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three men WGDBHOUSE CHAPTER X— continued. —ll— is the gist of his remarks. 6i u Dld you tell him I was trying to get to . S '"f sir. 1 understood him to reply that h e should worry and get a pain in Motown again and say that I insist op his stopping the thing. Its an out good, sir." „ in a few minutes, Webster, like the cove dispatched from the Ark, was "t Sr* my mission has been fruit less, sir. Mr. Mortimer appears ada mant on the point at issue." “You gave him my message? “Verbatim, sir. In reply Mr. Morti mer desired me to tell you that, if you did not like it, you could do the other thing. 1 <iuote the exact words, sir.-. “He did, did he?” ' ■ "Yes, sir.” “Very good 1 Webster I” “Sir?” “ "When is the next train to London?" “I will ascertain, sir. Cook, I believe, has a timetable.” “Go and see, then. I want to know. And send Miss Wilhelmina to me.” “Very good, sir.” Somewhat consoled by the thought that be was taking definite action, Mr. Bennett lay back uml waited for BU lie. “I want you to go to London,” he said, when she appeared. "To London? Why?" “i'll tell you why,” said Mr. Bennett, 'vehemently. ‘‘Because of that pest, Mortimer. I must have legal advice, i want you to go and see Sir Mallaby Marlowe. Here’s his address. Tell him the whole story. Tell him that this man is annoying me in every possible way and ask if it can’t be stopped. If you can’t see Sir Mallaby himself, see someone else in the firm. Go up to night, so that you can see him first thing in the morning. You can stop the night at the Savoy. I’ve sent Web ster to look out a train.” “There’s a splendid train in about an hour, rn take that.” “It's giving you a lot of trouble,” said Mr. Bennett with belated consideration. "Oh, no!” said Billie. “I’m only too glad to be able to do something for you, father, dear. This noise is a ter ete nuisance, isn’t it?” "You're a good girl,” said Mr. Ben nett. ; CHAPTER XI “That’s right!" said Sir Mallaby Marlotve. “Work while you’re young, Sam, work while you’re young,” He regarded his son’s bent head with af feetioQ&te approval. “What’s the book today?", “Widgery on Nisi Prius Evidence.” said .Saiji, witliout looking up. "Capital !" said Sir •Miiilaby; ‘‘“Hi'gh ‘7 * ni P r .dving and as interesting as a "I—some novels. There’s a splen hit on, I think, page two hundred ■ I ! dry-four where the hero finds out ® !i,ni, j Copyhold and Customary Es- It’s a wonderfully powerful situ ",n; H appears—but I won’t spoil it . <!r . v u. Mind you don’t skip to see 11 ai! comes out in the end!” Sir • dt suspended conversation while :ll|,]r cssed an imaginary ball with timshie which he had taken out of sa j f -hag. For tliis was the day , , ],e ; ' V( ‘Pt flown to Walton heath his foursome With' three ■ ■"'iids. His tubby form 'was clad '■ end °f n violent nature, with and stockings. “Sam I” abv i! man ' at club showed me tlle other day. instead of 1 ei'ing the little finger of the right by tile way, Sam?” I lock *P r,le office today if “ V m \ or onxious clients wilt he youii^fi l^1 anfl aaki: ng for adtice, and s!■ , n,: yourself in difficulties. I hi„ ii.'.’v ar 'fl Inters is away on Tou’d better lock the outer . v -t, ’ said Sam, absently. He - Widgery stiff reading. He II 80t f ° Ibe hit about Raptu krvi.v "bich, 11 sof course you hfo ' R writ for taking away an s ., ; ' :r, insocage. •\y, 1. looked at his watch. Inter, s ,,, 1 . ) luve t 0 be going. See you “C.OOd-by,” n | ari r .g M v'v by went out and Sam. tv n i.t* L e! bows on the desk and fr' n?ers * n s ' iair > returned ;. ' 11 °f concentration to his r ‘ • h ”te * Vidcer * • For . Perhaps e sl >uggle was an even AND A MAID Copyright by George H. Doran Cos. one, then gradually Wldgery got the upper hand. Sam’s mind, numbed by constant batterings ngninst the stony ramparts of legal phraseology, weak ened, faltered and dropped away; and a moment later his thoughts, as so often happened when he was alone, darted off and began to circle round the image of Billie Bennett. Sluce they had last met, Sam had told himself perhaps a hundred times that he cared nothing about Billie, that she had gone out of his life and was dead to him, but unfortunately he did not believe it. A man takes a deal of convincing on a point like this, and Sam had never succeeded in convincing himself for more than two minutes at a time. It was usless to pretend tnnt he did not still love Billie more than ever, because he knew he did; and now, as the truth swept over him for the hundred and first time, he groaned hollowly and gave himself up to the gray despair which is the almost in separable companion of young men in his position. So; engrossed was lie in his medita tion that he did not hear the light foot step in the outer office, and it was only when it was followed by a tap on tne door of the inner office that he awoke with a start to the fact that clients were in his midst. He wished that he had taken his father’s advice and locked up the office. Probably this was some frightful bore who wanted to make his infernal will or something, and Sam had neither the ability nor the inclination to assist him. Was it too late to escape? Perhaps if he did not answer tlie knock, the blighter might think there was nobody at home. But suppose he opened the door and peeped in? A spasm of Na 'poleonic strategy seized Sam. He dropped silently to the floor and con cealed himself under the desk. Na poleon was always doing that sort of thing. There was another tap. Then, as he had anticipated, the door opened. Sam, crouched like a hare in its form, held his breath. It seemed to him that he was going to bring this delicate operation off with success. He felt lie had acted just as Napoleon would have done in a similar crisis. “Good morning," said a voice. Sam thrilled from the top of his head to tiie soles of his feet. It was the voice which had been ringing in his ears through all his waking hours. “Are you busy, Mr. Marlowe?” asked BiliiS, addressing the boots. Sam wriggled out from under the desk like a disconcerted tortoise. “Dropped my pen,” lie mumbled, as lie rose to the surface. He pulled himself with an effort that was like a physical exercise. He stared at Billie dumbly. Then, recovering speech, he invited her to sit down, and seated himself at the desk. “Dropped my pen!” he gurgled again. “Yes?” said Billie. “Fountain pen,” babbled Sam, “with a broad nib." “Yes.” “A broad gold nib," went on Sam, with the painful exactitude which comes only from embarrassment or the early stages of intoxication. “Really?" said • Billie, and Sam blinked and told himself resolutely that, tills would not do. He was.not.appear ing to advantage. It suddenly occurred to him that his hair was standing on end as the result of his struggle with Widgery. He smoothed it down hast ily,, and felt , a trifle, more composed, The old fighting spirit of the. Mar)owes now began to assert itself to some ex tent-. He .must. make ; an effort to ap pear ps little of a. foot as possible in thisfgirils,eyes. And what eyes they were! Golly! fJke starsJ Ukp two, bright planets in . . . However, that was neither here nor there, . He pulled dowii his vest, and became cold and businesslike the dry young lawyer. . • • • •*Er —how do you do, Miss Bennett?” he said with a question in his voice, raising his eyebrows in a professional way. He modeled this performance on that of lawyers he had seen on the stage, and wished he had some snuff to Take or something to tap against his i front teeth. “Miss Bennett, I believe?” Billie drew herself up stiffly. . “Yes,” she replied. “How clever of | you to remember me." “I have a good memory.” "How nice! So have I!’’ There was a pause, during which Bil lie allowed her gaze to travel casually about the room. . Sara occupied the In i remission by staring furtively at her profile. He was by now in a thorough jv overwrought condition, and the [ thumping of HMrt sounded to him THE DANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA. as if workmen were mending the street outside. How beautiful she looked, with that red hair peeping out beneath her hat and . . . However! “Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked iu the sort of voice Widgery might, have used. Sam always pictured Widgery as a small man with bushy eyebrows, a thin face and a voice like a rusty file. “Well, I really wanted to see Sir Mallaby.” “My father has been called away on important business to Walton heath. Cannot I act as his substitute?" “Do you know anything about the law?” “Do I know anything about the law I" echoed Sam, amazed. “Do I know—l Why, I was reading my Widgery on Nisi Prius Evidence when you came in.” “Oh, were you?” said Billie, Interest ed. “Do you always read on the tlodr.” "I told you I dropped my pen,” said Sam, coldly. “And of course you couldn’t read without that! Well, as a matter of fact, this has nothing to do with Nisi — what you said.” “I have hot specialized exclusively on Nisi Prius Evidence. I know the law in all its branches.” “Then what would you do if a man insisted on playing the orchestrion when you wanted to get to sleep?” “The orchestrion?” “Yes.” “The orchestrion, eh? Ah, h’ml” said Sain. “You still haven’t made It quite clear,” said Billie. “I was. thinking.” • “Oh, if you want to think!” “Tell me the facts,” said Sam. “Well, Mr. Mortimer and my father have taken a house together in the country, and for some reason or other they have quarreled, and now Mr. Mor timer is doing everything he can to make father uncomfortable. Yesterday afternoon father wanted to sleep, and Mr. Mortimer started this orchestrion just to annoy him.” “I think—l’m n* quite sure—l think that’s a tort,” said Sam. “A what?” “Either a tort or a misdemeanor.” “Why, you do know something about it after all!” cried Billie, startled into a sort of friendliness in spitd of her self. And at the words and the sight of her quick smile Sam’s professional composure reeled on its foundations. He had half risen, with the purpose of springing up and babbling of the pas sion that consumed him, when the chill reflection came to him that thi3 g!r! had once said that she considered him ridiculous. If he let V'n.oelf go. would she not continue to think him ridicu lous? He sagged back into his seat and at that moment there came an other tap on the door which, opening, revealed the face of the holiday-mak ing Peters. “Good morning, Mr. Samuel,” said John Peters. “Good mornlhg, Miss Milliken. Oh!" Lie vanished as abruptly as he had appeared. He perceived that, what he had taken at first glance for the ste nographer was a client, and that the junior partner was engaged on a busi ness conference. ” left behind him a momentary silence. “What a horrible-looking man I” said Billie, breaking it with a little gasp. John Peters often affected the oppo site sex -like that at first sight. “I beg your pardon?” said Sam ab sently. “What a dreadful-looking mi ni He quite frightened me!” For some moments Sam sat without speaking. If this had not been one of his Napoleonic mornings, rio doubt the sudden arrival of his old friend. Mr. Peters, whom he had Imagined at his home in Putney packing for his .trip to America, would have suggested nothing to him. As it was It suggested a great deal. He had had a brain wave. and for fully a tnimftft he sat tingling under Its Impact. He’was not a young man who often had brain waves, and, when they came, they made him rather dizzy. “Who is he?” asked Billie. “He seemed to know you? And who.” s! e demanded after a slight pause, “Is Miss Milliken?” Sam drew a deep breath. “It’s rather a sad story,” he “Ilis name is John Peters. He useA to be clerk here.” “But isn’t he any longer?” “No.” Sam shook his head. “We had to get rid of him." “I don't wonder. A man looking like that . . . • “It wasn’t that so much," said Bam. “The thing that annoyed father was that he tried to shoot Miss Milllken.” Billie uttered a cry of horror. “He tried to shoot Miss Milllken i" “He did shoot her —the third time," said Sam wanning to his work. “Only in the nrin, fortunately," he added. “But my father is rather a stern dis ciplinarian and he had to go. I mean, we couldn’t keep him after that." “Good gracious!" “She used to be my father’s stenog rapher, and she was thrown a good deal with Peters. It was quite natural that lie should fall in love with her. She was a beautiful girl, with rather your own shade of hair. Peters is a man of volcanic passions, and, when, after she had given him to understand that liis love was returned, she In formed him one day that she was en gaged to a fellow at Ealing West, lie went right off his onion—l mean, he became completely distraught. I must say that he concealed it very effect ively at first. We had no Inkling of his condition till lie came in with the pistol. And, after that . . . well, as I say, we had to dismiss him. A great pity, for he was a good clerk. Still, it wouldn’t do. It wasn’t only that he tried to shoot Miss Milllken. That wouldn’t have mattered so much, as she left after he made Ills third attempt, and got married. But the tiling became an obsession with him, and we found that he had a fixed idea that every red-haired woman who came into the office was the girl who had deceived him. You can see how awk ward that made It.’ Red hair Is so fashionable nowadays.” "My lialr Is red I” whispered Billie pallidly. “Yes, I noticed It myself. I told you It was much the same shade rs JYI' SI * Milllken’s. It’s rather fortunate that I happened to be here with you when he came.” “But he may be lurking out there still 1" “I expect he is,” said Sam carelessly. “Yes, I suppose he is. Would you like me to go and send him away? All right.” “But—but is it safe?” Sam uttered a light laugh. “I don’t mind taking a risk or two for your sake," lie said, and sauntered from the room, closing the door behind him. Billie followed him with worship ing eyes. John Peters rose politely from the chair in which lie had seated himself for more comfortable perusal of the copy of Home Whispers which he had brought with him to refresh ids mind In the event of the firm being too busy to see him immediately. He was par ticularly interested in the series of chats with Young Mothers. “Hullo. Peters,” said Sam. “Want anything?” “Very sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Samuel. I just looked in to say goodby. I sail on Saturday, and my time will he pretty fully tnken up all the week. I have to go down to the country to get some final Instructions from the client whose Important pa pers I am taking over. I’m sorry to have missed your father, Mr. Samuel.” "Yes, this is his golf duy. I’ll tell him you looked in.” “Is there anything I can do before I RO?” "Do?” “Weil —”—John Peters coughed tact fully —“i S oe that you are engaged with a client, Mr. Samuel, and was wondering if any little point of law had arisen with which you did not feel yourself quite capable of coping, ip which case I might'perhaps he of as sistance.” “Oh, that lady,” said Sam. •“That was Miss Mllllken’s sister." “Indeed? I didn’t know Miss Milli ken had a sister.” “No?” said Sam. “She Is not very like her in appear ance.” “No. Tills one Is the beauty of the family, I believe. Avery bright. In telligent girl. I wap telling her about your revolver Just before you came in, and she was most interested. It’s n pity you haven't got It with* you now, to show her." “Oh, hut I have! I have, Mr. Sam uel!” .said Peters opening a small handbag and taking out a hymn-book, half a pound of mixed chocolates, a tongue sandwich, and the pistol, In the order nnmed. “I was on my way to the Rupert street range for a little practice. I should. be glad to show it to her.” “Well, wait here a minute or. two," said Sam. 'Tfl have finished talking business in a moment.” He returned to tiie inner olilce. “Well?” cried Billie.' “Eh? Oh, he’s gone." said Ram. “I persuaded him to go away. He was a little excited, poor fellow. And dow let us return to what we were talking about. You say . . fie broke off with an exclamation, and glanced at his watch. "Good Heavens! I had no Idea of the time. I promised to run up and see a man in one of the offices in the next court. He wants to con sult me on some difficulty which has arisen with one of his clients Rightly or wrongly he values my advice. Can you spare me for a short while? J sluin'! lie more than ten'minutes." “Certainly.” (TO BE CONTINUED.) GOOD Pi ROADS CONCRETE WINS IN TEST OF MATERIALS An interesting road experiment lias been conducted in Illinois for llie pur pose of ascertaining the facts concern ing the wearing quality of different road materials. This test road is known as the Bates experimental road. It consists of 63 sections of pavement each 18 l'eet wide and from 100 to 250 feet in length. They are laid end to end so that'they make a continuous straight p. . cnient two miles long. Twenty-two of these sections were of brick, 17 of asphalt and 24 of con crete. In each type of pavement the sections varied in thickness from those so thin that they were sure to break under the lightest test loads to sec tions which were considered strong enough to support successfully the heaviest load permitted by the state traffic law. All of tlie materials for the pnve mqnts were made to conform to the high standard as required by state specifications, and the spirit of the whole test was to learn t’he facts. After this road had been constructed army trucks made 23,200 round trips over them. Each truck was loaded differently as the test progressed, starting with the lightest load pos sible for them, and gradually Increas ing the load until the greatest traffic imposed’upon any such was 377,460 tons. Over 50 per cent of this was the legal load limit for four.tons peg rear wheel. After the test was com pleted it was found that, the concrete had stood the test best of any material used. In fact, It was an overwhelming victory for concrete pavement and tills can be better understood when it l,s. given in percentage. Only 4 1 /a per cent of the brick pavement sustained tills traffic without injury. Only 11 -’ft per cent of the asphalt siistained tills' traffic, whereas 41 2-3 per cent of the concrete sections satisfactorily sus tained the entire test. The test will be still further continued this spring, and new sections Of concrete have been put down having the edges thick er than the renter. It will lie interest ing to note what the outcome of those tests will lie. —E. B. House, Depart ment of Civil and Irrigation Engineer ing, Colorado Agricultural College. Link National Roads in West With Eastern Lines Construction of highways in the Western states to connect that terri tory with the East and form trans continental routes was approved by a delegation of representatives in con gress from that section meeting with state and federal highway officials at Washington. A committee was named to confer with the public roads bureau in the formation of plans which probably will call for government aid. Harvey M. Toy of the California highway commission presented the views of the states. Representative Colton of Utah was named chairman of tiie committee tfl formulate plans. Other members In clude Representatives Summers, Wash ington; Sinnot, Oregon; Fredericks,* California; Leavitt, Montana; Smith. Idaho; Richards, Nevada; Hayden, Arizona; Winter, Wyoming; Vaile, Colorado, and'Morrow, New Mexico, k Immense Sum Spent for' Good Roads in Missouri A. 0. IJngley, engineer, of construcr • tlon of the state highway department, gives out figures showing that since the establishment of the department there has been expended in the con struction of roads'arid bridges the sum of $25,284,000. This represents completed work on complete and Incomplete projects. Tiie total mileage is 2,032, of which there are 1,018 miles of graded earth yet to be surfaced. The cost of com pleted bridge construction was $1,792,- O(XJ. Graded earth cost •$7,096,000, con crete and brick $9,034,000, gravel $6,384,000 and macadam and asphalt $978,000. The hard surfaced roads, 1,014 miles, have cost $16,396,090. Order Advertising Signs From Arizona Highways Advertising signs have been ordered removed from tiie sides of all roads that traverse tiie forest reserves of Arizona and New Mexico. District , Engineer E. S. Wheeler of the bureau of public roads hereafter will permit only roadside signs that have been placed by highway organizations or automobile clubs. There is sugges tion that a bill be offered In the next legislature prohibiting disfigurement by advertising of any state highways, hs well as of the erection of blll j boards at intersections where they ; shut off the view and thus conduce to ward accident.