,barbara ,osborne1 and to wait until later for an accounting with his unaccountable friend4 ,arrived at ,turner's1 ,griswold strode at once toward the court house4 ,the contemptuous rejection of his message by the sheriff of ,mingo had angered ,griswold1 but he was destined to feel even more poignant insolence when1 entering the sheriff's office1 a deputy1 languidly posed as a letter 8,v0 in a swivel-chair1 with his feet on the mantel1 took a cob pipe from his mouth and lazily answered ,griswold's importunate query with3 8,the sheriff ain't hyeh1 seh4 ,he's a-visitin' his folks in ,tennessy40 8,when will he be back80 demanded ,griswold1 hot of heart1 but maintaining the icy tone that had made him so formidable in cross-examination4 8,i reckon ,i don't know1 seh40 8,do you know your own name80 persisted ,griswold sweetly4 8,go to hell1 seh10 replied the deputy4 ,he reached for a match1 relighted his pipe1 and carefully crossed his feet on the mantelshelf4 ,the moment ,griswold's steps died away in the outer corridor the deputy rose and busied himself so industriously with the telephone that within an hour all through the ,mingo hills1 and even beyond the state line1 along lonely trails1 across hills and through valleys1 and beside cheery creeks and brooks1 it was known that a strange man from ,columbia was in ,mingo ,county looking for the sheriff1 and ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 and his men were everywhere on guard4 ,griswold liked the prosecuting attorney on sight4 ,his name was ,habersham1 and he was a youngster with a clear and steady gray eye4 ,instead of the ,southern statesman's flowing prince albert1 he wore a sack-coat of gray jeans1 and was otherwise distinguished by a shirt of white-and-blue check4 ,he grinned as ,griswold bent a puzzled look upon him4 8,i took your courses at the university two years ago1 ,professor1 and ,i remember distinctly that you always wore a red cravat to your ,wednesday lectures40 8,you have done well10 replied ,griswold1 8for ,i never expected to find an old student who remembered half as much of me as that4 ,now1 as ,i understood you over the telephone1 ,appleweight was indicted for stealing a ham in this county by the last grand jury1 but the sheriff has failed or refused to make the arrest4 ,how did the grand jury come to indict if this outlaw dominates all the hill country80 8,the grand jury wanted to make a showing of virtue1 and it was1 of course1 understood between the foreman1 the leader of the gang1 and the sheriff that no warrant could be served on ,appleweight4 ,i did my duty2 the grand jury's act was exemplary2 and there the wheels of justice are blocked4 ,the same thing is practically true across the state line in ,dilwell ,county1 ,north ,carolina4 ,these men1 led by ,appleweight1 use their intimate knowledge of the country to elude pursuers when at times the revenue men undertake a raid1 and the county authorities have never seriously molested them4 ,now and then one of these sheriffs will make a feint of going out to look for ,appleweight1 but you may be sure that due notice is given before he starts4 ,three revenue officers have lately been killed while looking for these men1 and the government is likely to take vigorous action before long40 8,we may as well be frank10 said ,griswold in his most professional voice4 8,i don't want the federal authorities to take these men2 it is important that they should not do so4 ,this is an affair between the governors of the two ,carolinas4 ,it has been said that neither of them dares press the matter of arrest1 but ,i am here in ,governor ,osborne's behalf to give the lie to that imputation40 8,that has undoubtedly been the fact1 as you know10 and ,habersham smiled at his old preceptor inquiringly4 8,osborne once represented the ,appleweights1 and he undoubtedly saved the leader from the gallows4 ,that was before ,osborne ever thought of becoming governor1 and he acted only within his proper rights as a lawyer4 ,i don't recall that anything in professional ethics requires us to abandon a client because we know he's guilty4 ,if such were the case we'd all starve to death40 8,governor ,osborne has been viciously maligned10 declared ,griswold4 8,while he did at one time represent these people--no doubt thoroughly and efficiently--he holds the loftiest ideal of public service1 and it was only when his official integrity was brought into question by unscrupulous enemies that he employed me as special counsel to carry this affair through to a conclusion4 ,that accounts for my presence here1 ,habersham1 and1 with your assistance1 ,i propose to force ,governor ,dangerfield's hand4 ,suppose all these people were arrested in ,mingo ,county under these indictments1 what would be the result--trial and acquittal80 8,just that1 in spite of any effort made to convict them40 8,well1 ,governor ,osborne is tired of this business1 and wants the ,appleweight scandal disposed of once and for all40 8,that's strange10 remarked ,habersham1 clearly surprised at ,griswold's vigorous tone4 8,i called on the governor in his office at ,columbia only ten days ago1 and he put me off4 ,he said he had to prepare an address to deliver before the ,south ,carolina ,political ,reform ,association1 and he couldn't take up the ,appleweight case2 and ,i called on ,bosworth1 the attorney-general1 and he grew furiously angry1 and said ,i was guilty of the gravest malfeasance in not having brought those men to book long ago4 ,when ,i suggested that he connive with the governor towards removing our sheriff1 he declared that the governor was a coward4 ,he seemed anxious to put the governor in a hole1 though why he should take that attitude ,i can't make out1 as it has been generally understood that ,governor ,osborne's personal friendliness for him secured his nomination and election to the attorney-generalship1 and ,i have heard that he is engaged to the governor's oldest daughter40 8,he is a contemptible hound10 replied ,griswold with feeling1 8and at the proper time we shall deal with him2 but it is of more importance just now to make ,appleweight a prisoner in ,north ,carolina4 ,if he's arrested over there1 that lets us out2 and if the ,north ,carolina authorities won't arrest their own criminals1 we'll go over into ,dilwell ,county and show them how to be good4 ,the man's got to be locked up1 and he'd look much better in a ,north ,carolina jail1 under all the circumstances40 8,that's good in theory1 but how do you justify it in law80 8,oh1 that's the merest matter of formul6 ,my dear ,habersham1 all the usual processes of law go down before emergencies60 ,the airiness of ,griswold's tone caused the prosecutor to laugh1 for this was not the sober associate professor of admiralty whose lectures he had sat under at the ,university of ,virginia1 but a different person1 whose new attitude toward the law and its enforcement shocked him immeasurably4 8,you seem to be going in for pretty loose interpretations1 and if that plaster bust of ,john ,marshall up there falls from the shelf1 you need not be surprised10 and ,habersham still laughed4 8,i might be impudent and cite you against yourself60 8,that would constitute contempt of court1 and ,i cannot just now spare your services long enough for you to serve a jail sentence4 ,go on now1 and tell me what you have done and what you propose40 8,well1 as ,i told you over the telephone1 we hear a great deal about ,appleweight and his crowd2 but we never hear much of their enemies1 who are1 nevertheless1 of the same general stock1 and equally determined when aroused4 ,ten of these men ,i have quietly called to meet at my farm out here a few miles from town1 on ,thursday night4 ,they come from different points over the country1 and we'll have a small but grim posse that will be ready for business4 ,you may not know it1 but the ,appleweights are most religious4 ,appleweight himself boasts that he never misses church on ,sunday4 ,he goes also to the mid-week service on ,thursday night1 so ,i have learned1 and thereby hangs our opportunity4 ,mount ,nebo ,church lies off here toward the north4 ,it's a lonely point in itself1 though it's the spiritual centre and rendezvous for a wide area4 ,if ,appleweight can be taken at all1 that's the place1 and ,i'm willing to make the trial4 ,whether to stampede the church and make a fight1 or seize him alone as he approaches the place1 is a question for discussion with the boys ,i have engaged to go into the game4 ,how does it strike you80 8,first-rate4 ,ten good men ought to be enough2 but if it comes down to numbers1 the state militia can be brought into use4 ,the ,south ,carolina ,national ,guard is in camp1 and we can have a regiment quick enough1 if ,i ask it40 ,habersham whistled4 8,osborne is certainly up and doing60 he exclaimed1 chuckling4 8,i suppose he has tossed a quarter1 and decided it's better to be good than to be senator4 ,by the way1 that was a curious story in the newspapers about ,dangerfield and ,osborne having a row at ,new ,orleans4 ,i wonder just what passed between them80 ,griswold was conscious that ,habersham glanced at him a little curiously1 with a look that implied something that half formed itself on the prosecuting attorney's lips4 8,i know nothing beyond what ,i read in the newspapers at the time4 ,some political row1 ,i fancy40 8,i suppose ,governor ,osborne hasn't discussed it with you since his return to ,columbia80 asked ,habersham carelessly4 ,the shadow of a smile flitted across his face1 but vanished quickly as though before a returning consciousness of the fact that he was facing ,henry ,maine ,griswold1 who was first of all a gentleman1 and not less a scholar and a man of the world1 who was not to be trifled with4 8,no10 replied ,griswold1 a little shortly4 8,i was appealed to in rather an unusual way in this matter of ,appleweight4 ,it is quite out of my line as a legal proposition1 but there are other considerations of which ,i may not speak40 8,pardon me10 murmured ,habersham2 but he asked3 8,what was ,governor ,osborne doing when you left ,columbia80 8,when ,i left ,columbia10 remarked ,griswold1 and it was he that smiled now1 8to the best of my knowledge and belief the governor of ,south ,carolina was deeply absorbed in knitting a necktie1 the colour of which was1 ,i think1 the orange of a ,blue ,ridge autumn sunset4 ,and now1 if you will kindly give me pen and paper1 ,i will communicate the ,appleweight situation and our prospects to my honoured chief40 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,two ,,ladies ,,on ,a ,,balcony4 ,the outer aspect of ,ardsley is1 frankly1 feudal4 ,the idea of a ,north ,carolina estate had grown out of ,ardmore's love of privacy and his wish to get away from ,new ,york1 where his family was all too frequently struck by the spot light4 ,the great tract of land once secured he had not concerned himself about a house1 but had thrown together a comfortable bungalow which satisfied him for a year4 ,but ,ardmore's gentle heart1 inaccessible to demands of many sorts1 was a defenceless citadel when appeals were made to his generosity4 ,a poor young architect1 lately home from the ,ecole des ,beaux ,arts1 with many honours but few friends1 fell under ,ardmore's eyes4 ,the towers and battlements that soon thereafter crowned the terraced slopes at ,ardsley1 etching a noble line against the lovely panorama of ,north ,carolina hills1 testified at once to the architect's talent for adaptation and ,ardmore's diminished balances at the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company4 ,on a balcony that commanded the sunset--a balcony bright with geraniums that hung daringly over a ravine on the west--,mrs4 ,atchison and ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield were cosily taking their tea4 ,their white gowns1 the snowy awning stirring slightly in the hill air1 the bright trifles of the tea-table mingled in a picture of charm and contentment4 8,i wonder10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison abruptly1 8where ,tommy is40 8,i have no definite idea10 said ,jerry1 pouring cream1 8but let us hope that he is earning his salary40 8,his salary80 and ,mrs4 ,atchison's brows contracted4 8,do you mean that my brother is taking pay for this mysterious work he is doing80 8,he shall be paid in money10 replied ,jerry with decision4 8,as ,i have only the barest acquaintance with ,mr4 ,ardmore1 never1 in fact1 having seen him until a few days ago1 it would be very improper for me to permit him to serve me except under the rules that govern the relations of employer and employee40 ,mrs4 ,atchison smiled with the wise tolerance of a woman of the world2 and she was a lady1 it must be said1 who had a keen perception of that sane and ample philosophy of life which proceeds1 we may say1 for the sake of convenience1 from the sense of humour4 ,she did not like to be puzzled2 and she had never in her life been surprised1 least of all by any word or deed of her singular brother ,tommy4 ,she liked and even cultivated with daring the inadvertent turns in a day's affairs4 ,the cool fashion in which her brother had placed the daughter of the governor of ,north ,carolina in her hands on board her car at ,raleigh had amused her4 ,she had learned nothing from ,jerry of the beginnings of that young woman's acquaintance with the master of ,ardsley--an acquaintance which seemed to be intimate in certain aspects but amazingly distant and opaque in others4 ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield1 like ,mrs4 ,atchison herself1 was difficult to surprise1 and ,tommy ,ardmore's sister admired this in any one1 and she particularly admired it in ,jerry1 who was so charming in so many other ways4 ,mrs4 ,atchison imagined that ,jerry's social experience had been meagre1 and yet the girl accepted the conditions of life at ,ardsley as a matter of course1 and in the gatherings of the house party ,jerry--there was no denying it--held the centre of the stage4 ,the men1 including the ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 hung upon her lightest word1 which often left them staggering2 and she frequently flung the ball of conversation into the blue ether with a careless ease that kept expectancy a-tiptoe in the minds and hearts of all the company4 8,i hope10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison1 putting down her cup and gazing dreamily into the west1 8that you have not given ,tommy any commission in which he is likely to fail4 ,if it were a matter of finding a fan you had left behind somewhere1 or even of producing an extinct flower from the ,andes1 he would undoubtedly be faithful to the trust imposed on him2 but in anything that is really serious1 really of importance1 one should never depend on ,tommy40 ,this was1 as the lady knew1 almost vulgarly leading2 but ,jerry folded her arms1 and spoke out with charming frankness4 8,i have heard my father say10 said ,jerry1 8that incapable men often rise to great opportunities when they are pushed4 ,mr4 ,ardmore has undertaken to perform for me a service of the greatest delicacy and not unattended with danger4 ,you have been kind to me1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 and as you are my chaperon and entitled to my fullest confidence1 it is right for you to know just how ,i came here1 and why your brother is absent in my service40 ,for once curiosity bound ,mrs4 ,atchison in chains of steel4 8,tell me nothing1 dear1 unless you are quite free to do so10 she murmured2 but her heart skipped a beat as she waited4 8,i should not think of doing so except of my own free will10 declared ,jerry1 carelessly following the flight of a hawk that flapped close by toward the neighbouring woods4 8,it may interest you to know that just now your brother1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 is the governor of ,north ,carolina4 ,he does not exactly know it1 for at ,raleigh ,i myself was governor of ,north ,carolina at the time we met1 and ,i only made ,mr4 ,ardmore my private secretary2 but when it became necessary to take the field ,i placed him in full charge1 and he is now not only governor of the ,old ,north ,state1 but also the commander-in-chief of her troops in the field40 ,with a nice feeling for climax ,jerry paused1 picked a lump of sugar from the silver bowl on the tea-table1 bit the edge of it daintily1 and tossed it to the robins that hopped on the lawn beneath4 ,mrs4 ,atchison moved forward slightly1 but evinced no other sign of surprise4 ,the hour1 the scene1 the girl were all to her liking4 ,she would even prolong the delight of hearing the further history of her brother's amazing elevation to supreme power in an ,american commonwealth--it was so foreign to all experience1 so heavy with possibilities1 so delicious in that it had happened to ,tommy of all men in the world6 8,i trust10 she said1 smiling a little1 8that ,tommy will not prove unworthy of the confidence you have reposed in him40 8,if he does10 said ,jerry1 slapping her hands together to free them of an imaginary sugar crumb1 8,i shall never1 never marry him40 8,then may ,i ask1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 if you and he are engaged80 8,not at all1 ,mrs4 ,atchison6 ,not only are we not engaged1 but he has never even proposed to me4 ,besides1 ,i am engaged to ,colonel ,rutherford ,gillingwater1 our adjutant-general40 8,then if you are engaged to this military person1 just wherein lies the significance of your threat never to marry my brother40 8,that10 said ,jerry1 8is perfectly easy of explanation4 ,your brother and ,i have met only a few times1 and ,i never become engaged to any man whom ,i have not known for a week at least4 ,marriage is a serious matter2 and while the frequent breaking of engagements is painful in the extreme1 ,i think one cannot be too careful in assuming the marriage bond40 ,mrs4 ,atchison wondered whether the girl was amusing herself at her expense1 but ,jerry's tone was grave and ,jerry's eyes were steady4 ,jerry was a new species1 and she had appeared at a fortunate moment when ,mrs4 ,atchison had almost concluded that the world is a squeezed lemon4 8,in view of the fact that you are engaged to ,dillingwater----0 began ,mrs4 ,atchison1 anxious for further disclosures touching ,jerry's ideas on matrimony4 8,colonel ,rutherford ,gillingwater1 please60 corrected ,jerry4 8--,i don't quite grasp this matter of your attitude toward my brother4 ,unless ,i misunderstood you1 you remarked a moment ago that unless he succeeded in his present undertaking you would never marry him40 8,that is exactly what ,i said1 and ,i meant every word of it10 declared ,jerry4 8,i will not conceal from you1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 my determination that your brother shall be my second husband40 ,there was no question of ,mrs4 ,atchison's complete surprise now4 8,your second husband1 child80 8,my second husband1 ,mrs4 ,atchison4 ,life is short at best1 and ,i was told by my old mammy when ,i was a little child--she turned out afterward to be a real voodoo woman--that ,i should be married twice4 ,i am very superstitious1 and that made a great impression on my mind4 ,it is not in keeping with my ideas of life1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 to be long a widow1 so that ,i think it perfectly right to choose a second husband even before ,i am quite sure that ,i have chosen wisely for my first40 8,has the military person weak lungs80 8,no2 but his mind is not strong4 ,anything sudden1 like apoplexy1 would be sure to go hard with him40 8,then you should be careful not to shock him4 ,it would be almost criminal to break your engagement with him40 8,that rests entirely with him1 ,mrs4 ,atchison4 ,the man ,i love must be brave1 tender1 and true4 ,after our present difficulties are over ,i shall know whether ,rutherford ,gillingwater is the man ,i believe ,i am going to marry in ,october40 8,but you spoke a moment ago of ,tommy's official position4 ,is this arrangement a matter of general knowledge in ,north ,carolina80 8,no1 it is not4 ,you and he and ,i are the only persons who know it4 ,papa does not know it yet2 and when papa finds it out it may go hard with him4 ,you see1 ,mrs4 ,atchison0--and ,jerry leaned forward and rested an elbow on the tea-table and tucked her little chin into the palm of her hand--8you see1 papa is very absent-minded1 as great men often are1 and he went away and forgot to perform some duties which the honour and dignity of the state require to be performed immediately4 ,there are some wicked men who have caused both ,north ,carolina and ,south ,carolina a great deal of trouble1 but they must not be punished in this state1 but in ,south ,carolina1 which is just over there somewhere4 ,there are many reasons for that which would be very tiresome to tell you about1 but the principal one is that ,barbara ,osborne1 the daughter of the governor of ,south ,carolina1 is the snippiest and stuck-upest person ,i have ever known1 and while your brother and ,i are in charge of this state ,i have every intention of annoying her in every way ,i can4 ,when ,mr4 ,ardmore has caught those wicked men ,i spoke of1 who really do not belong in this state at all1 they will be marched straight into ,south ,carolina1 and then we shall see what ,governor ,osborne does about it2 and we will show ,barbara ,osborne1 whose father never had to paper his dining-room1 after the war between the states1 with bonds of the ,confederacy--we will show her that there's a good deal of difference between the ,dangerfields and the ,osbornes1 and between the proud ,old ,north ,state and the state of ,south ,carolina40 8,and you have placed this business1 requiring courage and finesse1 in ,tommy's hands80 8,that is exactly what ,i have done1 ,mrs4 ,atchison4 ,your brother is no great distance from here1 and we have exchanged telegrams to-day2 but when ,i told you a moment ago that ,i did not know his whereabouts exactly ,i spoke the truth4 ,your brother's appearance on the scene at the beginning was most providential4 ,the stage was set1 the curtain waited0--,jerry extended her arms to indicate a breadth of situation--8but there was no valiant hero4 ,i needed a leading man1 and ,mr4 ,ardmore walked in like a fairy prince ready to take the part4 ,and what ,i shall say to you further1 as my chaperon1 will not1 ,i hope1 cause you to think ill of me40 8,i love you more and more6 ,you may tell me anything you like without fear of being misunderstood2 but tell me nothing that you prefer to keep to yourself40 8,if you were not ,mr4 ,ardmore's sister ,i should not tell you this2 and ,i shall never tell another soul4 ,i was coming home from a visit in ,baltimore1 and the train stopped somewhere to let another train pass4 ,the two trains stood side by side for a little while1 and in the window of the sleeper opposite me ,i saw a young man who seemed very sad4 ,i thought perhaps he had buried all his friends1 for he had the appearance of one lately bereaved4 ,it has always seemed to me that we should do what we can to cheer the afflicted1 and this gentleman was staring out of his window very sadly1 as though he needed a friend1 and as he caught my eye it seemed to me that there was an appeal in it that it would have been unwomanly for me to ignore4 ,so1 just as my train started1 at the very last moment that we looked at each other1 ,i winked at that gentleman with1 ,i think1 my right eye40 ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield touched the offending member delicately with her handkerchief4 ,mrs4 ,atchison bent forward and took both the girl's hands4 8,and that was ,tommy--my brother ,tommy60 8,that gentleman has proved to be ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore4 ,i had not the slightest idea that ,i should ever in the world see him again4 ,my only hope was that he would go on his way cheered and refreshed by my sign of good-will1 though he was either so depressed or so surprised that he made no response4 ,i never expected to see him again in this world2 and when ,i had almost forgotten all about him he coolly sent in his card to me at the executive mansion in ,raleigh4 ,and ,i was very harsh with him when ,i learned who he was2 for you know the ,ardmore estate owns a lot of ,north ,carolina bonds that are due on the first of ,june1 and ,mr4 ,billings had been chasing papa all over the country to know whether they will be paid2 and ,i supposed that of course your brother was looking for papa too1 to annoy him about some mere detail of that bond business1 for the state treasurer1 who does not love papa1 has gone away fishing1 and ,mr4 ,billings is perfectly wild40 8,delicious60 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,atchison4 8,perfectly delicious6 ,and ,i am sure that when ,tommy explained his real sentiments toward ,mr4 ,billings you and he became friends at once40 8,not at once1 for ,i came very near having him thrown out of the house2 and ,i laughed at him about a jug that was given to him on the train at ,kildare with a message in it for papa4 ,you know when you are governor people always give you presents--that is1 your friendly constituents do4 ,the others give you only unkind words4 ,the temperance people send you jugs of buttermilk on board your train as you pass through the commonwealth1 and others send you applejack4 ,your brother gave back the buttermilk and kept the jug of applejack1 which had a warning to father in its corn-cob stopper4 ,i thought it was very funny1 and ,i laughed at your brother so that he was scared and ran out of the house4 ,then afterwards ,i looked out of the window of papa's office1 and saw ,mr4 ,ardmore sitting on a bench in the state-house yard looking ever so sad and dejected1 and ,i sent the private secretary out to get him2 and now we are1 ,i think1 the best of friends1 and ,mr4 ,ardmore is1 as ,i have already told you1 the governor of ,north ,carolina to all intents and purposes40 8,may ,i call you ,jerry8 ,thank you1 dear4 ,let me tell you that ,i am thirty-two1 and you are----80 8,seventeen10 supplied ,jerry4 8,and this is the most amusing1 interesting1 and exciting thing ,i have heard in all my life4 ,it might be difficult ordinarily for me to forgive the wink1 but your explanation lifts it out of the realm of social impropriety into the sphere of generous benevolence4 ,and if1 after ,colonel ,gillingwater has gone to his reward1 you should marry my brother1 ,i shall do all in my power to make your life in our family happy in every way40 8,your brother does not seem particularly proud of his family connection10 said ,jerry4 8,he spoke of you in the most beautiful way1 but he seems distressed by the actions of some of the others40 ,mrs4 ,atchison sighed4 8,tommy is right about us4 ,we are a sad lot40 8,but he is very hard on the duke4 ,since ,i came to ,ardsley his ,grace has treated me with the greatest courtesy1 and he has spoken to me in the most complimentary terms4 ,he is beyond question a man of kind heart1 for he has promised me his mother's pearl necklace1 which had been in her family for four hundred years40 8,i should not hesitate to take the necklace1 ,jerry1 if he really produces it1 for my sister1 his wife1 has never had the slightest glimpse of it1 and it is1 ,i believe1 in the hands of certain ,english trustees for the benefit of the duke's creditors4 ,i dislike to spoil one of his ,grace's pretty illusions1 but unless ,mr4 ,billings softens his heart a great deal toward the duke ,i fear that you will not get the pearls this summer40 8,i must tell you as my chaperon1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 that the duke has already offered to elope with me4 ,he told me last night1 as we were having our coffee on the terrace1 that he would gladly give up his wife1 meaning1 ,i suppose1 your sister1 and the ,ardmore millions for me2 but while ,i think him fascinating1 ,i want you to feel quite safe1 for ,i promise you ,i shall elope with no one while ,i am your guest40 ,mrs4 ,atchison's face had grown a little white1 and she compressed her lips in lines that were the least bit grim4 8,the scoundrel60 she exclaimed half under her breath4 8,to think that he would insult a child like you6 ,he is hanging about us here in the hope of getting more money1 while my poor sister1 his wife1 is in an ,english sanatorium half crazed by his brutality4 ,if ,tommy knew this he would undoubtedly kill him60 8,that would be very unnecessary4 ,a duke1 after all1 is something1 and ,i should hate to have the poor man killed on my account4 ,and besides1 ,mrs4 ,atchison1 ,i am perfectly able to take care of myself40 8,i believe you are1 ,jerry4 ,but it's a terrible thing to have that beast about1 and ,i shall tell him to-night that he must leave this place and the country40 8,but first10 said ,jerry1 8,i have an engagement to ride with him after dinner to see the moon1 and the opportunity of seeing a moon with a duke of ancient family1 here on the sacred soil of ,north ,carolina1 is something that ,i cannot lightly put aside40 8,you cannot--you must not go60 8,leave it to me10 said ,jerry1 smiling slightly2 8and ,i promise you that the duke will never again insult an ,american girl4 ,and now ,i think ,i must dress for dinner40 ,she rose and turned her eyes dreamily to the tower above1 where the ,north ,carolina state flag flapped idly in the breeze4 ,this silken emblem with its single star ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield carried with her in her trunk wherever she travelled2 and having noted ,ardsley's unadorned flagstaff1 she had1 with her own hands1 unfurled it1 highly resolved that it should remain until the rightful governor returned to his own4 ,a few minutes later1 as ,mrs4 ,atchison was reading the late mail in her sitting-room1 she took up a ,new ,york newspaper of the day before and ran over the headlines4 8,lost3 ,a ,governor0 was a caption that held her eye1 and she read a special despatch dated ,raleigh with deepest interest4 ,governor ,dangerfield1 the item hinted1 had not yet returned from ,new ,orleans1 where he had gone to attend the ,cotton ,planters' ,convention1 and where1 moreover1 he had quarrelled with the governor of ,south ,carolina4 ,the cowardly conduct of both governors in dealing with the ,appleweight band of outlaws was recited at length2 and it was also intimated that ,governor ,dangerfield was deliberately absenting himself from his office to avoid meeting squarely the ,appleweight issue4 ,mrs4 ,atchison smiled to herself2 then she laughed merrily as she rang for her maid4 8,little ,jerry's story seemed highly plausible as she told it2 and yet she is perfectly capable of spinning romance with that pretty mouth of hers1 particularly when backed by those sweet and serious blue eyes4 ,tommy and ,jerry6 ,the combination is irresistible6 ,if she has really turned the state of ,north ,carolina over to my little brother1 something unusual will certainly happen before long40 ,and ,mrs4 ,atchison was quite right in her surmise1 as we shall see4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,embarrassments ,,of ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,ballywinkle4 ,mr4 ,frank ,collins1 of the ,atlanta ,palladium1 trod the ties beyond ,kildare with a light heart1 gaily swinging a suit-case4 ,he had walked far1 but a narrow-brim straw hat1 perched on the back of his head1 and the cheery lilt of the waltz he whistled1 spoke for a jaunty spirit4 ,as his eye ranged the landscape he marked a faint cloud of smoke rising beyond a lonely strip of wood2 and coming to a dilapidated piece of track that led vaguely away into the heart of the forest1 he again noted the tiny smoke-cloud4 ,on such a day the half-gods go and the gods arrive2 and the world that afternoon knew no cheerfuller spirit than the ,palladium's agile young commissioner4 ,mr4 ,collins was not only in capital health and spirits1 but he rejoiced in that delicious titillation of expectancy which is the chief compensation of the journalist's life4 ,his mission was secret1 and this in itself gave flavour to his errand2 and1 moreover1 it promised adventures of a kind that were greatly to his liking4 ,as the woodland closed in about him and the curving spur carried him farther from the main right of way1 he ceased whistling1 and his steps became more guarded4 ,suddenly a man rose from the bushes and levelled a long arm at him detainingly4 8,stop1 young man1 stop where you are60 8,hello60 called ,collins1 pausing4 8,well1 ,i'm jiggered if it ain't old ,cookie4 ,i say1 old man1 is the untaxed juice flowing in the forest primeval or what brings you here80 ,cooke grinned as he recalled the reporter1 whom he remembered as a particularly irrepressible specimen of his genus whom he had met while pursuing moonshiners in ,georgia4 ,the two shook hands amiably midway of the two streaks of rust4 8,young man1 ,i think ,i told you once before that your legs were altogether too active4 ,i want you to light right out of here--skip60 8,not for a million dollars4 ,our meeting is highly opportune1 ,cookie4 ,it's not for me to fly in the face of ,providence4 ,i'm going to see what's doing down here40 8,all right10 replied ,cooke4 8,take it all in and enjoy yourself2 but you're my prisoner40 8,oh1 that will be all right6 ,so long as ,i'm with you ,i can't lose out40 8,march60 called ,cooke1 dropping behind2 and thus the two came in a few minutes to the engine1 the cars1 and the caboose4 ,from the locomotive a slight smoke still trailed hazily upward4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 coatless and hatless1 sat on the caboose steps writing messages on a broad pad1 while a telegraph instrument clicked busily within4 ,one of his men had qualified as operator1 and a pile of messages at his elbow testified to ,ardmore's industry4 ,ardmore clutched in his left hand a message recently caught from the wire1 which he re-read from time to time with increasing satisfaction4 ,it had been sent from ,ardsley and ran3 ,i shall ride to-night on the road that leads south beyond the red bungalow1 and on the bridle-path that climbs the ridge on the west1 called ,sunset ,trail4 ,a certain ,english gentleman will accompany me4 ,it will be perfectly agreeable to me to come back alone4 ,g4 ,d4 ,ardmore was still writing when ,cooke stood beneath him under the caboose platform4 8,i beg your pardon1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 but this is our first prisoner40 ,ardmore signed a despatch1 and then looked up and took the pipe from his mouth4 ,collins lifted his hat politely4 8,ah1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 you see ,i have taken advantage of your exceedingly kind invitation to look you up in ,north ,carolina40 8,he was looking for you very hard when ,i found him1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 interposed ,cooke4 8,your appearance delights me10 said ,ardmore1 extending his hand to the reporter4 8,it was nice of you to walk out here to find me4 ,wouldn't they put you up at the house80 8,well1 the fact is ,i didn't stop there4 ,my paper sent me in this general direction on business1 but ,i had every honourable intention of making you that visit after ,i finished my assignment4 ,but ,cookie here says ,i'm arrested40 8,he's a dangerous character and can't be allowed to run loose in these parts4 ,i'm going to tie him up10 said ,cooke4 8,may ,i ask you1 ,mr4 ,collins1 just what you are doing here80 inquired ,ardmore4 8,you may1 and ,i'll bet a boiled goose that ,cooke and ,i are on the same job40 8,what are you looking for80 demanded ,ardmore's chief of staff4 8,it's a big story if ,i get it1 and ,i have every intention of getting it10 said ,collins guardedly4 8,out with it60 commanded ,ardmore4 8,the fact is1 then1 that ,i'm looking for a person of importance40 8,go right on1 please40 8,and that person is the governor of ,north ,carolina1 who is mysteriously absent from ,raleigh4 ,he attended the ,cotton ,planters' ,convention in ,new ,orleans4 ,he got as far as ,atlanta on his way home1 and then disappeared4 ,i need not say to gentlemen of your intelligence that a lost governor is ripe fruit in my business1 and ,i have reason to believe that for some purpose of his own the governor of ,north ,carolina is hiding in this very neighbourhood40 ,cooke glanced at ,ardmore for instructions1 but the master of ,ardsley preferred to keep the matter in his own hands4 8,so you want to find the governor of ,north ,carolina1 do you8 ,well1 you shall not be disappointed4 ,you are too able and zealous to be wasted on journalism4 ,i have a feeling that you are destined to higher things4 ,something told me when we met in ,atlanta that fate had set us apart for each other4 ,that was why ,i asked you to visit me when ,i really didn't know but that1 after learning where the spoons are kept1 you would skip without leaving your subsequent address4 ,but now there is important business on hand1 and the state of ,north ,carolina will take the liberty of borrowing you from ,georgia until the peace of the ,old ,north ,state is restored4 ,and now1 ,collins1 ,i will make a disclosure that will undoubtedly startle you a good deal1 but you are no longer employed by the ,atlanta ,palladium1 and your obligations to that journal must be transferred to the state in which you now stand4 ,you came here1 ,collins1 to look for the governor of ,north ,carolina1 and your wits and your argus-nose for news have served you well4 ,you have found the governor of ,north ,carolina3 ,i am he60 ,collins had stood during this recital in the middle of the track1 with his legs wide apart1 calmly fanning himself with his hat2 but as ,ardmore proceeded the reporter's hand dropped to his side1 and a grin that had overspread his face slowly yielded to a blank stare4 8,would you mind repeating those last words80 8,i am the governor of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,collins4 ,the manner in which ,i attained that high office is not important4 ,it must suffice that ,i am in sole charge of the affairs of this great state1 without relief from valuation or appraisement laws and without benefit of clergy4 ,and we have much to do here2 mere social conversation must await an ampler time4 ,i now appoint you publicity agent to the governor4 ,your business is to keep the people fooled--all the people all the time4 ,in other words1 you are chief liar to the administration1 a position of vast responsibility1 for which you have1 if ,i am a judge of character1 the greatest talents4 ,you will begin by sending out word that ,governor ,dangerfield has given up all other work at present but the destruction of the ,appleweight gang4 ,these stories that the governor has hidden himself to dodge certain duties are all punk--do you understand8--he is serving the people as he has always served them1 faithfully and with the noblest self-sacrifice4 ,that's the sort of stuff ,i want you to jam into the newspapers all over the world4 ,and remember--my name does not appear in the business at all--neither now nor hereafter40 8,but by the ghost of ,john ,c4 ,calhoun1 don't you see that ,i'm losing the chance of my life in my own profession8 ,there's a story in this that would put me to the top and carry me right into ,new ,york10 and ,collins glanced about for his suit-case1 as though meditating flight4 8,your appointment has gone into effect10 said ,ardmore with finality1 8and if you bolt you will be caught and made to walk the plank4 ,and so far as your future is concerned1 you shall have a newspaper of your own anywhere you please as soon as this war is over40 ,the three men adjourned to the caboose where ,ardmore told ,collins all that it seemed necessary for the newspaper man to know2 and within half an hour the new recruit had entered thoroughly into the spirit of the adventure1 though his mirth occasionally got the better of him1 and he bowed his head in his hands and surrendered himself to laughter4 ,thereafter1 until the six o'clock supper was ready1 he kept the operator occupied4 ,he sent to the ,palladium a thoroughly plausible story1 giving prominence to the ,appleweight case and laying stress on ,governor ,dangerfield's vigorous personality and high sense of official responsibility4 ,he sent queries to leading journals everywhere1 offering exclusive news of the rumoured disappearance of ,north ,carolina's governor4 ,his campaign of publicity for the state administration was broadly planned1 though he was losing a great opportunity to beat the world with a stunning story of the amazing nerve with which ,ardmore1 the young millionaire1 had assumed the duties of governor of ,north ,carolina in the unaccountable absence of ,governor ,dangerfield from his capital4 ,the whole thing was almost too good to be true1 and ,collins put away the idea of flight only upon realizing the joyous possibilities of sharing1 no matter how humbly1 in the fate of an administration which was fashioning the drollest of card-houses4 ,he did not know1 and was not to know until long afterwards1 just how the young master of ,ardsley had leaped into the breach2 but ,ardmore was an extraordinary person1 whose whims set him quite apart from other men1 and while1 even if he escaped being shot1 the present enterprise would undoubtedly lead to a long term in jail1 ,collins had committed himself to ,ardmore's cause and would be faithful to it1 no matter what happened4 ,ardmore took ,collins more fully into his confidence during the lingering twilight1 and the reporter made many suggestions that were of real value4 ,meanwhile ,cooke's men brought three horses from the depths of the forest1 and saddled them4 ,cooke entered the caboose for a final conference with ,ardmore and a last look at the maps4 8,too bad10 remarked the acting governor1 8that we must wait until to-morrow night to pick up the ,appleweights1 but our present business is more important4 ,it's time to move1 ,cooke40 ,they rode off in single file on the faintest of trails through the woods1 ,cooke leading and ,ardmore and ,collins following immediately behind him4 ,the great host of summer stars thronged the sky1 and the moon sent its soft effulgence across the night4 ,they presently forded a noisy stream1 and while they were seeking the trail again on the farther side an owl hooted a thousand yards up the creek1 and while the line re-formed ,cooke paused and listened4 ,then the owl's call was repeated farther off1 and so faintly that ,cooke alone heard it4 ,he laid his hand on ,ardmore's rein3 8,there's a foot-trail that leads along that creek1 and it's very rough and difficult to follow4 ,half a mile from here there used to be a still1 run by one of the ,appleweights4 ,we smashed it once1 but no doubt they are operating again by this time4 ,that hoot of the owl is a warning common among the pickets put out by these people4 ,wireless telegraphy isn't in it with them4 ,every ,appleweight within twenty miles will know in half an hour how many there are of us and just what direction we are taking4 ,we must not come back here to-night4 ,we must put up on your place somewhere and let them think1 if they will1 we are guests of yours out for an evening ride40 8,that's all right4 ,unless we complete this job in about two days my administration is a fizzle10 said ,ardmore1 as they resumed their march through the forest4 ,there was a wilder fling to the roll of the land now1 but the underbrush was better cleared1 and the trail had become a bridle-path that had known man's care4 8,this is some of ,paul's work10 said ,ardmore2 8and if ,i am not very much mistaken we are on my land now and headed straight enough for the wagon-road that leads south beyond the red bungalow4 ,these roads in here were planned to give variety1 but ,i never before appreciated how complicated they are40 ,the path stretched away through the heavy forest1 and they climbed to a ridge that commanded a wide region that lay bathed in silver moonlight1 so softly luminous that it seemed of the stuff of shadows made light4 ,westward1 a mile distant1 lay ,ardsley1 only a little below the level of the ridge and touched with a faint purple as of spring twilight4 ,ardmore sat his saddle1 quietly contemplating the great house that struck him almost for the first time as imposing4 ,he felt1 too1 a little heartache that he did not quite understand4 ,he was not sure whether it was the effect of the moon1 or whether he was tired1 or what it was1 though he thought perhaps the moon had something to do with it4 ,his own house1 of which he was sincerely fond1 seemed mistily hung between heaven and earth in the moonlight1 a thing not wholly of this world2 and in his depression of spirit he reflected for a moment on his own aimless1 friendless life2 he knew then that he was lonely1 and that there was a great void in his mind and heart and soul1 and he knew also that ,jerry ,dangerfield and not the moon was the cause of his melancholy4 8,we'd better be moving10 suggested ,cooke4 8,it's too bad to leave that picture10 remarked ,collins1 sighing4 8,had ,i the lyre of ,gray ,i should compose an #8,ode on a ,distant ,prospect of ,ardsley ,castle1' which would ultimately reach the school readers and bring me fame more enduring than brass40 8,did you say brass80 ironically scoffed ,cooke4 ,whereupon the ,palladium's late representative laughed softly and muttered to himself1 8,proud pile1 by mighty ,ardmore's hand upreared60 8,cut it out10 commanded ,cooke1 8or ,i'll drop you into the ravine4 ,look below there60 ,looking off from the ridge they saw a man and a woman riding along a strip of road from which the timber had been cut4 ,the night was so still1 the gray light so subdued1 that the two figures moved as steadily and softly as shadow pictures on a screen4 ,the slow1 even movement of the riders was interrupted suddenly4 ,the man1 who was nearer the remote observers1 had stopped and bent towards the woman as though to snatch her rein1 when her horse threw up its head and fell back on its haunches4 ,then the woman struck the man a blow with her riding-crop1 and galloped swiftly away along the white1 ribbon-like road4 ,in the perfect night-silence it was like a scene of pantomime4 8,that's all right60 cried ,cooke4 8,come along6 ,we'll cut into that road at the bungalow40 ,they swung their horses away from the ridge and back into the bridle-path1 which once more dipped sharply down into heavy timber1 ,cooke leading the way1 and three of the best hunters known to the ,ardsley stables flew down the clear but winding path4 ,the incident which the trio had witnessed required no interpretation3 the girl's blow and flight had translated it into language explicit enough4 ,ardmore thanked his ,german forester a thousand times for the admirable bridle-path over which they galloped1 with its certain footing beneath and clean sweep from the boughs above4 ,the blood surged hotly through his heart1 and he was angry for the first time in his life2 but his head was cool1 and the damp air of the forest flowing by tranquillized him into a new elation of spirit4 ,jerry ,dangerfield was the dearest and noblest and bravest girl in the world--he knew that3 and she was clever and resourceful enough to devise means for preserving her father's official and private honour2 and not less quick to defend herself from insult from a titled scoundrel4 ,she was the most inexplicable of girls2 but at the same time she was beyond any question the wisest4 ,the thought that he should now see her soon1 after all the years that had passed since he had introduced her to his sister at ,raleigh1 filled him with wild delight1 and he prayed that in her mad flight from the ,duke of ,ballywinkle no harm might come to her4 ,the three men rode out into the broad highway at the red bungalow and paused to listen4 8,he hasn't got here yet4 ,only one person has passed1 and these must be the tracks of the girl's horse10 said ,cooke1 who had dismounted and struck matches1 the better to observe the faint hoof-prints in the hard shell road4 8,he'll be along in a minute4 ,let us get into the shadow of the bungalow1 and when he comes we'll ride out and nail him4 ,the bungalow's a sort of way house4 ,i often stop here when ,i'm out on the estate and want to rest4 ,i have the key in my pocket40 ,as ,ardmore's keys jingled in the lock ,cooke cried out softly4 ,their quarry was riding swiftly towards them1 and he drew rein before the bungalow as ,cooke and ,collins rode out to meet him4 8,i say10 panted the duke4 8,you are our prisoner4 ,dismount and come into this house40 8,prisoner1 you fool6 ,i'm a guest at ,ardsley1 and ,i'm looking for a lady40 8,that's a very unlikely story4--,collins1 help the gentleman down20 and the reporter obeyed instructions with so much zeal that the noble gentleman fell prone1 and was assisted to his feet with a fine mockery of helpfulness4 8,i tell you ,i'm looking for a lady whose horse ran away with her6 ,i'm the ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 and brother-in-law to ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,i'll have you sent to jail if you stop me here40 8,come along1 ,duke1 and we'll see what you look like10 said ,cooke1 leading the way to the bungalow veranda4 ,within ,ardmore was lighting lamps4 ,there was a long room finished in black oak1 with a fireplace at one end1 and a table in the centre4 ,the floors were covered with handsome rugs1 and the walls were hung with photographs and etchings4 ,ardmore sat on the back of a leather settee in a pose assumed at the moment of the duke's entrance4 ,it was a pose of entire nonchalance1 and ,ardmore's cap1 perched on the back of his head1 and his brown hair rumpled boyishly1 added to the general effect of comfort and ease4 ,the duke blinked for a moment in the lamplight1 then he roared out joyously3 8,ardy1 old man60 and advanced towards his brother-in-law with outstretched hand4 8,keep him off2 he's undoubtedly quite mad10 said ,ardmore1 staring coldly1 and bending his riding-crop across his knees4 8,collins1 please ride on after the lady and bring her back this way40 ,cooke had seated the prisoner rather rudely in a chair1 and the noble duke1 having lost the power of speech in amazement and fright1 rubbed his eyes and then fastened them incredulously on ,ardmore2 but there was no question about it1 he had been seized with violence2 he had been repudiated by his own brother-in-law--the useless1 stupid ,tommy ,ardmore1 who at best had only a child's mind for pirate stories1 and who was indubitably the most negligible of negligible figures in the drama of life as the duke knew it4 8,cooke10 began ,ardmore1 addressing his lieutenant gravely from his perch on the settee1 8what is the charge against this person80 8,he says he's a duke10 grinned ,cooke1 taking his cue from ,ardmore's manner4 8,and he says he's visiting at ,ardsley40 8,that10 said ,ardmore with decision1 8is creditable only to the gentleman's romantic imagination4 ,his face is anything but dukely1 and there's a red streak across it which points clearly to the recent sharp blow of a weapon2 and no one would ever strike a duke4 ,it's utterly incredible10 and ,ardmore lifted his brows and leaned back with his arms at length and his hands clasping the riding-crop1 as he contemplated with supreme satisfaction the tell-tale red line across the duke's cheek4 ,the ,duke of ,ballywinkle leaped to his feet1 the colour that suffused his pale face hiding for the moment the mark of the riding-stick4 8,what the devil is this joke1 ,ardy80 screamed the duke4 8,you know ,i'm a guest at your house2 you know ,i'm your sister's husband4 ,i was riding with ,miss ,dangerfield1 and her horse ran away with her1 and she may come to harm unless ,i go after her4 ,this cut on the face ,i got from a low limb of one of your infernal trees4 ,you are putting me in a devil of an embarrassing position by holding me here40 ,he spoke with dignity1 and ,ardmore heard him through in silence2 but when he had finished1 the master of ,ardsley pointed to the chair4 8,as ,i understand you1 you are pleading not guilty2 and you pretend to some acquaintance with me2 but ,i am unable to recall you4 ,we may have met somewhere1 sometime1 but ,i really don't know you4 ,the title to which you pretend is unfamiliar to me2 but ,i will frankly disclose to you that ,i1 sir1 am the governor of ,north ,carolina40 8,the what80 bleated the duke1 his eyes bulging4 8,i repeat1 that ,i am the governor of ,north ,carolina1 and as a state of war now exists in my unhappy kingdom1 ,i1 sir1 have assumed all the powers conferred upon the three co-ordinate branches of government under the ,american system--namely1 or if you prefer it1 ,i will say1 to wit3 the legislative1 the executive1 and the judicial4 ,it is thus not only my privilege but my painful duty to pass upon your case in all its sad aspects4 ,as ,i have already suspended the writ of habeas corpus and set aside the right to trial by jury1 we will consider that ,i sit here as the supreme court40 8,for ,god's sake1 ,ardy----0 howled the duke4 8,that remark ,i will not now construe as profanity1 but don't let it occur again4 ,the first charge against you is that of insulting a woman on the ,sunset ,trail in the estate called ,ardsley1 owned by a person known in law as ,thomas ,ardmore4 ,there are three witnesses to the fact that you tried to stop a woman in the road1 and that streak on your face is even more conclusive4 ,are you guilty or not guilty80 8,you are mad6 ,you are crazy60 shouted the duke2 but his face was very white now1 and the mark of the crop flamed scarlet4 8,you are guilty1 beyond any question4 ,but the further charge against you that you pretend to be--what did he say his name was1 ,cooke8--that you pretend to be the ,duke of ,ballywinkle must now be considered4 ,that is quite right1 is it2 you say you are the duke80 8,yes1 you fool60 howled the duke4 8,i'll have the law on you for this6 ,i'll appeal to the ,british ambassador40 8,i advise you not to appeal to anybody10 said ,ardmore1 8and the ,british ambassador is without jurisdiction in ,north ,carolina4 ,you have yourself asserted that you are the ,duke of ,ballywinkle4 ,why ,ballywinkle8 ,why not ,argyll8 why not ,westminster8 ,why not1 if duke you must be1 the noble ,duke of ,york80 ,the ,duke of ,ballywinkle sat staring1 stupefied4 ,the whole thing was one of his silly brother-in-law's stupid jokes2 there was no question of that2 and ,tommy ,ardmore was always a bore2 but in spite of the comfort he derived from these reflections the duke was not a little uneasy2 for he had never seen his brother-in-law in just this mood1 and he did not like it4 ,ardmore was carrying the joke too far2 and there was an assurance in ,ardmore's tone1 and a light in ,ardmore's eyes1 that were ominous4 ,cooke had meanwhile lighted his pipe and was calmly smoking until his chief should have his fling4 ,ardmore now drew from his pocket ,johnston's ,american ,politics with an air of greatest seriousness4 8,cooke10 he said1 half to himself1 as he turned the pages1 8do you remember just what the constitution says about dukes8 ,oh yes1 here we are6 ,now1 ,mr4 ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 listen to what it says here in ,section ,,ix4 of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 which reads exactly as follows in this book3 #8,no title of nobility shall be granted by the ,united ,states3 ,and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them1 shall1 without the consent of the ,congress1 accept of any present1 emolument1 office1 or title1 of any kind whatever1 from any king1 prince1 or foreign state4' ,and it says in ,section ,x4 that #8,no state shall grant any title of nobility4' ,now1 ,mr4 ,ballywinkle1 it is perfectly clear that this government can't recognize anything that it can't create1 for that would be foolish4 ,as ,i1 the governor of ,north ,carolina1 can't make a duke1 ,i can't see one4 ,you are therefore wholly illegal2 it's against the most sacred law of the land for you to be here at all2 and painful though it is to me1 it is nevertheless my duty to order you to leave the ,united ,states at once1 never to return4 ,in fact1 if you ever appear in the ,united ,states again1 ,i hereby order that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead4 ,one of ,mr4 ,cooke's men will accompany you to ,new ,york to-morrow and see to it that you take passage on a steamer bound for a ,british port4 ,the crime of having insulted a woman will still hang over you until you are well east of ,sandy ,hook1 and ,i advise you not to risk being tried on that charge in ,north ,carolina1 as my people are very impulsive and emotional1 and lynchings are not infrequent in our midst4 ,you shall spend to-night in my official caboose some distance from here1 and your personal effects will be brought from ,ardsley1 where1 you have said1 you are a guest of ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 who is officially unknown to me4 ,the supreme court will now adjourn40 ,cooke pulled the limp1 bewildered duke to his feet1 and dragged him from the bungalow4 ,as they stepped out on the veranda ,collins rode up in alarm4 8,i followed this road to a cross-road where it becomes a bridle-path and runs off into the forest4 ,there ,i lost all trace of the lady1 but here is her riding-crop40 8,cooke1 take your prisoner to the caboose2 and1 ,collins1 come with me10 commanded ,ardmore2 and a moment later he and the reporter rode off furiously in search of ,jerry ,dangerfield4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,miss ,,dangerfield ,,takes ,a ,,prisoner4 ,a dozen men carrying rifles across their saddle-bows rode away from ,habersham's farm on the outskirts of ,turner ,court ,house and struck a rough trail that led a devious course over the hills4 ,at their head rode the guide of the expedition--a long1 silent man on a mule4 ,griswold and ,habersham followed immediately behind him on horseback4 ,their plans had been carefully arranged before they left their rendezvous1 and save for an occasional brief interchange between the prosecuting attorney and the governor's special representative1 the party jogged on in silence4 ,habersham's recruits were1 it may be said1 farmers of the border1 who had awaited for years just such an opportunity as now offered to avenge themselves upon the insolent ,appleweights4 ,nearly every man of the party had some private score to settle1 but they had all been sworn as special constables1 and were sobered by the knowledge that the power of the state of ,south ,carolina was back of them4 ,thus1 at the very hour that ,mr4 ,ardmore and his lieutenants rode away from the lonely anchorage of the caboose1 ,professor ,griswold and his cavalcade set out for ,mount ,nebo ,church4 ,while the master of ,ardsley was revenging himself upon the ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 his dearest friend1 against whom he had closed the doors of his house1 was losing no time in setting forth upon a mission which1 if successful1 would seriously interfere with all ,mr4 ,ardmore's hopes and plans4 ,ardmore's scarlet fever telegram no longer rankled in the breast of the associate professor of admiralty of the ,university of ,virginia1 for ,griswold knew that no matter what might be the outcome of his effort to uphold the dignity of the sovereign state of ,south ,carolina1 his participation in any such adventure would so cover his friend with envy that he would have him for ever at his mercy4 ,thomas ,ardmore deserved punishment--there was no doubt of that1 and as ,professor ,griswold was not more or less than a human being1 he took comfort of the reflection4 ,the guide of the expedition pushed his mule forward at a fast walk1 making no excuses to ,griswold and ,habersham for the roughness of the trails he chose1 nor troubling to give warning of sharp turns where a horse1 being less wise than a mule1 tobogganed madly before finding a foothold4 ,occasionally a low-hanging limb switched the associate professor sharply across the face1 but his temper continued serene where the trail was darkest and steepest1 and he found himself ignoring ,habersham's occasional polite questions about the university in his effort to summon up in memory certain ways of ,barbara ,osborne which baffled him4 ,he deplored the time he had given to the study of a stupid profession like the law1 when1 if he had applied himself with equal diligence to poetry1 he might have made for himself a place at least as high in belles-lettres4 ,in his college days he had sometimes thrummed a guitar1 and there was a little song in his heart1 half formed1 and with only a line or two as yet tangible1 which he felt sure he could write down on paper if it were not that the bugles summoned him to war2 it was a song of a white rose which a lover wore in his heart1 through winter and summer1 and it never changed1 and the flight of the seasons had no manner of effect on it4 8,check up1 cain't you80 snarled the man on the mule1 laying hold of ,griswold's rein2 and thus halted1 ,griswold found that they had been circling round a curiously symmetrical1 thickly wooded hill1 and had finally come to a clearing whence they were able to gaze far off toward the north4 8,we are almost out of bounds10 said ,habersham1 pointing4 8,over there somewhere1 across the hills1 lies ,north ,carolina4 ,i am as thoroughly lost as you can possibly be2 but these men know where they are4--,how far is it1 ,billy0--he addressed the silent guide--8to ,mount ,nebo80 8,about four mile1 and ,i reckon we'd better let out a leetle now1 or they'll sing the doxology before we git thar40 8,what's that light away off there80 asked ,habersham4 ,the guide paused to examine it1 and the faint glow far down the vale seemed to perplex him4 ,he spoke to one or two other natives1 and they viewed the light ruminatively1 as is their way4 8,thet must be on ,ardmore's land10 said the leader finally4 8,it shoots out all sorts o' ways round hyeh1 and ,i reckon thet's about wheh ,raccoon ,creek cuts through40 8,that's very likely10 said ,habersham4 8,i've seen the plat of what ,ardmore owns on this side the border at the court house1 and ,i remember that there's a long strip in ,mingo ,county that is ,ardsley land4 ,ardmore has houses of one kind and another scattered all over the estate1 and those lights may be from one of them4 ,you know the place1 don't you80 8,yes2 ,i've visited there10 admitted ,griswold4 8,but we'd better give it a wide berth4 ,the whole estate is simply infested with scarlet fever4 ,they're quarantined40 8,i guess that's a joke10 said ,habersham4 8,there's a big party on there now1 and ,i have seen some of the guests in ,turner's within a day or two40 8,within how many days80 demanded ,griswold1 his heart sinking at the thought that ,ardmore had lied to him to keep him away from ,ardsley--from ,ardmore's house6 ,the thought of it really hurt him now4 ,could it be possible that ,ardmore had guests so distinguished that he1 ,griswold1 was not worthy to make their acquaintance6 ,he experienced a real pang as he thought that here he was1 within a short ride of the home of his dearest friend1 the man whom most he loved of all men1 and that he had been denied the door of that friend's house4 8,come on60 called ,habersham4 ,half the company rode ahead to gain the farther side of the church2 the remainder1 including ,griswold and ,habersham1 soon dismounted and tied their horses out of sight of the country road which they had latterly been following4 8,we are in plenty of time10 said ,habersham1 looking at his watch4 8,the rest of the boys are closing in from the other side1 and they will be ready for ,appleweight when he finishes his devotions4 ,we've been studying the old man's habits1 and he has a particular place where he ties his horse back of the church4 ,it's a little apart from the fence where most of the congregation hitch1 and he chose it1 no doubt1 because in case of a surprise he would have plenty of room for manoeuvring4 ,two men are going to lay for him1 seize and gag him1 and carry him into the wood back of the church2 and then we're off across the state line to lock him up in jail at ,kildare and give ,governor ,dangerfield the shock of his life40 8,it sounds simple enough2 but it won't be long before ,appleweight's friends miss him4 ,you must remember that they are a shrewd lot40 8,we've got to take our chances4 ,let's hope we are as shrewd as they are10 replied ,habersham4 ,they moved softly through the wood1 and presently the faint sound of singing reached them4 8,old ,rabdick has finished his sermon1 and we'll know the worst in a few minutes40 ,one of the party had already detached himself and crept forward toward the church1 to meet his appointed comrade in the enterprise1 who was to come in from the other side4 ,the clapboard church presented in the moonlight the austerest outlines1 and as the men waited1 a rude though unseen hand was slamming the wooden shutters that protected the windows from impious violence4 8,we could do with less moon10 muttered ,habersham1 as he and ,griswold peered through the trees into the churchyard4 8,there goes ,bill ,appleweight now10 whispered one of the natives at his elbow1 and ,griswold felt his heart-beats quicken as he watched a tall figure silhouetted against the church and moving swiftly toward the rear of the building4 ,at the front of the church voices sounded1 as the departing worshippers rode or drove slowly away4 ,habersham laid his hand suddenly on ,griswold's arm4 8,they've got him6 ,they've nailed him6 ,see6 ,there6 ,they're yanking him back into the timber4 ,they've taken him and his horse60 ,griswold saw nothing but a momentary confusion of shadows1 then perfect silence hung over the woods behind the little church4 ,the congregation was slowly dispersing1 riding away in little groups4 ,suddenly a voice called out in the road a hundred yards beyond the church3 8,hey there6 ,where's ,bill80 8,oh1 he's gone long ago60 yelled another4 ,in a moment more the church door slammed and a last figure rode rapidly away4 8,now we'll see what's happened10 said ,habersham4 8,it looks almost too easy40 ,the members of ,griswold's party who had been thrown round to the farther side of the church began to appear1 one at a time4 ,there was no nervousness among any of the band--a fact that impressed ,griswold4 ,they were all risking much in this enterprise1 but they were outwardly unperturbed1 and chewing their tobacco silently while they awaited the return of the two active agents in the conspiracy who had dealt directly with ,appleweight4 ,habersham counted heads1 and announced all present or accounted for4 ,the tall leader who had ridden the mule was the first to rise out of the underbrush1 through which he had crawled circuitously from the rear of the church4 ,his companion followed a few seconds later4 8,we've got ,bill1 all tied and gagged and a-settin' of his hoss10 drawled the leader1 8and the hoss is tied to the back fence4 ,rest o' his boys thought he'd gone ahead1 but they may miss him and come back4 ,he's safe enough1 and ef we keep away from him we'll be ready to light out ef the gang scents trouble and comes back to look fer ,bill40 8,you're sure he's tied up so he can't break away or yell80 8,he's as good as dead1 a-settin' of his hoss in the thicket back theh40 8,and now10 said ,habersham1 8what we've got to do is to make a run for it and land him across the border1 and stick him into a ,north ,carolina jail1 where he rightfully belongs4 ,the question is1 can we do it all in one night1 or had we better lock him up somewhere on this side the line and take another night for it8 ,the sheriff over there in ,kildare is ,appleweight's cousin1 but we'll lock him up with ,bill1 to make a family party of it40 8,we'd better not try too much to-night10 counselled ,griswold4 8,it's a big thing to have the man himself4 ,if it were not for the matter of putting ,governor ,dangerfield in a hole1 ,i'd favour hurrying with ,appleweight to ,columbia1 just for the moral effect of it on the people of ,south ,carolina4 ,we'd make a big killing for the administration that way1 ,habersham40 8,yes1 you'd make a killing all right1 but you'd have ,bill ,appleweight on your hands1 which ,governor ,osborne has not until lately been anxious for10 replied ,habersham1 in a low tone that was heard by no one but his old preceptor4 8,you'd better get over the idea that we're afraid of this outlaw10 rejoined ,griswold4 8,the governor of ,north ,carolina dare not call his soul his own where these hill people are concerned2 but the governor of ,south ,carolina is a different sort40 8,the governor of ,north ,carolina is filling the newspapers with his own virtuous intentions in the matter10 remarked ,habersham1 8but his sudden zeal puts one upon inquiry40 8,i hope you don't imply that the motives of the governor of ,south ,carolina are not the worthiest80 demanded ,griswold hotly4 8,most certainly not60 returned the prosecuting attorney2 but a smile flitted across his face--a smile which1 in the darkness1 ,griswold did not see4 8,the two governors are very different men--wholly antipodal characters1 in fact10 and again ,habersham smiled to himself4 ,while they thus stood on ,south ,carolina soil1 waiting for the safe and complete dispersion of the ,mount ,nebo congregation before seizing the captive they had gagged and tied at the rear of the little church1 the fates were ordering a very different termination of the night's business4 ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield1 galloping away from the ,duke of ,ballywinkle1 with no thought but to widen the distance between them1 turned off at the first cross-road1 which began well enough1 but degenerated rapidly into a miserable trail1 through which she was obliged to walk her horse4 ,before she was aware of it she was in the midst of a clearing where labourers had lately been cutting timber1 and she found1 on turning to make her way out1 that she was quite lost1 for three trails1 all seemingly alike1 struck off into the forest4 ,she spoke aloud to the horse to reassure herself1 and smiled as she viewed the grim phalanx of stumps4 ,she must1 however1 find her way back to ,ardsley1 for there were times when ,jerry ,dangerfield could be very serious with herself1 though it rarely pleased her to be serious with other people2 and she knew that the time had long passed for her return to the house4 ,if her conspiracy with ,thomas ,ardmore had proved successful1 the duke would not return to the great house2 but her own prolonged absence was something that had not been in her programme4 ,she did not know then that three men had witnessed her flight from the duke1 or that they had taken swift vengeance upon him for his unpardonable conduct in the moon-blanched road4 ,it was not ,jerry's way to accept misfortune tamely1 and after circling the wall of timber that shut her in1 in the hope of determining where she had entered1 she chose a trail at random and plunged into the woods4 ,she assumed that probably all the roads and paths on the estate led more or less directly1 to the great house or to some lodge or bungalow4 ,she had lost her riding-crop in her mad flight1 and she broke off a switch1 tossing its leaves into the moonlight and laughing softly as they rained about her4 ,jerry began whistling gently to herself1 for she had never been lost before1 and it is not so bad when you have a good horse1 a fair path1 sweet1 odorous woods1 and the moon to keep you company4 ,she forded a brook that was silver to eye and ear1 and let her horse stand midway of it for joy in the sight and sound4 ,she had kept no account of time1 but rather imagined that it had not been more than half an hour since the ,duke of ,ballywinkle left her so unceremoniously4 ,suddenly ahead of her through the woods floated the sound of singing--one of those strange1 wavering pieux cantiques peculiar to the ,south4 ,she rode on1 thinking to find help and a guide back to ,ardsley2 then the music ceased1 and lights now flashed faintly before her1 but she went forward guardedly4 8,i'm much more lost than ,i thought ,i was1 for ,i must be away off the estate10 she reflected4 ,she turned and rode back a few rods and dismounted1 and tied her horse to a sapling4 ,she was disappointed at not finding a camp of ,ardmore's woodcutters1 to whom she could unhesitatingly have confided herself2 but it seemed wise now to exercise caution in drawing to herself the attention of strangers4 ,she did not know that she had crossed the state line and was in ,south ,carolina1 or that the singing she had heard floated from the windows of ,mount ,nebo ,church4 ,she became now the astonished witness of a series of incidents that occurred so swiftly as fairly to take her breath away4 ,a tall1 loosely articulated man came from the direction of the church and walked toward her4 ,she knelt at the tree and watched1 the moonlight giving her a clear view of a rustic somewhat past middle age1 whose chief characteristic seemed to be a grizzled beard and long arms that swung oddly at his side4 ,the brim of his wool hat was turned up sharply from his forehead1 and she had a glimpse of the small1 keen gray eyes with which he swept the forest before him4 ,he freed a horse which she had not before noticed1 and she concluded that he would not approach nearer1 for she expected him to mount and ride away to join others of the congregation whom she heard making off in a road beyond the church4 ,then1 with a quickness and deftness that baffled her eyes1 two men rose beside him just as he was about to mount2 there was no outcry and no sound of scuffling1 so quick was the descent and so perfect the understanding between the captors4 ,in a moment the man was gathered up1 bound1 and flung on his saddle4 ,she had a better view of him1 now that he was hatless1 though a gag had been forced into his mouth and a handkerchief tied over his eyes1 so that he presented a grotesque appearance4 ,jerry was so absorbed that she forgot to be afraid2 never in her life had she witnessed anything so amazing as this2 and now1 to her more complete bewilderment1 the captors1 after carefully inspecting their work and finding it satisfactory1 seemed to disappear utterly from the face of the earth4 ,in the woods to her left she thought she heard a horse neigh2 then she saw shadows moving in that direction2 and again1 from the road1 she heard the brief debate of the two men as to the whereabouts of 8,bill20 and it struck ,jerry humorously that he would not soon see his friends unless they came and helped him out of his predicament4 ,it may help to an understanding of ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield's character if it is recorded here that never in her short life had she failed to respond to the call of impulse4 ,she was lost in the woods1 and strange men lurked about2 a man had been attacked1 seized1 and left sitting in a state of absurd helplessness on a horse presumably his own1 and there was no guessing what dire penalty his captors had in store for him4 ,he certainly looked deliciously funny as he sat there in the shadows1 vigorously twisting his arms and head in an effort to free himself4 ,quiet reigned in the neighbourhood of the church2 the lights had blinked out2 the bang of the closing shutters reassured ,jerry1 and she crept on her knees toward the unconscious captive1 loosed his horse's rein1 and led it rapidly toward her own horse1 a little farther back in the woods4 ,her blindfolded prisoner1 thinking his original captors were carrying him off1 renewed his efforts to free himself4 ,he tested the ropes and straps with which he was fastened by throwing himself first to one side1 then to the other1 as far as his gyves would permit1 at the same time frothily chewing his gag4 ,jerry gained her own saddle in the least bit of a panic1 and when she had mounted and made sure of the leading-strap with which her prisoner's horse was provided1 she rode on at a rapid walk until she reached the clearing1 where the stumps again grimly mocked her4 ,she stopped to listen1 and heard through the still night first one cry and then many voices in various keys of alarm and rage4 ,then she bent toward the prisoner1 tore the bandage from his eyes1 and with more difficulty freed him of the gag4 ,he blinked and spluttered at this unexpected deliverance1 then blinked and spluttered afresh at seeing that his captor was a young woman1 who was plainly not of his world4 ,jerry watched him wonderingly1 then addressed him in her most agreeable tone4 8,you were caught and tied by two men over there by a church4 ,i saw them1 and when they went off and left you1 ,i came along and brought you with me1 thinking to save your life4 ,i want to get home as quickly as possible1 and though ,i do not know you1 and am quite sure we never met before1 ,i hope you will kindly guide me to ,ardsley1 and thereby render me a service ,i shall always deeply appreciate40 ,mr4 ,bill ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 was well hardened to the shocks of time1 but this pleasant-voiced girl1 coolly sitting her horse1 and holding his own lank steed by a strap1 was the most amazing human being that had yet dawned on his horizon4 ,he was not stupid1 but ,jerry's manner of speech had baffled more sophisticated minds than ,appleweight's1 and the sweet sincerity of her tone1 and her frank countenance1 hallowed as it was by the moonlight1 wrought in the outlaw's mind a befuddlement not wholly unlike that which had possessed the wits of many young gallants south of the ,potomac who had laid siege to ,jerry ,dangerfield's heart4 ,but the cries behind them were more pronounced1 and ,appleweight was nothing if not a man of action4 8,take these things off'n me10 he commanded fiercely1 8and ,i'll see y' safe to ,ardsley40 8,not in the least10 replied ,jerry1 who was herself not unmindful of the voices behind4 8,you will kindly tell me the way1 and ,i will accommodate my pace to that of your own somewhat ill-nourished beast4 ,and as there's a mob looking for you back there1 all ready to hang you to one of these noble forest trees1 ,i advise you to use more haste and less caution in pointing the way40 ,appleweight lifted his head and took his bearings4 ,then he nodded toward one of the three trails which had so baffled ,jerry when first she broke into the clearing4 8,thet's the nighest10 said ,appleweight1 8and we'd better git40 ,she set the pace at a trot1 and was relieved in a few minutes to pass one or two landmarks which she remembered from her flight through the woods4 ,as they splashed through the brook she had forded1 she was quite confident that the captive was playing her no trick1 but that in due course she should strike the highroad to ,ardsley which she had abandoned to throw off the ,duke of ,ballywinkle4 ,it was now ten o'clock1 and the moon was sinking behind the forest trees4 ,jerry took advantage of an occasional straight strip of road to go forward at a gallop1 but these stretches did not offer frequently1 and the two riders kept pretty steadily to a smart trot4 ,they presented a droll picture as they moved through the forest--the girl1 riding cross-saddle1 with the stolen captive trailing after4 ,occasionally ,mr4 ,appleweight seemed to be talking to himself1 but whether he was praying or swearing ,jerry did not trouble herself to decide4 ,it was enough for her that she had found a guide out of the wilderness by stealing a prisoner from his enemies1 and this was amusing1 and sent bubbling in her heart those quiet springs of mirth that accounted for so much in ,jerry ,dangerfield4 ,as they walked their horses through a bit of sand the prisoner spoke3 8,who air y'u1 little gal80 ,jerry turned in the saddle1 so that ,appleweight enjoyed a full view of her face4 8,i am perfectly willing to tell you my name1 but first it would be more courteous for you to tell me yours1 particularly as ,i am delivering you from a band of outlaws who undoubtedly intended to do you harm40 8,i reckon they air skeered to foller us1 gal4 ,they air afeard to tackle th' ole man1 onless they jump in two t' one2 and they cain't tell who helped me git away40 ,he laughed--a curious1 chuckling laugh4 ,he had ceased to struggle at his bonds1 but seemed resigned to his strange fate4 ,he had not answered ,jerry's question1 and had no intention of doing so4 ,the sudden attack at the church had aroused all his cunning4 ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 was an old wolf1 and knew well the ways of the trapper2 but the bold attempt to kidnap him was a new feature of the game as heretofore played along the border4 ,he did not make it out2 nor was he wholly satisfied with the girl's explanation of her own presence in that out-of-the-way place4 ,she might be a guest at ,ardsley1 as she pretended1 but women-folk were rarely seen on the estate1 and never in such remote corners of it as ,mount ,nebo ,church4 ,as he pondered the matter1 it seemed incredible that this remarkable young person1 whose innocence was so beguiling1 should be in any way leagued with his foes4 ,he had several times called out directions as they crossed other paths in the forest1 and they now reached the main trunk road of the estate4 ,the red bungalow1 ,jerry knew1 was not far away4 ,her prisoner spoke again4 8,little gal1 ,i'm an ole man1 and ,i hain't never done y'u no harm4 ,your haouse is only a leetle way up thar1 and ,i cain't be no more use to y'u4 ,i want t' go home1 and if y'u'll holp me ontie this yere harness----0 and he grinned as he viewed his bonds in the fuller light of the open road4 ,then hoof-beats thumped the soft earth of another of the trails that converged at this point1 and ,ardmore and ,collins flashed out upon ,jerry and her captive1 amid a wild panic of horses4 ,appleweight twisted and turned in his saddle1 but ,jerry instantly held up her hand and arrested the inquiries of her deliverers4 8,mr4 ,ardmore1 this gentleman was most rudely set upon by two strangers as he was leaving a church over there somewhere in the woods4 ,i was lost1 and as his appearance at the time and place seemed almost providential1 ,i begged him to guide me toward home1 which he has most courteously done20 and ,jerry1 to give the proper touch to her explanation1 twitched the strap by which she held her prisoner's horse1 so that it danced1 adding a fresh absurdity to the wobbling figure of its bound rider4 8,you are safe60 cried ,ardmore in a low tone1 to which ,jerry nodded carelessly1 in a way that directed attention to the more immediate business at hand4 ,he was not at once sure of his cue1 but there seemed to be something familiar in the outlines of the man on horseback1 and full identification broke upon him now with astounding vividness4 8,jugs10 he began1 addressing the prisoner smilingly1 8dear old ,jugs1 to think we should meet again6 ,since you handed me that jug on the rear end of the train1 a few nights ago1 life has had new meanings for me1 and ,i'm just as sorry as can be that ,i gave you the buttermilk4 ,i wouldn't have done such a thing for billions in real money4 ,and now that you have fallen into the excellent hands of ,miss ,dangerfield----0 8,dangerfield60 screamed the prisoner1 lifting himself as high in the saddle as his bonds would permit4 8,certainly10 replied ,ardmore4 8,your rescuer is none other than ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield40 8,why1 gal10 began the outlaw1 8ef your pa's the guv'nor of ,no'th ,caroline1 him an' me's old frien's40 8,then will you kindly tell me your name80 asked ,jerry4 8,allow me to complete the introductions10 interrupted ,collins1 who had hung back in silence4 8,unless my eyes deceive me1 which is wholly improbable1 this is a gentleman whom ,i once interviewed in the county jail at ,raleigh1 and he was known at that time as ,william ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet40 8,you air right10 admitted the prisoner without hesitation2 and then1 addressing ,jerry3 8,yer pa would be glad to know his dorter had helped an ole frien' like me1 gal4 ,ye may hev heard him speak o' me40 8,but how about that message in the cork of the jug you put on the train at ,kildare80 demanded ,ardmore4 8,and why did you send your brother to try to scare me to death at ,raleigh80 8,that is not the slightest importance10 interrupted ,jerry1 gently playing with the tether which held ,mr4 ,appleweight2 8nor does it matter that papa and this gentleman are friends4 ,if this is1 indeed1 the famous outlaw1 ,mr4 ,william ,appleweight1 then1 papa or no papa1 friend or no friend1 he is a prisoner of the state of ,north ,carolina40 8,pris'ner60 bawled ,appleweight--8an' you the guv'nor's gal----0 8,you have hit the situation exactly1 ,mr4 ,appleweight2 and as far as the office of governor is concerned1 it is capably filled by the young gentleman on your left1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore4 ,let us now adjourn to his house1 where1 if ,i am not mistaken1 a bit of cold fowl is usually to be found on the sideboard at this hour4 ,but hold0--and ,jerry checked her horse--8where can we lodge this gentleman1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 until we decide upon his further fate80 8,we might put him in the wine cellar10 suggested ,ardmore4 8,no10 interposed ,collins4 8,i fancy that much of your fluid stock has paid revenue tax1 and most of it has passed none too lightly through the custom-house4 ,it would be unwarrantably cruel to lock ,mr4 ,appleweight in such quarters1 with the visible marks of taxation all around him4 ,still1 the sight of the stamps would probably destroy his thirst1 though his rugged independence might so far assert itself that he would smash a few of your most expensive importations out of sheer deviltry40 8,he shall be treated with the greatest consideration10 said ,jerry2 and thereafter1 no further adventure befalling them1 they reached ,ardsley1 where their arrival occasioned the greatest excitement4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,a ,,meeting ,,of ,,old ,,friends4 ,habersham's men had proved exceedingly timid when it came to the business of threshing the woods for ,appleweight1 whom they regarded with a new awe1 now that he had vanished so mysteriously4 ,they had searched the woods guardedly1 but the narrow paths that led away into the dim fastnesses of ,ardsley were forbidding1 and these men were not without their superstitions4 ,they had awaited for years an opportunity to strike at the ,appleweight faction2 they had at last taken their shot1 and had seemingly brought down their bird2 but their lack of spirit in retrieving the game had been their undoing4 ,they had only aroused their most formidable enemy1 who would undoubtedly lose no time in seeking revenge4 ,they were a dolorous band who1 after warily beating the woods1 dispersed in the small hours of the morning1 having found nothing but ,appleweight's wool hat1 which only added to their mystification4 8,we ought to have taken him away on the run10 said ,habersham bitterly1 as he and ,griswold discussed the matter on the veranda of the prosecutor's house and watched the coming of the dawn4 8,i didn't realize that those fellows lived in such mortal terror of the old man2 but they refused to make off with him until the last of his friends had got well out of the way4 ,i ought to have had more sense myself than to have expected the old fox to sit tied up like a calf ready for market4 ,we had all his friends accounted for--those that weren't at prayer meeting were marked down somewhere else1 and we had a line flung pretty well round the church4 ,appleweight's deliverance must have come from somewhere inside the ,ardmore property4 ,perhaps the game warden picked him up40 8,perhaps the ,indians captured him10 suggested ,griswold1 yawning1 8or maybe some ,martian came down on a parachute and hauled him up4 ,or1 as scarlet fever is raging at ,mr4 ,ardmore's castle0--and his tone was icy--8,appleweight was probably seized all of a sudden1 and broke away in his delirium4 ,let's go to bed40 ,at eight o'clock he and ,habersham rode into ,turner ,court ,house1 and ,griswold went at once to the inn to change his clothes4 ,no further steps could be taken until some definite report was received as to ,appleweight's whereabouts4 ,the men who had attempted the outlaw's capture had returned to their farms1 and were most demurely cultivating the soil4 ,griswold was thoroughly disgusted at the ridiculous failure of ,habersham's plans1 and not less severe upon himself for failing to push matters to a conclusion the moment the outlaw was caught1 instead of hanging back to await the safe dispersion of the ,mount ,nebo congregation4 ,it had been the most puerile transaction possible1 and he was aware that a report of it1 which he must wire at once to ,miss ,barbara ,osborne1 would not impress that young woman with his capacity or trustworthiness in difficult occasions4 ,the iron that had already entered into his soul drove deeper4 ,he had ordered a fresh horse1 and was resolved to return to ,mount ,nebo ,church for a personal study of the ground in broad daylight4 ,as he crossed the musty parlour of the little hotel1 to his great astonishment ,miss ,osborne's black ,phbe1 stationed where her eyes ranged the whole lower floor of the inn1 drew attention to herself in an elaborate courtesy4 8,miss ,barb'ra wish me t' say she done come heah on business1 and she like fo' to see yo' all right away4 ,she done bring huh seddle1 and war a-gwine ridin' twell you come back4 ,she's a-gittin' ready1 and ,i'll go tell huh you done come4 ,she got a heap o' trubble1 thet young missis1 so she hev10 and the black woman's pursed lips seemed to imply that ,professor ,griswold was in some measure responsible for ,miss ,osborne's difficulties4 ,as he stared out into the street a negro brought a horse bearing a better saddle than ,mingo ,county had ever boasted1 and hitched it near the horse he had secured for himself4 ,an instant later he heard a quick step above1 and ,miss ,osborne1 sedately followed by the black woman1 came downstairs4 ,she smiled and greeted him cordially1 but there was trouble in her brown eyes4 8,i didn't warn you of my coming4 ,i didn't want to be a nuisance to you2 but there's a new--a most unaccountable perplexity4 ,it doesn't seem right to burden you with it--you have already been so kind about helping me2 but ,i dare not turn to our oldest friends--,i have been afraid to trust father's friends at all since ,mr4 ,bosworth acted so traitorously40 8,my time is entirely at your service1 ,miss ,osborne2 but ,i have a shameful report to make of myself4 ,i must tell you how miserably ,i have failed1 before you trust me any further4 ,we--that is to say1 the prosecuting attorney of this county and a party he got together of ,appleweight's enemies--caught the outlaw last night--took him with the greatest ease--but he got away from us6 ,it was all my fault1 and ,i'm deeply disgusted with myself60 ,he described the capture and the subsequent mysterious disappearance of ,appleweight1 and confessed the obvious necessity for great caution in further attempts to take the outlaw1 now that he was on guard4 ,barbara laughed reassuringly at the end of the story4 8,those men must have felt funny when they went back to get the prisoner and found that he had gone up into the air4 ,but there's a new feature of the case that's more serious than the loss of this man----0 and the trouble again possessed her eyes4 8,well1 it's better not to have our problems too simple4 ,any lawyer can win an easy case--though ,i seem to have lost my first one for you10 he added penitently4 ,she made no reply1 but drew from her purse a cutting from a newspaper and handed it to him4 8,that's from last night's ,columbia ,vidette1 which is very hostile to my father40 ,he was already running over the heavily leaded column that set forth without equivocation the fact that ,governor ,osborne had not been in ,columbia since he went to ,new ,orleans4 ,it scouted the story that he was abroad in the state on official business connected with the ,appleweight case--the yam which ,griswold had forced upon the friendly reporter at the telegraph office in ,columbia4 ,the governor of a state1 the ,vidette went on to elaborate1 could not vanish without leaving some trace of himself1 and a ,vidette representative had traced the steps of ,governor ,osborne from ,new ,orleans until--the italics are the ,vidette's--he had again entered ,south ,carolina under cover of night and for purposes which1 for the honour of the state1 the ,vidette hesitated to disclose4 ,the writer of the article had exhausted the possibilities of gentle suggestion and vague innuendo in an effort to create an impression of mystery and to pique curiosity as to further developments1 which were promised at any hour4 ,griswold's wrath was aroused1 not so much against the newspaper1 which he assumed had some fire for its smothered trifle of smoke1 but against the governor of ,south ,carolina himself1 who was causing the finest and noblest girl in the world infinite anxiety and pain4 8,the thing is preposterous10 he said lightly4 8,the idea that your father would attempt to enter his own state surreptitiously is inconceivable in these days when public men are denied all privacy1 and when it's any man's right to deceive the press if he finds it essential to his own comfort and peace2 but the intimation that your father is in ,south ,carolina for any dishonourable purpose is preposterous4 ,one thing1 however1 is certain1 ,miss ,osborne1 and that is that we must produce your father at the earliest possible moment40 8,but0--and ,barbara hesitated1 and her eyes1 near tears as they were1 wrought great havoc in ,griswold's soul--8but father must not be found until this ,appleweight matter is settled4 ,you understand without making me speak the words--that he might not exactly view the matter as we do40 ,it was a painful subject2 and the fact that she was driven by sheer force of circumstances to appeal to him1 a stranger1 to aid her to perform a public service in her father's name rallied all his good impulses to her standard4 ,it was too delicate a matter for discussion2 it was a thing to be ignored2 and he assumed at once a lighter tone4 8,come6 ,we must solve the riddle of the lost prisoner at once1 and your father will undoubtedly give an excellent account of himself when he gets ready4 ,meanwhile the fiction that he is personally carrying the war into the ,appleweight country must be maintained1 and ,i shall step to the railway station and wire the ,columbia newspaper in his name that he is in ,mingo ,county on the trail of the outlaws40 ,the messages were composed by their joint efforts at the station1 with not so much haste but that an associate professor of admiralty1 twenty-nine years old1 could defer in the most trifling matters to the superior literary taste of a girl of twenty whose brown eyes were very pleasant to meet in moments of uncertainty and appeal4 ,he signed the messages ,charles ,osborne1 ,governor1 with a flourish indicative of the increased confidence and daring which ,miss ,osborne's arrival had brought to the situation4 8,and now10 said ,griswold1 as they rode through the meagre streets of ,turner's1 8we will go to ,mount ,nebo ,church and see what we can learn of ,appleweight's disappearance40 8,the ,north ,carolina papers are making a great deal of ,governor ,dangerfield's activity in trying to put down outlawry on the border10 said ,barbara4 8,marked copies of the newspapers are pouring into papa's office4 ,i can but hold ,mr4 ,bosworth responsible for that4 ,we may count upon it that he will do all in his power to annoy us0--and then1 as ,griswold looked at her quickly1 he was aware that she had coloured and averted her eyes2 and while1 as a lawyer1 he was aware that words of two letters might be provocative of endless litigation of the bitterest sort1 he had never known before that us1 in itself the homeliest of words1 could cause so sweet a distress4 ,it seemed that an interval of several years passed before either spoke again4 8,we are quite near the estate of your friend1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 aren't we80 asked ,barbara presently4 8,i fancy we are10 replied ,griswold1 but with a tone so coldly at variance with his previous cordial references to the master of ,ardsley that ,barbara looked at him inquiringly4 8,i'm sorry that ,i should have given you the impression1 ,miss ,osborne1 that ,mr4 ,ardmore and ,i are friends1 as ,i undoubtedly did at ,columbia4 ,he has1 for some unaccountable reason1 cut my acquaintance in a manner so unlike him that ,i do not pretend to explain it2 nor1 ,i may add1 is it of the least importance40 8,i was a little surprised10 returned ,barbara1 with truly feminine instinct for mingling in the balm of consolation the bitterest and most poisonous herbs1 8that you should have had for a friend a man who frankly follows girls whose appearance he fancies4 ,even ,mr4 ,ardmore's democratic enthusiasm for the downtrodden laundry girl does not wholly mitigate the winking episode40 8,he had1 only a few days ago1 invited me to visit him1 though ,i had been to his house so often that the obscurest servant knew that ,i was privileged even beyond the members of ,mr4 ,ardmore's own family in my freedom of the place4 ,when ,i saw that his house would be a convenient point from which to study the ,appleweight situation1 ,i wired him that ,i was on the way1 and to my utter amazement he replied that he could not entertain me--that scarlet fever was epidemic on the estate--on those almost uncounted acres60 ,and with a gulp and a mist in his eyes1 ,griswold drew rein and pointed1 from a hill that had now borne them to a considerable height1 toward ,ardsley itself1 dreamily basking in the bright morning sunlight within its cinture of hills1 meadows1 and forest4 8,i never saw the place before6 ,it's perfectly splendid60 cried ,barbara1 forgetting that ,griswold must be gazing upon it with the eyes of an exile viewing grim1 forbidding battlements that once hailed him in welcome4 8,it's one of the most interesting houses in ,america10 observed ,griswold1 who strove at all times to be just4 8,there's a flag flying--,i can't make out what it is10 said ,barbara4 8,it's probably to give warning of the scarlet fever2 it would be like ,ardy to do that4 ,but we must hurry on to ,mount ,nebo40 ,he knew the ways of ,ardsley thoroughly2 better1 in fact1 than its owner ever had in old times2 but in his anger at ,ardmore he would not set foot on the estate if he could possibly avoid doing so in reaching the scene of the night's contretemps4 ,he found without difficulty the trail taken by ,habersham's men1 and in due course of time they left their horses a short distance from the church and proceeded on foot4 8,it seems all the stupider in broad daylight10 said ,griswold1 after he had explained just what had occurred1 and how the captors1 in their superstitious awe of ,appleweight1 had been afraid to carry him off the moment they were sure of him1 but had slipped back among their fellows to wait until the coast was perfectly clear4 ,to ease his deep chagrin ,barbara laughed a good deal at the occurrence as they tramped over the scene discussing it4 ,they went into the woods back of the church1 where ,griswold began to exercise his reasoning powers4 8,some one must have come in from this direction and freed the man and taken him away10 he declared4 ,he knelt and marked the hoof-prints where ,appleweight had been left tied2 but the grass here was much trampled1 and ,griswold was misled by the fact1 not knowing that news of ,appleweight's strange disappearance had passed among the outlaw's friends by the swift telegraphy of the border1 and that the whole neighbourhood had been threshed over hours before4 ,it might have been some small consolation to ,griswold had he known that ,appleweight's friends and accomplices were as much at a loss to know what had become of the chieftain as the men who had tried so ineffectually to kidnap him4 ,from the appearance of the trampled grass many men had taken a hand in releasing the prisoner1 and this impression did not clarify matters for ,griswold4 8,where does this path lead80 asked ,barbara4 8,this is ,ardsley land here1 this side of the church1 and that trail leads on1 if ,i remember1 to the main ,ardsley highway1 with which various other roads are connected--many miles in all4 ,it's inconceivable that the deliverers of this outlaw should have taken him into the estate1 where a sort of police system is maintained by the forestry corps4 ,i don't at all make it out40 ,he went off to explore the heavy woods on each side of the trail that led into ,ardsley1 but without result4 ,when he came gloomily back he found that in his absence ,barbara had followed the bridle-path for a considerable distance1 and she held out to him a diminutive pocket handkerchief1 which had evidently been snatched away from its owner--so ,barbara explained--by a low-hanging branch of an oak1 and flung into a blackberry bush1 where she had found it4 ,it was a trifle1 indeed1 the slightest bit of linen1 which they held between them by its four corners and gravely inspected4 8,feminine1 beyond a doubt10 pronounced ,griswold sagely4 8,it's a good handkerchief1 and here are two initials worked in the corner that may tell us something--#8,g4 ,d4' ,it probably belongs to some guest at ,ardsley4 ,and there's a very faint suggestion of orris--it's a city handkerchief10 said ,barbara with finality1 8but it has suffered a trifle in the laundry1 as this edge is the least bit out of drawing from careless ironing40 8,and ,i should say1 from a certain crispness it still retains1 that it hasn't been in the forest long4 ,it hasn't been rained on1 at any rate10 added ,griswold4 8,but even the handkerchief doesn't tell us anything10 said ,barbara1 spreading it out1 8except that some woman visitor has ridden here within a few days and played drop the handkerchief with herself or somebody else to us unknown40 8,she may have been a scarlet fever patient from ,ardsley2 you'd better have a care60 ,and ,griswold's tone was bitter4 8,i'm not afraid2 and as ,i have never been so near ,ardsley before1 ,i should like to ride in and steal a glimpse4 ,there's little danger of meeting the lord of the manor1 ,i suppose1 or any of his guests at this hour1 and we need not go near the house40 ,he saw that she was really curious1 and it was not in his heart to refuse her1 so they followed the bridle-path through the cool forest1 and came in due course to the clearing where ,jerry had first confessed herself lost1 and thereafter had suffered the captured outlaw to point her the way home4 8,the timber has been cut here since my last visit1 but ,i remember the bridle-paths very well4 ,they all reach the highroad of the estate ultimately4 ,we may safely take this one1 which has been the most used1 and which climbs a hill that gives a fine outlook40 ,the path he chose had really been beaten into better condition than either of the others1 and they rode side by side now4 ,a deer feeding on a grassy slope raised its head and stared at them1 and a fox scampered wildly before them4 ,it seemed that they were shut in from all the world1 these two1 who but a few days before had never seen each other1 and it was a relief to him to find that she threw off her troubles and became more animated and cheerful than he had yet seen her4 ,his comments on her mount1 which was sorry enough1 were amusing2 and she paused now and then to peer into the tops of the tallest trees1 under the pretence that ,appleweight had probably reverted to the primordial and might be found at any minute in one of the branches above them4 ,her dark-green habit1 and the soft hat to match1 with its little feather thrust into the side1 spoke for real usage2 and the gauntleted hand that swung lightly at her side inadvertently brushed his own once--and he knew that this must not happen again6 ,when their eyes met it was with frank confidence on her part1 and it seemed to him that they were very old friends1 and that they had been riding through this forest1 or one identical with it1 since the world began4 ,it is thus that a man with any imagination feels first about a woman who begins to interest him--that there was never any beginning to their acquaintance that can be reckoned as time and experience are measured1 but that he has known her for countless years2 and if there be a poetic vein in him1 he will indulge in such fancies as that he has seen her as a priestess of ,aphrodite in the long ago1 dreaming upon the temple steps2 or that he has watched her skipping pebbles upon the violet storied sea against a hazy background of cities long crumbled into dust4 ,such fancies as these are a part of love's gentle madness1 and luckier than she knows is the girl who awakens in a lover this eager idealization4 ,if he can turn a verse for her in which she is added to the sacred ,nine1 personifying all sweet1 gentle1 and gracious things1 so much the better4 ,just what he1 on the other hand1 may mean to her2 just what form of deification he evokes in her1 he can never know2 for the women who write of such matters have never been those who are sincere or worth heeding1 and they never will be1 so long as woman's heart remains what it has been from the beginning--far-hidden1 and filled with incommunicable secret beliefs and longings1 and tremulous with fears that are beyond man's power to understand4 ,griswold had missed the white rose that he had begun to associate with ,barbara1 and he grew suddenly daring and spoke of it4 8,you haven't your rose to-day40 8,oh1 ,i'm beyond the source of supply6 ,i have a young friend1 a girl1 who makes her living as a florist--not a purely commercial enterprise1 for she experiments and develops new varieties1 and is quite wonderful2 and that white rose is her own creation--it is becoming well known4 ,she named it for me1 and she sends me at least one every day--she says it's my royalty--if that's what you lawyers call that sort of thing40 8,we lawyers rarely have anything so interesting as that to apply the word to6 ,so that rose is the ,barbara80 and it gave him a feeling of recklessness to find himself speaking her name aloud4 8,there are large conservatories on the estate1 over there somewhere2 ,i might risk the scarlet fever by attacking the gardener and demanding a ,barbara for you40 8,i'm afraid my little flower hasn't attained to the grandeur of ,ardsley10 she laughed4 8,but pray1 where are we80 ,they had reached the highroad much sooner than ,griswold had expected1 and he checked his horse abruptly1 remembering that he was persona non grata on this soil4 8,we must go back2 ,i mustn't be seen here4 ,the workmen are scattered all about the place1 and they all know me40 8,oh1 just a little farther6 ,i want to see the towers of the castle60 ,if she had asked him to jump into the sea he would not have hesitated2 and he was so happy at being with her that his heart sang defiance to ,ardmore and the splendours of ,ardsley4 ,they were riding now toward the red bungalow1 where he had often sprawled on the broad benches and chaffed with ,ardmore for hours at a time4 ,tea was served here sometimes when there were guests at the house2 and ,griswold wondered just who were included in the party that his quondam friend was entertaining1 and how ,mrs4 ,atchison was progressing in her efforts to effect a match between ,daisy ,waters and her brother4 ,the drives were nearly all open to the public1 so that by the letter of the law he was no intruder2 but beyond the bungalow he must not go4 ,sobered by the thought of his breach with ,ardmore1 he resolved not to pass the bungalow whose red roof was now in sight4 8,it's like a fairy place1 and ,i feel that there can be no end to it10 ,barbara was saying4 8,but it isn't kind to urge you in4 ,we certainly are doing nothing to find ,appleweight1 and it must be nearly noon40 ,it was just then--he vividly recalls the moment--as ,griswold felt in his waistcoat for his watch1 that ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield1 with ,thomas ,ardmore at her side1 galloped into view4 ,they were racing madly1 like irresponsible children1 and bore boisterously down upon the two pilgrims4 ,jerry and ,ardmore1 hatless and warm1 were pardonably indignant at thus being arrested in their flight1 and the master of ,ardsley1 feeling for once the dignity of his proprietorship1 broke out stormily4 8,i would have you know--,i would have you know----0 he roared1 and then his voice failed him4 ,he stared2 he spluttered2 he busied himself with his horse1 which was dancing in eagerness to resume the race4 ,he quieted the beast1 which nevertheless arched and pawed like a war-horse1 and then the master of ,ardsley bawled3 8,grissy6 ,i say1 ,grissy60 ,miss ,osborne and ,professor ,griswold1 on their drooping ,mingo ,county nondescripts1 made a tame picture before ,ardmore and his fair companion on their ,ardsley hunters4 ,the daughter of the governor of ,south ,carolina looked upon the daughter of the governor of ,north ,carolina with high disdain1 and it need hardly be said that this feeling1 as expressed by glacial glances1 was evenly reciprocal1 and that in the contemptuous upward tilt of two charming chins the nicest judgment would have been necessary to any fair opinion as to which state had the better argument4 ,the associate professor of admiralty was known as a ready debater1 and he quickly returned his former friend's salutation1 and in much the contumelious tone he would have used in withering an adversary before a jury4 8,pardon me1 but are you one of the employees here80 8,why1 ,grissy1 old man1 don't look at me like that6 ,how did you----0 8,i owe your master an apology for riding upon his property at a time when pestilence is giving you cause for so much concern4 ,the death-rate from scarlet fever is deplorably high----0 8,oh1 ,grissy60 cried ,ardmore4 8,you have addressed me familiarly1 by a nickname sometimes used by intimate friends1 though ,i can't for the life of me recall you4 ,i want you to know that ,i am here in an official capacity1 on an errand for the state of ,south ,carolina40 ,miss ,dangerfield's chin1 which had dropped a trifle1 pointed again into the blue ether4 8,you will pardon me10 she said1 8but an agent of the state of ,south ,carolina is far exceeding his powers when he intrudes upon ,north ,carolina soil40 8,the state of ,south ,carolina does what it pleases and goes where it likes10 declared ,miss ,barbara ,osborne warmly1 whereupon ,mr4 ,ardmore1 at a glance from his coadjutor1 waxed righteously indignant4 8,it's one thing1 sir1 for you to ride in here as a sightseer1 but quite another for you to come representing an unfriendly state4 ,you will please choose which view of the matter ,i shall take1 and ,i shall act accordingly40 ,griswold's companion spoke to him earnestly in a low tone for a moment1 and then ,griswold addressed ,ardmore incisively4 8,i don't know what you pretend to be1 sir2 but it may interest you to know that ,i am the governor of ,south ,carolina60 8,and this gentleman10 cried ,jerry1 pointing to ,ardmore with her riding-crop1 8though his hair is mussed and his scarf visibly untied1 is none other than the governor of ,north ,carolina1 and he is not only on his own property1 but in the sovereign state of which he is the chief executive40 ,professor ,griswold lifted his hat with the least flourish4 8,i congratulate the state of ,north ,carolina on having reposed authority in hands so capable4 ,if this young lady is correct1 sir1 ,i will serve official notice on you that ,i have reason to believe that a person named ,appleweight1 a fugitive from justice1 is hiding on your property and in your state1 and ,i now formally demand that you surrender him forthwith40 8,if ,i may introduce myself10 interposed ,jerry1 8,i will say to you that my name is ,geraldine ,dangerfield1 and that this ,appleweight person is now at ,mr4 ,ardmore's house40 8,i suppose10 replied ,miss ,osborne with gentle irony1 8that he has the pink parlour and leads the conversation at table40 8,you are quite mistaken10 replied ,ardmore2 8but if it would afford you any satisfaction to see the outlaw you may look upon him in my wine cellar1 where1 only an hour ago1 ,i left him sitting on a case of ,chateau ,bizet '#hb4 ,my further intentions touching this scoundrelly ,south ,carolinian ,i need not now disclose2 but ,i give you warning that the ,appleweight issue will soon and for ever be terminated1 and in a manner that will greatly redound to the credit and the glory of the ,old ,north ,state40 ,professor ,griswold's hand went to his moustache with a gesture that smote ,ardmore1 for he knew that it hid that inscrutable smile that had always baffled him4 8,i trust10 said ,griswold1 8that the prisoner1 whom we cannot for a moment concede to be the real ,appleweight1 will not be exposed to scarlet fever1 pending a settlement of this matter4 ,it is my understanding that the ,bizet '#hb is a fraudulent vintage that has never been nearer ,france than ,paris1 ,illinois1 and if the prisoner in your cellar drinks of it ,i shall hold you officially responsible for the consequences4 ,and now1 ,i have the honour to bid you both good-morning40 ,he and ,barbara swung their horses round and retraced their way1 leaving ,ardmore and ,jerry gazing after them4 ,when the shabby beasts from the stable at ,turner ,court ,house had borne ,miss ,osborne and ,griswold out of sight beyond the bungalow1 ,ardmore turned blankly to ,jerry4 8,have ,i gone blind or anything8 ,unless ,i'm crazy that was dear old ,grissy1 but who is that girl80 8,that is ,miss ,barbara ,osborne1 and ,i hope she has learned such a lesson that she will not be snippy to me any more1 if she is the president-general of the ,daughters of the ,seminole ,war40 8,but where do you suppose she found ,grissy80 8,i don't know1 ,i'm sure2 nor1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 do ,i care40 8,he said he represented the state of ,south ,carolina--do you suppose the governor has really employed him80 8,i do not10 said ,jerry emphatically2 8for he appears intelligent1 and intelligence is something that would never appeal to ,governor ,osborne4 ,it is quite possible10 mused ,jerry aloud1 8that ,miss ,osborne's father had disappeared like mine1 and that she is running his office with ,mr4 ,griswold's aid4 ,if so1 we shall probably have some fun before we get through with this40 8,if that's true we shall have more than fun60 exclaimed ,ardmore1 thoroughly aroused4 8,you don't know ,grissy4 ,he's the smartest man alive1 and if he's running this ,appleweight case for ,governor ,osborne1 he'll keep us guessing4 ,why did ,i ever send him that scarlet fever telegram1 anyhow8 ,he'll fight harder than ever for that1 and all ,i wanted was to keep him away until we had got all through with this business here1 so ,i could show him what a great man ,i had been1 and how ,i had been equal to an opportunity when it offered40 8,i wish you to remember1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that you still have your opportunity1 and that ,i expect you to carry this matter through to a safe conclusion and to the honour of the ,old ,north ,state40 8,i have no intention of failing1 ,miss ,dangerfield20 and with this they turned and rode slowly back toward the house4 ,professor ,griswold and ,miss ,osborne were silent until the forest again shut them in4 ,then1 in a sequestered spot1 ,griswold suddenly threw up his head and laughed long and loud4 8,it doesn't strike me as being so amusing10 remarked ,miss ,osborne4 8,they have ,appleweight in their wine cellar1 and ,i don't see for the life of me how we are going to get him out40 8,what's funny1 ,miss ,osborne1 is ,ardy--that he and ,i should be pitted against each other in a thing of this kind is too utterly ridiculous4 ,ardy acting as governor of ,north ,carolina beats anything that ever happened on this continent4 ,but how do you suppose he ever met ,miss ,dangerfield1 who certainly is a self-contained young woman80 8,the answer to that riddle is so simple10 replied ,miss ,osborne1 8that ,i am amazed that you fail to see it for yourself4 ,miss ,dangerfield is undoubtedly the girl with the winking eye40 8,oh no60 protested ,griswold4 8,i don't hesitate to announce that as a fact4 ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield1 beyond any question1 is the young lady whom ,mr4 ,ardmore1 your knight-errant friend1 went forth for to seek4 ,just how they met we shall perhaps learn later on4 ,but just now it seems rather necessary for us to adopt some plan of action1 unless you feel that you do not wish to oppose your friend40 8,oppose him6 ,i have got to whip him to the dust if ,i shake down the very towers of his stronghold6 ,it's well we have the militia on the road4 ,with the state army at our back we can show ,tommy ,ardmore a few things in state administration that are not dreamed of in his philosophy40 8,do you suppose they really have ,appleweight80 asked ,barbara4 8,not for a minute6 ,they told us that story merely to annoy us when they found what we were looking for4 ,that touch about the wine cellar is characteristically ,ardmoresque4 ,if they had ,appleweight you may be sure they wouldn't keep him on the premises40 ,whereupon they rode back to ,turner ,court ,house much faster than they had come4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,prisoner ,,in ,,the ,,corn-,,crib4 ,jerry and ,ardmore sat at a long table in the commodious ,ardsley library1 which was a modification of a ,gothic chapel4 ,it was on the upper floor1 with broad windows that had the effect of bringing the landscape indoors1 and the ,north ,carolina sky is1 we must concede1 a pleasant thing to have at one's elbow4 ,a large accumulation of mail from the governor's office at ,raleigh had been forwarded1 and ,jerry insisted that it must be opened and disposed of in some way4 ,governor ,dangerfield was1 it appeared1 a subscriber to a clipping bureau1 and they had been examining critically a batch of cuttings relating to the ,new ,orleans incident4 ,most of them were in a frivolous key1 playfully reviving the ancient query as to what the governor of ,north ,carolina really said to the governor of ,south ,carolina4 ,others sought causes for the widely-reported disappearance of the two governors2 and still other reports boldly maintained that ,governors ,dangerfield and ,osborne were at their capitals engaged in the duties of their respective offices4 8,it's a good thing we got hold of ,collins10 observed ,ardmore1 putting down a clipping from a ,new ,york paper in which the reports of ,governor ,dangerfield's disappearance were analyzed and tersely dismissed2 8for he knows how to write1 and he's done a splendid picture of your father on his throne attending to business2 and his little stingers for ,osborne are the work of genius40 8,there's a certain finish about ,mr4 ,collins's lying that is refreshing10 replied ,jerry1 8and ,i cannot help thinking that he has a brilliant future before him if he enters politics4 ,nothing pains me more than a careless1 ill-considered1 silly lie1 which is the best that most people can do4 ,but it would be very interesting to know whether ,governor ,osborne has really disappeared1 or just how your friend the ,virginia professor has seized the reins of state4 ,do you suppose he got a jug from somewhere1 and met ,miss ,osborne and----0 8,do you think--do you think--she may have--er--possibly--closed one eye in his direction80 asked ,ardmore dubiously4 8,mr4 ,ardmore0--and ,jerry pointed at him with a bronze paper-cutter to make sure of his attention--8,mr4 ,ardmore1 if you ever imply again by act1 word1 or deed that ,i winked at you ,i shall never1 never speak to you again4 ,i should think that a man with a nice sister like ,mrs4 ,atchison would have a better opinion of women than you seem to have4 ,i never saw you until you came to my father's house to tell me about the jug--and you know ,i didn't4 ,and as for that ,barbara ,osborne1 while ,i don't doubt that even in ,south ,carolina a ,daughter of the ,seminole ,war might wink at a gentleman in a moment of extreme provocation1 ,i doubt if she did1 for she lacks animation1 and has no more soul than a gum overshoe40 ,the obvious inconsistency of this pronouncement caused ,ardmore to frown in the stress of his thought2 and he stared helplessly along the line of the accusing paper-cutter into ,jerry's eyes4 8,oh1 cheer up60 she cried in her despair of him2 8and forget it1 forget it1 forget it6 ,i'll say this to you1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that if ,i ever winked at you--and ,i never1 never did--,i'm sorry ,i did it6 ,some time when you haven't so much work on your hands as you have this morning just think that over and let me know where you land4 ,and now1 look at these things1 please40 8,what is all this stuff80 he demanded1 as she tossed him a pile of papers4 8,they refer to the application for pardon of a poor man who's going to be hanged for murder to-morrow unless we do something for him2 and he has a wife and three little children1 and he has never committed any other crime but to break into a smoke-house and steal a side of bacon40 8,did he shoot in self-defence1 or how was it80 asked ,ardmore judicially4 8,he killed a painless dentist who pulled the wrong tooth10 answered ,jerry1 referring to the papers4 8,if that's all ,i don't think we can stand for hanging him4 ,i read a piece against capital punishment in a magazine once1 and the arguments were very strong4 ,the killing of a dentist should not be a crime anyhow1 and if you know how to pardon a man1 why let's do it2 but we'd better wait until the last minute1 and then send a telegram to the sheriff to stop the proceedings just before he pulls the string1 which makes it most impressive1 and gives a better effect40 8,i believe you are right about it10 said ,jerry4 8,there's an old pardon right here in this bundle which we can use4 ,it was made out for another man who stole a horse that afterwards died1 which papa said was a mitigating circumstance2 but the week before his execution the man escaped from jail before papa could pardon him40 8,suppose we don't let them hang anybody while we're running the state10 suggested ,ardmore2 8it's almost as though you murdered a man yourself1 and ,i couldn't tie my neckties afterwards without a guilty feeling4 ,i can't imagine anything more disagreeable than to be hanged4 ,i heard all of ,tristan und ,isolde once1 and ,i have seen half an ,ibsen play1 and those were hard things to bear1 but ,i suppose hanging would be just as painful1 and there would be no supper afterwards to cheer you up40 8,you shouldn't speak in that tone of ,afterwards1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 said ,jerry severely4 8,it isn't religious4 ,and while we're on the subject of religion1 may ,i ask the really1 truly wherefore of ,miss ,daisy ,waters's sudden return to ,newport80 and ,jerry's tone and manner were carelessly demure4 8,she went home10 replied ,ardmore1 grinning2 8she left ,ardsley for two reasons1 one of which she stated at the breakfast-table and the other she handed me privately40 8,she said at the breakfast-table that she was called home by incipient whooping-cough in the household of her brother-in-law's cousin's family40 8,as she has no brother-in-law1 that cannot be true4 ,what she said to me privately was that the house party had grown very much larger than ,mrs4 ,atchison had originally planned it1 and that ,i am so busy that so many guests must be a burden40 ,jerry stroked her cheek reflectively4 8,i thought ,miss ,waters wouldn't last long after ,i asked her if rusty-nail water really would remove freckles4 ,my own freckles are exactly seven in number1 and ,i am not ashamed of them2 but ,miss ,waters seemed very sensitive on the subject1 though ,i thought her freckles useful in diverting attention from her drug-store hair40 8,did you say seven80 inquired ,ardmore1 gazing eagerly into ,jerry's face4 8,i make it only six1 and there's one away over there under your left eye that seems very lonesome1 as though it suffered keenly from being so far away from its brothers and sisters on the other side of your nose40 8,mr4 ,ardmore0--and ,jerry again indicated the person addressed by pointing with the paper-cutter--8,mr4 ,ardmore1 it is downright impudent of you to talk to me about my appearance in any terms1 but when you speak of my face as though it were a map in a geography and of my freckles as though they were county seats1 or lakes1 or strange places in ,china1 then ,i must protest with all my strength4 ,if you don't change the subject immediately ,i shall refuse to pardon this person who killed the painless dentist1 and he shall be hanged by the neck till he be dead2 and you1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 will be guilty of his murder40 ,the discussion of ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield's freckles ceased abruptly on the appearance of ,big ,paul1 the forester4 8,a body of ,south ,carolina militia is marching across country from the south4 ,one of my men heard of it down at ,turner ,court ,house last night1 and rode to where the troops were encamped4 ,he learned that it was a practice march for the militia4 ,there's several companies of infantry1 so he reports1 and a piece of artillery40 8,bully for old ,grissy60 exclaimed ,ardmore4 8,they're coming this way1 are they1 ,paul80 ,and the three bent over the map4 8,that is the place1 sir4 ,they seem to be planning to get around ,turner's without stirring up the town4 ,but it would take a good deal to wake up ,turner's10 laughed the big ,german4 ,jerry placed her finger on the state line4 8,if they dare cross that--if they as much as dare60 8,if they dare we shall show them a few things4--,take all the men you need1 ,paul1 to watch their movements4 ,that will do40 ,the forester lingered4 8,you remember that we spoke the other day of the log house on ,raccoon ,creek1 where the ,appleweights had driven off our man80 8,yes1 ,paul4 ,it is where the state line crosses the heavy woods and the farthest outpost1 so to speak1 on my property4 ,when you cross the little creek1 you're in ,south ,carolina4 ,you said some of these ,appleweight fellows had been cutting off the timber down there1 if ,i remember rightly40 8,yes1 sir10 replied the forester1 twirling his cap awkwardly4 8,but some of the people on the estate have said----0 ,he broke off in an embarrassment so unlike him that ,jerry and ,ardmore looked at him curiously4 8,well1 ,paul1 what's the matter8 ,if the cabin has been burned down it's no serious matter40 8,why1 sir2 some of the men passing there at night say they see lights and hear sounds in the cabin1 though no one from the estate goes there4 ,a child died in the house last spring1 and--well1 you know how some of these people are60 8,ghosts60 cried ,ardmore4 8,the property is growing more valuable all the time6 ,tell them that whoever captures the ghost and brings it here shall have a handsome present4 ,so far it's only a light in an abandoned house--is that it80 8,well1 they say it's very strange10 and it was clear that the ,german was not wholly satisfied to have his employer laugh off the story4 8,cheer up1 ,paul4 ,we have bigger business on hand than the chasing of ghosts just now4 ,when we get through with these other things ,i'll go over there myself and take a look at the spook40 ,as ,paul hurried away1 ,jerry seized a pen and wrote this message3 ,rutherford ,gillingwater1 ,adjutant-,general1 ,camp ,dangerfield1 ,azbell1 ,n4 ,c43 ,move all available troops by shortest route to ,kildare at once and report to me personally at ,ardsley4 ,make no statements to newspapers4 ,answer4 ,,dangerfield1 ,governor4 8,i guess that will bring him running10 said ,ardmore1 calling a servant and ordering the message despatched immediately4 8,but when he comes1 expecting to report to the governor and finds that he isn't here1 what do you suppose he will do80 8,mr4 ,ardmore10 began ,jerry1 in the tone of sweet tolerance with which one arraigns a hopeless child--8,mr4 ,ardmore1 there are times when you tax my patience severely4 ,you don't seem to grasp the idea that we are not making explanations to inferiors in our administration4 ,colonel ,gillingwater will undoubtedly be a good deal surprised to get that message1 but when the first shock is over he will obey the orders of his commander-in-chief4 ,and the fact that he is ordered to report to ,ardsley will not be lost on him1 for he will see in that a possible social opportunity1 and a chance to wear some of his uniforms that he has never worn before4 ,he will think that papa is really here to test the efficiency of the troops1 and that as papa is a guest at ,ardsley1 which we know he isn't1 there will probably be some great social functions in this house1 with papa's staff dressed up and all shiny in gold braid4 ,since ,rutherford ,gillingwater had the typhoid fever during the ,spanish ,war ,i have not been sure that he is as much interested in fighting as he is in the purely circus work of being a soldier4 ,i just now recall that when papa was about to order out the troops to stop a railroad strike last spring1 ,rutherford ,gillingwater went to all the trouble of having tonsilitis1 and was so ill that he could hardly leave his room even after the strike had been settled by arbitration4 ,if he knew that there was likely to be a terrible battle over here instead of nice long dinners and toasts to #8,the ,old ,north ,state1' #8,our ,governor1' and #8,the ,governor's ,daughter1' his old wounds1 that he never had1 might trouble him so that they'd have to wrap him up in cotton and carry him home40 ,before luncheon a message was received from ,gillingwater1 to this effect3 ,governor ,william ,dangerfield4 ,ardsley1 ,n4 ,c43 ,en route with our entire available force in the field4 ,i am riding ahead with all speed1 and will report at ,ardsley at nine o'clock4 ,is full military dress de rigueur8 ,,gillingwater1 ,adjutant-,general4 8,isn't that just like ,rutherford6 ,he's afraid he won't be dressy enough2 but if he knew that the ,south ,carolina troops might shoot holes in his uniform he wouldn't be due here for a couple of weeks1 instead of at nine o'clock to-night20 and ,jerry laughed merrily4 ,they debated more seriously this telegram from ,collins at ,raleigh sent the previous evening3 ,can't maintain this bluff much longer4 ,even the friendly newspapers are growing suspicious4 ,state credit jeopardized by disappearance of ,treasurer ,foster4 ,billings1 of ,bronx ,loan and ,trust1 here in a great fury over bond matter4 ,do you know governor's whereabouts8 8,things are certainly growing more exciting10 was ,ardmore's comment4 8,i suppose even a gifted liar like ,collins can't muzzle the press for ever40 8,you can't go on fooling all ,north ,carolina all the time1 either10 said ,jerry1 8and ,i suppose when papa gets tired of being scared he will turn up in ,raleigh and tell some plausible story about where he has been and what has happened4 ,when it comes to being plausible no one can touch papa40 8,maybe he's dead10 suggested ,ardmore gloomily4 8,that's a real inspiration on your part1 ,mr4 ,ardmore2 and it's very sweet of you to mention it1 but ,i have no idea that any harm has come to papa4 ,it's too much trouble to get elected governor1 without dying in office1 and besides1 papa is none too friendly with the lieutenant-governor1 and would never think of allowing such a person to succeed him4 ,but those bonds seem rather serious1 and ,i don't like the idea of your ,mr4 ,billings making a fuss at ,raleigh40 8,that will be all right10 remarked ,ardmore1 blotting the last of a number of telegrams which he had been writing1 and pressing a button4 8,it's much more important for us to get ,appleweight into a ,south ,carolina jail2 and it's not going to be so easy to do1 now that ,grissy is working on the other side1 and angry at me about that scarlet fever telegram4 8,there may be trouble10 said ,ardmore to his guests as they sat at luncheon4 8,but ,i should hate to have it said that my guests could not be taken care of here perfectly4 ,i beg that you will all remain40 8,if there's to be a row1 why don't you call the police and be done with it80 asked a sad young member of the company4 ,his motor number had so often figured in reports of speed law violations that he was known as ,eighteen ,eighty4 8,i thought you came down here for quiet and not to get into trouble1 ,ardy40 8,if ,i miss my steamer nine days from to-day1 and meanwhile have to eat horse meat1 just as they did in the siege of ,paris1 ,i shall be greatly provoked1 to say the least10 remarked ,mrs4 ,atchison pleasantly2 for her brother's amazing awakening delighted her1 and it was a cheering experience that he promised1 of civil war1 battle1 murder1 and sudden death4 8,i think ,i shall spend more time in ,america after this10 remarked ,eighteen ,eighty4 8,i did not know that amusing things ever happened over here4 ,what did you say the name of this state is80 8,the name of this state10 replied ,miss ,dangerfield1 8is ,north ,carolina1 and ,i have my opinion of any native ,american who runs around ,europe all the time1 and who can visit a place in this country without even knowing the name of the state he is in40 8,but there's really no difference between ,north and ,south ,carolina1 is there80 persisted ,eighteen ,eighty4 ,jerry put down her fork1 and folded her hands beside her plate1 while she addressed the offender4 8,mr4 ,number ,something1 the difference between the ,old ,north ,state and ,south ,carolina is not merely geographical--it is also intellectual1 ethical1 and spiritual4 ,but may ,i ask you whether you know of which state you are a citizen80 ,a laugh rose as the sad young man flushed and looked inquiringly about4 8,i voted you in my precinct that time ,i ran for alderman in ,new ,york10 said ,ardmore1 8but that's no sign you had a right to vote there4 ,i shot ,ballywinkle through the booth at the same time4 ,i was a reform candidate and needed votes1 but ,i hoped ,bally would get arrested and be sent to jail4 ,my impression is that you are really a citizen of ,rhode ,island1 which is where ,newport is40 ,the debate as to ,eighteen ,eighty's legal residence was interrupted by the arrival of a summons for ,ardmore1 who hurriedly left the table4 ,big ,paul awaited him below1 mounted and holding a led-horse4 8,there's a line of the ,south ,carolina militia crawling through the woods toward ,raccoon ,creek4 ,they insist that it's a practice skirmish1 and that they've come over here because the landscape is naturally adapted to their purposes40 8,it's awfully nice of them to like my scenery4 ,you'd better send your best man out to meet ,colonel ,gillingwater of the ,north ,carolina militia1 and tell him to march all his troops into the estate by the north gates1 and to be in a hurry4 ,tell him--tell him ,governor ,dangerfield is anxious to have the staff present in full uniform at a grand ball at ,ardsley to-night40 ,ardmore rode off alone toward ,raccoon ,creek to catch a view of the enemy4 ,how far would ,griswold go8 ,this question he kept debating with himself4 ,his late friend was a lawyer and a serious one whom he had not believed capable of seizing the militia of one state and using it to make a military demonstration against another4 ,ardmore could go as far as ,griswold2 yet he was puzzled to know why ,griswold was in the field at all4 ,miss ,dangerfield's suggestion that ,griswold's interest in the daughter of the governor of ,south ,carolina accounted for his presence on the border seemed plausible at first2 and yet the more he thought about it the less credible it seemed1 for he was sure that ,griswold had talked to him about women with the frankness that had characterized all their intercourse1 and ,ardmore racked his brains in his effort to recall the few affairs to which the associate professor of admiralty had pleaded guilty4 ,memory brought these back to him slowly4 ,there was an ,old ,point ,comfort affair1 dating back to ,griswold's student days1 and to which he had referred with no little feeling once or twice2 and there was a ,york ,harbour affair1 that came a little later2 and there was the girl he had met on a steamer1 about whom ,griswold had shown sensitiveness when ,ardmore had made bold to twit him4 ,but ,ardmore could not account for ,miss ,osborne1 unless his friend had been withholding his confidence while seemingly wholly frank2 and the thought that this must be true widened the breach between them4 ,and when he was saying to himself that the daughters of governors are not in the habit of picking up cavaliers and entrusting state affairs to them1 and that it was almost inconceivable that the conscientious ,griswold1 at the busiest season at the university1 should have taken employment from the governor of ,south ,carolina1 he found that he had struck a stone wall1 and he confessed to himself that the situation was beyond him4 ,these reflections carried him far toward ,raccoon ,creek1 and when he had reached that tortuous stream he dismounted and tied his horse1 the more freely to examine the frontier4 ,the ,raccoon is never more than eighty feet wide1 but filled with boulders round which the water foams in many curves and splashes1 running away in the merriest ripples1 so that it is never wholly tranquil4 ,by jumping from boulder to boulder he crossed the turbulent tide and gained the other side with a sense of entering the enemy's country4 8,now10 he muttered1 8,i am in ,south ,carolina40 ,he drew out his map and held it against a tree the better to study it1 reassuring himself that his own property line embraced several sections of the forest on the south side of the state boundary4 8,if ,grissy shoots me1 it will be on my own land10 he said aloud4 ,he cautiously followed the stream until1 several hundred yards farther on1 and overhanging the creek1 he came upon the log cabin in which big ,paul had reported the presence of a ghost4 ,paul's story had not interested him particularly1 but now that he was in the neighbourhood he resolved to visit the cabin and learn if possible how ghosts amuse themselves by day4 ,he had thrust a revolver into his pocket before leaving the house1 and while he had no idea that ghosts may be shot1 he now made sure that the weapon was in good order4 ,as he sat on a log slipping the cylinder through his fingers he heard whistling farther along the creek1 followed quickly by the snapping of twigs under a heavy tread1 and a moment later a tall1 slender man broke into view4 ,the stranger was dressed like a countryman1 but he was unmistakably not of the ,ardsley force of workmen1 for these wore a rough sort of uniform4 ,his hands were thrust carelessly into the side pockets of a gray jeans coat4 ,they were thrust in deep1 so that the coat sagged at the pockets4 ,his trousers were turned up from a pair of rough shoes1 and he wore a gray flannel shirt1 the collar of which was guiltless of a tie4 ,he was smooth shaven1 and carried in his mouth a short pipe1 which he paused to relight when about a dozen yards from ,ardmore4 ,then1 as he held the lighted match above the pipe bowl for an instant to make sure his tobacco was burning1 ,ardmore jumped up and covered him with the pistol4 8,i beg your pardon10 said the master of ,ardsley1 8but you're my prisoner60 ,the stranger shook the flame out of the match-stick carefully and threw it away before turning toward his captor4 8,young man10 he said with perfect self-possession1 8don't fool with that gun2 it might go off40 ,his drawl was characteristic of the region2 his tone was one of amused tolerance4 ,ardmore was short of stature1 and his knickerbockers1 leggings1 and ,norfolk jacket were not wholly consonant with the revolver1 which1 however1 he levelled very steadily at the stranger's head4 8,you are an intruder on my property10 said the master of ,ardsley1 8and unless ,i'm much mistaken you have been playing ghost in that cabin4 ,i've heard about you4 ,your gang has been cutting off my timber about long enough1 and this game of playing ghost to scare my men won't do40 8,stealing your timber80 ,and the stranger was clearly surprised4 ,he held his pipe in his hand with his thumb over the bowl and seemed to take a more serious interest in his captor4 8,and now10 continued ,ardmore1 8,i'm about tired of having this end of the country run by the ,appleweights1 and their disreputable gang1 so ,i'm going to lock you up40 ,the stranger turned toward the cabin1 one corner of which was plainly visible1 and shrugged his shoulders4 8,i have nothing to do with the ,appleweights1 and ,i assure you ,i am not a timber thief40 8,then you must be the one who has lifted a few steers out of my herd4 ,it makes no difference just what branch of the business you are engaged in1 for we're picking up all the gang and you've got to come along with me40 ,the captive showed signs of anger for the first time4 ,his face flushed1 and he took a step toward ,ardmore1 who immediately threw up the revolver so that it pointed at the man's head4 8,stop right there6 ,we've got old man ,appleweight1 so you've lost your leader1 and ,i tell you the jig's up4 ,we'll have you all in jail before another twenty-four hours has passed40 8,i judge from the tone of your remarks that you are ,ardmore1 the owner of ,ardsley4 ,am ,i right80 8,you are quite right4 ,and you are a member of a disreputable gang of outlaws that has been bringing shame upon the state of ,north ,carolina4 ,now1 ,i want you to march straight ahead of me4 ,step lively now60 ,and ,ardmore flourished the pistol menacingly4 8,march60 ,the man hesitated1 flung up his head defiantly1 then moved slowly forward4 ,the flush in his face had deepened and his eyes flashed angrily2 but ,ardmore1 his cap on the back of his head1 himself presented a figure so severe1 so eloquent of righteous indignation1 that the stranger tamely obeyed him4 8,we will cross the creek right here10 he ordered2 8it's a pretty jump there from that boulder--there1 that was bully6 ,now right along there over the log--see the trail6 ,good60 ,it was warm and the captive was perspiring freely4 ,he moved along docilely1 and finding that he manifested no inclination to bolt1 ,ardmore dropped the revolver to his side1 but with his finger on the trigger4 ,he was very proud of himself2 for while to ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield undoubtedly belonged the honour of capturing the thief ,appleweight1 yet he had single-handed arrested a member of the famous gang1 and he had already resolved upon a convenient method of disposing of his prisoner4 ,they paused while ,ardmore mounted his horse1 silencing the captive1 who took the opportunity to break out protestingly against what he termed an infamous outrage upon personal liberty4 8,you've taken me from one state into another without due process of law10 declared the stranger1 thinking to impress ,ardmore1 as that young gentleman settled himself in his saddle4 8,go right on now2 that's a good fellow10 replied the master of ,ardsley1 lifting the revolver warningly4 8,whether it's ,north ,carolina or ,south ,dakota--it doesn't make a particle of difference to me4 ,as ,i remarked before1 it's my property1 ,i tell you1 and ,i do what ,i please here40 8,i'll show you whether you do or not10 snorted the prisoner1 who was trudging along doggedly with the nose of ,ardmore's horse occasionally poking his back4 ,they soon reached a field where some labourers were at work1 and ,ardmore called them to him for instructions4 8,boys1 this is one of the timber thieves2 put him in that corn-crib until ,i come back for him4 ,the nights are warm2 the sky is perfectly clear2 and you will kindly see that he does not lack for food40 ,two of the men jumped forward and seized ,ardmore's prisoner1 who now broke forth in a torrent of wrath1 struggling vigorously in the hands of the sturdy fellows who had laid violent hands on him4 8,that's right1 boys2 that's right2 easy there6 ,now in he goes40 ,a series of corn-cribs fringed the field1 and into one of these1 from which half the corn had been removed1 the prisoner was thrust sprawling upon the yellow ears1 and when he rose and flung himself round1 the door of the corn-crib slammed in his face4 ,he bellowed with rage now1 seeing that his imprisonment was a serious matter1 and that it seemed likely to be prolonged indefinitely4 8,they always told me you were a fool10 he howled1 8but ,i didn't know that anything as crazy as you are was loose in the world40 8,thank you4 ,the head of your gang is much more polite4 ,he's sitting on his case of ,chateau ,bizet in my wine cellar1 playing solitaire40 8,appleweight in your wine cellar60 bawled the captive in astonishment4 8,certainly4 ,i was afraid to lock him in a room with bath for fear it might give him hydrophobia2 but he's perfectly content in the wine cellar40 8,what are you going to do with him80 8,i haven't decided yet just what to do with him1 but the scoundrel undoubtedly belongs in ,south ,carolina1 and ,i have every intention of making his own state punish him40 ,the prisoner leaned heavily against his prison door1 and glared out upon his jailer with a new1 fierce interest4 8,i tell you ,i've nothing to do with the ,appleweights6 ,i don't want to reveal my identity to you1 you young beggar2 but ,i demand my legal rights40 8,my dear sir10 retorted ,ardmore1 8you have no legal rights1 for the writ of habeas corpus doesn't go here4 ,you seem rather intelligent for a barn burner and timber thief4 ,come now1 what is your name80 ,the prisoner gazed down upon the imperturbable figure of his captor through the slats of the corn-crib4 ,ardmore returned his gaze with his most bland and child-like air4 ,many people had been driven to the point of madness by ,ardmore's apparent dullness4 ,the prisoner realized that he must launch a thunderbolt if he would disturb a self-possession so complete--a tranquillity as sweet as the fading afternoon4 8,mr4 ,ardmore1 ,i dislike to do it1 but your amazing conduct makes it necessary for me to disclose my identity10 and the man's manner showed real embarrassment4 8,i knew it2 ,i knew it10 nodded ,ardmore1 folding his arms across his chest4 8,you're either the ,king of ,siam or the ,prince of ,petosky4 ,as either1 ,i salute you60 8,no60 roared the captive1 beating impotently against the door of the cage with his hands4 8,no6 ,i'm the governor of ,south ,carolina60 ,this statement failed1 however1 to produce the slightest effect on ,mr4 ,ardmore1 who only smiled slightly1 a smile less incredulous than disdainful4 8,oh1 pshaw6 that's nothing10 he replied2 8,i'm the governor of ,north ,carolina60 and mounting his horse he gravely lifted his hat to the prisoner and galloped away4 ,while ,mr4 ,ardmore was securing his prisoner in the corn-crib it may be interesting to return for a moment to the haunted log cabin on ,raccoon ,creek1 the interior of which was roughly but comfortably furnished4 ,above were two small sleeping-rooms1 and beside the bed in each stood a suit-case and a hand-satchel4 ,in each room hung1 on convenient hooks1 a long1 black frock-coat1 a pair of trousers of light cloth1 and a broad-brim black felt hat4 ,coat1 trousers1 and hat were exactly alike4 ,in the room below sat a man in his shirt-sleeves1 his feet on a cheap deal table1 blowing rings from a cigar4 ,he presented a picture of the greatest ease and contentment1 as he occasionally stroked his short brown beard1 or threw up his arms and clasped his hands about his head or caught1 lazily at the smoke rings4 ,on the table lay an array of playing cards and poker chips4 8,it's too good to last for ever10 the lone occupant reflected aloud1 stifling a yawn1 and he reached out1 with careless indifference1 toward a bundle of newspapers tied together with a piece of twine1 and drew one out and spread it across his knees4 ,he yawned again as though the thought of a world whose affairs were stamped in printer's ink bored him immensely2 and then the bold headlines that shouted at him across half a quarter of the sheet caused him to gasp1 and his feet struck the bare floor of the cabin resoundingly4 ,he now bent over the paper with the greatest eagerness1 muttering as he read1 and some of his mutterings were1 it must be confessed1 not without profane embellishment4 ,,two ,,cowardly ,,governors ,,missing ,,scandal ,,affecting ,,two ,,state ,,executives ,,is ,,the ,,appleweight ,,case ,,responsible8 ,,rumours ,,of ,,fatal ,,duel ,,on ,,state ,,line ,he read breathlessly the startling story that followed the headlines1 then rose and glanced anxiously at his watch4 8,am ,i drunk or mad8 ,i must find ,osborne and get out of this40 ,he leaped to the open door1 and gazed into the forest from a little platform that commanded all sides of the cabin4 ,and there1 to his utter amazement1 he saw men in khaki emerging cautiously from the woods4 ,they were unmistakably soldiers of some sort1 for an officer was giving sharp commands1 and the line opened out like a fan along the creek4 ,the observer of this manuvre mopped his head with his handkerchief as he watched the alert movements of the figures in khaki4 ,he was so absorbed that he failed to hear stealthy steps at the rear of the platform1 but he was now rudely aroused by two uniformed youngsters with ,s4 ,c4 ,n4 ,g4 on their caps1 who sprang upon him and bore him with a crash to the puncheon floor4 8,you're our prisoner60 shouted one of them1 rising when he found that the prisoner yielded without resistance4 8,what for80 blurted the captive1 sitting up and rubbing his elbow4 8,for being ,bill ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet4 ,get up1 now1 and come with us to headquarters1 or my instructions are to break your head40 8,who the devil are you80 panted the prisoner4 8,well1 if it's anything to you1 we're the ,south ,carolina militia1 so you'd better get up and climb40 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,flight ,,of ,,gillingwater4 8,it will be better for me to break the news to ,colonel ,gillingwater10 said ,jerry1 8and you must go out and meet the troops yourself1 with ,mr4 ,cooke and that amusing ,mr4 ,collins4 ,there is no telling what effect my tidings will have on ,rutherford1 or what he will decide to do4 ,he has never before been so near trouble as he is now1 and ,i may have to give him first aid to the injured when he finds out that the ,south ,carolina troops are on ,raccoon ,creek1 all ready to march upon our sacred soil40 8,but suppose your adjutant-general shouldn't go back to his troops after he sees you1 then what am ,i to do80 8,if you don't see him by ten o'clock you will take personal command and exercise your own discretion as to the best method of landing ,appleweight in a ,south ,carolina jail4 ,after that we must find papa1 and it will be up to him to satisfy the newspapers and his constituents with some excuse for his strange disappearance40 ,collins had come from ,raleigh on the evening train1 and he had solemnly assured ,ardmore that the present state of affairs could not be maintained another twenty-four hours4 ,he had exhausted his professional resources1 and the ,north ,carolina newspapers of all shades of opinion were clamouring for the truth1 and were insisting that1 for the honour and dignity of the state1 ,governor ,dangerfield should show himself in ,raleigh4 ,even the metropolitan press1 which ,collins had filled for several days with blithe stories of the administration's vigorous policy in the ,appleweight case1 had refused further matter from him4 8,we've got to find ,dangerfield or bust4 ,now1 where is that eminent statesman1 ,ardmore8 ,you can't tell me you don't know2 but if you don't1 ,miss ,dangerfield does1 and she's got to tell40 8,she hasn't the slightest idea1 but if the newspapers find out that he's really and truly missing1 he will have to show up2 but first we've got to take ,appleweight off that case of ,chateau ,bizet and lodge him in the jail at ,turner ,court ,house1 and let ,governor ,osborne have the odium of incarcerating the big chief of the border1 to whom he is under the greatest political obligations40 8,but it's all over the country now that ,osborne hasn't been seen in ,columbia since he and ,dangerfield had that row in ,new ,orleans4 ,cranks are turning up everywhere1 pretending to be governors of various states1 and old ,dangerfield is seen on all the outgoing steamers4 ,there's been nothing like it since the kidnapping of ,charley ,ross40 ,ardmore drew on his riding-gloves reflectively1 and a delighted grin illuminated his countenance4 8,i caught a lunatic down on the ,raccoon this afternoon who said he was the governor of ,south ,carolina1 and ,i locked him up40 8,well1 he may be ,osborne10 remarked ,collins1 with journalistic suspicion4 8,and he may be a ,swiss admiral or the king of ,mars4 ,i guess ,i'm a governor myself1 and ,i know what a governor looks like and acts like--you can't fool me4 ,i put this impostor where he'll have a chance to study astronomy to-night40 8,then he isn't on that case of ,chateau ,bizet with ,appleweight80 8,no2 ,i locked him up in a corn-crib until ,i get time to study his credentials4 ,come along now60 ,ardmore1 ,collins1 and ,cooke rode rapidly away through the wide gates of the estate along the ,sapphire road1 over which1 by his last bulletin1 the adjutant-general of ,north ,carolina was marching his troops4 ,they had left ,cooke's men with ,paul's foresters to guard the house and to picket the banks of the ,raccoon in the immediate neighbourhood of the camp of the ,south ,carolinians4 8,i guess those fellows can hold 'em till morning10 said ,cooke4 8,we've got to clean up the whole business by to-morrow night4 ,you can't have two states at war with each other this way without shaking up the universe1 and if federal troops come down here to straighten things out it won't be funny40 ,they had ridden about a mile1 when ,cooke checked his horse with an exclamation4 8,there's somebody coming like the devil was after him4 ,it must be ,gillingwater40 ,they drew rein and waited1 the quick patter of hoofs ringing out sharply in the still night4 ,the moonlight gave them a fair sweep of the road1 and they at once saw a horseman galloping rapidly toward them4 8,lordy1 the man's on fire60 gasped ,ardmore4 8,by ,george1 you're right60 muttered ,collins1 moving nervously in his saddle4 8,it's a human sunburst40 8,it's only his gold braid10 explained the practical ,cooke4 8,he must have on solid gold armour1 then10 declared ,collins4 ,seeing three men drawn across the road1 the horseman began to check his flight4 8,men60 he shouted1 as his horse pawed the air with its forefeet1 8is this the road to ,ardsley80 8,right you are10 yelled ,cooke1 and they were aware of a flash1 a glitter that startled and dazzled the eye1 and ,colonel ,rutherford ,gillingwater thundered on4 ,ardmore looked at his watch4 8,he's undoubtedly a man of action1 if ,i ever saw one2 and ,i think we are to be congratulated on having so gallant a commander for our troops10 said the master of ,ardsley2 but the sight of ,rutherford ,gillingwater had filled his soul with jealous forebodings4 ,he had heard that women are prone to fall in worship before warriors in their battle armour1 and he was sure that ,jerry ,dangerfield was a girl of infinitely kind heart1 who might not1 when face to face with the issue1 subject the man she had engaged to marry to any severe test4 ,they rode on1 however1 and saw presently the lights of camp-fires1 and a little later were ceremoniously halted at the roadside by an armed guard4 ,it had been arranged that ,collins1 who had once been a second lieutenant in the ,georgia militia1 should be presented as an officer of the regular army1 detailed as special aide to ,governor ,dangerfield during the encampment1 and that in case ,gillingwater failed to return promptly he should take command of the ,north ,carolina forces4 ,an open field had been seized for the night's camp1 and the tents already shone white in the moonlight4 ,the three men introduced themselves to the militia officers1 and ,collins expressed their regret that they had missed the adjutant-general4 8,governor ,dangerfield wished you to move your force on to ,ardsley should we fail to meet ,colonel ,gillingwater2 and you had better strike your tents and be in readiness to advance in case he doesn't personally return with orders40 ,captain ,collins1 as he had designated himself1 apologized for not being in uniform4 8,i lost my baggage train10 he laughed1 8and ,governor ,dangerfield is so anxious not to miss this opportunity to settle the ,appleweight case that ,i hurried out to meet you with these gentlemen40 8,appleweight60 exclaimed the group of officers in amazement4 8,none other than the great ,appleweight60 responded ,collins4 8,the governor has him in his own hands at last1 and is going to carry him across the border and into a ,south ,carolina bastille1 as a little pleasantry on the governor of ,south ,carolina40 8,he's had a sudden change of heart if he's captured ,appleweight10 remarked a major incredulously4 8,his policy has always been to let old ,bill alone40 8,it's only a ripple of the general reform wave that's sweeping the country10 suggested ,ardmore cheerfully4 8,turn the rascals out2 put the rascals in2 keep the people hopeful and the jails full4 ,that's the ,dangerfield watchword40 8,well1 ,i guess ,dangerfield knows how to drive the hearse if there's got to be a funeral10 observed the quartermaster4 8,the governor's not a man to ride inside if he can find another corpse40 ,and they all laughed and accepted the situation as promising better diversion than they had expected from the summer manuvres4 ,the militia officers gave the necessary orders for breaking the half-formed camp1 and then turned their attention to the entertainment of their guests4 ,ardmore kept track of the time1 and promptly at ten o'clock ,collins rose from the log by the roadside where they had been sitting4 8,we must obey the governor's orders1 gentlemen10 said ,collins courteously1 8and march at once to ,ardsley4 ,i1 you understand1 am only a courier1 and your guest for the present40 8,if you please10 asked ,cooke1 when the line had begun to move forward1 8what is that wagon over there80 ,he pointed to a mule team hitched to a quartermaster's wagon that a negro was driving into position across the rough field4 ,it was piled high with luggage1 a pyramid that rose black against the heavens4 ,one of the militia officers1 evidently greatly annoyed1 bawled to the driver to get back out of the way4 8,pardon me10 said ,collins politely1 8but is that your personal baggage1 gentlemen80 8,that belongs to ,colonel ,gillingwater10 remarked the quartermaster4 8,the rest of us have a suit-case apiece40 8,do you mean10 demanded ,ardmore1 8that the adjutant-general carries all that luggage for himself80 8,that is exactly it6 ,but10 continued the quartermaster loyally1 8you can never tell what will happen when you take the field this way1 and our chief is not a man to forget any of the details of military life40 8,in ,washington we all think very highly of ,colonel ,gillingwater10 remarked ,collins1 with noble condescension1 8and in case we should become involved in war he would undoubtedly be called to high rank in the regular establishment40 8,it's too bad10 said ,cooke1 as the three drew aside and waited for a battery of light artillery to rumble into place behind the infantry1 8it's too bad1 ,collins1 that it didn't occur to you to impersonate the president of the ,french ,republic or ,emperor ,william4 ,you'll be my death before we finish this job40 8,this won't be so funny when ,dangerfield gets hold of us10 grinned the reporter4 8,we'd better cheer up all we can now4 ,we're playing with the state of ,north ,carolina as though it were a bean-bag4 ,but what's that over there80 ,the pyramidal baggage wagon had gained the road behind them1 and lingered uncertainly1 with the driver asleep and waiting for orders4 ,the conspirators were about to gallop forward to the head of the moving column1 when ,collins pointed across the abandoned camp-ground to where a horseman1 who had evidently made a wide detour of the advancing column1 rode madly toward the baggage wagon4 8,the gentleman's trying to kill his horse1 ,i should judge10 murmured ,ardmore4 8,by ,jove60 8,it's ,gillingwater60 chorused the trio4 ,the rider in his haste had overlooked the men in the road4 ,he dashed through the wide opening in the fence1 left by the militiamen1 took the ditch by the roadside at a leap1 wakened the sleeping driver on the wagon with a roar1 and himself leaped upon the box and began turning the horses4 8,what do you think he's doing80 asked ,cooke4 8,he's in a hurry to get back to mother's cooking10 replied ,ardmore4 8,he's seen ,miss ,dangerfield and learned that war is at hand1 and he's going to get his clothes out of danger4 ,lordy6 listen to him slashing the mules60 8,but you don't think----0 ,the wagon had swung round1 and already was in rapid flight4 ,collins howled in glee4 8,come on6 ,we can't miss a show like this60 8,leave the horses then6 ,there's a hill there that will break his neck4 ,we'd better stop him if we can60 cried ,cooke1 dismounting4 ,they threw their reins to the driver of the wagon1 who had been brushed from his seat by the impatient adjutant-general1 and was chanting weirdly to himself at the roadside4 ,the wagon1 piled high with trunks and boxes1 was dashing forward1 ,gillingwater belabouring the mules furiously1 and1 hearing the shouts of strange pursuers1 yelling at the team in a voice shrill with fear4 8,come on1 boys60 shouted ,ardmore1 thoroughly aroused1 8catch the spy and traitor60 ,the road dipped down into the shadow of a deep cut1 where the moon's dim rays but feebly penetrated1 and where the flow of springs had softened the surface2 but the pursuers were led on by the rumble of the wagon1 which swung from side to side perilously1 the boxes swinging about noisily and toppling threateningly at the apex4 ,down the sharp declivity the wagon plunged like a ship bound for the bottom of the sea4 ,the pursuers bent gamely to their task in the rough road1 with ,cooke slightly in the lead4 ,suddenly he shouted warningly to the others1 as something rose darkly above them like a black cloud1 and a trunk fell with a mighty crash only a few feet ahead of them4 ,the top had been shaken off in the fall1 and into it head first plunged ,ardmore4 8,there's another coming60 yelled ,collins1 and a much larger trunk struck and split upon a rock at the roadside4 ,clothing of many kinds strewed the highway4 ,a pair of trousers1 flung fiercely into the air1 caught on the limb of a tree1 shook free like a banner1 and hung there sombrely etched against the stars4 ,ardmore crawled out of the trunk1 screaming with delight4 ,the fragrance of toilet water broke freshly upon the air4 8,it's his ammunition60 bawled ,ardmore1 rubbing his head where he had struck the edge of a tray4 8,his scent-bottles are smashed1 and it's only by the grace of ,providence that ,i haven't cut myself on broken glass40 8,thump6 bump60 sounded down the road4 8,are those pants up there80 asked ,cooke1 pointing1 8or is it a hole in the sky80 8,this10 said ,collins1 picking up a garment from the bush over which it had spread itself1 8has every appearance of being his little nightie4 ,how indelicate60 8,no10 said ,ardmore1 taking it from him1 8it's a kimona of the most expensive silk1 which the colonel undoubtedly wears when they get him up at midnight to hear the reports of his scouts40 ,they went down the road1 stumbling now and then over a bit of debris from the vanished wagon4 8,it's like walking on carpet10 observed ,cooke1 picking up a feathered chapeau4 8,i didn't know there were so many clothes in all the world40 ,they abandoned the idea of further pursuit on reaching a trunk standing on end1 from which a uniform dress-coat drooped sadly4 8,this is not our trouble2 it's his trouble4 ,i guess he's struck a smoother road down there4 ,we'd better go back10 said ,cooke4 8,whom the gods would destroy they first dress in glad rags10 piped ,collins4 ,they sat down and laughed until the negro approached warily with the horses4 8,he's lost his raiment1 but saved his life10 sputtered ,collins1 climbing into his saddle4 8,he's lost more than that10 remarked ,ardmore1 and his flushed countenance1 noted by the others as he lighted a cigarette1 was cheerfuller than they had ever seen it before4 ,in a moment they had climbed the hill and were in hot pursuit of the adjutant-general's abandoned army4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,on ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,turner',s4 8,who goes there80 8,a jug40 8,what kind of a jug80 8,a little brown jug from ,kildare40 ,thus ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore tested his pickets with a shibboleth of his own devising4 ,the sturdy militiamen of ,north ,carolina patrolled the northern bank of ,raccoon ,creek at midnight1 aware that that riotous flood alone separated them from their foes4 ,the terraces at ,ardsley bristled with the guns of the ,first ,light ,battery1 while1 upon a cot in the wine cellar beneath1 ,mr4 ,bill ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 slept the sleep of the just4 ,he was rudely aroused1 however1 at one o'clock in the morning by ,ardmore1 ,cooke1 and ,collins1 and taken out through the kitchen to one of the ,ardsley farm wagons4 ,big ,paul held the reins1 and four of ,cooke's detectives were mounted as escort4 ,ardmore1 ,cooke1 and ,collins were to accompany the party as a board of strategy in the movement upon ,turner ,court ,house1 ,south ,carolina4 ,appleweight1 the terror of the border1 blinked at the lanterns that flashed about him in the courtyard4 ,he had been numbed by his imprisonment1 and even now he yielded himself docilely to the inevitable4 ,his capture in the first instance at ,mount ,nebo had been clear enough1 and he could have placed his hand on the men who did it if he had been free for a couple of hours4 ,this he had pondered over his solacing solitaire as he sat on the case of ,chateau ,bizet in the ,ardsley wine cellar2 but the subsequent events had been altogether too much for him4 ,he had been taken from his original captors by a girl1 and while the ignominy of this was not lost on the outlaw1 his wits had been unequal to the further fact1 which he had no ground for disbelieving1 that this captivity within the walls of ,ardsley had been due to a daughter of that very governor of ,north ,carolina whom he had counted his friend4 ,why the girl had interested herself in his seizure and incarceration2 why he had been carried to the great house of a ,new ,york gentleman whom he had never harmed in the least2 and why1 more than all1 he should have been locked in a room filled with bottles bearing absurd and unintelligible titles1 and containing1 he had learned by much despairing experiment1 liquids that singularly failed to satisfy thirst--these were questions before which ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 bowed his head helplessly4 8,the road between ,kildare and ,turner's is fairly good10 announced ,cooke1 8though we've got to travel four miles to strike it4 ,griswold evidently thinks that holding the creek is all there is of this business1 and he won't find out till morning that we've crawled round his line and placed ,appleweight in jail at ,turner's where he belongs40 8,you must have a good story ready for the press1 ,collins10 said ,ardmore4 8,the ,north ,carolina border counties don't want ,appleweight injured1 and ,governor ,dangerfield don't want any harm to come to him--you may be sure of that1 or ,bill would have been doing time long ago4 ,the moral element in the larger cities and the people in ,boston and ,springfield1 ,massachusetts1 who only hear of ,appleweight in the newspapers1 want him punished1 and we must express to them our righteous indignation that he has been kidnapped and dragged away from our vengeance by the governor of ,south ,carolina1 who wants him in his own state merely to protect him4 ,we can come pretty near pleasing everybody if you work it right1 ,collins4 ,our manner of handling the matter will do much to increase ,governor ,dangerfield's popularity with all classes40 8,gentlemen1 it was very impolite of you not to tell me you were ready to start60 and ,jerry came briskly from the side entrance1 dressed for the saddle and nibbling a biscuit4 8,but you are not to go6 ,i thought that was understood60 cried ,ardmore4 8,it may have been understood by you1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 but not by me6 ,i should never forgive myself if1 after all the trouble ,i have taken to straighten out this little matter1 ,i should not be in at the finish4 ,will you kindly get me a horse80 ,miss ,dangerfield's resolution was not to be shaken1 and a few minutes later the party moved out from the courtyard4 ,cooke rode several hundred yards ahead2 then two detectives preceded the wagon1 in which ,appleweight sat on a cross-seat with two more of ,cooke's men on a seat just behind him4 ,he was tied and gagged1 and an old derby hat 7supplied by ,paul7 had been clapped upon the side of his head at an angle that gave him a jaunty air belied by his bonds4 ,though his tongue was silenced1 his eyes were at once eloquent of wonderment1 resignation1 and impotent rage4 ,beside the wagon rode ,miss ,jerry ,dangerfield1 alert and contented4 ,ardmore and ,collins were immediately behind her1 and she indulged the journalist in some mild chaff from time to time1 to his infinite delight1 though considerably to ,ardmore's distress of heart2 for1 though no words had passed between him and ,jerry as to the disgraceful flight of the adjutant-general1 yet the master of ,ardsley was in a jealous mood4 ,the moon had left the conspirators to the softer radiance of the stars1 but there was sufficient light for ,ardmore to mark the gentle lines of ,jerry's face1 as she lifted it now and then to scan the bright globes above4 ,paul drove his team at a trot over the smooth road of the estate to a remote and little-used gate on the southern side1 but still safely removed from the ,south ,carolina pickets along the ,raccoon4 8,it's all right over there10 remarked ,collins1 jerking his head towards the creek4 8,the fronting armies are waiting for morning and battle4 ,i suppose that when we send word to ,griswold that ,appleweight is in a ,south ,carolina jail it will change the scene of operations4 ,it will then be ,governor ,osborne's painful task to dance between law-and-order sentiment and the loud cursing of his border constituents4 ,the possibilities of this rumpus grow on me1 ,ardmore40 8,there is no rumpus1 ,mr4 ,collins10 said ,jerry over her shoulder4 8,the governor of ,north ,carolina is merely giving expression to his civic pride and virtue40 ,leaving ,ardsley1 they followed a dismal stretch of road until they reached the highway that connects ,turner's and ,kildare4 8,it's going to be morning pretty soon4 ,we must get the prisoner into ,turner's by five o'clock4 ,trot 'em up1 ,paul10 ordered ,cooke4 ,they were all in capital spirits now1 with a fairly good road before them1 leading straight to ,turner's1 and with no expectation of any trouble in landing their prisoner safely in jail4 ,a wide publication of the fact that ,appleweight had been dragged from ,north ,carolina and locked in a ,south ,carolina jail would have the effect of clearing ,governor ,dangerfield's skirts of any complicity with the border outlaws1 while at the same time making possible a plausible explanation by ,governor ,dangerfield to the men in the hills of the contemptible conduct of the governor of ,south ,carolina in effecting the arrest of their great chief4 ,they were well into ,south ,carolina territory now1 and were jogging on at a sharp trot1 when suddenly ,cooke turned back and halted the wagon4 8,there's something coming--wait60 8,maybe ,bill's friends are out looking for him10 suggested ,collins4 8,or it may be ,grissy10 cried ,ardmore in sudden alarm4 8,your professor is undoubtedly asleep in his camp on the ,raccoon10 replied ,collins contemptuously4 8,do not be alarmed1 ,mr4 ,ardmore40 ,cooke impatiently bade them be quiet4 8,if we're accosted1 what shall we say80 he asked4 8,we'll say10 replied ,jerry instantly1 8that one of the labourers at ,ardsley is dead1 and that we are taking his remains to his wife's family at ,turner's4 ,i shall be his grief-stricken widow40 ,the guards already had ,appleweight down on the floor of the wagon1 where one of them sat on his feet to make sure he did not create a disturbance4 ,at her own suggestion ,jerry dismounted and climbed into the wagon1 where she sat on the sideboard1 with her head deeply bowed as though in grief4 8,pretty picture of a sorrowing widow10 mumbled ,collins4 ,ardmore punched him in the ribs to make him stop laughing4 ,to the quick step of walking horses ahead of them was now added the whisper and creak of leather4 8,hello1 there60 yelled ,cooke1 wishing to take the initiative4 8,hey-,o60 answered a voice1 and all was still4 8,give us the road2 we're taking a body into ,turner's to catch the morning train10 called ,cooke4 8,who's dead80 8,one of ,ardmore's ,dutchmen4 ,shipping the corpse back to ,germany40 ,the party ahead of them paused as though debating the case4 ,the north-bound party was a blur in the road4 ,their horses sniffed and moved restlessly about as their riders conferred4 8,give us the road60 shouted ,cooke4 8,we haven't much time to catch our train40 8,who did you say was dead80 8,karl ,schmidt10 returned ,paul promptly4 ,ardmore's heart sank1 fearful lest an inspection of the corpse should be proposed4 ,but at this moment a wail1 eerie and heart-breaking1 rose and fell dismally upon the night4 ,it was ,jerry mourning her dead husband1 her slight figure swaying back and forth over his body in an abandon of grief4 8,de poor vidow--she be mit us10 called out big ,paul1 forsaking his usual excellent ,english for guttural dialect4 8,who are you fellows80 demanded ,cooke1 spurring his horse forward4 ,the horsemen1 to his surprise1 seemed to draw back1 and he heard a voice speak out sharply1 followed by a regrouping of the riders at the side of the road4 8,we been to a dance at ,turner's1 and air goin' back home to ,kildare10 came the reply4 8,that seems all right10 whispered ,ardmore to ,collins4 8,thus10 muttered ,collins1 8in the midst of death we are in life10 and this1 reaching ,jerry1 caused her to bend over the corpse at her feet as though in a convulsive spasm of sorrow1 whereupon1 to add colour to their story1 ,paul rumbled off a few consolatory sentences in ,german4 8,give us the road60 commanded ,cooke1 and without further parley they started ahead1 closing about the wagon to diminish1 as far as possible1 the size of the caravan4 ,paul kept the horses at a walk1 as became their sad errand1 and ,jerry continued to weep dolorously4 ,they passed the horsemen at a slight rise in the rolling road4 ,the party bound for ,turner's moved steadily forward1 the horsemen huddled about the wagon1 with ,jerry's led-horse between ,ardmore and ,collins at the rear4 ,at the top of the knoll hung the returning dancers1 well to the left of the road1 permitting with due respect the passing of the funeral party4 ,one of the men1 ,ardmore could have sworn1 lifted his hat until the wagon had passed4 ,then some one called good-night1 and1 looking back1 ,ardmore saw them--a dozen men1 he judged--regain the road and quietly resume their journey toward ,kildare4 8,pretty peaceable for fellows who've been attending a dance10 suggested ,collins1 craning his neck to look after them4 ,cooke turned back with the same observation1 and seemed troubled4 8,i was afraid to look too closely at those men4 ,they seemed rather too sober1 and ,i was struck with the fact that they bunched up pretty close1 as though they were hiding something40 8,they were afraid of the corpse10 remarked ,collins readily4 8,to meet a dead man on a lonely road at this hour of the morning is enough to sober the most riotous40 8,one fellow lifted his hat as we passed1 and ,i thought----0 8,well1 what did you think1 ,mr4 ,ardmore80 demanded ,cooke impatiently4 8,well1 it may seem strange1 but ,i thought there was something about that chap that suggested ,grissy4 ,it would be like ,grissy to lift his hat to a corpse under any circumstances4 ,he has spent a whole lot of time in ,paris1 and besides1 he never forgets his manners40 8,but suppose it was ,griswold10 said ,cooke1 wishing to dispose of the suspicion1 8what could he be doing out here8 ,he hasn't ,appleweight--we know that2 and he has just now missed his chance of ever getting him40 ,they paused to allow ,jerry to resume her horse1 and one of the detectives joined in the conference to venture his opinion that the men they had passed were in uniform4 8,they looked like militia to me10 and as he was a careful man1 ,cooke took note of his remark1 though he made no comment4 8,suppose they were in uniform10 said ,jerry lightly2 8they can do no harm1 and as we are now in ,south ,carolina1 and they are not our troops1 it would not be proper for us to molest them4 ,let us go on1 for ,mr4 ,appleweight's widow is not anxious to miss her train back to the fatherland40 8,if they were a detail of the enemy's militia1 they would have held us up10 declared ,cooke with finality4 ,but as they moved on toward ,turner's1 ,ardmore was still troubled over what had seemed to him the remarkable ,parisian courtesy of the returning reveller who had lifted his hat as the corpse passed4 ,grissy1 he kept saying over and over to himself1 was no fool by any manner of means1 and he was unable to conjecture why the associate professor of admiralty1 known to be detached on special duty for the governor of ,south ,carolina1 should be riding to ,kildare1 unless he contemplated some coup of importance4 ,the stars paled under the growing light of the early summer dawn4 ,appleweight1 with shoulders wearily drooping1 contemplated the attending cortege with the gaze of one who sullenly accepts a condition he does not in the least understand4 ,a few early risers saw the strange company enter and proceed to the jail2 but before half the community had breakfasted1 ,bill ,appleweight1 the outlaw1 was securely locked in jail in ,turner ,court ,house1 the seat of ,mingo ,county1 in the state of ,south ,carolina1 and the jailer1 moreover1 was sharing the distinguished captive's thraldom4 ,collins1 at the railway station1 was announcing to the world the fact that at the very moment when ,governor ,dangerfield was about to seize ,appleweight and punish him for his crimes1 the outlaw had been kidnapped in ,north ,carolina and taken under cover of night to a jail in ,south ,carolina where ,governor ,osborne might be expected to shield him from serious prosecution with all the power of his high office4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,raccoon4 ,mrs4 ,atchison met the returning adventurers at the door4 8,your conduct1 ,jerry ,dangerfield1 is beyond words60 she exclaimed1 seizing the girl's hands4 8,and so you really locked that horrid person in a real jail6 ,well1 we shan't miss him6 ,we have been kept up all night by the arrival here of other prisoners--brought in like parcels from the grocer's40 8,more prisoners60 shouted ,ardmore4 8,dragged here at an unearthly hour of the morning1 and flung into the most impossible places by your soldiers6 ,you can hear them yelling without much trouble from the drawing-room1 and we had to give up breakfast because the racket they are making was so annoying40 ,the captain of the battery whose guns frowned upon the terraces came up and saluted4 8,mr4 ,ardmore10 he said1 8,i have been trying for several hours to see ,governor ,dangerfield1 but this lady tells me that he has left ,ardsley40 8,that is quite true2 the governor was called away last night on official business1 and he will not return for an hour or two4 ,you will kindly state your business to me40 ,the captain was peevish from loss of sleep1 and by no means certain that he cared to transact business with ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,he glanced at ,miss ,dangerfield1 whom he had met often at ,raleigh1 and the governor's daughter met the situation promptly4 8,captain ,webb1 what prisoners have you taken1 and why are they not gagged to prevent this hideous noise80 ,seemingly from beneath the ample porte-cochre1 where this colloquy occurred1 rose yells1 groans and curses1 and the sound of thumps1 as of the impact of human bodies against remote subterranean doors4 8,they're trying to get loose1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 and they refuse to stay tied4 ,the fiercest row is from the fellows we chucked into the coal bins40 8,it's excellent anthracite1 the best ,i can buy2 they ought to be glad it isn't soft coal10 replied ,ardmore defensively4 8,who are they80 8,they're newspaper men1 and they're most terribly enraged10 answered ,captain ,webb4 8,we picked them up one at a time in different places on the estate4 ,they say they're down here looking for ,governor ,dangerfield40 ,collins grinned his delight4 8,oh1 perfect hour60 he sang4 8,we'll keep them until they promise to be good and print what we tell them4 ,the little squeaky voice you hear occasionally--hark6--that's ,peck1 of the ,consolidated ,press4 ,he scooped me once on a lynching1 and here is where ,i get even with him40 8,you have done well1 ,captain ,webb10 said ,jerry with dignity1 8and ,i shall urge your promotion upon papa at the earliest moment possible4 ,are these newspaper gentlemen your only prisoners80 8,no2 we gathered up two other parties1 and one of them is in the servants' laundry2 the other1 a middle-aged person1 ,i lodged in the tower1 where he can enjoy the scenery40 ,he pointed to the tower1 from which the flag of ,north ,carolina waved gently in the morning breeze4 8,the prisoner up there made an awful rumpus4 ,he declares he will ruin the whole state of ,north ,carolina for this4 ,here is his card1 which1 in a comparatively lucid interval1 he gave me to hand you at the earliest possible moment10 and ,captain ,webb placed a visiting card in ,ardmore's hands4 ,a smile struggled for possession of ,ardmore's countenance1 but he regained control of himself promptly1 and his face grew severe4 ,he gave the card to ,jerry1 who handed it to ,mrs4 ,atchison1 and that lady laughed merrily4 8,your prisoner1 ,captain ,webb1 is ,george ,p4 ,billings1 secretary of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company of ,new ,york4 ,what was he doing when you seized him80 demanded ,ardmore4 8,he was chasing the gentleman who's resting on the anthracite4 ,he chased him and chased him1 around a tea-house out here somewhere on the place2 and finally this person in the coal hole fell1 and they both rolled over together4 ,the gentleman in the coal hole declares that he's ,foster1 the state treasurer of ,north ,carolina1 but his face got so scratched on the shrubbery that he doesn't look in the least like ,mr4 ,foster40 8,i have sent him witch hazel and court plaster1 and we can get a doctor for his wounds1 if necessary10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison4 ,a sergeant rushed up in hot haste with a demand from ,colonel ,daubenspeck1 of the ,north ,carolina ,first1 to know when ,governor ,dangerfield could be seen4 8,the ,south ,carolina pickets have been withdrawn1 and our officers want orders from the governor in person10 said the messenger4 8,then they shall have orders60 roared ,ardmore4 8,if our men dare abandon their outposts----0 ,he turned and rode furiously toward the border1 and in his rage he had traversed a thousand yards before he saw that ,jerry was close behind him4 ,as they passed the red bungalow the crack of scattering rifle-shots reached them4 8,go back6 ,go back6 ,the war's begun60 cried ,ardmore2 but1 though he quickened the pace of his horse1 ,jerry clung to his side4 8,if there's war1 and ,i hope there is1 ,i shall not shrink from the firing line1 ,mr4 ,ardmore40 ,as they dashed into their own lines they came upon the regimental officers1 seated in comfortable chairs from the red bungalow1 calmly engaged in a game of cards4 8,great ,god1 men60 blurted ,ardmore1 8why do you sit here when the state's honour is threatened8 ,where was that firing80 8,you seem rather placid1 gentlemen1 to say the least10 added ,jerry1 coldly bowing to the officers1 who had risen at her approach4 8,unless ,i am greatly mistaken1 that is the flag of ,south ,carolina ,i see flaunted in yonder field40 ,and she pointed with a gauntleted hand to a palmetto flag beyond the creek4 8,it is1 ,miss ,dangerfield10 replied the colonel politely1 8and you can see their pickets occasionally1 but they have been drawn back from the creek1 and ,i apprehend no immediate advance40 8,no advance6 ,who are we to wait for them to offer battle8 ,who are we to play bridge and wait upon the pleasure of a cowardly enemy80 and ,jerry gazed upon the furious ,ardmore with admiration1 as he roared at the officers1 who stood holding their caps deferentially before the daughter of their commander-in-chief4 ,ardmore1 it was clear1 they did not take very seriously1 a fact which she inwardly resented4 8,i don't think it would be quite fair10 said the colonel mildly1 8to force issues to-day40 8,not force issues60 yelled ,ardmore4 8,with your brave sons of our ,old ,north ,state1 not force battle6 ,in the name of the constitution1 ,i ask you1 why not80 8,for the reason10 replied the colonel1 8that the ,south ,carolina troops ate heavily of green apples last night in an orchard over there by their camp1 and they have barely enough men to maintain their pickets this morning4 ,these1 you can see1 they have withdrawn a considerable distance from the creek40 8,then tell me why they have been firing upon our lines8 ,why have they been permitted to shoot at our helpless and unresisting men if they are not ready for war80 8,they were not shooting at our men1 ,mr4 ,ardmore4 ,their pickets are very tired from loss of sleep1 and they were trying to keep awake by shooting at a buzzard that hung over a field yonder1 where there is1 our scouts inform us1 a dead calf lying in one of your pastures40 8,they shall have better meat6 ,buzzards shall eat the whole state of ,south ,carolina before night6 ,colonel1 ,i order you to prepare at once to move your troops across that creek40 ,the colonel hesitated4 8,i regret to say1 sir1 that we have no pontoons60 8,pontoons6 ,pontoons6 ,what1 by the shade of ,napoleon1 do you want with pontoons when you have legs8 ,again1 sir1 ,i order you to advance your men60 ,it was at this crisis that ,jerry lifted her chin a trifle and calmly addressed the reluctant colonel4 8,colonel ,daubenspeck1 in my father's name1 ,i order you to throw your troops across the ,raccoon60 ,a moment later the clear notes of the bugle rose above the splash and bubble of the creek4 ,there was no opportunity for a grand onward sweep2 it must be a scramble for the southern shore over the rocks and fallen timber in that mad torrent4 ,and the ,raccoon is a stream from all time dedicated to noble uses and destined to hold mighty kingdoms in leash4 ,one might well hesitate before crossing this wayward ,rubicon4 ,the ,mississippi is merely an excuse for appropriations1 the ,potomac the sporting ground of congressmen and shad4 ,no other known stream is so happily calculated as the foamy ,raccoon to delight at once the gods of battle and the gentle sons of song4 ,it marks one of those impatient flings of nature in which1 bored with creating orderly1 broadly-flowing streams1 or varying the landscape with quiet woodlands or meadows1 she abandons herself for a moment to madness and1 shaking water and rock together as in a dice-box1 splashes them out with joyous laughter4 ,jerry ,dangerfield1 seated upon her horse on a slight rise under a clump of trees a little way back from the stream1 coolly munched a cracker and sipped coffee from a tin cup4 ,ardmore1 again calm1 now that ,daubenspeck had been spurred to action1 smoked his pipe and watched the army prepare to advance4 ,beyond the creek1 and somewhat removed from it on the ,south ,carolina side1 a rifle cracked1 and far against the blue arch a huge1 black1 languorous object1 rising with a last supreme effort1 as though to claim refuge of heaven1 fell clawing at space with sprawling wings1 then collapsed and pitched earthward until the trees on the farther shore hid it from sight4 ,a feeble cheer rose in the distance4 8,they sound pretty tame over there10 remarked ,ardmore critically4 8,there's no ginger in that cheer40 8,the ginger10 suggested ,colonel ,daubenspeck ironically1 8is probably all in their stomachs40 ,one gun from the battery was brought down and placed on a slight eminence to support the advance1 for which all was now in readiness4 ,the bugle sang again1 and the men of one company sprang forward and began leaping from rock to rock1 silently1 steadily moving upon the farther shore4 ,here and there some brown khaki-clad figure slipped and splashed into the stream with a wild confusion of brown leggings2 but on they went intrepidly4 ,the captain1 leading his men through the torrent1 was first to gain the southern shore4 ,he waved his sword1 and with a shout his men clambered up the bank and formed in neat alignment4 ,this was hardly accomplished before a uniformed figure dashed from a neighbouring blackberry thicket and waved a white handkerchief4 ,he bore something in his hand1 which to ,ardmore's straining vision seemed to be a small wicker basket4 8,it's a flag of truce60 exclaimed ,colonel ,daubenspeck1 and a sigh that expressed incontestable relief broke from that officer4 8,the cowards60 cried ,ardmore4 8,does that mean they won't fight80 8,it means that hostilities must cease until we have permitted the bearer of the flag to carry his message into our lines40 ,the man with the basket was already crossing the creek in charge of a corporal4 8,i have read somewhere about being careful of the ,greeks bearing gifts10 said ,jerry4 8,there may be something annoying in that basket40 ,the bearer of the basket gained the ,north ,carolina shore and strode rapidly toward ,miss ,dangerfield1 ,ardmore1 and ,colonel ,daubenspeck4 ,he handed the trifle of a basket to the colonel1 who gazed upon its contents for a moment with unspeakable rage4 ,the colour mounted in his neck almost to the point of apoplexy1 and his voice bellowed forth an oath so bleak1 so fraught with peril to the human race1 that ,jerry shuddered and turned away her head as from a blast of flame4 ,the colonel cast the wicker basket from him with a force that nearly tore him from his saddle4 ,it struck against a tree1 spilling upon the earth six small1 hard1 bright green apples4 8,my letter10 said the emissary soberly1 8is for ,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore1 and1 unless ,i am mistaken1 you are that gentleman40 ,ardmore seized a long envelope which the man extended1 tore it open1 and read3-- ,thomas ,ardmore1 ,esq41 ,acting ,governor of ,north ,carolina1 ,in the ,field3 ,,sir--,as ,i understand the present unhappy differences between the states of ,north and ,south ,carolina1 they are due to a reluctance on the part of the governor of ,north ,carolina to take steps toward bringing to proper punishment in ,north ,carolina an outlaw named ,appleweight4 ,i have the honour to inform you that that person is now in jail at ,kildare1 ,dilwell ,county1 ,north ,carolina1 properly guarded by men who will not flinch4 ,if necessary ,i will support them with every ,south ,carolinian able to bear arms4 ,this being the case1 a casus belli no longer exists1 and to prevent the effusion of blood ,i beg you to cease your hostile demonstrations on our frontier4 ,our men seized a few prisoners during the night1 and ,i am willing to meet you to arrange an exchange on the terms proper in such cases4 ,i am1 sir1 your obedient servant1 ,,henry ,,maine ,,griswold1 ,for the ,governor of ,south ,carolina4 8,the nerve of it6 ,the sublime cheek of it60 exclaimed ,ardmore1 though the sight of ,griswold's well-known handwriting had shaken him for the moment4 8,as a bluffer your little friend is quite a wonder10 was ,jerry's only comment when she had read the letter4 ,ardmore promptly wrote on the back of ,griswold's letter this reply3-- ,henry ,maine ,griswold1 ,esq41 ,assistant ,professor of ,admiralty1 ,camp ,buzzard1 ,s4 ,c43 ,,sir--,appleweight is under strong guard in the jail at ,turner ,court ,house1 ,mingo ,county1 ,south ,carolina4 ,i shall take pleasure in meeting you at ,ardsley at five o'clock this afternoon for the proposed exchange of prisoners4 ,to satisfy your curiosity the man ,appleweight will be produced there for your observation and identification4 ,i have the honour1 sir1 to remain1 with high regard and admiration1 your obliged and obedient servant1 ,,thomas ,,ardmore1 ,acting ,governor of ,north ,carolina4 8,putting #8professor' on that will make him crazy10 remarked ,ardmore to ,jerry4 ,the messenger departed1 but recrossed the ,raccoon shortly with a formal note agreeing to an armistice until after the meeting proposed at ,ardsley4 8,colonel ,daubenspeck1 you may withdraw your men and go into camp until further orders10 said ,jerry1 and the notes of the bugle singing the recall rose sweetly upon the air4 8,by ,george10 said ,ardmore1 as he and ,jerry rode away1 8we'll throw it into old ,grissy in a way that will jar the professor4 ,but when it comes to the exchange of prisoners1 ,i must tell the boys to bring up that chap ,i locked in the corn-crib4 ,i had clean forgotten him40 8,i don't think you mentioned him1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 but ,i suppose he's one of the ,appleweight ruffians40 8,undoubtedly10 replied ,ardmore1 whose spirits had never been higher1 8though the fellow was not without his pleasant humour4 ,he insisted with great vigour that he is the governor of ,south ,carolina40 8,i wonder0--and ,jerry spoke wistfully--8,i wonder where papa is60 8,well1 he's not in the corn-crib2 be sure of that40 8,papa looks every inch the statesman10 replied ,jerry proudly1 8and in his frock-coat no one could ever mistake him for other than the patriot he is40 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,in ,,the ,,red ,,bungalow4 8,what do you think10 cried ,mrs4 ,atchison1 glowing before ,jerry and ,ardmore on their return2 8we have a new guest60 8,in the coal cellar80 inquired her brother4 8,no1 in the blue room adjoining ,miss ,dangerfield's6 ,and what do you think6 ,it is none other than the daughter of the governor of ,south ,carolina40 8,oh1 ,nellie60 gasped ,ardmore4 8,why1 what's the matter80 demanded ,mrs4 ,atchison4 8,i had gone in to ,turner's to look at that memorial church we're building there1 and ,i learned from the rector that ,miss ,osborne1 with only a maid1 was stopping at that wretched hole called the ,majestic ,hotel4 ,i had met ,miss ,osborne in ,washington last winter1 and you may forget1 ,tommy1 that on our mother's side ,i am a ,daughter of the ,seminole ,war1 a society of which ,miss ,osborne is the president-general4--,i hope ,miss ,osborne's presence here will not be offensive to you1 ,miss ,dangerfield4 ,she seemed reluctant to come1 but ,i simply would not take no1 and ,i am to send for her at four o'clock40 8,miss ,osborne's presence is not only agreeable to me1 ,mrs4 ,atchison10 responded ,jerry1 8but ,i shall join you in welcoming her4 ,i have heard that the ancestor through whom ,barbara ,osborne derives membership in the ,daughters of the ,seminole ,war was afterward convicted of robbing an orphan of whose estate he was the trusted executor1 and such being the case ,i feel that the commonest ,christian charity demands that ,i should treat her with the most kindly consideration4 ,i shall gather some roses1 with your permission1 and have them waiting in her room when she arrives1 with my card and compliments40 ,ardmore had rarely been so busy as during the afternoon4 ,several more newspaper correspondents were found prowling about the estate1 and they were added to the howling mob in the ,ardsley cellars4 ,collins searched them and read their instructions with interest4 ,they were all commissioned to find the lost governors of ,north and ,south ,carolina2 and a number were instructed to investigate a rumour that ,north ,carolina was about to default her bonds through malfeasance of the state treasurer4 ,it was clear from the fact that practically every newspaper in ,new ,york had sent its best man to the field that the world waited anxiously for news from the border4 8,it has all happened very handily for us10 said ,collins2 8we've got the highest-priced newspaper talent in the world right under our hands1 and before we turn them loose we'll dictate exactly what history is to know of these dark proceedings4 ,those fellows couldn't get anything out of either ,kildare or ,turner's for some time1 as ,paul's men have cut the wires and ,cooke has operators at the railway stations to see that nothing is sent out40 8,when we've settled with ,griswold and proved to him that he's lost out and that the real ,mr4 ,appleweight is in his jail1 not ours1 we'll have to find ,governor ,dangerfield and be mighty quick about it10 replied ,ardmore4 8,paul says there's a battery of ,south ,carolina artillery guarding the ,dilwell ,county jail1 and that they've fooled the people into thinking they're ,north ,carolina troops1 and nobody can get within four blocks of the jail4 ,they must have somebody in jail at ,kildare4 ,i don't like the looks of it4 ,i hope those men we left guarding old ,appleweight in the ,mingo jail know their business4 ,it would be nasty to lose that old chap after all the trouble he's given us40 8,they'll keep him or eat him1 if ,i know old ,cookie40 ,jerry--a pleasing figure to contemplate in white lawn and blue ribbons--suggested that the meeting take place in the library1 as more like an imperial council chamber2 but ,ardmore warmly dissented from this4 ,a peace should never be signed1 he maintained1 in so large a house as ,ardsley4 ,at ,appomattox and in many other cases that he recalled1 the opponents met in humble farmhouses4 ,it would be well1 however1 to have the meeting on the estate1 for the property would thus become historic1 but it would never do to have it take place in the ,ardsley library4 8,there should be great difficulty in securing pens and paper10 ,ardmore continued1 8and we must decline to accept the swords of our fallen foes40 ,they finally agreed on the red bungalow as convenient and sufficiently modest for the purpose4 ,and so it was arranged4 ,a few minutes before five the flag of ,north ,carolina was hung from the wide veranda of the bungalow4 ,at the door stood an armed militiaman4 ,colonel ,daubenspeck had been invited to be present1 and he appeared accompanied by several other officers in full uniform4 ,word of the meeting-place had been sent through the lines to the enemy1 and the messenger rode back with ,griswold1 who was followed quickly by the adjutant-general of ,south ,carolina and half a dozen other officers4 ,the guard saluted as ,griswold ran up the steps of the veranda1 and at the door ,ardmore met him and greeted him formally4 ,at the end of a long table ,jerry ,dangerfield sat with her arms folded4 ,she wore1 as befitting the occasion1 a gray riding-dress and a gray felt hat perched a trifle to one side4 ,she bowed coldly to ,griswold1 whose hand1 as he surveyed the room and glanced out at the flag that fluttered in the doorway1 went to his moustache with that gesture that ,ardmore so greatly disliked2 but ,griswold again bowed gravely to his adversaries4 8,miss ,dangerfield1 and gentlemen10 began ,griswold1 with an air of addressing a supreme tribunal1 8,i believe this whole matter depends upon the arrest of one ,appleweight1 a well-known outlaw of ,north ,carolina----0 8,i beg your pardon----0 ,it was ,jerry who interrupted him1 her little fists clenching1 a glint of fire in her eyes4 8,it is for me to ask your pardon1 ,miss ,dangerfield6 ,let us agree that this person is an unworthy citizen of any state1 and proceed4 ,it has been your endeavour to see this man under arrest in ,south ,carolina1 thus relieving ,north ,carolina or her chief executive of responsibility for him4 ,we1 on our side1 have used every effort to lodge ,appleweight in jail on your side of the state line4 ,am ,i correct80 ,jerry nodded affirmatively4 8,then1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 and gentlemen1 ,i must tell you that you have lost your contention1 for ,appleweight spent last night in jail at ,kildare1 and to secure his safe retention there1 we generously lent your state a few of our militia to guard him4 ,the proceeding was a trifle irregular1 we admit--the least bit ultra vires--but the peculiar situation seemed to justify us40 8,there are not two ,bill ,appleweights10 remarked ,colonel ,daubenspeck4 8,i assure you that the real criminal spent last night in jail at ,turner ,court ,house1 guarded by trustworthy men1 and we are able to produce him40 8,the quickest way to settle this point1 ,professor ,griswold1 is by bringing in your man10 remarked ,ardmore icily4 8,on the other hand0--and ,griswold's tone was confident--8as there is no reason for doubt that we have the real ,appleweight1 and as we are on your territory and in a measure your guests1 it is only fair that you produce the man you believe to be ,appleweight1 that we may have a look at him first40 8,certainly10 said ,jerry4 8,our prisoner does not deny his identity4 ,it gives us pleasure to produce him40 ,at a nod from ,colonel ,daubenspeck the orderly at the door ran off to where ,cooke and the prisoner waited4 ,in the interval there was a general exchange of introductions at the bungalow4 ,the adjutant-general of ,south ,carolina was in a merry mood1 and began chaffing ,ardmore upon the deadly character of apples found in his orchard beyond the ,raccoon4 8,i deeply regret10 said ,ardmore1 rubbing his chin1 8that the adjutant-general of ,north ,carolina is suffering from a severe attack of paralysis agitans1 and will be unable to meet with us40 8,i deplore the fact10 replied the adjutant-general of ,south ,carolina1 8for one of our scouts picked up a darky in the highway a while ago who had on a uniform dress-coat with the initials #8,r4 ,g4' sewed in the pocket40 8,if you will return that garment to me1 ,general10 said ,ardmore1 8,i will see that it reaches ,colonel ,gillingwater by special messenger1 where1 upon his couch of pain1 he chafes over his enforced absence from the field of danger40 ,steps sounded on the veranda1 and all rose as ,cooke appeared in the door1 leading his handcuffed prisoner1 who stood erect and glared at the company in gloomy silence4 8,this man10 said ,ardmore1 8we declare to be ,bill ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet4--,i ask you1 sir0--he addressed the prisoner--8to state whether you are not known by one or both of these names80 ,the man nodded his head and grumbled a reluctant affirmative4 8,professor ,griswold10 ,ardmore went on1 8the gentleman in charge of the prisoner is ,roger ,cooke1 for many years in the secret service of the ,united ,states4 ,he now conducts a private agency1 and is in my employ4--,mr4 ,cooke1 ,i will ask you whether you identify this man as ,appleweight80 8,there is no doubt of it whatever4 ,i have known him for years4 ,i once arrested him for moonshining1 and he served a year in the penitentiary as the result of that arrest4--,you will pardon me1 sir10 ,cooke continued1 addressing ,griswold directly1 8but this is undoubtedly the man you had yourself captured at ,mount ,nebo ,church two nights ago1 but who was taken from you1 as you may not know1 by ,miss ,geraldine ,dangerfield4 ,she was lost in the woods and came upon the captive1 much to her own surprise40 ,griswold lifted his brows in amazement and turned towards ,jerry4 8,if that is the case1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 ,i salute you6 ,i am sorry to confess1 however1 that ,i did not myself see the man who was captured by my friends at the church1 owing1 it appears1 to ,miss ,dangerfield's prompt and daring action1 and the regrettable cowardice of my men4 ,i want to say to you1 gentlemen1 in all frankness1 that ,i am greatly astonished at what you tell me4 ,our prisoner is about the same height as this man1 has the same slight stoop in the shoulders1 and the same short beard2 but there the resemblance ends40 ,ardmore was trying not to show too plainly his joy at ,griswold's discomfiture4 ,none of the ,south ,carolina officers had ever seen ,appleweight1 as they lived remote from the scene of his exploits4 ,habersham's men1 who had so signally failed in the descent upon ,mount ,nebo ,church1 had taken to the woods on the appearance of the state soldiery along the border1 and could not be found to identify the man seized at the house on the creek4 ,habersham had discreetly declined to support ,griswold's venture at the last moment2 to do so would1 he pleaded1 ruin his chances of political preferment in the future2 or worse things might1 indeed1 happen if he countenanced and supported the armed invasion of ,north ,carolina by ,south ,carolina militia4 ,the zealous young militiamen who had captured the stranger in the house on the creek had pronounced the man ,appleweight1 and their statement had been accepted and emphasized when the man was taken before ,griswold1 to whom he had stubbornly refused to make any statement whatever4 8,now that you cannot deny that we have the real ,appleweight10 began ,jerry1 8who is1 you must remember1 a prisoner of the state of ,south ,carolina1 and must be returned to the ,mingo ,county jail at once1 ,i think we may as well look at your prisoner1 ,professor ,griswold4 ,he may be one of ,mr4 ,appleweight's associates in business2 but as we are interested only in the chief culprit1 the identity of the man you hold is of very little interest to us40 8,if10 said ,griswold1 8he is not ,appleweight1 the original blown in the bottle----0 8,jug1 if you please60 interposed ,ardmore very seriously4 8,then we don't care about him1 and ,i shall make you a present of him40 8,or10 remarked ,ardmore1 8,i might exchange him for a ruffian ,i captured myself down on the ,raccoon4 ,he seemed quite insane1 declaring himself to be the governor of ,south ,carolina1 and ,i locked him up in a corn-crib for safe keeping40 8,any man10 said ,jerry1 lifting her chin slightly1 8who would impersonate the governor of ,south ,carolina would1 beyond question1 be utterly insane and an object of compassion4 ,professor ,griswold1 will you please produce your imaginary ,appleweight1 as at this hour ,mrs4 ,atchison usually serves tea4 ,let us therefore make haste40 ,one of ,griswold's retinue ran off to summon the prisoner1 who was guarded by half a dozen soldiers near at hand4 ,the company in the bungalow were all laughing heartily at some sally by the adjutant-general of ,south ,carolina1 who insisted upon giving a light note to the proceedings1 when hurried footsteps sounded on the veranda1 and a sergeant appeared in the doorway and saluted4 ,the adjutant-general1 annoyed at being interrupted in the telling of a new story1 frowned and bade the sergeant produce his prisoner4 ,at once a man was thrust into the room1 a tall man1 with a short1 dark beard and slightly stooping shoulders4 ,the strong light at his back made it difficult for the people grouped about the table to see his face clearly1 but the air somehow seemed charged with electricity1 and all bent forward1 straining for a sight of the captive4 ,as he stood framed in the doorway his face was slowly disclosed to them1 and there appeared to be a humorous twinkle in his eyes4 ,before any one spoke1 he broke out in a hearty laugh4 ,then a cry rose piercingly in the quiet room--a cry of amazement from the lips of ,jerry ,dangerfield1 who had taken a step forward4 8,oh1 papa60 she cried4 8,the ,governor60 roared ,colonel ,daubenspeck1 leaping across the table4 8,it's ,governor ,dangerfield60 shouted half a dozen men in chorus4 ,at this moment ,mrs4 ,atchison and ,miss ,barbara ,osborne stole softly in and ranged themselves at the back of the room4 ,the governor of ,north ,carolina alone seemed to derive any pleasure from the confusion and astonishment caused by his appearance4 ,he crossed to the table and took his daughter's hand4 8,jerry1 what part do you play in these amateur theatricals80 ,jerry rose1 thrusting her handkerchief into her sleeve1 and her lips trembled slightly1 though whether with mirth or some soberer emotion it would be difficult to say4 ,the room at once gave her attention1 seeing that she was about to speak4 8,papa1 before these people ,i am not ashamed to confess that during your absence from the seat of government ,i took it upon myself to fill your office to the best of my ability1 finding that many important matters were pressing and that you had gone into exile without leaving your address behind4 ,i made ,mr4 ,ardmore1 the gentleman on my left in the pearl-gray suit and lavender tie1 first private secretary1 and then1 when occasion required1 acting governor1 though in reality he did nothing without my entire approval4 ,i am happy to say that nothing has been neglected1 and your reputation as a great statesman and friend of the people has not suffered at our hands4 ,we arrested ,mr4 ,appleweight1 who is standing there by the fireplace1 and landed him in the ,mingo ,county jail as a joke on ,governor ,osborne1 and to appease the demands of the press and the ,woman's ,civic ,league of ,raleigh4 ,the copies of our correspondence on this and other matters will tell you the story more completely4 ,and as for ,governor ,osborne1 ,i have taught him a lesson in the etiquette that should obtain between governors that he is not likely to forget4 ,you will find that we have not hesitated to grant pardons1 and we have filled1 in one instance1 the office of justice of the peace1 made vacant by resignation4 ,the key to your desk1 papa1 is behind the clock on the mantel in your private room40 8,ladies and gentlemen10 began the governor of ,north ,carolina1 laying a hand upon the table1 and with the other seizing the lapel of his rough1 brown coat--a pose made familiar by all his photographs--8the jails of ,north ,carolina are more uncomfortable than ,i had believed them to be1 and ,i have taken a slight cold which compels me to be briefer than this interesting occasion demands4 ,you have witnessed here an exhibition of filial devotion that has1 ,i am sure1 touched us all4 ,it is well worth while for me to have suffered arrest and imprisonment to realize the depth of my daughter's love1 and the jealousy with which she has safeguarded my private and public honour40 ,he felt for a handkerchief and touched it gently to his eyes2 but ,collins declared afterward that ,governor ,dangerfield was exactly like his daughter1 and that one never could be sure that his mirth was genuine4 8,i was aware only yesterday1 when ,i saw a newspaper for the first time in a week1 that political capital was being made of my absence from ,raleigh2 and that my dear friend1 the governor of ,south ,carolina1 also1 was being called to account for flinching in the face of imperative duty40 8,your friend1 ,governor80 cried ,ardmore1 unable to restrain himself4 8,certainly1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 continued ,governor ,dangerfield4 8,that angry parting of ours at ,new ,orleans was all for effect to get space in the newspapers4 ,we had confided to each other that the cares of state had worn us to an intolerable point1 and that we must have rest4 ,brother ,appleweight had1 ,i confess1 given us both a great deal of annoyance1 and to be frank1 neither ,osborne nor ,i wished to take the initiative in his case4 ,so we resolved to disappear1 and go to some quiet place for rest4 ,we outfitted with old clothes and came to the border4 ,governor ,osborne has a farm over there somewhere in ,mingo ,county1 and we made it our headquarters2 but in roaming about we came upon that charming shanty of yours1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 down on the ,raccoon4 ,the house was deserted1 and finding the marks of the official survey running clearly through the timber1 we were amused to find that the house was partly in ,north1 partly in ,south1 ,carolina4 ,the thing touched our fancy4 ,a negro cooked for us--what has become of him ,i do not know4 ,we cut ourselves off from the mail and telegraph and received no newspapers until a packet came yesterday1 and it was only a few minutes after ,i saw from the headlines of the ,vidette what a row was going on that ,i realized that strange things may happen when the king goes a-hunting40 ,as he paused1 ,miss ,osborne stepped forward1 the men making way for her4 8,if this be true1 ,governor ,dangerfield1 may ,i ask you1 sir1 what has become of my father80 ,governor ,dangerfield smiled4 8,i regret1 ,miss ,barbara1 that ,i cannot answer that question2 ,i must refer it to my daughter40 8,miss ,osborne10 responded ,jerry1 8while ,i should be glad to assist you in recovering your father as a slight return for your having placed mine in the ,dilwell ,county jail and kept him there all night1 ,i regret that ,i am unable to be of the slightest help to you40 ,the perspiration was beading ,ardmore's brow1 but he smiled as though in joy at ,jerry's readiness4 8,we have taken a number of prisoners10 said ,ardmore1 meeting the governor's glance1 8and while ,i do not think ,governor ,osborne can possibly be of the number1 yet ,i shall be glad to produce them all4 ,there's a person in the corn-crib a little way across country whom ,i captured myself4 ,i believe he's now tied to a mulberry tree a little way down the road1 as he pretended to be the governor of ,south ,carolina1 and ,i feared that he might do himself some harm40 ,before he ceased speaking big ,paul strode in1 an angry and crestfallen man following at his heels4 8,oh1 father60 ,it was ,barbara ,osborne's voice2 but whatever of anger or joy there may have been in her words and tone was lost in the shout of laughter that broke from ,governor ,dangerfield4 ,the governor of ,south ,carolina was in no such high humour4 ,he sputtered1 swore1 stamped his foot1 and struck the table with his clenched hand as he demanded to know the meaning of the outrageous indignity to which he had been subjected4 ,the more his friend stormed the more ,governor ,dangerfield roared with laughter1 but when he could control himself he laid an arresting arm on ,governor ,osborne's shoulder1 and spoke to ,barbara4 8,barbara1 may ,i ask whether you1 like my own ,jerry1 have been protecting your father's fair name during his absence2 and does that account for my night spent in the jail at ,kildare8 ,if so----0 ,governor ,dangerfield's laughter got the better of him1 but ,barbara1 with dignity1 turned to her father4 8,it is quite true1 that finding your absence occasioning serious remark1 while your attorney-general took advantage of your absence to annoy me in a most cowardly fashion1 with the kind help of ,professor ,griswold1 ,i did all in my power to thwart your enemies1 and to show the people of ,south ,carolina that you were not a man to evade the responsibilities of your office4 ,as to the details of these matters ,i prefer1 father1 to speak to you in private40 8,professor ,griswold80 repeated ,governor ,osborne haughtily4 8,i believe ,i have not the honour of the gentleman's acquaintance20 whereupon1 to ease the situation1 ,ardmore presented his old friend4 8,governor ,osborne1 allow me to present ,professor ,henry ,maine ,griswold1 associate professor of admiralty in the ,university of ,virginia1 and the author of----0 8,griswold80 ,the anger slowly left ,governor ,osborne's face4 8,do ,i understand that you belong to the ,virginia tide-water family of that name8 ,then1 sir1 without hesitation ,i offer you my hand40 8,osborne10 cried ,governor ,dangerfield1 8we have every reason to be proud of our daughters4 ,they have done their best for us2 and they seem to have acted wisely in accepting aid from these gentlemen2 and now1 what is to be done with ,bill ,appleweight80 8,we have with us that requisition you left on your desk10 exclaimed ,barbara1 turning to her father4 8,i'm afraid that won't help10 laughed ,governor ,osborne1 8that requisition1 ,barbara1 is purely ,pickwickian in character40 8,the disposition of ,appleweight10 said ,cooke1 8is a matter of delicacy for both of you gentlemen1 and you will pardon me for thrusting myself forward1 but that this affair may end happily for all1 neither ,north nor ,south ,carolina should bear the burden of prosecuting a man to whom--we may say it as between friends here--the governors of both states are under some trifling obligations40 ,the governor of ,north ,carolina exchanged a glance and a nod with the governor of ,south ,carolina4 8,therefore10 resumed ,cooke1 8we must hit upon a plan of action that will eliminate both states from the controversy4 ,i will1 with your permission1 turn ,appleweight over to the ,united ,states revenue officers who are even now in this neighbourhood looking for him40 8,no60 cried ,jerry4 8,we shall do nothing of the kind6 ,i met ,mr4 ,appleweight under peculiar circumstances1 but ,i must say that ,i formed a high opinion of his chivalry1 and ,i beg that we allow him to take a little trip somewhere until the ,woman's ,civic ,league of ,raleigh and the carping ,massachusetts press have found other business1 and he can return in peace to his home40 8,that10 said ,governor ,osborne1 8meets my approval40 8,and ,i10 ,ardmore added1 8will give him my private caboose in which to cruise the larger ,canadian cities40 ,two more prisoners were now brought in4 8,governor ,dangerfield10 continued ,ardmore1 8here is your state treasurer1 who had sought to injure you by defaulting the state bonds due to-day1 which is the first of ,june4 ,and that frowsy person with ,mr4 ,foster is ,secretary ,billings1 of the ,bronx ,loan and ,trust ,company1 who has treated me at times with the greatest injustice and condescension4 ,whether ,treasurer ,foster has the money with which to meet those bonds ,i do not know2 but ,i do know that ,i have to-day paid them in full through the ,buckhaw ,national ,bank of ,raleigh40 ,colonel ,daubenspeck leaped to his feet and swung his cap4 ,he proposed three cheers for ,jerry ,dangerfield2 and three more for ,barbara ,osborne2 and then the two governors were cheered three times three2 and when the bungalow had ceased to ring1 it was seen that ,ardmore and ,griswold were in each other's arms4 8,surely1 by this time10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison1 8you have adjusted enough of these weighty matters for one day1 and ,i beg that you will all dine with us at ,ardsley to-night at eight o'clock1 where my brother and ,i will endeavour to mark in appropriate fashion the signing of peace between your neighbouring kingdoms40 8,for ,governor ,osborne and myself ,i accept1 madam10 replied ,governor ,dangerfield1 8providing the flowing frock-coats1 which are the vesture and symbol of our respective offices1 are still in the log house on the ,raccoon where ,i became a prisoner40 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,ros ,,mundi4 ,mrs4 ,atchison and ,ardmore had given their last touches to the preparations for the dinner4 ,every window of the great house shone and a myriad of lanterns illuminated the lawns and terraces4 ,the flags of ,north and ,south ,carolina were everywhere entwined2 nor were the stars and stripes neglected4 ,they surveyed the long table in the dining-room1 where gold and silver and crystal were bright upon the snowy napery4 8,the matter of precedence is serious1 ,tommy10 urged ,mrs4 ,atchison4 8,i cannot for the life of me remember what two monarchs do about entering a room at the same time40 8,nor do ,i1 ,nellie10 said ,ardmore2 8unless they sprint for the door1 and the one who gets through first takes the head of the table4 ,still1 that would be undignified1 particularly if the kings were old and fat1 and if they bumped going through the door and took a header it would jar the divine right40 8,here in democratic ,america10 said ,griswold1 joining them1 8there can be no such preposterous idea of precedence40 8,i should think better of that notion1 ,professor ,griswold10 laughed ,mrs4 ,atchison1 8if ,i had never seen the goats carefully shepherded to keep them away from the lambs at functions in ,washington4 ,democracy may be a political triumph1 but it is certainly deficient socially4 ,personally ,i have always wished to bring myself in touch with the poor4 ,ardy is quite right that our own kind are distinctly uninteresting40 8,you ought to remember1 ,nellie1 that your idea of going slumming in a purple coup and dressed up in your best rags is not well calculated to inspire confidence and affection among the submerged4 ,but how to handle two governors has me fussed4 ,you are the hostess1 and it's for you to decide which excellency shall take you in4 ,i see no way out but to match for it40 8,that will be unnecessary10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison1 8for the doors and the hall are broad enough for a dozen governors to march in abreast40 8,that would never do1 ,nellie6 ,you don't understand these things4 ,you can't hitch up a brace of ,american governors in a team and drive them like a pair of horses4 ,at least1 speaking for the ,old ,north ,state1 ,i will say that we can never consent to any such compromise40 8,and ,i1 speaking for the great ,palmetto ,commonwealth1 not less emphatically reject the idea60 declared ,griswold4 8,then10 said ,mrs4 ,atchison1 8there is only one possible solution4 ,when the rest of us have entered the dining-room and taken our places1 a bugle will sound2 the governor of ,north ,carolina shall enter from the north door2 the governor of ,south ,carolina from the south door1 and advance to seats facing each other midway of the table4 ,professor ,griswold1 you are an old friend of the family1 and you shall yourself take me in to dinner40 ,the members of ,mrs4 ,atchison's house party1 well distributed among the official guests1 were still somewhat at a loss to know what had happened1 but it seemed to be in the air that ,tommy ,ardmore had at last done something1 though just what was not wholly clear4 ,it was sufficiently obvious1 however1 that the little girl with blue eyes who had the drollest possible way of talking1 and whom one never seemed able to take off guard1 had seized strong hold upon the master of ,ardsley2 and she1 on her part1 treated him with the most provoking condescension4 ,it was agreed by all that ,miss ,osborne was distinguished and lovely and that ,professor ,griswold did not seem out of place at her side4 ,the talk grew general after the first restraint was over1 and ,mrs4 ,atchison dropped just the right word here and there to keep the ball rolling4 ,governor ,osborne had generously forgotten and forgiven his painful incarceration in the corn-crib1 and he and ,governor ,dangerfield vied with each other in avowing their determination to live up to the high standards that had been set for them by their daughters4 ,both governors had at almost the same moment turned down their glasses4 ,it even seemed that they had been drilled in the part1 so dexterous were they in reversing them1 so nimbly did they put from them the hope of wine4 ,the members of the house party noted this act of the two governors with well-bred surprise2 and ,ardmore was grieved1 feeling that in some measure the illustrious guests were criticising his hospitality4 ,the butler at this moment spoke to him1 and much relieved he smiled and nodded4 ,a moment later two jugs1 two little brown jugs1 were carried in1 and one was placed quietly in front of each governor at precisely the same moment4 ,expectation was instantly a-tiptoe4 8,gentlemen10 said ,ardmore1 addressing the governors1 8these jugs have just been left at the house by our old friend1 ,mr4 ,bill ,appleweight1 alias ,poteet1 with his compliments1 for the governors of the two greatest states in the ,union4 ,i note that there's a bit of pink calico around the stopper of ,governor ,dangerfield's jug1 while ,governor ,osborne's is garnished with blue and white gingham40 ,governor ,osborne rose4 8,in politics10 he began1 resting his hand gently on the jug1 8it would be a fine thing if we could all live up to our noblest ideals1 but unfortunately we must be all things to all men4 ,what ,i have here is not merely the testimonial of a valued constituent1 but something much subtler than that1 ladies and gentlemen--a delicate proof that those of us who would command the good-will and suffrages of the people must keep a careful eye on the weather-vane4 ,this jug1 which you probably all believe contains the rude product of some hidden still1 is as equivocal as a political platform4 ,i will illustrate my meaning40 ,all eyes were bent upon the governor of ,south ,carolina as he picked up the jug1 twisted the cob stopper for a moment1 and then poured into a tumbler which the butler placed for him a clear white fluid2 then1 turning the stopper slightly1 he poured into another glass a thick milk-like liquid4 8,when among my constituents ,i almost invariably call for a gourd for drinking purposes in preference to a tumbler2 but in this company ,i shall abandon a custom of the plain people and yield to the habits of the sons of ,mammon4 ,i am here1 ,i take it1 once more in my official capacity as governor of ,south ,carolina1 and as ,i am not one to offend the best sentiments of my people1 ,i pledge you1 my friends1 not in the untaxed corn whisky of ,appleweight's private still1 but in the excellent and foamy buttermilk of ,mrs4 ,appleweight's homely churn40 ,as he concluded1 ,governor ,dangerfield rose and performed exactly the same solemn rite with the jug before him1 pouring whisky into one glass1 buttermilk into the other1 and leaning across the table he touched his tumbler of buttermilk to that extended by ,governor ,osborne4 ,when the applause that greeted this exchange of courtesies had subsided1 ,governor ,dangerfield was still standing1 and in a quiet conversational tone1 and with a manner engagingly frank1 he said3 8,before it seemed expedient to follow the reform bandwagon1 ,i held certain principles touching the drinking habit4 ,but the ,american bar has destroyed drinking as a fine art1 and it has now become a vulgar habit4 ,in the good old times no gentleman ever jumped at his liquor4 ,he took it with a casual air1 even with a sanctifying reluctance4 ,the idea of rushing into a public place and gulping your liquor is repugnant to the most primary of the instincts that govern gentlemen4 ,to precipitate a gill of applejack into that most delicate organism1 the human stomach1 without the slightest warning1 is an insult to the human body--ay1 more1 it is an outrage upon man's very soul4 ,the aim of liquor1 ladies and gentlemen1 is to stay and lift the spirit1 not to degrade it4 ,drinking at proper intervals ceased to be respectable at a fixed date in human progress--to be exact1 at the moment when it was no longer a mere incident of personal or social recreation but had become a sociological and political issue1 staggering drunkenly under a weary burden of most painful statistics40 8,you are eminently right1 ,governor ,dangerfield10 said the governor of ,south ,carolina1 helping himself to the salted almonds2 8but you have used a phrase which piques my curiosity4 ,will you kindly enlighten us as to how you interpret proper intervals80 8,with greatest pleasure10 responded ,governor ,dangerfield4 8,i remember1 as though it were yesterday1 my venerable grandfather saying that no gentleman should ever approach the sideboard oftener than once before breakfast1 and he was himself a very early riser4 ,i discount this1 however1 because he always slept with a jug of ,cuban rum--the annual offering of a ,west ,indian friend--easily within his reach at the head of his bed4 ,it was his practice for years to sip a little rum and water while he shaved4 ,he was a gentleman if ever ,i knew one1 and as ,i look upon him as a standard authority in all matters of deportment and morals1 ,i may safely cite him further in answer to your question4 8,during the long open season in our country my grandfather constantly rode over the plantation in immaculate white duck1 followed by a darky on a mule carrying a basket4 ,on our ancestral estate there were many springs giving the purest and coldest of water1 and these were providentially scattered at the most convenient intervals for my grandfather's comfort4 ,and as a slight return to nature for what she had done for him in this particular1 my grandfather1 in his early youth1 had planted mint around all these springs4 ,i need hardly point out the advantages of this happiest of combinations--a spring of clear1 icy water2 the pungent bouquet of lush mint2 the ample basket borne by a faithful negro1 and my grandfather1 in his white duck suit and a ,panama hat a yard wide1 seated by the mossy spring1 selecting with the most delicate care the worthiest of the fragrant leaves4 8,now0--and ,governor ,dangerfield smiled--8,i can see that you are all busy guessing at the number of stops made by my grandfather in the course of a day1 and ,i hasten to satisfy your curiosity4 ,my grandfather always started out at six o'clock in the morning1 and the springs were so arranged that he had to make six stops before noon1 and four in the afternoon2 but at five o'clock1 when he reached home all fagged out by a hard day's work and sorely needing refreshment1 a pitcher of cherry bounce was waiting for him on the west gallery of the house4 ,after that he took nothing but a night-cap on retiring for the night4 ,to my friend1 the governor of ,south ,carolina1 ,i need offer no apologies for my grandfather1 once a senator in ,congress1 and a man distinguished for his sobriety and probity4 ,he was an upright man and a gentleman1 and died at ninety-two1 full of years and honours1 and complaining1 almost with his last breath1 of a distressing dusty feeling in the throat40 ,when1 as time passed1 it seemed that every one had told a story or made a speech1 it was ,ardmore's inspiration that ,griswold should sing a song4 ,the associate professor of admiralty in the ,university of ,virginia had already pledged the loyalty of his state to her neighbours and twin sisters1 the ,carolinas1 and ,barbara1 who wore a great bunch of her own white roses1 had listened to him with a new respect and interest1 for he spoke well1 with the special grace of speech that men of his state have1 and with little turns of humour that kept the table bubbling merrily4 8,i shall comply with your request1 my friends1 if you can bear with the poor voice of one long out of tune1 and if our host still has in the house a certain ancient guitar ,i remember from old times4 ,but ,i must impose one condition1 that ,i shall not again in this place be called by my academic title4 ,i have known wars and the shock of battle along the ,raccoon0--here his hand went to his lips in the gesture that had so often distressed ,ardmore--8and ,i have known briefly the joy of a military title4 ,miss ,osborne conferred on me in an emergency the noble title of major1 and by it ,i demand hereafter to be known40 ,the governor of ,south ,carolina was promptly upon his feet4 8,henry ,maine ,griswold10 he said in his most official manner1 8,i hereby appoint you a major on my staff with all the rights1 privileges1 and embarrassments thereunto belonging1 and you shall to-morrow attend me personally in my inspection of our troops in the field40 ,as the guitar was placed in ,griswold's hands1 ,ardmore caused all the lights to be turned out save those on the table4 ,in the soft candle-glow ,ardmore bent his face upon ,jerry1 who had been merrily chaffing him at intervals1 but who feigned at other times an utter ignorance of his presence on earth4 ,as ,griswold's voice rose in the mellow dusk it seemed to ,ardmore that the song spoke things he could not1 like his friend1 put into utterance1 and something fine and sweet and hallowed--that sweet sabbath of the soul that comes with first love--possessed him1 and he ceased looking at ,jerry1 but bent his head and was lost in dreams4 ,for the song and the voice were both beyond what the company had expected4 ,it was an old air that ,griswold sang1 and it gave charm to his words1 which were those of a man who loves deeply and who dares speak them to the woman he loves4 ,they rose and fell in happy cadences1 and every word rang clear4 ,in the longer lines of the song there was a quickening of time that carried the sense of passion1 and ,griswold lifted his head when he uttered them and let them cry out of him4 ,one of ,barbara's white roses had fallen into her lap1 and she played with it idly2 but after the first verse it slipped from her fingers1 and she folded her arms on the table and bent her gaze on the quiet flame of the candle before her4 ,and this was the song that ,griswold sang3 ,fair winds and golden suns ,down the year's dim aisles of gray depart2 ,but you are the dear white rose of the world ,that ,i hide in my heart4 ,last leaves1 and the first wild snow1 ,and the earth through an iron void is whirled2 ,but safe from the tempest abide in my heart1 ,o dear white rose of the world6 ,blithe air and flashing wing4 ,and awakened sap that thrills and flows2 ,but hid from the riot and haste of the spring ,sleeps one white rose4 ,o scattered leaves of days6 ,o low-voiced glories that fade and depart6 ,but changeless and dear through the changing year ,blooms one white rose in my heart4 ,the last words hung tremulously1 tenderly1 on the air1 and left a spell upon the company that no one seemed anxious to break2 then there was long applause and cries of encore2 but ,ardmore1 who knew that his friend had been greatly moved1 drew attention away from him to ,collins1 who had just entered the room4 ,the correspondent had been called away shortly before from the table1 and he wore the serious air of one heavy with news4 8,i beg to report that ,i have just completed a treaty with the journalists assembled in the cellar40 8,i hope1 ,mr4 ,collins1 that the journalists' convention below stairs realized that the lobster we sent them for supper was not canned1 and that the mushrooms were creamed for their refreshment by ,mrs4 ,atchison's special command4 ,it is not for us to trifle with the dignity of the press10 said ,jerry4 8,the reputations of two governors and of two states are in their hands10 said the governor of ,south ,carolina1 with feeling4 8,it would be a distressing end of my public services if the truth of all these matters should be known4 ,the fact that ,governor ,dangerfield and ,i had merely withdrawn from public life for a little quiet poker in the country would sound like the grossest immorality to my exacting constituency40 8,both yourself and ,governor ,dangerfield will be relieved to know that they have accepted my terms1 and all is well10 responded ,collins4 8,they will tell the waiting world that you have both been the guests of ,mr4 ,ardmore1 and that the troops assembled on the ,raccoon are merely at their usual summer manuvres4 ,as for ,appleweight1 it has seemed expedient that he should be dead1 and the man who has been called by that name of late is only an impostor seeking a little cheap notoriety4 ,the boys are very sick of the cellar1 and they would do even more than this to get away40 8,mr4 ,collins10 said ,governor ,dangerfield1 rising1 8your great merits shall not go unrewarded4 ,i have carelessly neglected to appoint a delegate from ,north ,carolina to the annual conference of the ,supreme ,lodge of the ,society of ,american ,liars shortly to meet at ,lake ,placid1 ,new ,york4 ,as a slight testimonial of my confidence and admiration1 ,i hereby appoint you to represent the ,old ,north ,state at that meeting1 and your expenses shall be paid from the public purse40 8,the boys wish to see your excellencies before they leave10 said ,collins when he had acknowledged the governor's compliment2 and as he spoke the sound of great cheering broke through the windows1 and ,mrs4 ,atchison promptly rose and led the way to the broad terraces which were now gay with coloured lanterns4 8,speech6 speech60 cried the corps of correspondents4 ,then ,ardmore seized ,governor ,osborne's hand and led him forward to the balustrade2 but before the governor of ,south ,carolina could speak1 the group of newspaper men began chanting1 in the manner of a college antiphonal3 ,what did he say to you8 ,what did he say to you8 ,what did who say8 ,what did the governor of ,north ,carolina ,,say ,to the governor of ,south ,carolina8 8,gentlemen10 began ,governor ,osborne1 speaking with great deliberation1 8,i am profoundly touched by the cordiality of your greeting4 7,applause47 ,amid the perplexities of my official life ,i am deeply sensible always of the consideration and generosity of our free and untrammelled ,american press4 7,cheers47 ,without your support and approval1 my best aims1 my sincerest endeavours in behalf of the people1 must fall short and fail of their purpose4 7,a voice3 ,you're dead right about that47 ,i am proud of this opportunity to greet this most complimentary delegation of men distinguished in the noble profession of which ,greeley1 ,raymond1 and ,dana were the high ornaments4 7,cheers47 ,i look into your upturned faces as into the faces of old friends4 ,but ,i dare not--7,a voice3 ,oh1 don't be afraid1 ,governor67--,i dare not take too personally this expression of your good-will4 ,it is not myself but the great state of ,south ,carolina that you honour1 and on behalf of mine own people1 who have always stood sturdily for the great principles of the constitution 7,cheers72 who have failed in no hour of the country's need1 but have tilled their fields in peace and defended them in the dark days of war1 ,i thank you1 my friends1 with all my heart1 again and again40 7,applause and cheers47 ,what did you say to him8 ,what did you say to him8 ,what did who say8 ,what did the governor of ,north ,carolina ,,say ,to the governor of ,south ,carolina8 8,on an occasion so purely social as this10 began ,governor ,dangerfield1 balancing himself lightly upon the balustrade1 8it would be most indelicate for me to discuss any of the great issues of the day4 7,a voice3 ,oh1 ,i don't know67 ,i endorse1 with all the strength of my being1 and with all the sincerity of which my heart is capable1 the stirring tribute paid to your noble profession by my friend1 known far and near1 and justly known1 as the great reform governor of ,south ,carolina4 7,cheers47 ,i am proud that the ,american press is incorruptible4 7,cheers47 ,great commercial nation though we be1 the ,american newspaper--the ,american newspaper1 ,i say1 is one thing that is never for sale4 7,applause and cheers47 ,the temptation is strong upon me to take advantage of this gathering of representative journalists to speak--not of the fathers of the constitution1 not of ,jefferson or ,jackson1 but of living men and living issues 7,cheers and cries of ,let 'er go672 but the hour is late 7,a voice3 ,oh1 not on ,broadway1 ,william67 and1 to repeat1 it would be the height of impropriety--a betrayal of the bountiful hospitality we have all enjoyed 7,a voice3 ,our lobster was all right4 ,another voice1 with ironical inflection3 ,this lobster is all right671 a betrayal1 ,i say1 of hospitality for me to do more1 gentlemen1 than to thank you1 and to say that in your strong hands the liberties of the people are safe indeed40 7,prolonged cheering47 ,as the correspondents marched away to take the special train provided for them at ,kildare by ,ardmore1 they continued to cheer1 and they were still demanding1 as long as their cries could be heard at ,ardsley3 ,what did he say to him8 ,what did he say to him8 ,what did who say8 ,what did the governor of ,north ,carolina ,,say ,to the governor of ,south ,carolina8 ,with a sigh ,ardmore left them at the great gates of ,ardsley and returned to the house to find ,jerry2 but that young woman was the centre of a wide circle of admiring militia officers1 and the master of ,ardsley was so depressed by the spectacle that he sought a dim corner of the grounds where there was a stone bench by a fountain1 and there1 to his confusion1 he beheld ,miss ,barbara ,osborne and ,henry ,maine ,griswold2 and ,miss ,osborne1 it seemed1 was in the act of fastening a white rose in ,professor ,griswold's coat4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,good-,,bye ,,to ,,jerry ,,dangerfield4 ,the next morning ,ardmore knocked at ,griswold's door as early as he dared1 and went in and talked to his friend in their old intimate fashion4 ,the associate professor of admiralty was shaving himself with care4 8,you won't have any hard feelings about that scarlet fever business1 will you1 ,grissy8 ,it was downright selfish of me to want to keep the thing to myself1 but ,i thought it would be fun to go ahead and carry it through and then show you how well ,i pulled it off40 8,don't ever refer to it again1 if you love me10 spluttered ,griswold amiably1 as he washed off the lather4 8,i1 too1 have ruled over a kingdom1 and ,i have seen history in the making1 quorum pars magna fui40 8,but ,i say1 ,grissy1 there is such a thing as fate and destiny and all that after all2 don't you believe it80 8,don't ,i believe it6 ,i know it60 thundered ,griswold1 reaching for a towel4 ,he lifted a white rose from a glass of water where it had spent the night1 and regarded it tenderly4 8,the right rose under the right star1 and the thing's done2 the rose1 the star1 and the girl--the combination simply can't be beat1 ,ardy40 ,ardmore seized and wrung his friend's hand for the twentieth time2 but he was preoccupied1 and ,griswold1 fastening his collar at the mirror1 hummed softly the couplet3 ,with the winking eye ,for my battle-cry4 8,grissy60 shouted ,ardmore1 8she never did it60 8,oh--bless my soul1 what was ,i saying6 ,why1 of course she wasn't the one6 ,not ,miss ,dangerfield--never60 8,well1 you like her1 don't you80 demanded ,ardmore petulantly4 8,of course ,i like her1 you idiot6 ,she's wonderful4 ,she's----0 ,he frowned upon the scarf he had chosen with much care1 snapped it to shake the wrinkles out1 humming softly1 while ,ardmore glared at him4 8,she's wise10 ,griswold resumed1 8with the wisdom of laughter--accept that1 with my compliments4 ,it's not often ,i do so well before breakfast4 ,and now if you're to be congratulated before ,i go back to the groves of ,academe1 pray bestir yourself4 ,at this very moment ,i have an engagement to walk with a lady before breakfast--thanks1 yes1 that's my coat4 ,good-bye60 ,breakfast was a lingering affair at ,ardsley that morning4 ,the two governors and the national guard officers who had spent the night in the house were not in the slightest hurry to break up the party1 for such a company1 they all knew1 could hardly be assembled again4 ,the governors were a trifle nervous as to the attitude of the press1 in spite of ,collins's efforts to dictate what history should say of the affair on the ,raccoon2 but before they left the table the ,raleigh morning papers were brought in1 and it was clear that the newspaper men were keeping their contract4 8,i congratulate you1 ,dangerfield10 said ,governor ,osborne4 8,i only hope that the ,columbia and ,charleston papers have done half as well by me40 ,both governors had decided upon an inspection of such portions of their militia as were assembled on the ,raccoon1 and a joint dress parade was appointed for six o'clock4 ,ardmore1 anxious to make every one at home1 saw the morning pass without a chance to speak to ,jerry2 and when he was free shortly before noon he was chagrined to find that she had gone for a ride over the estate with her father1 ,governor ,osborne1 ,barbara1 and ,griswold4 ,he went in pursuit1 and to his delight found her presently sitting alone on a log by the ,raccoon1 having dismounted1 it appeared1 to rescue a fledgling robin whose cries had led her away from her companions4 ,she pointed out the nest1 and directed him to climb the tree and restore the bird4 ,this done1 he sat down beside her at a point where the ,raccoon curved sweepingly and swung off abruptly into a new course4 8,i hope your father didn't scold you for anything we did10 he began meekly4 8,no2 he took it all pretty well1 and promised that if ,i wouldn't tell mamma what he had been doing--about coming down here with ,governor ,osborne just to settle an old score at poker--mamma doesn't approve of cards1 you know--that he would make me a present of a better riding horse than the one ,i now have1 and he might even consider a trip abroad next summer40 8,oh1 you mustn't go abroad6 ,it's--it's so lonesome abroad60 8,how perfectly ridiculous6 ,has it never occurred to you that ,i am never lonesome1 not even when ,i'm alone80 8,well10 said ,ardmore1 who saw that he was headed for a blind alley1 8,i'm glad your father was not displeased with our work40 8,he'll think we did pretty well after he's read our correspondence in his letter books4 ,i told him the stamp we stamped his name with worked better with the red ink pad than with the black one1 which ought1 at any rate1 to be clear enough to a man of papa's intelligence40 8,did you tell him about that railroad lawyer from ,new ,york who wanted to suppress the law which compels all locomotive whistles to be tuned to ,e flat80 8,no2 that man sent me a ten-pound box of candy1 which was highly improper1 considering papa's position1 and ,i should have scorned to accept the candy1 only ,i had forgotten to keep his card40 8,and besides10 added ,ardmore gently1 8you had eaten the candy4 ,don't you remember that you left nothing but a few burnt almonds which you wanted to keep for eating filapenas80 8,don't be silly60 ejaculated ,jerry contemptuously4 8,it's a good thing all this fuss about the ,appleweight people is over1 or ,i should be worse than silly4 ,my mind was not intended for such heavy work40 8,i think you have a good mind1 ,mr4 ,ardmore10 said ,jerry1 with the air of one who makes concessions4 8,you really did well in all these troubles1 and you did much better than ,i thought you would the day ,i hired you for private secretary4 ,i think ,i could safely recommend you to any governor in need of assistance40 8,you talk as though you were getting ready to discharge me10 said ,ardmore plaintively1 8and ,i don't want to lose my job40 8,you ought to have something to do10 said ,jerry thoughtfully4 8,as near as ,i can make out you have never done anything but study about pirates and collect pernicious books on the sinful life of ,captain ,kidd4 ,you should have some larger aim in life than that1 and ,i think ,i know of a good position that is now open1 or will be as soon as papa has cleared out the peanut shells we left in his desk4 ,i think you would make an excellent adjutant-general with full charge of the state militia4 ,you have already had experience in the handling of troops1 and as ,rutherford ,gillingwater never did anything but get typhoid fever to earn the place1 ,i see no reason why papa should not appoint you to the position40 8,but you have to get rid of ,gillingwater first10 suggested ,ardmore1 his heart beating fast4 8,if you mean that he has to be removed from office1 ,i will tell you now1 ,mr4 ,ardmore1 that ,rutherford ,gillingwater will no longer sign himself adjutant-general of ,north ,carolina4 ,i removed him myself in a general order ,i wrote yesterday afternoon just before ,i told papa that you and ,i could not act as governor any longer1 but that he must resume the yoke40 8,but that must have been a matter of considerable delicacy1 ,miss ,dangerfield1 when you consider that you are engaged to marry ,mr4 ,gillingwater40 8,not in the least10 said ,jerry4 8,i broke our engagement the moment ,i saw that he came here the other night all dressed up to eat and not to fight1 and he is now free to engage himself to that thin blonde at ,goldsboro whom he thinks so highly intellectual40 ,jerry held up her left hand and regarded its ringless fingers judicially1 while ,ardmore1 his heart racing hotly against all records1 watched her1 and with a particular covetousness his eyes studied that trifle of a hand4 ,then with a quick gesture he seized her hand and raised her gently to her feet4 8,jerry60 he cried4 8,from the moment you winked at me ,i have loved you4 ,i should have followed you round the world until ,i found you4 ,if you can marry a worthless wretch like me1 if--,o ,jerry60 ,she gently freed her hand and stepped to one side1 bending her head like a bird that pauses alarmed1 or uncertain of its whereabouts1 glancing cautiously up and down the creek4 8,mr4 ,ardmore10 she said1 8you may not be aware that when you asked me to be your wife--and that1 ,i take it1 was your intention--you were standing in ,south ,carolina1 while ,i stood with both feet on the sacred soil of the ,old ,north ,state4 ,under the circumstances ,i do not think your proposal is legal4 ,moreover1 unless you are quite positive which eye it was that so far forgot itself as to wink1 ,i do not think the matter can go further40 ,the slightest suggestion of a smile played about her lips1 but he was very deeply troubled1 and seeing this1 her eyes grew grave with kindness4 8,mr4 ,ardmore1 if your muscles of locomotion have not been utterly paralyzed1 and if you will leave that particular state of the ,union which1 next to ,massachusetts1 ,i most deeply abhor1 ,i will do what ,i can in my poor weak way--as father says in beginning his best speeches--to assist you to the answer40 ,then for many ons1 when he had his arms about her1 a kiss1 which he had intended for the lips that were so near1 somehow failed of its destination1 and fell upon what seemed to him a rose-leaf gone to ,heaven1 but which was1 in fact1 ,jerry ,dangerfield's left eye4 ,his being tingled with the most delicious of intoxications1 to which the clasp of her arms about his neck added unnecessary though not unwelcome delight4 ,then she drew back and held him away with her finger-tips for an instant4 8,mr4 ,thomas ,ardmore10 she said1 with maddening deliberation1 8it may not be important1 but ,i must tell you in all candour that it was the other eye40 ,,the ,,end4 ,,nelson ,,library ,,of ,,copyright ,,fiction4 ,popular editions of recent novels in library-style binding1 uniform with this volume4 #eh4 ,,lady ,,rose',s ,,daughter4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,ward4 #eg4 ,,the ,,primrose ,,path4 ,mrs4 ,oliphant4 #ef4 ,,thompson',s ,,progress4 ,c4 ,j4 ,cutcliffe ,hyne4 #ee4 ,,lonely ,,lady ,,of ,,grosvenor ,,square4 ,mrs4 ,h4 de la ,pasture4 #ed4 ,,love ,,and ,,mr4 ,,lewisham4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 #ec4 ,,clarissa ,,furiosa4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 #eb4 ,,cynthia',s ,,way4 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,sidgwick4 #ea4 ,,raffles4 ,e4 ,w4 ,hornung4 #ej4 ,,the ,,food ,,of ,,the ,,gods4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 #di4 ,,french ,,nan4 ,a4 and ,e4 ,castle4 #dh4 ,,springtime4 ,h4 ,c4 ,bailey4 #dg4 ,,moonfleet4 ,j4 ,meade ,falkner4 #df4 ,,kipps4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells4 #de4 ,,the ,,gateless ,,barrier4 ,lucas ,malet4 #dd4 ,,major ,,vigoureux4 8,q40 #dc4 ,,old ,,gorgon ,,graham4 ,g4 ,h4 ,lorimer4 #db4 ,,mrs4 ,,galer',s ,,business4 ,w4 ,pett ,ridge4 #da4 ,,house ,,with ,,the ,,green ,,shutters4 ,george ,douglas4 #dj4 ,,selah ,,harrison4 ,s4 ,macnaughtan4 #ci4 ,,marcella4 ,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward4 #ch4 ,,his ,,honor ,,and ,a ,,lady4 ,s4 ,j4 ,duncan4 #cg4 ,,the ,,duenna ,,of ,a ,,genius4 ,m4 ,e4 ,francis4 #cf4 ,,owd ,,bob4 ,alfred ,ollivant4 #ce4 ,,eight ,,days4 ,r4 ,e4 ,forrest4 #cd4 ,,lady ,,audley',s ,,secret4 ,miss ,braddon4 #cc4 ,,the ,,wages ,,of ,,sin4 ,lucas ,malet4 #cb4 ,,an ,,adventurer ,,of ,,the ,,north4 ,sir ,gilbert ,parker4 #ca4 ,,the ,,pit4 ,frank ,norris4 #cj4 ,,monsieur ,,beaucaire4 ,booth ,tarkington4 #bi4 ,,woodside ,,farm4 ,mrs4 ,w4 ,k4 ,clifford4 #bh4 ,,recipe ,,for ,,diamonds4 ,c4 ,j4 ,cutcliffe ,hyne4 #bg4 ,a ,,lame ,,dog',s ,,diary4 ,s4 ,macnaughtan4 #bf4 ,,man ,,from ,,america4 ,mrs4 ,h4 de la ,pasture4 #be4 ,,sir ,,john ,,constantine4 8,q40 #bd4 ,,the ,,princess ,,passes4 ,c4 ,n4 and ,a4 ,m4 ,williamson4 #bc4 ,,white ,,fang4 ,jack ,london4 #bb4 ,,the ,,octopus4 ,frank ,norris4 #ba4 ,,translation ,,of ,a ,,savage4 ,sir ,g4 ,parker4 #bj4 ,,matthew ,,austin4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 #ai4 ,,the ,,odd ,,women4 ,george ,gissing4 #ah4 ,,the ,,lady ,,of ,,the ,,barge4 ,w4 ,w4 ,jacobs4 #ag4 ,,the ,,god ,,in ,,the ,,car4 ,anthony ,hope4 #af4 ,,the ,,hosts ,,of ,,the ,,lord4 ,mrs4 ,f4 ,a4 ,steel4 #ae4 ,,his ,,grace4 ,w4 ,e4 ,norris4 #ad4 ,,the ,,american ,,prisoner4 ,eden ,phillpotts4 #ac4 ,,if ,,youth ,,but ,,knew6 ,a4 and ,e4 ,castle4 #ab4 ,,clementina4 ,a4 ,e4 ,w4 ,mason4 #aa4 ,,john ,,charity4 ,h4 ,a4 ,vachell4 #aj4 ,,the ,,king',s ,,mirror4 ,anthony ,hope4 #i4 ,,david ,,grieve4 ,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward4 #h4 ,,incomparable ,,bellairs4 ,a4 and ,e4 ,castle4 #g4 ,,quisant4 ,anthony ,hope4 #f4 ,,no4 #e ,,john ,,street4 ,richard ,whiteing4 #e4 ,,robert ,,elsmere4 ,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward4 #d4 ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,strong4 ,sir ,gilbert ,parker4 #c4 ,,the ,,fortune ,,of ,,christina ,m',,nab4 ,s4 ,macnaughtan4 #b4 ,,intrusions ,,of ,,peggy4 ,anthony ,hope4 #a4 ,,the ,,marriage ,,of ,,william ,,ashe4 ,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward4 ,others in the ,press4 ,a new volume appears on the first and third ,wednesdays of each month4 ,,thomas ,,nelson ,,and ,,sons1 ,and at all ,booksellers and ,bookstalls4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,italicized text is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4 ,archaic or variant spelling has been retained4 ,the cover image for this e,book was created by the transcriber using the original cover as the background and is entered into the public domain4