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Bessie's Lover. -

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Bessie's Lover. Bessie Maiden, her bright and fresh young | face growing with animation and happiness, greeted Frank Meredith with a tender smile Is be entered the empty private bar of the Pink Dragon just before closing time. Their lips met tremblingly for an instant, and then Bessie withdrew quickly as the land- lord, a middle-aged man with a dark, keen face and a pair of restic3s black eyes, entered the bar. saying, '"iour sapper is ready, Mis-3 Maiden. I'H attend to the bar. Good night." "Good night, sir," she replied, exchanging a tender glance with her lover as she retreated into the parlour of the Pink Dragon, where Mrs. Jacobs, the landlord's mother, a lean and cadaverous-looking old woman, was counting the day's "takings" with the restless and feverish intensity of inveterate greed and miserliness. After the lapse of a few minutes the shutters were put up. the lights in the bar were extin- guished, and Silas Jacobs joined his mother. who was now alone in the parlour, Bessie having already retired for the night, after a hasty and meagre supper of Tjfead and butter and a glass of thin ale. Mother and son then proceeded to hold secret council together on a subject in which it was evident they both took a deep and lively inte-1 rest. I'm quite positive I'm right, mother," said Silas in a low voice, handing a printed slip to his moiher. There can be no doubt about it." Yes. deary, it certainly looks like business," she replied. but before starting seriously with oar plan, don't you think you ought to go down to this place and make inquiries?" I'm going down to-morrow. After a short pause she leant across the tabK and clutched his wrist with her talon-Iiks fingers, saying Silas, we have one great danger to feu-that artist fellow that comes into the bar every night seems very sweat on her." Pshaw I ain't afraid of him." He paused for a moment and then added, with a fierce and malignant scowl: "In any case, I shan't allow myself to he done out of the prize by that fellow-not if I had tc-" He checked himself, adding in a low voice But there'll bo no occasion for running any risks, I hops." The Pink Dragon was a small and dilapi- dated tavern in the pari-li of Chisw;ck, stand- ing in an obscure thoroughfare close to the river, with a. neglected garden at the back of the house running down to the Thames a weed-otrewn plot of ground which was never likely to receive much attention from the ptre- j sent money-grubbing occupants of this old riverside hc-telry. On the following day. Bessie was surprised to observe a marked change in Mrs. Jacobs's 1 ma.nner towards her, the old lady becoming all at once extremely amiable and considerate, going so far even as to offer her a few words of maternal advice on the danger of encourag- ing the attentions of admirers who frequented the bar of the Pink Dragon. "I don't like the look of tha,t young fellow who comes into the bar every night," said Mrs. Jacobs, after dwelling for some time on the many excellent qualities of her son. "Take my advice," she added gravely, "and have nothing to do with him." "Do you mean Mr. Meredith—the gentleman i who was in the private bar to-night?" asked Bessie, flushing angrily. Mrs. Jacobs nodded. "Then I beg to tell you, Mrs. Jacobs, that Mr. Meredith is very, very dear to me, and I shall not listen to a word against him—not a single word!" "Oh, indeed exclaimed the eld woman, her sharp face instantly assuming an expression of sinister malevolence. Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Silas, and leaving mother and son together Beisie retired to her own rocms, glad to escape at last from the companionship of; the close and crafty old landlady of the Pink; Dragon. On the following evening, much to her annoyance, Bessie was sent by Mrs. Jacobs on sundry shopping errands, and en her return she was disappointed to find Frank absent from his customary corner in the private bar; nor did he-call at the Pink Dragon that night, a circam-tance which occasioned her no little anxiety and annoyance, fer he had never before missed a day without paying her a visit. Fearing that he was ill, she got up earlier than usual on the following morning and ran I up th3 street to his studio, which was only a, short distance from the tavern. She found Mary. Frank's old domestic, clean- ing the steps, and questioned her upon the subject. "I can't understand it. mirs," replied the servant, who knew of the tender relations wh'ch existed between her master and the pretty barmaid of the Pink Dragon. "Mr. Meredith went cut last night to visit you, and I saw him myself enter the Dragon—but he has not been heme s.nce. Not home since!" repeated Bessie, a strange feei ng of alarm instantly taking pog-easion of her. The old woman nodded, saying: Ferhap? he went home with some artist friends, miss, and remained for the night." Bessie returned to the tavern in a state of great anxiety and agitation, utterly unable to restrain the fears for her lover's safety which low worried and perplexed her. « • » » • I want, to see Miss Maiden, if you please!" suddenly rang out a sharp clear voica from the bar, the words reaching Bessie as she sat at the dinner-table with Mrs. Jacobs. Nobody of that name here." replied Silas Jacobs, much to Bessie's amazement. She started to her feet and went towards i the door. | But Mrs. Jacobs barred the way, saying soothingly: Go on with your dinner, dear. Sit down at once, like a good girl." 11 Let mo out, Mrs. Jacobs. I must see who wants me. I inaist And. clutching the handle, Bessie wrenched the door open in spite of the old woman's efforts to stop her, and darted into the bar. How do you do. Miss Maiden? Glad to see you," said a genial-looking man, leaning for- ward and grasping her hand csrdially. It was Mr. Pomfret from Ravenham, head cl-2rk mi the office of her uncle's lawyer, Mr. Sullington. In a few wcrds he explained that by the death of her uncle, who had succumbed to an attack of typhoid fever three weeks previously, she had become the owner of a small estate at Ravenham, yielding an income of E700 a year, and also of sundry securities to the value of £ 15.OX). Owing to a quarrel with her uncle, she had left his house at Ravenham three months ags, and had come to LondJIl to sc?k a living for j herself in the great city. The clerk explained that Mr. Sullington had a dYErised for her, the advertisement evidently conittig under the notice of the laridliord of the Pink Dragon, for-to quote Pomfret's words -"Mr. Jacobs has been down at Ravenham making inquiries about the business, and I saw him there. Suspecting his object, I ascertained that he was a Londoner, and at once tele- graphed to a detective to meet him when he reached town and follow him to his residence, wherever it might b. The detective, who is now waiting outside, tracked him down. and telegraphed the address to me at once." Muttering incoherently, Jacobs retreat* into the parlour, evidently greatly alarmed, his manner revealing a mind burdened with guilt and anxiety. The detective now entered the bar, and Bessie, unable to restrain her anxiety concern- mg the safety of Frank Meredith, told the whole story cf his strange disappearance to the two men. frankly declaring that she would gladly sacrifice her ncwly-acquired fortune to preserve him from danger. Smiling at the ingenuous enthusiasm of the giri, the two men held a private consultation for a few minutes, and then the detective put a few searching questions to her, after which he proceeded to tnmiIJtno floor of the private bar with close, professional scrutiny. "That'll do," he said, rising from the flcor. Now, miss, I mu:t see these people at once and have a word with them. You had better come too. Mr. Pcir.fret," he added, lifting the flap of the bar and passing into the parlour, followed by Bessie and the clerk. "I want the key of your cellar at ones," said the detective sternly, addressing Mrs. Jacobs and her son, who were on the point of making an hasty exit from the room. "If you don't instantly deliver it I'll break the door open." "He's got it. in his hand," criel out Bessie, pointing to Silas Jacobs. In a moment the detective, with a swift movement, snatched the key from Silas, and then, led by Bessie, went down the rickety staircase to the cellar of the Pink Dragon. In a dark corner of the damp and musty place they found Frank Meredith, apparently dead, his mouth cruelly gagged and his limbs bound tightly with strong rope. Under Bessie's care, and by the prompt ap- plication of powerful restoratives, the artist gradually recovered consciousness, and in a few words explained how he had been en- trapped by the Jacobses. On entering the bar on the previous evening, during Bessie's absence, the other bars being empty as usual, Silas Jacobs invited him to take a glass of wine, an invitation which he accepted. Soon afterwards a paralysing sen- sation sesmed to take possession of him, and at the same instant the flcor gave way, and he was precipitated violently through the trap-door into the cellar below, a fall of quite thirteen feet. The Jacob-es fled from justice, but were eventually captured, Silas getting fifteen years' penal servitude and his mother ten years. The lovers were soon united, and in a short time Frank achieved a distinguished name for himself in his profession, much to the pride and joy of the loving and devoted young wife, whom he had wooed and won in the bar of the Pink Dragon. M. L. BARRY.

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