The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

730 Meanwhile, Bess sought Williams. “ Williams,’ she said, after she had told him to follow her away fromthe dining-room, where the servants were busy clearing away the tables, “ you need not mention to the other servants that this—this—”’ s Yes, Miss Hetherington, I under- stand,”’ the butler replied as she hesi- tated. “It would only alarm them to know that a man-had come in and attacked Mr. Radford,” she continued, her eyes fixed on Williams’s face. “Yes, Miss Hetherington,” he an- swered; but the look that met hers told her that he, too, entertained his own notion of which of the two men in the library had actually done the attacking. “ Mr. Radford wants you,’ Bess con- tinued. As Williams hurried toward the library she sat down, dazed and doubting. She forced herself to think clearly of the ‘incidents that had so erinly attended the wedding. And out of her recalling of them the suspicion that Radford was deeply in the wrong somehow took more com- plete possession of her. It was not remarkable that a man with Frederick Radford’s picturesque faculty for keeping himself amused, and others entertained by his original methods of doing it, should have gone to lengths which were not always wise or safe. Bess was hedged about by the kind of people who smile and shrug and forgive or enjoy the escapades of a rich and handsome young man. While she knew nothing of Ted which was really seriously to his discredit, she was too worldly wise to believe that there were not incidents in his life which would not bear inspection, If he had not told her that he did not. know this strange visitor after he had mentioned his name, which the dumb ‘man could not have given him, nor had Williams announced it, Bess might have fought harder against the suspi- cion of him. THE ARGOSY. Tutored as she was in the ignorance which her mother believed the proper attitude of nice young girls in regard to the pranks and worse of rich young men, Bess Hetherington had really a keen mind. It seemed to her that the natural conclusion about Ted’s unwelcome guest was that he was some one whose enmity he had incurred and who had taken an opportune moment to retal- iate. Her lip curled at the thought of Rad- ford’s resenting what must have been a very weak attack with such a blow as had been dealt the man. But what- ever might be her private opinion of Ted’s action, she knew but one duty. It was the consideration of appearances. She was engaged to Ted. The match had been acclaimed as matches between reigning beauties and young Crcesuses are. It was her duty to keep from the public anything to the discredit of her fiancé. Again and again she recalled the fact that Ted had chosen to overlook what she said of the wound in the man’s fore- head. He had affected to be occupied with the telephone when she spoke of it. Another motive inspired her to assist Ted in suppressing the affair. She knew positively that Mr. Barrington had rebelled against every detail of the hastily arranged wedding which prom- ised to create talk or unduly interest the newspapers. His aversion to even the attention which so prominent a woman as his wife took for granted, had made many difficulties in the ar- rangements for the marriage. Bess was certain that the favor which might be so beneficial to Ted and herself would be certainly alien- ated if a sensational episode like the entrance of the strange man into the house and his recéption by the young man should react? Mr. Barrington’s ears. Bess looked forward to her mar- riage with Ted for a reason that “prompts a good many girls to wed— she wanted! the freedom from her EM PIE OOOKS (E@)