Mr. Potter, of Texas; OR, THE OLD LAG.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 99, 27 April 1888, Page 3

Mr. Potter, of Texas; OR, THE OLD LAG.

BOOK 111. A WOMAN'S BATTLE CHAPTER XIV. ALL FOR MY DARTER ! Mr Potter arrives at the solicitor's office, in -London, at nearly nine o'clock that night, and naturally finds Mr Portman hasn't been there for several hours. He then obtains the address of his residence" from the directory, and is driven to his house, some miles away in Pimlico, This takes considerably more than an hour, and arriving there at almost 11 p.m., he has some brouble in arousing the housekeeper, who comes to' the door,in dishabille and a bad temper. 'I want to see H. Clarkson Portman,' says Potter. •: " ■ 'lb must be important business waking a body up at this time of night!' remarks the woman, regarding the American with rather suspicious, eyes.. ' It isr-there's a thousand pounds in it.' And he shows her the advertisement, which he has cut out of the ' Times.' ' Well, you'll not see Mr Portman till tomorrow night; he .was just called by telegram to Boulogne, and left, twenty minutes ago.' ... 'All right!. I'll leave a letter for Portman,', says Potter, and coming into the house he tells her to. give him the 'fixins' fo,r. a note. This being.done after some little grumbling by the Avo.man, he writes a laconic letter of three words to,the solicitor, and giving it to the housekeeper goes-Qtjt upon the doorstep and says : '. ■ ■-. '/Pell Portman I'll call on him when. ; l return to London in a few days !' With that he shouts to the driver, .'.Langham Hotel like Jerusalem !' and so drives away, the .woman calling after him that her master may not be back till the day after the morrow. ...;•.. Returned to the Langham, Potter meets his old-Texas friend, Colonel Cottontree, and the two have a confidential chat in .the Amerioan corner ■of the smoking-room, chiefly discussing: the new acquaintances Potter has made during, the. day. :at Folkestone : Cottontree, who knows nearly everybody in the swim of European society, or American also, for that matber, informing him incidentally that Lady Annerley.is the daughter of the great London banker, Sir Jonas Steveps: ■'.',, Whereupon. Potter, breaks out into, exclamations of surprise and joy, declaring that this same Jonas Stevens once did.him the best turn in his life, and that he's going over the next day-to Boulogne to:thank he.r ladyship foivher father's kindness ton poor English boy. • After that the conversation driftsoverto the Lincohis, the colonel telling the Honorable Sampson that though he knows Miss Potter is too good for anyone but an angel, still, for all that, she mustn't wait .tell she goes to heaven to wed one. That Arthur Lincoln is now a rising barrister, and a b his father's death will doubtless be a lord. ■.._..•: . .... - ..:•• ' That's: better than a duke,' answers Potter. , 'Thar was two dukes, running arber her, and I was scared she get sweet on one of them. I can stand a lord, but hang me if I don't draw the line at dukes and dudes'; I've read so much about 'em.in >the Texas newspapers that I'm cursed if I don't hate'em both.. This'whisky here; Cottontree, don't seem to be up to the strength of our old Kentucky bourbon!' ;.. •• . :-. . To this the colonel laughingly assents, and the two go to bed, bub early the next .niorning take the train for Folkestone and JOpver, Cottontree being.bound for Paris, which is for the, present his home. At Folkestone, Potter says adieu- to the colonel, and engaging a chaise, drives over to ' Channel View,' stopping e» ro.ute at the. West Cliff, and going in to get a light for ,his. cigar.- ~, ..-:. -.. ■- ■' _'■, ■ The morning is a beautiful,,one,,-and at the lodge.gates Potter thinks he'll enjoy a walk up, the avenue leading, to the villa. He, gets out of the conveyance, and telling the driver to come back for him in a cpuple of hours, vahse in hqnd tramps, up to Lord Lincoln's doors. , -,',;;•.. His, progress up'the avenue, howevei\, is by no means ; unnoticed or ynattfuded. The Honorable Teddy has heard that Potter the scalped is to arrive that, running, and, together with most of the children, of the neighbourhood^, has been the coming of "the curiosity. Preceded by a. white-headed urchin, a semi-idiob, whir is nicknamed the ' Cow Face,' from his resemblance, tpthat animal, they all follow Mi- Potter ma solemn, openeyed, staring procession. : - At, first thpy keep,: ftt a/respectful distance from this bloodthirsty warrior ,pf the plains, 'of 'whom Teddy has told them stories of-his terrible ferocity,that has made their young blopd run cold in their veins. But curiosity getting the better of fearj the nearer they come to the house the closer they approach Mr Potter."/' At first'the: Honorable Sampson cjoes not notice them, for. their steps are cautious, and they would not for the world do anything to anger or enrage him, considering under these ciycumstances he, would not permit them to .Jive a minute. Put, at last the ' Cow Face,' noticing the monster is absentminded, rashly actually • imitates, behind Mr Potter's back, theoperatibn of scalping as he imagines it would be performed, which so excites his companions' risibles that they can't help tittering and giggling, though they know this'-places them -in mortal danger. ■ : . - Mr Potter, however, thinking of his daughter, goes along very peacefully until, Rearing i one qf these giggles more pronounced than the rest, lie suddenly turns round and catches the ' Cow Face' in the act. ■''.',! ',- ~' .'.''■' ','**", '" ,"• .',■ . ~'i: '. Run for your lives !' shrieks the Honorable Tedd}-; arid so they all do except the ' Cow Facei'.' wlio'is. nearest to pother, and top'frightened to move his limbs. ' What do you want, little boy ?: says M r Potter, plpasantly. "" .'' .; ": ".■'.: ■ I— l—l didn't, mpaq anything-—t— please—i . ■■■ .• • • > 'Well, dbn't-^don't get Skeared. What can I do for you?' ■ repeats the Honorable Sampson^ seeing the child is very pale and trembling. . .'■' : ' ■;'*■' ' I—l wanted to see your'hat off,' gasps the boy desperately, bub picking up a little courage, for the ogre has not yet killed him. 'Teddy Lincoln said you'd been scalpedand wa§ a.curiosity.' ~...., f'f. ''"Wall, now, I declar.'says Mr Potter, 'if this scalping business don't make me celebrated most everywhere'!' Then he takes off his hat and his wig too, and shows the astonished rustic a sight that makes the b% have awful dreams for a week, after; which he . gives him half-a-crbwri and tells him to, buy some • candy. This being watched from places of distant safety by Teddy and 'the rest, this.'.' Cow Face is the hero of .the juveniles of the neighbourhood, and shines with Mr Potter's reflected light for many a, day. '~' ' '' '•" " ' .'" Without further adventure the America^ reaches the steps leading to the villay where his beautiful daughter comes down to him with a rush) and gives him several tender kisses despite the presence of two magni. ficentflurikieswho are hurrying after her, and -the Honorable" Arthur vynb. makes 'a background. Theynext iijgtaiib the flunkies have despoiled Mr Potter o.t his valise and overcoat, and Arthur is asking him if he has breakfasted, andbeingansweredaffirmatively, 'suggests'that ho shall take him into the library aiUl introduce him' to Lord Ljncphi,'Mis§ Ethel b^ing fr|gj]^' inttieconservatories.. : '.. \l.f'\ J'-'rl ■■-..'__.

After a few moments' conversation with his daughter, Mr Potter says to Arthur: •AIL right; I'll tackie the peer now '.' Then whispers to Ida: ' What are you looking nervous about? I ain't skeered of a lord no more than I.am of an Injun,' and so is shown into the library. , The nervousness is all on the part of I_brd Lincoln, who awaits Mr Potter's .cming with awe. His son has told him of the eccentricities of the American; in fact, Arthur, with the instinct of a lawyer, has drawn his future father-in-law's picture with the tact, of a diplomatist. In this description, MrPotter'sextraordinaryidiom, rude manners, and barbarous gaucheries are afl eccentricities peculiar to the Wild West; eccentricities, nothing more. ' Suspecting some such thing, Miss Potter has .had an interview with Lord Lincoln herself that morning, and told him in an unaffected, but by no means self-assertive manner the fair, square, plain, unvarnished truth about her father ; neither disguising his failings nor exbolling his virtues, and ending by saying: 'Like many more in, our country of great social surprises, my father has given up his chance in life for the. good of his children. That I may wear the**dres?es of a duchess and ride in my liveried carriage, he has driven cattle on the plains, and has. exposed his life to all the dangers of a semi-barbarous existence. My happiness has been his. happiness and his pride shall be my pride, and though I love your sonver-y deeply, I'll enter no family who does not respect him as if he were the first gentleman in England !' 'And so they 6hall, my dear !'. returns Lord Lincoln, wiping a tear out of his eye. For no one could be the father of such a girl and not be a good man; ' . ' You—you are very kind !' murmurs Miss Potter, and his lordship's tears taking all the pride'out; of her,.she goes,.'up to the old gentleman and,gives ,him a very sweet kiss that she had intended for hei' father, and so leaves _tbe ex-judge with a, much better appreciation of what the Honorable Sampson really is than, his son had given him. ■''-" ;',; (To be Gontinued.)