“The Courage of Love,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 14 January 1932, Page 7

“The Courage of Love,”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

COPYR IGHT.

CHAPTER XXl.— Continued. “He was here a few nights ago,” said Miriam Stanton, “hut lie hasn t come back.” “He’s a yellow dog,” said the other man savagely. “Thinks he’s got away from me, does he! Well! i'll teach him differently. Xow look here, Miriam! I am expecting two people, one’s your son, Francis, I don’t think this time he will fail to turn up, and the other is a man you used to know in the old days—Bill Austin.” Mrs. Stanton’s colour faded out, and she set her shoulders stiffly as if she had had a shock.

“Austin!” she said. “I thought

“Yes, I know what you thought,” said the other man roughly. “Well, lie’s out again. And I can tell you he’s not in too nice a mood. He’s got it in for you, Miriam! Swears L was you who got him put away. ” “He’s telling lj.es, and you know it. Bill has no one but himself for being caught. What do you want with him What’s lie coming here for?” 'That’s no business of yours. And look here! I’m not Townley any mote, do you understand? I have gone back to my old name, Belly, ' One Man I’elly.’ ” “I know,” said Miriam Stanton. “Well, Townley, or One Man Pelly, or whatever you like to call yourself, 1 want you to know that I am getting thoroughly tired out with this business. I don’t need you nor anyone else to tell mo that I’ve been a blind fool! You threatened me, and you frightened me, and you took means to force me to do your will because of my boy, but I can pretty well gues you won’t put the cops on me because you don’t Stand too clear yourself.” “That’ll do,” said the man Pelly roughly. “'Go .back to, the kitchen, I’ve some writing to do. And let me tell you this, my good Miriam Stanton, that if your son doen’t turn up tonight, well, he’ll get- such a thrashing when I see him that he won’t care to stand up for a few days at least!” “You shan't put a finger on him, Pelly, do you hear?” said the woman. “You shan’t put a finger on the boy! You’ve done enough harm to him already! And if he doesn’t go through with this business that you want him to do, well, that’s because he’s got a glimmer of something decent and honourable in. him. He doen’t want to trick that girl upstairs!” “Oh, lie doesn’t, does he?” said the big man. His face worked convulsively for a second or two, and then he laughed a disagreeable laugh. “Well, now wo know where we are! lie said. “But I repeat to you, whatever you’ve got in your mind, if he doesn’t go through with what I’ve told him he’s got to do, well! I’ll break every bone in his body! Is that clear?” “Very clear,” said Miriam Stanton, and she turned and went back to the kitchen.

She was trembling in every limb, and the blood was rushing about her heart. The mere suggestion that her son should be bodily hurt, roused in this woman a fury which gave her an immense amount of strength and courage. Perhaps something of a feeling of uneasiness came over the mind of the man whom she left behind her. He looked after her with a scowl ,and he sat down and lit a cigar. But after a while he threw it aside: he was not in a mood to enjoy his smoking. The fact that Burke had disappeared, though he had sneared at this in speaking to Miriam Stanton, upset him. Burke was like a rat, he had an instinct when to leave a sinking ship. And though there had been times in the recent few weeks, particularly, when the man who had abducted Diana Ladbroke had told himself angrily that the best thing that could happen to him would be to get rid of Henry Burke, now that the other man had gone, he had a feeling of uneasiness and nervousness upon him. He let his anger possess him as he waited in that room for Francis Stanton to come. His temper was not improved when the door opened and Garrett, the former chauffeur, stood in the doorway. “What are you doing here? How dare you come in this house! Get out!” ho shouted.

But Garrett only laughed and snap ped his fingers. “I am here until I get my money,” he said.

“I owe you xio money,” the other man answered.

“ Well, two can play at that game, Telly! And I have come here not only to ask you to give me the money that you owe me, but to tell you that it there is any way that I can hound you down, and do you a bad turn, I’m out to do it! Got that, my good ‘one man Telly?” Tho veins stood out on the brow of the man who had now reverted to his proper name. He advanced on the chauffeur in a threatening way. “I thrashed you a little while ago,” he said. ‘‘Easy stuff! And I'm going to do it again.”

“Are you?” said Garrett, and as he spoke he whipped out of his pocket an automatic. “There will lie no more list work. You put hands on me again, Telly, and you won’t live to see another day! Come along, let me have my money. You’d best do it,” Garrett added in an ugly tone, ‘ because if you don't, when I leave here, I shall go straight to the police station and give information about you, and let the law find out what is going on here, and why you have got that girl upstairs. Don't forget it was me as drove you from that town and me as saw the accident what knocked her out!”

Telly stood very still, lie said many terrible things to the man, but the

BY MADAME ALBANESI. (Author of “Love’s Harvest,” “The Road to Love,” “The Way to Win,” etc).

ITo be Continued)

sight of that little weapon held steadily in the hand of Garrett, sent a thrill of fear through him. Out in the West he had used such weapons without any care as to who suffered, but he was not going to be wiped out just at the moment when he was going to have .his triumph, not he. Then after a pause, he turned round, walked back to the table, and then he took out his pocket book. It had been pretty thing the last week or two, but now it was filled with notes, a fact which Garrett quickly grasped. He counted out a certain number of these notes, and flung them across the table to the chauffeur, who advanced and picked them up, still holding the automatic in his hand.

“One short,” he said, when he counted them through. The other man flicked the note towards him, and then said roughly: “Now get out, and be quick about it! And let me tell you this, Garrett, you open your mouth, and you say one word about what you know, or what’s been going on here, and it will be you who won’t see another tay dawn.’’ Then a leer came over Pelly’s face. “I’m wise to what’s going on in your mind, my dear man,” lie said. “You’re soft about Miriam! Well, once let me realize that you are trying to do me in any way, and she ’ll pay, if you don’t.” But Garrett only laughed; he slipped the weapon back into his inner pocket, and waving his hand passed out of the door and closed it behind him. When ho got back into the kitchen, he pushed all but a note or two into the hand of the housekeeper. “There you are, my dear, now carry on! ” Mrs. Stanton was white-faced and trembling. “Garrett,” she said, “I have a presentiment that things are going to be very bad for my boy. He won’t be here to-night although Pelly expects him.'”

“Keep cool, Miriam! •” the ex-chauf-feur said. “Look here, I've got a pal waiting a little way off. He’s got a nice little two-seater; I’ll get him to take mo down to West End, and I’ll see if I can get in touch with Francis.

Miriam clung to the man. “Oh do beg him to be careful. 1 don’t care what happens to me, but Francis is all I’ve got. Since this girl has come into my life, I have had gleams of happiness which I have never had since Francis was a little boy, but she will never belong to me; she’ll go back sooner or later to where she came from. But Frankie! I’d go myself to try to find him, but I can’t leave her. Sho clings to me, and she needs me. I am as much afraid for her as I am for my boy!” “I don’t think you need be afraid for her,” said Garrett, cheerfully, “for after all she is the most important person in the world for Pelly. ’ ’ “Yes, but she is changing,” said Miriam (Stanton in a broken voice. “She isn’t sloojxing like she tvas. I can see things moving in her mind. She doesn’t understand why we have brought her here —she doesn’t like this place. She is still very helpless, bit I tremble when I think what would happen if she were to stand up to Pelly and refuse to be ordered about by him.” “Well! look here, dear Miriam,” Garrett said, and he spoke, earnestly, “I’ll go down and see if I can get in touch with Francis. I think I know where I shall find him, and I’ll have a good heart-to-heart talk with him, and then I’ll come back here. I’ll hang around, you musn't be left unprotected with a man like than. He certainly is in a nasty mood! I cowed him to-night but he will try to get his own back on me, that’s pretty sure! What fools we have been, Miriam, to let a man like that treat us as if wo were dogs and order us to do all his dirty work! I tell you there are times,” said Garrett, and he spoke with anger in his voice, “when I’ve half a mind to go back to the town where he stayed that day and night, and where he picked up this girl. I bet there are some people inquiring for hex - , and wanting to know what’s) happened to her. That advertisement which put the wind up Burke the other day asking for news about her father, that proves to my mind that it isn’t going to be such a walkover for Pelly as he expected. And now I’ll hurry. Take heart, my dear woman,” Garrett said, “and remember I’m in the world! I may not be worth very much, but at least you will always have me to fall back on.”

.chatter XXII. A great friendship sprang up between the man Gresham Towmey and Dr. Bravington, In the first place, the physical condition of this wasted and delicate man appealed to the doctor. He took upon himself to treat him professionally. And when Gresham Townley wanted to prosecute the search for Diana on his own account by going back to Middlcston and Rexbury, ana by making inquiries in every possible direction, the doctor just simply put his foot down, and refused to let his patient, move."

Hugh was working in a feverish sort of way trying to dull the ache of his heart, and to bring about sleep and rest when he went to bed through the medium of actual fatigue. His mother fretted about him, for he was beginning to look very ill, so drawn; all the sunniness had gone out of his face and she never heard him laugh as he used to laugh; lie was like a man-living in perpetual shadow, and she knew that Martin Joyce shared in her anxiety about his condition.