Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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X VV \J I \ r,| GREEN j FANCY By GEORGE BARR I McCUTCHEON Author of -GRAUSTARK.- THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND," THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK," ETC Ccernsfc* by Dodd. Mead tad C?op*a]r. lac. (Continued From Tuesday) The first fortnight of a proposed six weeks' Jaunt through upper New England terminated when he laid aside his heavy pack In the little bedroom at Hart's Tavern. Cockcrow would find him ready and eager to begin his third week. At least so he thought But, truth is, he had come to his journey's end; he was not to 8ling his peck for many a day to come. After setting the mind of the landlord at rest Barnes declined Mr. Rushcroft's Invitation to "quaff" a cordial with him In the taproom, explaining that he was exceedingly tired and intended to retire early. Instead of going up to his room immediately, however, he decided to have a look at the weather. His uneasiness concerning the young woman of the crossroads increased as he peered at the wall of blackness looming up beyond the circle of light She ?"" Ortwwhano nnfatrlp thnt sinister VTCfD OVtunuv*v - black wall and In the smothering grasp of those invisible hills, but was ehe living or dead? Had she reached her journey's end safely? He tried to extract comfort from the confidence she had expressed in the ability and integrity of the old man who drove with far greater recklessness than one would have looked for in a wild and irresponsible youngster. He recalled with a thrill the hnperloos manner in which she gave directions to the man. and his surprising servility. It suddenly occurred to him that she was no ordinary person; he was rather amazed that he bad not thought of it before. \ Moreover, now that he thought of it, there was, even in the agree..ble rejoinders she had made to his offerings, the faint suggestion of an accent that should have struck him at the time but did not for the obvious reason that *? ?? * ?11 !ntoi*aafaH In ne WHS Llltru uui ai ail 1UK1WW.U ?? her. Her English was so perfect that he had failed to detect the almost Imperceptible foreign flavor that now took definite form In his reflections. He tried to glace this accent Was French or Italia^ or Spanish? Certainly It was not He took a few turns np and down the long porch, stopping finally at the upper end The clear, Inspiring da"3f Si!! i J* ' %: * Smil On* 8poke Suddenly at Hit Elbow. of a hammer on an anvil fell suddenly upon his ears. He looked at hie watch. The hour was nine, certainly v aa uauBual time for men to be at work In a forge. He remembered two men in the taproom who were bare-armec and wore the shapeless leather aprons of the smithy. Be had been standing there not more than half a minute peering In the direction from whence came tht rhythmic bang of the anvil?at 114 peat distance, he wae convinced-* when some one spoke suddenly at hit elbow. He whirled and found htmqAif facing the gaunt landlord. "Good Lord! Yon startled me," he exclaimed. His gaze traveled past the tall figure of Pntnam Jones and rested oq that of a second man, who leaned, with legs crossed and arms folded, against the porch post directly In front of the entrance to the honse, his features almost wholly concealed by the broad-brimmed slouch bat that came far down over his eyes. He, too, It seemed to Barnes, had sprang from nowhere. Tierce night,'" said Putnam Jones, removing the corncob pipe from his lips. Then, as an afterthought, "Where'd you walk from today?" "I slept In % f?Ttwh/w? butt night. ] about fifteen miles sooth of this place, j l should say." "That'd be a little ways out ot i East Cobb," speculated Mr. Jones. "Five or six miles." "Goin' over into Canada?" "Mrt T choll turn T think, find j strike for the Lake Cliamplain country." i "I suppose you've traveled right smart in Europe?" "Quite a bit. Mr. Jones." , "Any partic'iar part?" "No," said Barnes, suddenly dlvln| ing that he was being "pumped." "One end to the other, you might say." "What about them countries down around Bulgaria and Roumania? I've , been considerable interested In what's | going to become of them If Germany j gets licked. What do they get out of i it, either way?" Barnes spent the next ten minutes expatiating upon the future of the Balkan states. Jones had little to say. He was Interested, and drank in all the information that Barnes had to Impart He puffed at his pipe, nodded his head from time to time, and occasionally put a leading question. And quite as abruptly as he Introduced the topic he changed it. "Not many automobiles up here this time o' the year," he said. "I was I a little surprised when you said a fel j ler had given you a lift. Where from?" "The crossroads a mile down. He came from the direction of Frogg's Corner and was on his way to meet someone at Spanish Falls. It apyears that there was a misunderstandJ ing. The driver didn't meet the train, i so the person he was going after ! walked all the way to the forks. We happened upon each other there, Mr. Jones, and we studied the signpost together. She was hound for a place called Green Fancy." "Did you say she?" "Yes. I was proposing to help her out of her predicament when the belated motor came racing down the slope." "What for sort of looking lady was she?" j "She wore a- veil," said Barnes euccinctly. "Toang?" "I had that Impression. By tie way, Mr. Jones, what and where is Green Fancy?" ^ . "Well," began the landlord, lowering his voice, "it's about two mile and * half from here, up the mountain. It's a house and people live in It, same as any other house. That's about all J. ix ? I mere is to say auout iu | "Why is It called Green Fancy?" "Because it's a green house," re| plied Jones succinctly. "Green as a j gourd. A man named Curtis built It a couple o' years ago and he had a fool Idee about paintin' It green. Might ha1 been a little crazy, for all I know. Anyhow, after he got It finished he settled down to live In it, and from that day to this he's never begn offn the place/' "Isn't It possible that he isn't there a? anr * "He's there, all right. Every g$w o^d then he has vfaltors^just like this woman today?and sometimes they come down here for supper. They don't hesitate to speak of him, so he must be there. Miss Tilly has got the idee that he Is a recluse, If you know what that is." Further conversation was- Interrupted by the irregular clatter of horses' hoofs on the macadam. Off to the left a dull red glow of light spread across the roadway and a man's voice called ox.w "Whoa, dang yeP The door of the smithy had been thrown open and someone was leading forth freshly shod horses. A moment later the horses?prancing, high-spirited animals ? their bridle bits held by a strapping blacksmith, came into view. Barnes looked In the direction of the steps. The two men had disappeared. Instead of stopping directly In front of the steps the smith led his charges quite a distance beyond and. Into the darkness. Putnam Jones abruptly changed his position. He Insinuated his long body between Barnes and the doorway, at the same time rather loudly proclaiming that the rain appeared to be over. "Ywr ulr." he rpneated. "she seems to . hare let up altogether. Ought to have a nice day tomorrow, Mr. Barnes ?nice, cool day for walkin'." Voices came up from the darkness. Jones had not been able to cover them with his own. Barnes caught two or three sharp commands, rising above the pawing of horses' hoofs, and then a great clatter as the mounted horsemen rode off In the direction of the crossroads. Barnes waited until they were muffled by distance, and then turned to Jones with the laconic remark: "They seem to be foreigners, Mr. Jonea." Jones' manner became natural once more. Ee leaned against one of the posts and, striking a match on hit leg, relighted his pipe* - "Kind o' cnrlons aboat 'em?* h? drawled. MIt never entered my mind until this Instant to be curious*" said Barnes. "Well, it entered their minds about an hour ago to be curious about you," said the other. CHAPTER IV. An Extraordinary Chambermaid, a Midnight Tragedy, and a Man Whe . 8a4d Thank Yo?." Miss Thackeray waa "turning down' hi*, bed when he entered bis room aftei bidding his new actor friends good night He waa staggered and some what abashed by the appearance ol Miss Thackeray. She ?u by I means dressed as a chambermaid ; should be, nor was she as dumb. On the contrary, she confronted him in ! the choicest raiment that her wardi robe contained, and she was bright and 1 cheery and exceedingly incompetent. It was her costume that shocked him. Not only was she attired in a lowI necked, rose-colored evening gown, liberally bespangled with tinsel, but she ; wore a vast, lop-heavy picture hat | whose crown of black was almost | wholly obscured by a gorgeous white : feather that once must have adornerj I the king of all ostriches. She was nol at all his idea of a chambermaid. He started to back out of the door with an apology for having blundered into the wrong room by mistake. "Come right in," she said cheerily. Til soon be through. I suppose I should have done all this an hour ago. but I just had to write a few letters. ] am Miss Thackeray. This is Mr. Barnes, I believe." He bowed, still quite overcome. "You needn't be scared," she cried, observing his cOnfuslon. "This is my regular uniform. I'm starting a new style for chambermaids. Did It paralyze you to find me here?" "I couldn't believe my eyes." She abandoned her easy, careless manner. A look of mortification came into her eyes as she straightened up and faced him. H(fr voice was a trifle husky when she spoke again, after a moment's pause. "You see, Mr. Barnes, these are the only duds I have with me. It wasnl "You See, Mr. Barnes, These Are th< Only Duds I Have With Me." necessary to put on this hat, of course but I did it simply to make the char acter complete. I might just as wel make beds aud clean waahstands in ( picture hat as in a low-necked gown, s< Sjie toT tall, pleasant-faced gir of twenty-three or four, not unlike hei father in many respects. "I am very sorry," he said lamely 'I have heard something of your mlr fortunes from your father and?thi nfVioro Tfr'n?I fa rpnllv hard lnck." t "I call It rather good luck to hav< got away with the only dress in the lot i that cost more than tuppence," sh? said, smiling again. "Lord knows wha* 1 would have happened to me tf thej 1 had dropped down on us at the end oj the first act. I was the beggar's daugh 2 ter, you see?absolutely in rags. Glat ? to have met you. I think youU fint 1 everything nearly all right. Good night sir." < She closed the door behind her 1 leaving, him standing in the middle oi < the room, perplexed but amused. "By George," he said to himself, stil 3taring at the closed door, "they'n 1 wonders, all of them. I wish I coulc ' do something to help them out of?' He sat down abruptly, on the edge oi 1 the bed and pulled Jbls wallet from hit 1 pocket. He set about covntlng th< ' bills, a calculating-frown in his eyes < Then be stared at the celling, sum ' mlng up. "I'll do It," he said, after e moment of mental figuring He tolt off a half dozen bills and slipped then into his pocket The wallet sought It usual resting place for the night: Un der a pillow. He was health? and he was tired Two minutes after his head touchec the pillow he was sound asleep. ' ' He was aroused shortly after mid | night by . shouts, apparently just out- , side his window. A man was calling in a loud voice from the road below; ' an instant later he heard a tremendous < pounding on the tavern door. j Springing out of bed, he rushed tcj . the window. There were horses in . front of the house?several of them? ] and men on foot moving like shadows among them* < Turning from the window, he an- j locked and opened the door Into the bail. Some one was clattering down ' the narrow staircase. The bolts on | the front door shot hack with resoundlng force, and there came the hoarse ( jumble of excited voices as men crowd- 1 ed through the entrance. Putnam 1 Jones' voice rose above the clamour. "K"fx?T? nnlptl Do vou want to wake everybody on the place?" be was saying angrily. "What's tip? This Is a fine time o' night to be? Good Lord! What's the matter with him?" , ' "Telephone for a doctor, Put?damn' , , quick! This one's still alive. The other one is dead as a door nail up at 1 . Jim Conley's house. Git ole Doc \ . James down from Saint Liz. Bring j I him in here, boys. Where's your light? . Eajynowl Eaa-eal" I i Barnes waited to hear no more. His )lood seemed to be running ice cold is he retreated into the room and be;an scrambling lor his clothes. The hing he feared had come to pass. Disister had overtaken her in that wild, lenseless dash up the mountain road. 3e was cursing half aloud as hef iressed, cursing the fool who drove hat machine and who ntfw was perlaps dying down there in the taproom. 'The other one is dead as a door nan," rept running through his head?"the tther one." A dozen men were in the taproom, fathered around two tables that had >een drawn together. The men about he table, on which was stretched'the igure of the wounded man, were unloubtedly natives: Fanners, woodsnen or employees of the tavern. At a vord from Putnam Jones they opened jp and allowed Barnes to advance to he side of the man. "See if you c'n understand him, Mr. 3arnes," said the landlord. PersplraIon was dripping from his long, raw>oned face. "And you, Bacon?you and )lllingford hustle upstairs and get a nattress off'n one of the beds. Stand it the door there, Pike, and dont let my woman In here. Go away, Miss fhackeray! This Is no place for you." Zdlss Thackeray pushed her way last the man who tried to stop her ind joined Barnes. "It is the place for me," she said iharply. ("Haven't you men got sense tnough to put something under his ?ead? Where is he hurt? Get that lusmon, you. suck it unaer nere wnen lift bis bead. Oh, you poor thing! Yell be as quick as possible. There!" The man's eyes were closed, but at he sound of a woman's voice he >pened them. The hand with which he :lutched at bis breast slid off and teemed to be groping for hers. His >reathlng was terrible. There was ilood at tne corners of his month, and nore oozed forth when his llp9 parted n an effort to speak. With a courage that suvprised even lerself, the girl took bis hand In hers, t was wet and warm. She did not lare look at it. "Mercl, madame," struggled from the oan's lips, and he smiled. Barnes leaned over and spoke to him n French. The dark, pain-stricken iyes closed, and an almost lmpereptlble shake of the head signified hat he did not understand. Evidently le had acquired only a few of the ilmple French expressions. Barnes lad a slight knowledge of Spanish md -Italian, and tried again with no tetter results. German was his last esort, and he knew he would fall once nore, for the man obviously was not teutonic. Tiie Diooay lips partea, nowever, anu be eyes opened with a piteous, appealng expression in their depths. It was apparent that there was aomrthiBg :: vanted to say, something he bad to lay before he died. He gasped a dozen vords or more in a tongue utterly unknown to Barnes, who bent closer to :ateh, the feeble effort It was he who iow shook his head; with a groan the uf^erer closed his eyes.in despair. He iHoked and coughed violently an initant 7TGet some water and a towel," cried diss Thackeray,.' tremulously. She vas very white, but still clung to the nan's hand. "Be quick! Behind the >ar." Barnes unbuttoned the coat and re reeled the blood-soaked white shirt. "Better leave this to me," he said in ler ear. "There's nothing you can do. ie'b done for. Please go away." "Oh, I sha'n't faint?at leak, not ret Poor fellow! I've seen him up rtalrs and wondered who he was. l? le really going to die?" "Looks bad," said Barnes, gentlj >penlng the shirt front Several ol the craning men turned away sud ienly. "Who Is he, Mr. Jones?" "He Is registered as Andrew Paul from New York. That's all I know Fhe other man put his name down ai Albert Roon. He seemed to be the toss and this man a sort of servant for as I could make out They nevei talked much and seldom came down' rtairs. They had their meals in theii room." , To be Continued GOING OVER THE TOP. Col. Roche arrived in the cit; from his nn early Wednesda; rorning. He called by to tell m ;hat he has just heard all the lates ;rading news. He also informed u ;hat "in order to put Sam Wakefiel* ilean over the top, Uncle Jim is go ing to sell hir a lot off his homi place, and have him elected a deacoi in the Baptist church." He told us too that he had heart out on the farm that as soon as Su pervisor Stevenson heard that Unci* Jim V3 to build a new bank, thi former com.nenced an addition ti the poor house so that he would b able to take care of the poor peopl this winter. The move seemed t< have the approval of the speaker. ANOTHER BIG LAND DEAL. Mr. J. S. Stark and Col. Sam J Wakefield of Antreville, got togethe "??''?? !? ? 1" Afl dlllT onH VlrttVl n ko.uuuo; iovu iu vuw ? - -? them having on their trading clothes they crossed sworda and went at it (n a little while Col. Wakefield fount himself attached to Uncle Jii Hughes place, while Uncle Jim ha 1 "taken" sixty acres of Col. Sam1 fine Antreville farm, his Killing! worth tract of fifty-six acres, an ; uau in 1113 puwuct luiujf-iivc uuuuic | dollars of perfectly good monej Pure Ice Manufactured Unde\ SOFT DRINKS Sol CIGARETTES TOBACCOS n CANDIBS FRUITS W? CIGARS' tli* m< licit y< Abbeville Cc Vinol will S and Bre A constitutional remedy building up the sty-stem, in Vinol?Beef and Cod ganese and Glyceropho energy that throws off reoccurrence. Ithasgiv tion for sixteen years. F Dona, N.C. "I suffered with a chronic cold to: four months, coughed day and night Had to keep on working when I w&j not able to. I saw Vinol advert!^ and tried it, and I want to tell yon i just cured that cold in a short time, it made me eat and sleep well, bettd] everyway."?J. C. Bagley, Dtmn,N.C For all rao-down, mrrou, anaemic 01 feebla old pooplo and deUcate ehl mm P. B, SPEED and E I i * i SPECIAL! CLOI 1 ?? i r ' . Men's $27.00 Suite, \ i a csaving ' ! r Men's $25.00 Suits, (A Saving ! Men's $23.00 Suits, 1 (A Saving o t ' Men's $20.00 Suits ? '* (A Saving of Thre< i !) : i MEN'S o > " Men's $8.00 Pants, (A Saving1 of One r Men's $6.50 Pants, (A Saving u Men's $5.50 Pants, * (A Saving ' t Men's $4.50 Pants, 7 :: (A Saving 3 ; t Men's WorkJPants s (A Saving of Oi i g i ???? ' : LADIES' NEW! J T _ J > /^? ( ijauies v^AiUiua am (A Saving of 0 e * Beacon Oxfords an< a ' (Standard Pric< e i e ? o * MEN'S AND BCT . One and Two-Piece ; U ro ?. Abbeville, i , I n ] They spent the balance of the day, d each trying to persuade the other 's that the other had gotten the best of *"j the bargain, while both went home d j feeling perfectly happy, and folly d; believing that he had got the best j., of the bargain himself. I \ -V Cream? . * i ; r Sanitary Conditions "t Drinks and nfections . are prepared to serre you In i' >st courteous manner and ?o>ur patronage. >' y ; r~ tndy Kitchen I top a Ccugh | ak Up a Cold I that removes the cause byvfl These elements contained I Liver Peptones, Iron, Man-1 sphates?soon create anl the cold and prevents its I en ninety per cent satisfao I IERE IS PROOF: Lagrange, N.C. 9| r "For yearsfruffered with adffosde . cough, so I coald not sleepnightsand B i continued to lose flesh. My araggist 1 askeame to try VinoL It canawf t cough. I can sleep nights and have H . gained,twelve pounds. Vinol is the WM r best tonic and tissue builder I have ever Bi . taken."?W. D.Ren, Lagrange,N.C. m Mkdltloxta, we4k mamma, ow worked Toern, M ldren, thw li no wnwy llfca Tmel. aD T^^iiTn (ruggists EverywherS J P? I :hing i at $25^00 of TwoDollajrs), ! H at 23.00.1 of Two Dollars) . Bi at 19.00 B f Four Dollars.) 9H , at 16.50 > and One-Half Dollars) fiBj , / | ' . ;X n'Ji'i .11,11 r J DDPANT& I at $6.50 fl and One-Half Dollars.) BH at 5.50 H -? r?__ run.. \ - Ui uug.-wuair/ BMS at, 4.50 B of One Dollar.) at 3.50'fl of One Dollar.) 2.001 le to. Three Dollars.) 9H ==?i STYLE OXFORDS i Shoes, $2.50 to $5.00 H ne to Three Dollars.) IHj i Shoes, $S,Oft to $7.50 B :s th* World Ov?r.) Jw fS' UNDERWEAR. I s Suits, . 50c. to $1.00 M iliakoff I So Carolina I