The Lightning Conductor Discovers America

ar Fr

s way. As a matter of fact, it ought to be mine, and I've suffered from a strong sense of irritation in being brought here against my will. I couldn't prevent the party

Suffice it to say it's a very fine place, and there's something queer about the ownership which, as it happens, my detectives are at this very time trying to get at the root of. I've never ceased to feel that I have been defrauded. I suspect Storm heard something of the story from Moncourt, and put him up to arranging the "surprise" more to annoy me than to please any one else. Well, he scored, I can't deny. But the man laughs best who laughs last, you know, and it

rtant business. My own car has been put to rights, and I am expecting it

pussy cat in her composition. Not that I like her the less for that. It's more exciting. The only way is, to know what one may have to expect, and be ready for emergencie

an imitation Italian garden. I hadn't a notion the girl meant to stay behind till I was in the car with the wheel in my hand. The Goodrich lot were in, too. One o

little devil of a Mrs. Winston would have been too much tickled. Her car was close by at the time, and for once she'd stopped chattering, no doubt to see how

to get her the house she's taken for the summer, not far from the Piping Rock Club. It belongs to a man I know, a great golfer, in France with the American Ambulance just now; and it was on my programme for the day to call and ask her to be nice to my party in the evening. I did call, while the crowd were having a picnic-lunch, ran the Grayles-Grice to her place, and stopped long enough for coffee. She's fond of a little gossip, and knew all about the debacle at Kidd's Pines of course. I gave her a few picturesque details of P. S. and h

red me. And that was exactly what I wanted. It would be awkward for me, in the circumstances, to have h

ound I had Miss Patty to punish as well as P. S. I concentrated my whole mind on my objective while the Goodrich

itself is just like some jolly old country house: white shingles and green blinds, green and white awnings, large open court with brick walks running all around, and a fountain playing in the middle, wicker chairs scattered about the court, and window boxes full of pink flowers, wide verandas or loggias, or whatever you call them, where you can have tea or most anything else you want; a lot of rooms w

hem to dinner of course, pretty weird ones; ready made, I should say. I guessed that he meant to brave the business out, though I wasn't quite easy in my mind up to the last that he wouldn't make some excuse to go home when he'd got us to the clubhouse. But not a word of the sort did he utter. On the contrary, I heard him tell Miss Moore she "wasn't to forget their dance." That made me hot in the collar, and if I'd been inclined to wobble before, I nailed my colours to the mast then. Not only w

reen dress when we are married, becoming though the colour may be. Storm was looking after the Grayles-Grice when the rest of us went into the clubhouse, so I knew the dance Patty was to "remember" couldn't be the first. I asked her to sit it out with me, and she hesitated a minute. "Has some one else got ahead of me?" I asked. She said no, but she had been t

use her mind. "It's about Storm," I explained. "I don't know whether you'd care to sav

o!" she said. "He's been

the ballroom, having previously found out that Mrs. Sam de Silverley hadn't arrived ye

stons), I didn't waste a second in firing off my first gun. "I want to ask you frankly, Miss Moo

she has, that would be difficult to put on paper

I. "That'

?" she want

that is going to make it migh

she insisted. "You are a me

o. The rest of the party are gentlemen and ladies. The club can make no objection to them as guests.

liked to box my ears. But I knew I had the whip hand, and I was enjoying myself. "He's not a chauffeur. You know that!" she snapped. "He kindly drives my car these few days, because we co

another to accommodate. And he admits he's had former experience as a chauffeur, driving a Grayles-Grice. Anyhow, the fact remains that's the way his status will be regarded here, and if he comes i

as it had been while she was just plain mad. "You said something

u could come out now with me in a hurry before he gets in, to h

insulting thing!" she rapped out, rollin

lady-as a matter of fact, a lady who was on your ship and knows all about Mr. Peter Storm. When she appears on the scene she'll enter a complaint, and the affair will be out of our hands. You will then be to

hat to do and I wi

at it may cost me. But as it will most likely cost me my membership when the story comes out later

to give it for n

favour. Is that what

do ask

wait and hear what I want fo

reasons he couldn't tell me for him not to go to a big fashionable dance, but I thought that was just because he was modest. I wanted to show him how I felt-how Molly Winston and all of us feel, except you, the Socialist"-(I wish you coul

ricks! But I was punishing her for her own future good. Think of the dif

guess?"

t. You had better put it into

ay, if you weren't so young. I want you to be engaged to me. Once you've promised, I shall feel safe, and won't pres

or other. (I asked Mrs. Sam later, and she thought it meant "So be it.") "Soit! Now go this instant and make eve

come down on me like a thousand of brick if the least detail went wrong. My only fear was that Mrs. Sam might have said something to somebody prematurely; but apparently she hadn't. I explained to Storm I must definitely introduce him as my guest, because all the other names had been mentioned,

for such a confession, and, besides, she'd hate to upset his feelings to that extent. When she's not in a temper she's almost absurdly kind, and when she is in a temper, it generally seems to be with me. But I shall change that, later. There was still danger, however, from Mr

the diamond sign-posts; consequently she was in a good humour. I paid her compliments, and then pretended suddenly to remember our conversation of the afternoon. "Oh, by the by," said I, "that fellow I was telling you about turns out to be better than I thought.

e most successful of the decent lawyers in New York. One never knows when one may want his services

eeping dog, or that they'd both lain down together,

" said the oldest and shortest Miss Goodrich to me when we were sitting out an extra (I'd as s

see any need for a special effort before I get back (or afterward either for that matter) I shall rely on you. Besides, each one of us agreed to report progress to the other. If I hadn't seized upon this happy thought for the dance, I might have had my work cut out to get Patty, once you'd secured the father. I have a vague and not very self-flattering idea that she was keeping me u

nyhow, and I hope to see

n from the one who

pathetic

Cas