The Swoop of the Vulture

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10712, 2 October 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture

'OUJ? SERIAL.)

CHAPTEII XXJI. (Continued. T> ir.>;- i •„.:• -.■<> disappointment and ! iU vt>:y c ■;;..• .o/ni.iiv rcii: f i-iioy turned m tin's i:•;)iiiL?r.t out of the little siiruh.'.ery ui-.to the lawn, and wore joined by Colonel Rowcl-G rover and Lady Gonrgii::i Pontifex, v.ho, after ' n rapid glance from one to the other, said : "Ah, there yon. are, pviaccßs. Where | !a .v(. y (U , aru j jj.. <^[r]rionbeen hiding yourselves, I wonder? We have been looking for yon a!' over the place to ask' you to sing for us oho of those lovely old Polish sours of yours." Princes:; Xaticff sang her roup:. and took her leavo almost immediately afterward. Medley Siemens stopped a little longer in the halfconfessed hope of having a fo- words with Graee. He found her on tho' lawn with her hostess and Harold, and as he joined them Mrs RowelGrover shook .her fan at him, and said laughingly:

■"}c-s. JJr Siemens, here,please"; I have a bone to pick' with you."

"I'm sorry to hear that. May I ask how I have had tho'.misfortune to pffend the most charming of hostesses?"

"Oh, it isn't quite so bad as that. T only want you to plead guilty to monopolizing the princess' Very charming society for a rather unconscionable time. We have hardly seen anything of her, until Lady Georgina discovered her and brought her to sing.' "Well, since you say so, I must plead'guilty,' especially as'you have supplied the most valid excuse." "Guilty, with extenuating circumstances," said tho colonel. "J suppose most of u.s would have done the same, granted permission. And now, Siemens, what can you tell me about this wonderful horse of yours on which our friends saw you. this morning in the park. You know there's nothing I admire so much as really good horseflesh, and a pacer, as Enstone described yours, is a rarity here."

The millionaire looked quickly at Grace and then at her husband. "You mean Guerrero, my Spant'diAmerican beauty? Yes. you mav come and have a look at him, colonel. I have half a dozen pacers at Wynthrope, and when any of my South American friends come over. v e *un down and have races. By th" way. Enstone," he went on. turning to Harold, "when ate Mrs Enstone and yourself going to honour the Towers by accepting that bold invitation? Of course, you, with your world-wide travels, imist often have been astride a pacer." "Yes; T very much prefer pacing to trotting, and have done a lot of it in the Western States. That's a magnificent animal of yours, and wonderfully fast. I should say. He's a Mexican, isn't he? When I saw you I said to my wife that you wor" riding in quite the Mexican style/'

Both Grace and Harold looked keenly at him for some sign of consciousness on his part, but they were disappointed. He returned their glance with perfect carelessness and frankness, saying: T suppose I ought to take that as a compliment, for Mexicans are the finest riders in the world; but I'm sorry to say you are wrong. Guerrero is a son of the pampas, hron near Oorrientes, on the Parana, and I have never been in Mexico; in fact, I know nothing of North America outside its cities and business centers; but I have spent a good den 1 of time in South America, both on tho Pacific and Atlantic coasts." Ho took his leave a few moments later, and as he strolled toward the upper end of Edgeware Road, where lie meant, to take a cab home, he murmured between his teeth : "Why should Enstone have asked mo so pointedly about that riding? Mexican? Oh, ye,s I see it now! So ho was riding beside the old man that day when ho pulled his gtin on me — that day at Poverty Fork, opposite Joo Redman's saloon. If he's only certain about that I reckon he'll be able to make more trouble than enough. Still, I don't see that there can he much fear unless the old man has left some record behind him. Alter all, it will be only word against word. That's all the more reason for working out the other scheme if it can be done —the scheme for making the beautiful Grace a widow. If Halkino is really alive, he shouldn't have too much love for Harold Enstone; and if he got Sir Godfrey out of the way .as easily as he did for n million, there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to manago a job like this for two

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Heart's Desir «." "One Impassioned Boui,' 5 Op tain Emlyn'a Bride," 'Tin? JV.vwoil Heritage," ''The Ironmaster's Daughter " etc.

millions, and she's worth it!" _ If Siemens had spoke this littlo soliloquy aloud in the hearing of any of ; his acquaintances, they would have been not a little astonished at the ' s "<! £ l«a change that came over 'both tho man and hit* manner. About the same time Enstone was confiding to la's wife : "I am just as certain as ever I was that he is the man. More m, for now that I have placed him, lie seems to get more familiar every minute. There must bo some one left at Poverty Fork that know him and us, and remembers the shooting. They call it Pinebluff City now, after the cluster of pines on the top of the bluff between the forks of the river. I will cnblo this afternoon to the mayor, and ask if he can give me and information. iSomeone must remember j Bully Banfield; and if so, over they como to England, and we'll have it out. It's better done sooner than later, for if I'm right, a scoundrel like that ought not to have a place in decent society,' 1 "Quite right,'' replied Grace, looking at him with dawning apprehension in her eyes. "Justice is justice, and should bo done; but I'm afraid it will be no child's play to make an enemy of that man.'.' "You needn't trouble About that ; clever as Hedley Siemens is, Halkine was a thousand times cleverer and more dangerous, and wo ran him to earth. Now, if Halkine were alive, and lie .and Siemens, by some miracle, managed to get together for the working of mischief, it would bo a ' formidable, combination." ■■•■.•• ' "I wonder how you got that idea, " Harold," she .said quickly and rather anxiously;- "you know I have had just the same notion since you told me the story this morning." "Well, one thing's quite certain, there can't possibly be anything more than an idea suggested by the association of this man with Sir Godfrey, and therefore with Halkine; and as the realisation is entirely out of the question, you may as well put it out of your mind at once." "Yes, it is nothing but an idle fancy." Sho spoke with a light-hearted confidence which she would not .have thought justified could what she called her gift of second sight have enabled her to foresee what was going , to happen that night.

chapter xxrir. SfKMEXS MAKES A PLCXGE. Medley Siemens' thoughts for. the rest of the day wore pretty equally divided between what bad happened at the garden party and what, might happen that night a"' the institute. The more he dwelt on the suspicion that Harold had connected him v,id.' In's former self, the more fiery became the desperate passion he lit'd conceived for Grace. Ft was perfectly clear to him that her whole being was bound up in her husband and her baby son. .and the mero idea of anything like levity in connection uit-h her seemed untbinkably a'tsird. Unless a woman is radically bad, or frivolous, she can only fall though powerful temptation. But what temptation could touch Grace Eiisto»c, protected as she v/as by the triple bulwarks'of love, duty, and pride? Ffis millions might have bought poorer, and weaker women. But here again Grace was trebly sheltered. (To be Continued.)