FIGHTING HER WAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9710, 4 February 1910, Page 2

FIGHTING HER WAY.

CHAPTER X.—Continued. He therefore determined to be ihe first to have an interview with her on her return, and himself offer \he compensation due for the injury she had sustained, and at the same tine offer some suggestions for her consideration which he felt certain would cause her to put an end to nil further association between Fred Alcot and herself. He had correctly measured the high-strung sensibilities ot t. But Doctor Howard had rot counted on having luck play so strong a card to his hand as finding another young man —and evidently another equally as far away from Christine's sphere in life as his rich ward—at the fair flower-girl's door so late at night, and she conversing with him en deshabille. This fact had givßn a new turn to his designs, and so disturbed his well-arranged plan of procedure that he determined to pass on without calling as he intended, and first find out the name and quality. and, if possible, the purposes ot this other young gentleman whom the lovely Christine had likewise enslaved, aa it seemed. Miss Castlebar's store was but o- e door irom the corner, and Doctor Howard retired beyond this friendly angle to watch the result of the confab between the girl and her late visitor. He strained his ear to gather the sense of their talk, but the wind was bearing the sound of their voices away from him. Of course, he surmised the worst; but very virtuous men and women always do give young folks credit for the worst! Doctor How{|gL waited patiently till he saw the mtletnan leave the store and pass Wk corner where he stood in a dark place. At a prudent distance Doctor Howard followed Roland's slow steps down the avenue till he came to the street on which his room were situated. Doctor How ard saw with satisfaction that the young man turned in at No. 7 th Street. He could easily find out all he cared to know about Roland's circumstances from Mrs Flaxen, the proprietress of the , gentleman's boarding house whose door he had just entered with a night key. At an early hour next morning the worthy doctor called at No. 7 ostensibly to make an inquiry concerning a certain low fever that had prevailed in that neighbourhood, supposedly caused by a defect in the sewer that underran that street 'Your house filled, Mrs Flaxen?" 'Pretty well, thank you, doctor; but I'm in distress over the loss of one of my best lodgers, who is about to leave my house for a cheaper place. Poor fellow! his family are in financial trouble, and he has to retrench, he sayfa, to help them out.' ' Who is this fine fellow you're so loth to part with, Mrs Flaxea? Such distress looks suspicious in a handsome young widow like yourself,' said the doctor, with a broad stare of admiration he felt sure would open Mrs Flaxen's heart to him. 'You men are all alike!' cried the buxom widow, smirking and smoothing back her bright, yellow hair with an air of consciousness quite unmistakable. She added coquettishly: 'Just let a woman be a widow, and passably good-looking, and the last one of you set her down as a husband hunter. That's what 1 call real unjust " 'Then this paragon boarder of yours is not game, eh?' The doctor was determined not to be driven off the scent of his investigations, and if he kept her to her boarders he might stumble on the one he sought information of. 'Game he is in many senses, but not for me. Too young, doctor — quite to young,' with a touching leer at the iron-gray locks and beard of her vistor. 'What do you call 'too young," Mrs Flaxen?' 'Oh, well, 1 like the man that's seen life. Doctor Howard- a man with wisdom enough for two. I've none of my own, you see. Not that young Roland Marlow is a fool by any means. Quite the reverse. I often think it a pity one fellow should have such a head, such a heart, and such a face! Handsome as Absolom, and, J fancy, must be very much that type——' 'Jewish,' suggested the doctor sententiously. 'No; only his very black, curling hair and mustache —such a rr.ustacru; —and his great, mourning dark eyes ! remind me of an oil picture tit King David's son that I once saw.' j 'The picture or the son?' asked the j doctor demurely, all the while hog- I eing a secret delight at having struck the right trail In Mrs Flaxen's description of Roland Marlow he recognised the face he had seen at Miss i Castltbar's door. 'Now, what a tease you are, doctor! The picture, of course. Do I look old enough to have been a personal acquaintance of Absolom?' I The widow's coquetry was waxing I dangerous. The doctor hastened to j say,, with gravity, tinged with admiration: 'You look old? I should think not.

BY EOSS ASHLEIGH. Author of "Eleanor's Luck/' "The Widow's Wager." '"Pi; .-a Gold," Etc, etc.

Indeed, I fancy you must have quite a time of it keeping gen'.lemen lodgers J in their places, Mrs Flaxen.' | 'Ah, it is sometimes a cross to me, i doctor. Men are so prone to that sin j the great Apostle deprecates—'the i lust of the eye.' Yuu understand, idoctor?' ! 'Perfectly, my dear madam. Can't say I think that sd great a sin in presence of so great temptation'—a low bow to the lady, who was blushing demurely. 'No doubt your Mr Roland Marlow is dutifully followiig the Apostle's injunction to pluck out the eye that offends him by leaving your house before he grows desperate. Who and what is this worthy, heroic young matyr to your charms?' 'Now, doctor, I didn't say he was. You jump to your conclusions.' 'Oh, no—only judge him by myself, Mrs Flaxen. But who did you say he is?' i 'A younc lawyer of great promise —has his office in the Bennett Building—growing quite famous as a jur- ! ist—indeed, a most admirable young man—said to be engaged to the i great heiress. Miss Carrol.' j 'You don't tell me? Well, I must wish you good morning, Mrs Flaxen, if I were only a single man how I would like to take Mr Marlow's rooms!' Mrs Flaxen's face perceptibly hardened as she received the information that an old gray beard, with no doubt a dozen grown children, and perhaps as many grandchildren, had been making her play the fool for half an hour, in the hope of getting a new lodger for Marlow's roomfl. Such is life. CHATER XL 1 ADDING INSULT TO INJURY. Doctor Howard found it a simple matter to possess himself of all he I cared to learn of Miss Castlebar's late visitor, and,, armed with his information, he repaired to her store at about nine o'clock on the morning of his call at Roland's boarding house. A feeling of strong aversion had fixed itself in Christine's mind against this dark, stern maD, who had used her so cruelly. Even granting he felt bound to do all that had been done, she knew that he might have found less harsh and imperious means to perform his duty. It was therefore with a thiver of disgust and dislike that she saw him enter her store, where she sat arranging some flowers that Franz had brought her very early that mornng from the florist of whom she purchased her wares. "Good morning, Miss Castlebar. I am very glad to see you back, and looking so little changed.' She lifted her eyes coldly to the 1 hard, strong old face now opposite to her, just where Roland Marlow's splendid eyes had looked at her across the table of flowers. With much stiffness she replied: 'I think sir, you ought to be glad that 1 am alive. I do not owe you any thanks tor that fact.' 'Come, itiy dear, don't be too hard on a man for a very natural mistake. You know that even the pagans agreed that 'to err is human." 'Be so good as to call me Miss Castlebar, Doctor Howard, and as to your mistake about the character of my illness, that is • the very least of your offences against me.' 'Oh! you are still angry, and no wonder, about that stupid blunder of a fool, Ellis, who took you from the hospital. I heard of his beastly conduct, and have had him discharged for it.' 'What else did you expect, sir, when you ordered him to 'tatce the case away .if he had to do it in his arms?" 'That was a lie of his own. I never gave any such instructions. I thought that Doctor Alcot would be there to see you well taken care of, and that the ambulance would be a better mode of conveyance than his open buggy in such weather.' Christine felt she had no ground for disputing these statements, little as she believed in the sincerity of them. She ignored them utterly, and said, wa«irg her hand to the sad array of jars with ddad plants in their dry earth. 'Where was thi; necessity for all this destruction?' 'lt was strictly obligatory on me to have a place I blieved to be infected by a deadly contagious disease, as thoroughly purified as was pos.-ibie; but, of course, you will receive in moi.ey the worth of all properly that my have been injured by that process. I only waited to know of your return in order to ask for an eitimaie of the damges, which 1 am prepared to say at once.' She was silent. His proposition was fair enough, but she felt wounded (o the quick at the hard business-like disregard of the pain her feelings had suffered, in-com-parison to which the pecuniary luss seemed small, just at that moment