i
4 , I ' l l !
T i l l IIH D A Y, J l'N I
TIIK
T h e H o llo w
f i ^ o f H e r bp H a n d
G eo rg e B a rr
Mc C u tc h e o n
Author ot “Crnustni kT
"TVuxton Kln^retc.
ILLUiTVATIONS t-y tU S W V r tl TCl’KJ
c<->trvt* k i i i t
>>'-
A*
iv is
li Y
BASH H -C IJTO tm M
CnPYKtUItT pllt BY
1 >'IU». M t A I j o . COMI'AHY
B V N U t >lb
in.* cou n try
tie r p ie ce is aiaiu t tw o
m iles rrom fat tier's
It h asn 't been
open ed In tw o y e a rs
H er fa th e r bu ilt
i l » M ‘ l III •
llH U M
l.r » |
N «W
i
\* f •
It Aft>-eii or tw en ty y e a rs ago. and le ft
I <11)1 a m t It K 'iilt f lr « tlic I mm |)
\ y u tiiiif
It lo her when he died
Hhe and
►»»*«*»• v%fw. n.
i. |. i>
' \ ,
!,
• »• .
■
C b a llla spent s e v e ra l aum m era th e re .”
K i t. t
I : >♦
| ;
“ V iv ian took me th rough It on e a ft
I
Jr •
».it*
•
: N.
. i ernoon last su m m er "
• t u iin f • b lln «tliig « n o « » t o r m
"It must h av* been qu ite aa much
f llA I T K l« It « »»• l l i r « 4)1 «hr liif**!« % o f a n o v elty to h e r aa It w as to you,
lu t if w o m a n In th«- n »«« t w h o |ir<>>«-» lu
old ch a p ." said 1-eslle glo om ily,
i th * « » m a t i «!«• » k l t l n l \\ r i r i't « ! l
K tl *» thr ftr l liwtl
l«-r 4 »* r o
“ W hat do you meanT”
I '
| r i iM m a
h*r
<>f l h »
tn «n
w ho
ih o m h
t m
w I •
i.tin 4 a§pl
• 1
M l » Ifro« Mr» W riltdal
I ih lv ld
h «r
pit»
p H A IT ie n
•
t
n iu t
*•»«•• h e r
lit
Mr.
to
X V r .n l»
h*r uw n
II
'
h r.m
%
|l ■ ft >? | rt»
• * at r-
•
t••
III
T i n ’ » f u r y -»f iti* t i a a r . h « h r fi.r
0 . t h » g i r l * » i r to t r II t .» r
rth«- ..fT'-rw
Hrjr « h .m r
If» «1.1 Mnirtljr
Hill |wrll on •n'lMint of t h » |r«ar.|y
M r » H»r» \ V r » n . | » l l »n <1
r «• • »• t r*ti»i • t « ( i »• .
f « *
i tt ■ m
(|l »1 t h » h«»ff>r of h i » |.a fr ii'i
H ir«
hi »!'• • >'• » » « - n tr«*at».«| «■ mm Int*-rl. tm r
r i l t l ’T I H IV
• • r
tr ig r .t jr
L-thwr
ibt ■ '
” • . • 1
w »»m «
to
d r»w
th * m
• i< « n t
C H A H T tN V,
D isc u ssin g a l n l t r l n L i «
'Y o u r«m *m b«r my sis te r In law .
(n t you. B ran d ) T"
th .' question
^ ^ i * t Leall# \\ ramUII | M 10 a M » |
»1
afte rn o o n . »« th«-) aal drt-arlly In
h u lu d o « of onn o f (bn faahlonabln u p
| i « u rlu ba. a llllla morn than a y e a r
l e r Ihn e v e n ts d e scrib e d 111 (bn fore-
ling ch a p te rs. I trs a r lly , I b a va saM .
r ibn m aaon (b a t It « a a S u n d a y , and
Jning a t th at
•'I ninl Mra W ran d all a fnw y e ars
» o In K otn a," aaid hla romt>anlon. re-
r »1 ng In terest 111 a co n v e rsa tio n th at
• d dlnd aonm (Imn b e f o r e o f l(a ow n
x h a u s tlo n
Him a moat a ttr a c t!* * . I
law hnr but o n e *
I th in k It waa a t
im nbody'a frtn ."
I * Him a re tu rn in g to S r * Y o rk th«
bud o f th * m onth. ' aald L e slie
H rru
• broad for o t e r a jr»ar. Him bad a
V illa at M e « (hla wlnt«r.~
"I rem em b er hnr quit« w all
I waa
Of an aa« tb«n to lm p a rtic u la rly a m
■ lilte to frm a l« lo v e lin e s s
If I d b< < ll
• la y i n g on In Itom *. I sh ou ld hav«
a< m w nd up lb« co u ra g e. I'm su re. to
h a t« a sk e d hnr to alt fo r nm "
i llra n d o n llo o tli waa o f an old Itilla -
dt-lphla fa m ily : an old and w o allb y
fa m ily . Ilo lb vl«w a conaldnrnd. bn » a s
q u a lifie d lo w a lk haud In g lo v e with
III« fa s tid io u s W ran d alla
I t a li a 's
_ m o th e r waa ch a rm e d w ith him b n
t cau a« atm waa a lso Ihn m olhn r o f Vlv-
S ia n
I h n fa rt th at hn wnnt In for por
3
ti.it
i ulnt In *
a n.I
in« <1 a > • t» •
" V iv ia n 's a hit o f a snob Hhe n ever
liked lh * place b ecau se old m au Hooch
built It out o f w o rsteds
Hhe n ever
w ent th ere .”
"Hut the old m an 's been dead for
y e a rs ."
"T h a t doesn 't m a tter
T h e fa r t la,
V iv ian didn't qu ite ta k e to Hara until
a fte r well until a fte r C b a llla died
W e r e d readful enobs, Itrandy. the
w hole lot o f us
Hara w as qu ite good
enough for a m uch b etter m au than
my broth er
S h e re a lly cou ldn 't help
th e w orsteds, you know
I'm v ery
fond of her, and a lw a y s h ave been
W e re pals 'U sd. It w as a fea rfu l sla p
at tb * hom e fo lk s w hen C h a llls Justi
fied Hara by g e ttin g sn uffed ou t tha
w ay he did .”
Hooth m ade an a ttem p t to ch a n g e
th e su b je ct, but W ran d all go t back
to It
"Hlur# then w e 'v e a ll been e x c e e d
in gly sw e e t on H ara Not b e cau se w e
w ant lo be, m ind you. but b ecau se
NET '(
••You M utt P la y the C am *. H a tty ."
a u b a la llu s on lh« g e n ero a lty of hla w e 're a fra id s h e 'll m arry se n * chap
fa th e r, p rn fn rrln s to II»« by hla tab
w h o w ould n't be a c c e p ta b le to ua."
| a n t, In no w ay o p e ra te d a g a in s t him,
"I should co n sid er (hat a v ery n eat
[ s o fa r aa Mra. W ran d all » a * con- w ay ou t of It," said Hooth cold ly.
le a r n e d . T h a t waa hla lookou t, n ot
Not at all
You see, C h a llls waa
[ h e r s . If hn n lncled to that sort or fond o f Hara. In sp ite o f e v e ry th in g
( t h in s , a ll w e ll and goo«l
11» could
He left a w ill and under It ah* cam e
[a ffo r d to bn e c c e n tr ic . thnrn rem ain ed . In for all h e had. A s th at Includes a
In th e p e rs p e c tiv e he SOOmod. the bulk
third Interest in o u r e x tre m e ly refined
o f a h u s« fo rtu n e to o ffse t w h a tev er and Irrep ro ach a b le b u sin ess. It would
Id io s y n c ra s ie s he m lsh l c h o o se to c u l be a d e u ce of a tric k on ua If th e m ar
t iv a t e
Home d ay. In a p lle of hlm aelf. ried on e o f th e com m on people and se t
Wo
aim c o n ten d ed se re n e ly , he would be him up am on gst ua, w illy n tlly.
W o'ro
v e r y , v e ry rich
W hat cou ld he m ore do n 't w ant at ra n ge b e d fe llo w s
d e s ira b le th an fam e, fam ily and for too snug and I m ight sa y , too sm ug.
Ikiw n In her heart m oth er 1 « sa y in g to
tu n e a ll h eap ed to g e th e r and th ru st
h e r se lf It would be Just lik e Hara to
upon on e e x c e e d in g ly In terestin g and
get even w ith ua by doing Juat that
h a n d so m e you n g m an*
l i e had been th e pupil o f ce le b ra te d so rt o f a trick . O f co u rse S a ra la rich
d ra fts m e n and p a in ters lu E u rope, and enough w ith o u t a cc e p tin g u sou u nd er
had e x h ib ite d a sin c e rity o f purpose th e w ill, but sh e 's a can n y person S h e
th a t w aa su rp r isin g , a ll th in g s co n h asn 't handed It h a rk to ua on a s ilv e r
p la tter, w ith th a n k s ; still, on th e
sid ered . T h e m ere fa c t th at he w a s
oth er hand, sh e refuse« to m eddle. S h e
n ot o b lig e d to p ain t In o rd e r lo ob tain
a liv in g waa sufficien t c a u s e for w on m akes us feel p re tty sm all. S h e w o n 't
se ll out to us. S h e ju s t sits tigh t.
d e r am on g th e a r tis ts he m et and
T h a t's w h at g e ts u nd er th e akin w ith
Studied w ith o r under.
H la a tu d lo I d N ew Y o rk w as not a m o th er."
"I w ould n't aay th at, Lee. If I w ere
fa s h io n a b le re s tin g p la ce
It waa a
w o rk sh op . You cou ld h a v e te a th ere, In you r p la ce."
" It la a ra th er p rig gish th in g to aay.
o f c o u rse , aud you w ere su re to m eet
Isn 't ItT"
p e o p le you kn ew and liked , but It waa
" R a th e r ."
q u ite aa m uch o f a w o rk sh o p as any
"Y o u see, I'm th e o n ly on e w ho
y o u cou ld m ention.
H e waa not a
d a b b le r In a rt. n ot a m ere d a u b er o f re a lly took sid e s w ith S ara . I fo rg e t
m y s e lf so m etim es. S h e w as su ch a
p ig m e n ts: he waa an a rtist.
brick, a ll th ose y e a rs ."
Hooth w a s th irty perhaps a y e a r
Hooth w as silen t for a m om ent, n ot
o r tw o o ld e r; ta ll, dark and goon lo o k
in g th e re fle c tiv e look In hla com p a n
in g. T h e g lr o f th e th orou gh b red
m a rk e d him
H e did not a ffec t looae. io n 's eyes.
"I su ppose th e police h a v e n 't g iv en
flo w in g c r a v a ts and baggy trou sers,
n o r w aa h e c a re le s s abou t hla fin ger up th e hope th kt so o n e r o r la te r th e —
n a ils .
H e woe sim p ly th e o rd in ary, er- th e w om an w ill do so m e th in g to
g iv e h e rse lf a w a y ," aaid he.
e v e r y d a y so rt o f c h a p you would
" T h e y d o n 't ta k e an y sto c k In my
m e e t In F ifth a v e n u e d u rin g parad e
th eo ry th at sh e m ade w ay w ith h e r se lf
h o u rs, and you w ould ta k e a secon d
the sa m e nigh t. I waa ta lk in g with
lo o k a t him b e cau se o f his fa c e and
the c h ie f y e ste rd a y .
H e s a y s th a t
m a n n e r bu t n ot on a cc o u n t o f his
a n y o n e who had w it to c o v e r up h e r
d r e s s. Home o f his a n c e sto rs ca m s
tr a c k s aa th e did, la not the kind to
o v e r ah ead o f th e M ayflow er, but he
m uke w ay w ith h eraelf. P e rh ap s he'a
did n ot glo at.
r ig h t It aouiida rt-aaonable. H ad , I
L e s lie W ra n d a ll w as hla c lo se st
frie n d and h araheat c ritic .
It dldn t felt aorry fo r th e poor g ir l th ey had
r e a lly m a tte r to Hooth w h at I*>all« up last sprin g. Hhe w ent th ro u gh th e
said o f hla p a in tin g s he qu ite u n d er > h lrd d egree. If e v e r a n y o n e did, b u t
by Jove, aha ca m e o u t o f It a ll r ig h t
stoo d th at he d id n ’t kn ow a n y th in g
T h e A ah tley girl, you rem em b er. I'v e
• b o u t them .
dream ed abou t th a t girl, Itrandy, and
"W hen does M rs W ran d all retu rn r
what th ey put h er th rough . It's a so rt
a sk e d th e p a in ter, a fte r a long period
o f sile n c e sp e n t In c o n tem p la tio n of o f n igh tm a re to me. e v e n when I'm
Oh, th e y ’ve q u e stio n ed o th e rs
th e g le a m in g p a ve m e n t beyon d th v a w a k e
aa w ell, but sh e waa th e on ly on e to
c lu b ’s window .
h a v e th e s c r e w s tw iste d In Juat th a t
" T h a t ’a q u e er,” said I x a lle , lo o k in g
w a y .”
up. ” 1 waa th in k in g o f Hara m yeelf.
" W h e r e la sh e n o w ?”
Hhe sa ils n ex t w e e k
I’v e had a le t
S h e a co m fo rta b le en o u g h
now.
te r a s k in g m e to open h e r house In
I t KDMOND
PAOE
HI’OKEHMAN
w a a re b e tte r on , m y dear
l cou ld o u t a g a in s t tne plan, hut ana c n e c a e c
lin e n i w rote to n a ra a b o u t w nat
not touch y o u r lip s a gain "
th e w ords. F o r a m om ent h er dark,
sh e'd been th ro u gh , sh e se ttle d a n eat
"I I c a n 't Ix-ar th e th o u gh t of q u e stio n in g « yes stu d ied the fa c e of
hit o f m oney on her, and sh e 'll n e v e r
th a t I”
h e r b e n e fa c tr e s s ; th en , aa If n othing
w ant for an yth in g.
Hlm'a o u t w est
"K iss m e n ow , H e tty ."
had been re v e a le d to her. sh e a llo w ed
so m ew h ere, with h er m o th er and s la
"I cou ld d ie fo r you. S a r a ," cried h er g a ze to d r ift p e n a lve ly ou t to w a rd
ters. I te ll you. H are's a w onder. Hhe’a
H etty, a s sbu Im p u lsively o b eyed the the su n se t aea.
go t a h ea rt o f g o ld .”
com m and.
"I look fo rw a rd to m e e tin g her,
"I m ean (h a t you sh a ll liv e fo r m e,"
old m an.”
said S a ra , sm ilin g th ro u gh her te a rs
"I w as with bur fo r a few w eek s
‘‘ llo w a llly o f me to c ry . It muat he
iIlls w in ter. In N ice, you kn ow . V iv
th e room w e a re In. T h e s e a re th e
ian sta y e d on for a w eek, hut m o th er
nam e room a, d ea r, th a t you cam e to
hud to get to the baths, '(iad , 1 be
on th e n ig h t w e m et. A h, how old I
lie v e th e hated to go
H ara's go t a
f e e l! "
m ost a d o rab le g ir l sta y in g w ith her.
"O ld ? You aay th a t to m e? I am
A d a u g h ter o f C olo n el C a stle to n , and
age« and a g e s o ld e r than y o u ," crie d
sh e 's con n e cte d lu r a n w ay w ith the
H etty , th e c o lo r co m in g back to h er
M u rg a tro y d s— old Ixird M u rgatro yd ,
aoft c h e ek s.
>ou know . I th in k h er m oth er waa a
" Y o u a re tw en ty -th ree ."
n ie c e o f th e old hoy. A n yh o w , m oth er
"A n d you a re tw e n ty e ig h t.”
aud V iv ia n h a v e ta k en a g re a t fan cy
B ara had a fa r a w a y look In h er
to her. T h a t’s p roof o f th e pu ddin g."
e y es.
" A b o u t y o u r size and figu re,"
"I th in k V iv ian m en tioned a co m
■ aid she, aud H e tty did n ot co m p re
panion o f ao.ne so rt."
hend.
♦ 1 *
" Y o u w ould n't e x a c tly c a ll b a r a
co m p a n io n ," aaid I-eslle
" S h e 's got
C H A P T E R VI.
m oney to burn, I ta k e It. Q u ite keep s
r A '
up w ith Hara In m akin g It fly, und th a t's
go u th lo ok .
sa y in g a good deal for h e r resource#.
Hara W ra n d a ll's bouse In th e c o u n
I th in k It'a a poae on h er part, th is
try stood on a wooded kn oll o v e rlo o k
c a llin g h e rse lf a com pan ion
An E ng
ing the sound. It waa ra th e r re m o te ly
llsh Joke, e h ? As a m a tter of fa ct,
lo ca te d , so fa r a s n eig h b o rs w ere c o n
sh e 's an old frien d o f K ara 's and my
cerned. H er fa th e r. S e b a stia n O ooch. Ley»»*
J • ------
b ro th e r's too K n ew them In E n glan d.
— -
sh re w d ly fo re sa w th e day when land n* AsQ
Moat d e lig h tfu l girl. O b. I sa y , old
H
e
tty
L
o
ok
ed
U p Q u ick ly From the
In thle p a rtic u la r se ctio n o f the su b
m an. sh e 's the one for you to p a in t.”
B ook.
urban w orld would retu rn d o lla rs for
E c s lle « m i l l e n th u sia stic
" A typ e, a
p en n ies, and w is e ly bought th ou san d s
T h e y w e re s ittin g on th e broad
l isttU e type. N e v e r saw su c h e y e s In ot
a c re a :
w ood lan d,
m eadow land,
veran d ah o v e rlo o k in g th e sound. T h e
a ll m y life
D am m it, th ey haunt you
beat-bland and h ills. Inserted b etw een
du sk o f e v e n in g w as b e gin n in g to ste a l
You dream a b o u t i-m ."
th e e n v iro n s o f N ew Y o rk c ity and
o v e r th e e arth .
S h e laid her book
" Y o u seem to be hard h it," said th e rich to w n s up th e c o a st
Y ears
a sid e.
Itootb In d ifferen tly. He w as w a tch in g a fte rw a r d be b u ilt a com m od iou s xum-
" W ill you te le p h o n e In to him aftq y
ih e man In th e " s lic k e r " th rough m er hom e on th e c h o ic e st point th at
d in n er, H e tty ? " w a n t on S a ra , a fte r
m oody ey re .
his p ro p erty afford ed , nam ed It South-
a lo n g period o f alienee.
"O h , n oth in g lik e th a t," d isclaim e d look, and tra n sfo rm e d th at p a rtic u la r
A g a in H e tty a le r te d . T h is tim e a
D eslle w ith u n n e ce ssa ry p ro m p tn ess
part o f bis w ild ern e ss Into a m illio n
look o f a c tu a l pain flash ed In her eyea.
llu t If I w ere g iv e n to th a t s o r t o f a ire 's p a rad ise, w h ere be cou ld d a w d le
"W o u ld not a n o te by post be m ore
th in g. I'd he how led o v e r In a m inute. and p u tte r to hla h e a rt's con ten t,
c e r ta in to And him In th e — " sh e be
P o sitiv e ly a d o rab le face. If I th ou gh t w h ere be cou ld spen d his tim e and hla
ga n h u rried ly .
you had It lu you to paint a th in g as m oney w ith a p ro d ig a lity th at cam e so
"I d is lik e w r itin g n otea." sa id S a ra
It re a lly Is I'd com m ission you m y s e lf la te In life to him th at be m ade want#
c a lm ly . " O f c o u rse , d ea r. If you feel
lo do a m in iatu re for me, Just to h ave o f both In h is h a ste to liv e dow n a
th a t y o u ’d ra th e r n ot te le p h o n e him ,
It arou n d w h ere I cou ld p ic k It u p ra th e r p arsim o n io u s past.
I can — ”
w hen I liked and hold It b e tw ee n my
T w o m ile s and a h a lf a w a y , In th a
"I d a re sa y I am fin ick y , S a r a ," a p ol
hands, Just
I've o fte n w an ted lo h ea rt o f a sc a tte re d co lo n y o f purse-
o g ize d H e tty In q u ick co n tritio n . " O f
hold the real th in g."
proud N ew Y o rk e rs, waa th e c o u n try
c o u rse he Is y o u r brother. I sh ou ld
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
hom e o f the W ran d alla , an Im posing
re m e m — ”
S a ra W ran d all re tu rn e d to N ew p la ce and o ld er by fa r th an South-
"M y brother-in -law . d e a r," sa id S ara ,
Y o rk a t th e end o f the m onth, and look.
It had descen d ed from well-
a trifle too lite ra lly .
I«ealle m et h er a t th e do ck, a s he did w orn and tlm e-ataln ed a n c e sto rs to
" H e w ill co m e o fte n to y o u r h o u se .”
on an o c casio n fo u rte e n m o n th s e a r R edm ond W ra n d a ll, and. w ith o th e rs
w en t on H e tty ra p id ly . "I m u st m ak e
lier. T h e n sh e c a m e In on a fierce o f Its kin d, lo ok ed w ith no little sco rn
th e beat o f 1L”
g a le from th e w in try A tla n tic ; th is upon th e m odern, m ushroom s tr u c
" H e la y o u r frie n d , H e tty . H e ad
tim e th e a ir waa so ft and balm y and tu re s (hat sp ro u ted from the se e d s of
m ires you ."
sw e e t w ith th e k in d n e ss o f sp rin g. It trad e.
T h e re waa no frie n d sh ip be
"I c a n n o t s e e him th ro u g h
your
w as M ay and the se a w as blue, th e tw een th e old and th e new . E ach had
eye« . S a ra ."
land w as green .
re c o u rse to a b itte r co n te m p t fo r th e
“ B u t b e la c h a rm in g and a g re e a b le ,
A g a in sh e w en t to th e sm all, e x c lu o th er, th ou gh c o n so latio n w as sm all
y o u ’ll a d m it,” p e rs iste d th e o th e r.
s i v e ho tel n ea r th e park. H er a p a rt In com p arison .
" H e is v e r y kin d , and he la d ev o ted
m en t w as clo sed , th e b u tle r and hla
It w as In th e w ooded b y-w ays o f th is
to you . I sh ou ld lik e him for th a t."
w ife and a ll of th eir h a s tily re cru ite d d esp ised dom ain th a t C h a llls W ran-
" Y o u h a v e no c a u se fo r d is lik in g
com p an y bein g In th e c o u n try , a w a it d all and S a ra , th e e a r th ly d a u g h ter ot
h im .”
in g her a rriv a l from tow n
L e s lie a t M ldaa, m et and lo ved and defied all
"I do not d is lik e him . I— I a m — O h.
ten ded to e v e ry th in g . H e le n t bla re th in g s
su p e rn al, fo r m a tc h e s a re
you a lw a y s h a v e been so th o u g h tfu l,
so u rce fu l m an se rv a n t and his m otor m ade In h e a ve n . T h e ir m a rria g e did
so c o n sid e ra te , S a ra , I c a n 't u n d e r
to his lo ve ly sister-in -law , and saw to not open th e g a te s o f N in eveh . S e b a s
stan d you r fa llin g to se e how h ard It
It th at bis m o th er and V iv ia n sen t tian G o o ch 's p a rad ise w a s m ore com
!■ fo r m e to— to — w e ll, to e n d u re his
flo w e rs to th e sh ip. R edm ond W ren- p le te ly o s tr a c is e d than It w as b e fo re
op en -h earted frie n d sh ip ."
d a ll ca lle d at th e h o tel Im m ediately th e d isa ste r. T h e W ra n d a lls sp o k e o f
S a ra w as s ile n t fo r a m om en t. " Y o u
a fte r han kin g hours, kissed his daugh
It a s ■ d isa ste r.
d raw a p re tty fine lin e, H e tty ," sh e
ler-ln-law , aud d e liv e re d an u ltim atu m
C le a r ly th e old m e rch a n t w a s n ot
sa id g e n tly .
second-hand from th e p ow er at hom e: ov e r-p le a se d
w ith
hla
d a u g h te r 's
H e tty flushed.
" Y o u m ean th a t
sh e w a s to com e to din n er and b ring c h o ice , a co n clu sio n p e rm a n en tly e s
th e re la little to c h o o se b e tw ee n w ife
M iss C astle to n . A litt le q u ie t fam ily ta b lish e d bj! the a lte ra tio n he m ade
and b ro th e r?
T h a t Isn 't q u ite fair.
d in n er, you kn ow , b e c a u se th ey w e re In hla w ill a y e a r o r tw o a fte r th e m a r
Y o u kn ow e v e r y th in g , he k n o w s n o th
a ll In m ournin g, he said In con clu sio n , ria ge. T ru e , he left the vaet e s t a te to
ing. I w e a r a m a sk for him ; you h a v e
v a g u e ly r e a lltln g a ll th e w h ile th a t It hla b e lo ve d d a u g h te r 8 a ra , but he fa s t
seen Into th e v e r y h e a rt o f me. It
re a lly w asn 't n e c e ss a ry to su p p ly the ened a sto u t strin g to it. and w ith
isn 't th e sa m e .”
Inform ation , hut, for th e life o f him. th is strin g h e r b an d s w e re tied.
It
S a ra c a m e o v e r and stood b e sid e th e
u n able to th in k o f a n y th in g e lse to m uat h a v e o c c u rre d to him th a t C h a i
g ir l's c h a ir. A ft e r a m om ent o f Inde
sa y u nd er the c irc u m s ta n c e s. S o m e n s w ns a p ro flig a te in m o re w a y s th an
cisio n sh e la id h e r hand on H e tty 's
how It se e m e d to him th at w h ile S a r a on e. fo r b e d e llb e r g te ly stip u la te d In
sh o u ld e r T h e g ir l lo ok ed up, th e ever-
waa In b la c k sh e w a s n ot In m ournin g hla w ill th a t S a r a w a s n ot to se ll a
re c u rr in g q u estio n In her eyea.
In th e sa m e se n se th a t the re st o f foot o f th e grou nd u n til a p eriod o f
" W e h a v e n 't sp o k en o f— of th e se
th em w ere. It seem ed o n ly rig h t to tw e n ty y e a rs had elap sed .
A very
th in g s In m an y m onths. H e tty ."
n cq u atu l her w ith th e c o n d itio n s In his p olite w a y , it w ould seem , o f m a k in g
" N o t sin c e Mra. W ra n d a ll and V iv
household. A ud he k n ew th at he de hie In vestm en t sa fe In th e fa c e o f co n
ian c a m e to N ice. 1 » a s u p se t— d rea d
se rv e d th e sc o w l th at L e s lie bestow ed sid e ra b le odds.
fu lly u p set th en . S ara . 1 don 't kn ow
upon him.
H e liv ed lo n g enough a fte r th e m a k
how 1 m an aged to g e t th ro u g h w ith
S a r a a ccep ted , m uch to hla s u rp rise ing o f hla w ill, I am h a p p y to re la te ,
and g ra tific a tio n . H e had been ra th e r to And th at he had m ade no m ista k e . 1 L”
"R u t you m a n aged It,” pron ou nced
du bio u s a b o u t It. It w ould not h a v e A s he p reced ed his son-in-law Into th e
S a ra . H e r fin g ers seem ed to tig h te n
su rp rise d him In th e le a s t If sh e had g re a t beyon d by a sca n t th re e y e a rs .
su d d en ly on th e g ir l's sh o u ld er.
"I
d e clin e d th e In v lta tlo u . fee lin g , a s he It re a d ily m ay be seen th a t he w ro u g h t
th in k w e w e re q u ite w o n d erfu l, both
did, th at he had In a w ay com e to h er to o w e ll by far. S e v e n te e n u n n e ce s
w ith a w h ite flag o r an o liv e bran ch sa ry y e a r s o f p ro scrip tio n rem ain ed , o f us. It w a sn 't e a s y for m e."
" W h y did w e co m e b a c k to
N ew
o r w h a te v e r It Is th a t a c o m b a tiv e and he had n ot Intended th em fo r
Y o rk , S a r a ’ " b u rst ou t H e tty , c la s p
fo rc e u tilize s w h en It w a n ts to su r S a ra alon e.
H e w aa n ot a fra id of
in g h e r frie n d 's hand a s if su d d en ly
re n d e r In th e c a u s e o f hu m an ity.
S a ra , but fo r her.
A s soon as th ey w e re a lo n e H e tty
W hen th e w ill w as read and th e con ■ p u rred by te rro r. " W e w e re hap p y
tu rn ed to h e r friend.
dition re v e a le d . C h a llls W ra n d a ll to o k o v e r th ere. A nd f r e e ! ”
" L is te n , m y d e a r.” sa id S a ra . •
"O h . S a ra , c a n 't you g o w ith o u t m e? It In p e rfe c t good hum or. He had th e
T e ll them th at I am 111 — su d d en ly 111 . g ra c e to p ro claim to th e bosom o f his hard n ote g ro w in g in h e r v o ic e ; " th is
I— I do n 't th in k It r ig h t o r h o n orab le fa th e r's fa m ily th a t th e old ge n tle m a n is m y hom e. I do n ot lo v e it, b u t I
» a a a fath er-in law to be proud of. " A c a n se e no re a so n fo r a b a n d o n in g It.
of m e to a c c e p t— ”
S a ra sh ook h er head, and th e w o rd s can n y old b o y ," he bad ann ou n ced T h a t la w h y w e ca m e b a c k to N ew
w ith hla m ost e n g a g in g am tle, q u ite Y o r k ."
died on th e g ir l's lips.
H e tty p re sse d h e r frie n d 's hand to
fre e from ra n co r o r re sen tm en t. C h a l
" Y o u m u st play th e ga m e , H e tty .”
"It'a — v ery b a rd ," m u rm ured the lls w as w e ll a cq u a in ted w ith h im self. h e r lips. “ F o r g iv e m e.” sh e c rie d Im
"1 sh o u ld n 't h a v e com-
A nd so th e a c re s w e re stra p p ed to p u lsiv e ly .
oth er, her fa c e v e ry w h ite and bleak .
It w a s d e te s ta b le .”
'T know , my d e a r,” aaid S a r a g e n tly . g e th e r sn u g ly and firm ly , w ith o u t so co m p la in ed .
“ B e s id e s." w e n t on S a ra e v e n ly ,
" I f th ey should e v e r And o u t," m uch aa a tow n lot p rotru din g.
S o Im p ressed w as C h a llls by th e f a r "y o u w e re q u ite fre e to re m a in on th e
ga sp ed the girl, su d d en ly g iv in g w a y
to th e dread th at had been ly in g d o r s ig h te d n e s s o f his fath er-in -law th a t o th e r sid e. I le ft It to y o u ."
" Y o u g a v e m e a w e e k to d e cid e ,"
he fo rth w ith sa t him dow n and m ade
m an t a ll th e se m onths.
" T h e y w ill n ev e r kn ow th e tru th a w ill o f hla ow n. H e w ould not h a v e ■ aid H e tty in a h u rried m an n er o f
u n le ss you c h o o se to e n lig h te n th em ," It aaid th a t S a ra 's fa th e r did a w h it sp e a k in g . "I— I to o k bu t tw en ty -fo u r
O ver
n igh t,
said Sara, p u ttin g h er arm a b o u t th e b e tte r by h e r th an h e w ould do. H e ho u r*— le se th an th at.
g ir l's sh o u ld e rs and d ra w in g h e r clo se. le ft e v e ry th in g he p ossessed to hla you re m em b er. I lo v e you . S a ra . I
"Y o u n ev er c e a se to be w o n d erfu l. w ife, but put no s trin g to It, b la n d ly co u ld not le a v e you . A ll th a t n igh t
S a r a — so very w o n d e rfu l," c rie d the Im p ly in g th a t a ll d a n g e r w ould be 1 co u ld fe c i yo u p u llin g a t m y h e a rt
g ir l, w ith a look o t w o rsh ip In her p a st w h en th e cam e Into p ossessio n . strin g s , p u llin g m e c lo s e r, and h o ld in g
Y o u w e re In y o u r room , I in
T h e re w a s a so rt o f grim h u m o r In m e.
eyea.
S a ra re g a rd ed h e r In a lie n e e fo r a th e w a y h e m an aged to p resen t him m in e, and y e t a ll th e tim e yo u seem ed
m om ent, re flectin g. T h e n , w ith a s w ift s e lf to v iew aa th e re a l and rea d y to be ben d in g o v e r m e In th e d a r k
n ess. u rg in g m e to sta y w ith you and
ru sh o f te a rs to h e r ey ea , sh e crie d so u rc e o f p eril
It
S a r a and H e tty did n ot sta y lo n g In lo v e you and be lo v e d by you .
f ie r c e ly ;
" Y o u m u st n e v e r, n e v e r te ll me- a ll tow n . T h e n e w sp a p e rs an n ou n ced th e c o u ld n 't h a v e b een a d rea m ."
" I t waa n ot a d rea m ," a aid 8 a ra .
th a t happened, H etty I Y o u m u st n ot re tu rn o f C h a llls W ra n d a ll's w id ow
and re p o r te rs so u gh t h e r o u t fo r In te r w ith a q u e e r sm ile.
■ peak It w ith y o u r ow n llpa."
" Y o u do lo v e m e ? " te n a e ly .
H e tty 's e y e s grew d a rk w ith pain v iew s. T h e old In terest w as re v iv e d
"I do lo v e y o n ." w aa th e firm a n
and co lu m n s w e re p rin ted abou t th e
and w onder.
S a ra w a s s ta r in g a c ro ss th e
" T h a t la th e th in g I c a n 't under- m u rd er a t B u rto n '* Inn, w ith sh a rp sw e r.
e d ito ria l c o m m en ts on the fa ilu re o f w a te r, h e r e y e * b ig and aa b la c k aa
stan d In you , S a ra ," sh e sa id slo w ly .
n ig h t Itself. S h e seem ed to be lo o k in g
th e p o lice to c le a r up th e m ya tery.
" W e m u st n ot a p e a k o f I t ! ”
"I s h a ll ask I-enlte dow n fo r the fa r beyon d th e m laty lig h ts th a t bob-
H e tty 's bosom h ea ved . " S p e a k o f
I t!" aha cried , a b so lu te a go n y In h e r w eek -en d .” sa id S a ra , th e th ird d a y bled w ith n e a rb y sch o o n e r*, fa r be
v o ice. " H a v e t n ot k e p t It lo ck e d In a fte r th e ir a rriv a l In th e cou n try. T h e yond th e y e llo w m a ss on th e o p p o site
h o u se waa h u ge and lo n ely , and tim e sh o re w h e re a to w n la y cra d le d In th e
m y h ea rt sin c e th a t a w fu l d a y — ”
h u n g ra th e r h e a v ily d e sp ite th e g lo ri sh a d o w i, fa r Into th e fa s t d a rk e n in g
"H u sh !"
s k y th a t c a m e up lik e a w a ll ou t o f
” 1 sh a ll go m ad If 1 ca n n o t ta lk o u s u p lift o f sp rin g.
H e tty lo ok ed up q u ic k ly from her th e e a st.
w ith you a b o u t— ”
H e tty 's
fin g e rs
tig h te n e d In a
"N o, no!
It la th e fo rb id d en su b book. A lo ok o f d ism a y flick e re d In
j e c t ! I kn ow a ll th at I sh ou ld k n o w — h e r e y e s fo r an Instant and then g a v e w a rm e r cla sp . U n c o n s c io u s ly p erh a p s.
a ll th a t 1 c a r e to k n ow . W e h a v e not w ay to th e c a lm n e ss th a t had com e to S a r a 's g rip on th e g ir l's sh o u ld e r
■ aid so m uch aa th is In m o n th s - In d w e ll In th e ir dep th s o f lata. H er llpa tig h te n e d a lso ; u n c o n sc io u sly , fo r h e r
a g e s. It se e m *. L e t sle e p in g doge 11 «. p a rte d In th e su dd en Im pulse to c ry th o u g h ts w e re fa r a w a y . T h e y o u n g e r
I
HI
If! |
M 0
p H
* t \
M
‘ y
THREE
w o m a n « penatve gaxe re ste d on in »
p e a c e fu l w a te rs below , ta k in g In th »
slo w a p p ro a ch o f th e fo g th a t w a *
soon to e n v e lo p th e IkTid
N e ith e r
■ poke fo r m an y m in u tes: I n s c ru ta b le
th in k e rs, e a c h a pr«-y to th o u g h ts th at,
leap ed b a c k w a rd to th e b e gin n in g and,
to ok up th e pu zxle a t Its Inception.
“ I w o n d er— ” began H e tty , h e r e y e *
n a rro w in g
w ith
th e
In te n sity of!
th o u gh t. S h e did n ot c o m p le te that
se n te n ce .
Hara a n sw e re d th e u nsp oken q u e s
tion. " It w ill n e v e r be d iffe re n t fro m
w h at It la now , u n le ss you m a k e It so. "
H e tty sta rte d . "H o w cou ld you h a v »
kn ow n w h at 1 waa th in k in g * " s h a
crie d In w onder.
" I t Is w h a t you a re a lw a y s th in k
in g. nr.y d ea r. You a re a lw a y s a s k in g
y o u rs e lf w hen w ill I tu rn a g a in s t y o u ,"
"S a ra "'
" Y o u r ow n In te llig e n c e sh ou ld su p
p ly th e a n s w e r lo a ll the q u e stio n s y o u
a re a s k in g o f y o u rs e lf. It ts to o la ta
for me to tu rn a g a in s t y o u ." S h e a b
ru p tly rem o ved h e r hand from H etty*«
sh o u ld e r and w a lk ed to th e e d g e o t
th e v eran d a . F o r th e first tim e, th a
E n g llab g ir l w as c o n sc io u s o f p a in .
S h e drew h e r arm up and crin g e d . S h a
p ulled th e ligh t s c a r f a b o u t h e r h a ra
•b o u ld ers.
T h e b u tle r ap p ea red In th e d o o r w a y .
" T h e te le p h o n e . If you p le ase. M lsa
C a s tle to n .
Mr. L e s lie W ra n d a ll l a
c a llin g .”
T h e g ir l atari-d. " F o r m e. W ataon V
" Y e a . m lsa."
H e tty hpd rise n , v is ib ly a g ita te d .
“ W h a t sh a ll I s a y to him , S a r a ? “
sh e crie d .
" A p p a re n tly It la he w ho baa so m e
th in g to sa y to y o u .” sa id th e o th e r,
s till sm ilin g . " W a lt and se e w h at it
la. I'le a a e don't n e g le s t to aay th a t
w e'd lik e to h a v e him o v e r S u n d a y ."
" A box o f flo w ers h a s ju s t com e up
from th e sta tio n fo r you , m iss." s a id
W atso n .
H e tty w aa v e r y w h ite s s sh e passed,
in to th e bouse.
Mra. W ra n d a ll
re
su m ed h e r co n te m p la tio n o f th e fo g -
a cre e n ed sound.
" S h a ll 1 fetch you a w rap , m a'am T "
a sk e d W ataon , h e s ita tin g .
"I am co m in g in. W atso n . O p en that
box o f flo w ers fo r M iss C a s tle to n . la»
th e r e a fire in th e lib r a r y ? "
“ Y e s, Mra. W ra n d a ll.”
"M r. L e s lie w ill be o u t on S a t u r d a y ,
T e ll M rs. C o n k lin g .”
“ T h e e v e n in g train , m a 'a m ? "
"N o.
T h e e le v e n -th irty .
H e w ill
be h e re fo r lu n ch e o n ."
W h en H e tty h u rried in to th e lib r a r y
“ Good G od, S a ra I" C rie d th e G irl In
H orror.
a fe w m in u te s la te r, h e r m a n n e r w a s
th a t o f on e c o n sid e r a b ly d istu rb ed by
so m e th in g th a t h as tra n sp ire d a lm o s t
on th e m om en t. H e r c h e e k s
w e r#
flushed and h e r e y e s w e re re fle c to rs
o f a n o u n c e rta in d is tr e s s o f m ind.
M rs. W ra n d a ll w as s ta n d in g b e fo re
th e fire p la c e , an e x q u is ite figu re In th e
slin k y b la c k e v e n in g go w n w h ich sh e
a ffe c te d in th e s e d a y s. H e r p e rfe c tly
m o d elled n ec k and sh o u ld e rs g le a m e d
lik e p in k m a rb le In th e re flec te d g lo w
o f th e b u rn in g log«. S h e w o re no Jew
e lr y . but th e re w a s a sin g le w h ite ro sa
In h e r d a rk h a ir, w h e r e it had been
p la ced by th e w h im sica l H e tty an h o u r
e a r lie r a s th e y le ft th e d in n e r ta b le .
" H e Is co m in g o u t on th e e le v e n -
th irty , S a r a ." said th e g irt n e r v o u s ly ,
" u n le s s you w ill sen d th e m o to r In fo r
him. T h e body of h is c a r is b e in g
c h a n g ed and it's in tb e shop. H e m u st
h a v e b een Jestin g w h en h e s a id h a
w ould pay fo r th e p e tro l— I sh o u ld
h a v e sa id g a so lin e ."
S a r a la u gh ed . " Y o u w ill k n ow hlnx
b e tte r , m y d e a r." sh e said . ''L e s lie la
v e r y lig n t-h e a rte d ."
" H e su g g e s te d b rin g in g a frie n d .“
w en t on H e tty
h u rrie d ly . " A
M r.
B o o th , th e p o rtra it p a in te r.”
"I m e t him in Ita ly . H e is ch a rm
in g. Y o u w ill Hhe him . too. H e tty .“
T h e e m p h a s is did not e s c a p e n otice.
“ It se e m s th a t h e ta s p e n d in g a fo r t
n ig h t In th e v illa g e , th is M r. B o o th ,
p a in tin g sp rin g la m b s fo r r e s t a n d
re c re a tio n . M r. L e s lie s a y s .”
“ T h e n h e is a t o u r v e r y g a te * ." sa id
S a ra , lo o k in g up su d d en ly.
"I w o n d er If he can be th e m an I
sa w y e s te r d a y a t th e b rid g e ,” m u se d
H e tty , "to h e ta ll? "
"I r e a lly c a n 't aay.
H e'a r a th e r
v a g u e . It w aa six o r se v e n y e a rs ago.'*
" I t waa le ft th at Mr. W ra n d a ll la to
c o m e ou t on th e e le v e n -th irty ," e x
p la in ed H etty . "1 th o u g h t you w o u ld n 't
lik e se n d in g e ith e r o f th e m o to rs In."
" A n d M r B o o th ? "
" W e a re to sen d fo r him a ft e r M r.
W ra n d a ll a rriv e * . H e ta sto p p in g a t
th e Inn. w h e r e v e r th a t m ay b e."
" P o o r f e llo w !" sig h e d S a ra , w ith a
grim a ce . ” 1 am s o r e he w ill lik e ua
im m en sely i f b e h a s b een sto p p in g a t
th e Inn."
H e tty stoo d s ta r in g do w n a t th »
b ia sin g lo g s fo r a fu ll m in u te b e fo ra
C o n tin u e d on P a g e C