Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-19
in the adjoining attic. NJ ws.h i. we're III.

IN the adjoining attic. n whh 1t we're the
The gray dawn treasured her. The nights
mysteries were vanished; fami11& objects in
her room assumed distinctness; eaiation no
longer lurked in corners. She e10&ed her eyes
and slept.
She awoke suddenly. Her bed was drawn
close to the door of the attic aforesaid. That
door had been opened very softly, but il had
jarred the bed. A figure stood holding the
door, closing it very gently-a mans figure.
slight, fair hair. She saw so much then closed
her eyes in an instinct Of self representation, but
not before she had recognized the man who
had asked for Mrs. Escadero the night before.
He wore q soft felt hat. as he had done then
and he carried his boots in one hand. He had
evidently spent the night in the loft, after
being slowed away there by his sister. Betty.
in fact, had locked him in, and Mary had come
up to her room without noticing the shot bolt.
All this flashed across Mrs. Marshall in a Sec
ond, as also his extraordinary likeness to her
cook, which, to be sure, she had remarked the
night before. 1t was one of those all-over
hkenesses, attitude, action, expression-unmis-
taxable.
Betty did not stir. The mans hope was to
slip through the room without rousing her; and
II she was feigning, as his sharpened senses
may have guessed, it suited his purpose to &C
eept the situation. He had weighed his chances,
and this was the best-his only one. His sister
had given him the geography of the house the
night before, and he had rapidly decided to
come this way on discovering awhile ago that
egress below was barred. He stealthily crossed
the room, found his sister lshe was his sister,
sitting up wide-eyed in bed, as alert as he, as
quick to comprehend what had happened;
ready, In pursuance Of previous plan, to help
aim put on a suit of her clothes, including an
ulster, and to dress herself in the gray clothes
he wore. Not a word was uttered meanwhile.
II might have been Mary only, rising betimes
and stirring about as she made ready to begin
her days work. In fact, as Mrs. Marshall Law
here, she wondered in the whirl of her ex-
sleeplessness, whether she had not dreamed
that slight, fair man had stood second at
her bedside on his way through her room.
No, it had been no dream. The pair went
downstairs presently, and out of the front
door. Then Betty rushed to the window in
time to see them-a man and a woman-cross
the parade-ground, making for the little rail-
road station. which lay just outside the post
''she is taking him to the cars; he is in some
trouble" Betty decided. ''Just what might be
an extraordinary resemblance between them!
Poor soul! hope she win get him off,
She was all for defeating the ends of justice
in her sympathy for her attractive cook. She
had distinct impression that the latter num-
bered jail-birds Of all kinds among her friends:
this was probably one Of them. Still, she hoped
he would get of.
They Just made the train. Betty stood by
the window. shivering in her night-dress, and
heard the whistle shrill, and saw the cars sweep
up and llnger an instant and then sweep ON
again. She watched next to see Mary come
back across the parade-ground She would
come in quietly and go about her work as
though nothing had occurred. Her mistress
would make no sign; in truth, her strongest
feeling was sympathy and pity. She did wish
that Mary had given her her confidence; she
need not have struggled her brother in and
GUS IN that way. But, again, it would never
nave done TO tell IL the man was fugitive from
justice Poor sos' poor soul! This accounted
Tor her despairing looks yesterday.
But how long she was getting back! Mrs
Marshall went back to bed again presently
and, tired out. dozed off to sleep, and slept an
nour or so in spite of herself. She awoke sud-
denly, recalled the events Of the past night,
and pulled herself together. Nine o'clock. She
would get up and DRESS
She hurried through her toilette. somewhat
spur-ed by vague misgiving. When she went
downstairs she found the house quite deserted.
save for the soldier who worked about the
mousse, and was known as their striker. and
VINO on this occasion had kindled the kitchen
nre. and was now standing around that apart
me ut awaiting farther DEVELOPMENTS
Cook deserted?" he inquired. easily Such
desertions were common enough in that region
Seen her git aboard the train this mornin,
Said she was tired of working. Had her brother
along, Her twin, she said. Like as two peas
III pod"
So the fact of Mary's departure was estab
iishsd. Mrs. Marshall made the best of it;
made herself some coffee, went into Green
river in the midday ambulance secured an.
other servant whom she brought back with
her. and congratulated herself that Tom had
been out Of the way during this domestic fury.
ESPECIALLY during last nights occupation"
II did not occur to her that if Tom had not
gone, Mary's brother would not have come
That day went by. At the middle of the next
one Tom returned
Did you catch the burglar?' his wife asked
after joyful welcome.
No; he got away from us. I see you've re-
placed your Prairie Rose, )" nOdding in the direc-
tion of the Irish girl who was laying the lunch
table in the next ROOM, Il brought her back
with me all the same-as far as Green river,
that is
What do you mean?"
That the governor Of this territory has re-
taired Mary Escadero as a witness in the case
or the state versus James O'Leary. They turn
out to be brother and sister,"
Mrs. Marshall stared at her husband in a
dazed way. Then the whole thing began to
sketched her adventures during his absence.
. by llngo. you are plucky little soul No
screaming? no fainting? no MYSTERIES? But
you poor little chicken, it was pretty rough on
Betty scorned these compliments st w.s
not afraid in the least. was excited and over
wrought and absorbed in the situation II did
not dawn upon me who the man was. / should
have turned to stone il had dreamed il was
OLeary standing over me-" And she shuddered.
when l watched Mary walk off across the
parade ground with him, my idea was that he
had done something, of course-stolen horse.
or forged, or"
Some tribe Of that sort But now for INV
story" ny
He had tramped over the prairies with his
escort for hours before coming upon a trace of
the man he was looking for. These wander
lngs had brought him to part of the country
crossed by the railroad that skirted the post
and near q river. II was a rolling country 40
that the view was broken between short given
points. The scouting party separated in order
to command the whole field. All at once one
OF the soldiers saw a boat put off from the
shore, and gain mid-stream with q few rapid
strokes; q woman held the oars At the same
time man clambcred back up the steep river
bank, having first pushed the boat of; the bank
was very steep, and had probably concealed
the party Of soldiers from his view. Having
gained the top, he paused to recover breath,
then in full view Of Lieutenant Marshall, who
instantly identified him with the object of his
search. He signaled to his men. and they had
surrounded and captured O'Leary, or 80 they
thought, in q twinkling
Their prisoner made little or no resistance.
He started to run at first, to be sure. but after
giving one rapid anxious glance across the
river, where his companion had landed. and