Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1906 — The Yellow Holly [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Yellow Holly

By FERGUS HUME,

Author of “The Mystery of a Hansom Cab." Etc. Jt A

ConrrttH 1005. by G. W. Dillingham Company

CHAPTER XIX. AS George stepped out of the front door fie came face to face with Bawdsey, who was mounting the steps. The man seemed excited and carried a carelessly folded newspaper which he had apparently been reading. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, with a certain degree of roughness. “1 did not know that this house was Interdicted to me,” replied Brendon sharply. ‘‘l am glad to meet you. however, as I wish to have a few words.” ‘‘l am too busy to give you any time,” retorted Baw.lsey, and tried to enter the house. ‘ Nevertheless you will give me a quarter of an hour.” said George, blocking the doorway with his stalwuM form. “What I have t > say cannot be left until a more convenient period.” "1 tell you I am busy. Mr. Brendon.” "And 1 fell you that I intend to have this Interview." rejoined Brendon Imperiously. “You talk a great deal about gratitude, Bawdsey, yet you are unwilling to put yourself out for me in the least degree.” Bawdsey became penitent at once. “It Is true, Mr. Brendon, hut I am very worried.” He cast a glance at the newspaper in Ills hand. "However. you have first call upon my time" No more words passed. Bawdsey mounted the stairs and led George into a well remembered room. Brendon took a chair, and Bawdsey, with an unxiotis look, threw himself into another. The mail’s face was flushed, his red hair was in disorder, and Ills eyes were bright. As a rule liv was calm and self controlled, so George conjectured that something particularly important must have occurred to upset him. “I had a conversation with Lord Herrington the other evening,” George said deliberately, “and we talked of you." "Then you heard no good of me,” replied Bawdsey, with a sneer. "Lord Herrington does not like me.” "That matters little. No liking cun exist between a man in Lord Herrington’s position and his paid servant.” "Oh, you call me that, do you, sir?” “What else are you? Lord Herrington engaged you as his ugent to watch me, and that you have done.” "Not lately. I have given you a free hand." “In any case I have a free hand,” said George loftily. “You were grateful enough for my service In saving your life to release me from your espionage, but had you not done so 1 should have taken means to put a stop to your dogging my footsteps." “You would not have known had I not told you. Mr. Brendon.”

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTER I—George Brendon, a young Londoner, visits his friend. Leonard Traiu, who has lodgings in the boarding bouse kept by Mrs. Jersey. Among the boarders Is an elderly maiden lady. Miss Bull. Mrs. Jersey is startled by a piece of yellow holly worn by George. ll—George, whose real name Is Vane, tells Train the story of his life. He Is an orphan and the grandson of Lord Derrlngton, but the latter refuses to recognize the margiage of George’s father (Lord Derriugtou's iOi), who had eloped. Brendon desires to establish his position as Lord Herrington's heir in order to marry Dorothy Ward. The place of marriage of George’s parents is known only to Mrs. Jersey, formerly maid to George's mother. His mother died at his birth, and his father bad been murdered in San Remo, Italy, years before. Ill—ln the night Mrs. Jersey Is killed with a stilleto by an unknown person. IV—Alias Bull takes charge of the house in behalf of Margery, neiee of the murdered woman. The house has been leased from Lord Derrington. V—Mrs. Ward, ft heartless society woman, mother of Dorothy, is opposed to Dorothy’s marriage to Brendon. The yellow holly had been given to Dorothy by her mother and by the girl to George. Vl—Mr, Ireland, George's former guardian, tells him of his mother’s marriage and death and his father’s murder. The latter was killed after leaving a masked ball in company with a woman—a blue domino—who wore a sprig of yellow holly. VII— George, seeking a confession known to have been left by Mrs. Jersey, visits Miss Bull and learns that the dead woman received an annuity from Lord Derrington, George saves a Mr. Bawdsey from death aud learns that the latter lives In the Jersey house. Vlll—Lola Velez, a dancer, is in love with George and is loved by Bawdsey. Lola's parents lived in Sau Remo at the time of the murder of Breudon's father. IX and X—. Mrs. Ward invites Train to dinner. He meets Lord Derrilngton. George visits Dorothy and makes a favorable impression on his grandfather. Mrs. Ward learns from Train that the latter found a yellow holly berry near the body of Mrs. Jersey. XI George visits Bawdsey. who is employed by Lord Derrington to wateh the young man. Bawdsey warns him that lie is suspected of Mrs. .Jersey's murder. Xll—Lord Herrington is visited by Brendon. who tells his grandfather that he saw Win in Mrs Jersey's house on the night of of the murder. Breodou demands that his grandfather silence Mrs. Ward. Xlll—Lord Derrington visits Mrs. Ward and forces her to keep silence concerning the yellow holly berry found by Trnin, telling her that the berry was dropped by George at the finding of the boily. Dorothy aud her mother see Lola Velez dance. Lola later tells Dorothy that the latter w ill lie forced to give up her lover. XlV—Lola disappears. Bawdsey tells George that Mr. Ireland knows something about his father's death. Lord Herrington's power over Mrs. Ward is due to the fact of his knowledge of her cheating at cards. Mrs. Ward prodneesLthe weapon with which Mrs. Jersey was killed, having found it in Lord Herrington's coat. Lord Derrington confiscates the stilleto. Mr. Ireland tells him that Mrs. Ward wus w ith George’s father at the Sail Remo ball Another iilue domino there was Mrs Ward's sister, now known as Miss Bull. XVI and XVll—Lord Derrington makes peace with his grundson. The old man denies that he was in tile Jersey house on the fatal night and tells George that the man he taw was Bawdsey in his employer's coat. Lord Derrington was to have visited Mrs. Jer-ey that night, to w arn her against George's attempt to make her reveal the secret of the marriage of George's parents, "awdset had drugged the lor>*. in order to get Mrs. Sersev's confession und money for it. Bnwdsov denies that he killed Mrs. Jersey, XVIII-Mi-a Bull tells Hreudon that it was her -ister who was accompanied home by bis father on the night of the latter's murder. Lola Velez's mother in San Remo owned the daggur with which the murder wus committed.

"Oil, yes, I should.* In any ease, l should have seen my grandfather, and he would have told me.” “No, sir. He is your enemy.” “That is where you are wrong. Bawdsey. He is my friend and intends to recognize me as his heir.” “Has he learned where the marriage took place?” asked Bawdsey, starting from his seat and again glancing anxiously at the newspaper which lay on a small table at his elbow. “No. We have yet to find that out. But he is quite satisfied from the hints of the late Mrs. Jersey that a marriage did take place.” “Whew! What means did you take to force him to recognize you?" “I used no force at all,” responded Brendon very dryly. “Lord Derrington would not climb down unless he were made to.” “As a matter of fact he did. The olive branch was held out by-him. All this is of your business, Mr. Bawdsey, and I only tell it to you to clear the ground for what I am about to say.”

“First, Mr. Brendon, I should like to know your exact position.” “Oh, that is easily explained, and there is no reason why you should not know what all London will know soon. Lord Herrington will join with me in searching for the register of marriage, and meanwhile will recognize me as his grandson and the heir to his estates. In a fortnight I leave my Kensington rooms and take up my , residence with Lord Herrington in St. Giles square. Then I shall nssume my real name of George Vane.” “And you will marry Miss Ward, 1 suppose?” “That is entirely my business,” said George placidly. “You will gain nothing by insolence, Bawdsey.” The man rose with a wounded air. “Upon my word, Mr. Vane,” he said, giving George his correct name to show that he recognized his new position, “1 have not the slightest intention of being insolent. I am glad for your sake that things are as they are, and pleased for my own, since Lola may now give up thoughts of you and turn to me.” "That’s all very well, Bawdsey,” said Brendon quietly. “You profess a great friendship for me, but how can I trust you?” “Why should you doubt me?” asked Bawdsey, still wounded. “I can only judge the future by the past, and since you are quite ready to play Lord Herrington false”— “Who says that?” cried the man, sitting down. “I say so. Lord Herrington has told me nil.” “All whnt?” demanded Bawdsey, willfully ignorant. “All that took place on the night when you came to this house to impersonate him.” Bawdsey laughed, and his face cleared. “If that is your disagreeable business, sir, I can easily put that to rights.” “(Jan yoh explain why you drugged him. why you threatened him?” “I did not threaten him.” “Lord Herrington Informed me that you threatened to get him Into trouble That was why he consulted me. and that Is why I have come to tell you that if you fight Lord Herrington you will fight me also.” “Hon’t press too hard, Mr. Brendon. I am willing to do you a service, and you are misjudging me,” said Bawdsey. “I nin willing to hear what you have to say.” “If you are satisfied with my explanation, will you endeavor to get Lola to marry me?” “I know nothing about you save what my grandfather told me, and his report does not bias me in your favor.” Bawdsey shrugged his shoulders. “Lola Is well able to look after herself,” he said. “I think I mentioned that before. But if you are satisfied with what I am about to tell you will you help me?” “I’ll do my best," said George Impatiently. “But 1 shall not advise her to marry you uuless you prove to mo

_ r that you do not intend so blackmail Lc*d Derrington." “Nothing was farther from my thoughts,” said Bawdsey earnestly. “It was to my interest that your grandfather should hold his tongue about my having been to this house”— “He would not have known had you uot told him voluntarily." “Oh, yes, be would have discovered in some way. I thought it best to be On the right side by confessing voluntarily what I bad done. I said I could get him into trouble—and I admit that I did threaten him so far—simply to make him hold his tongue.” “You were afraid lest you should be accused of the crime?” Bawdsey looked at George in surprise. “That possibility never crossed my mind,” he replied calmly. “I certainly did not kill the woman. Do you think 1 did, Mr. Brendon?” Uemge shrugged his shoulders. “Going by circumstantial evideuce”— "Oh”—Bawdsey flipped away that objection with a snap of his fingers—“LiUt's ail right; 1 will explain. No, Mr. Brendon: why I wished Lord Derringtou to be silent was that I might curry out my plans so as to learn who killed Mrs. Jersey." “Then you are looking after the case?” “Oa behalf of Lord Derrington. He bus an idea that the assassin became possessed of a confession which Mrs. Jersey left behind her”— “How do you know she left it?” {‘Because I knew Mrs. Jersey very well, and, as I told you long since, I was once a boarder here, day she let slip that she had some one in lier power, and would leave the evidence of that power behind her so that her niece might benefit. I told this to Lord Derrington. He insisted that I should try to discover the assassin so as to get that confession, which compromises him, back again. To spur me on he has promised me a reward of a thousand pounds should .1 obtain the confession and the conviction of the assassin. As I want money to marry Lola, lam doing my best I came to live here for that purpose. Lord Derrington talking of my visit to the house on the night of the crime would have jeopardized my plans, therefore I was obliged—as you say—to threaten him so as to make him keep silent. So far, do you blame me, Mr. Brendon?” “No,” replied George, after some thought, “the end justifies the means. But you might have adopted less rascally means.” "I have uot adopted any. I have not asked Lord Derrington for money, so I am not a blackmailer; nor do I intend to claim from him anything but what is justly mine.” “And what is justly yours, if you please?” “The reward of £I.OOO for the discovery of the assassin.” , “Oh! Have you learned who killed her?” “Not yet, but I may learn. At present I confess I am in fault.” [TO BE CONTINUED.!

“I am too busy to give you any time.”