Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-04-13

] ldtl llldl StNtId VI lll' lnl - hdANih- VII
the sidewalk looked cold and inpatient,
Mrs. Curtis found it impossible TO tear
herself away until certain utterly irrel-
evant matters had been lightly touched
upon and ngeringly abandoned. The
officers were just beginning TO pour
forth from headquarters when the
group of ladies finally got under way
again and Miss TraverS closed the door
1t was now useless To return To her letter;
so she Strolled into the parlor just as she
heard her sisters voice at the kitchen
door:
Come right in here, Mrs. Clancy.
Now, quick, what is H.?
And from the dining room came the
answer, hurried half whispered and
mysterious:
Hes been drinlin' ever since he got
out of the hospital, ma am, an he's
worse than ever about Loot 'nant Hayne
Its mischief he'll be doin', ma am; he's
crazy like
Mrs. Clancy, you must watch him
You HuSh.'
And here she stopped short. for, in as
constituent at what she had already
heard. and i'm her instant effort to hear
no more of what was so evidently not
intended for her, Miss TraverS hurried
from the parlor, the swish of her skirts
telling loudly of her presence there.
She went again To her room. What
could il mean? Why was her proud,
impcriouS Kate holding secret inter
views with this coarse and vulgar wO-
man? What concern was il OF hers
if Clancy should be worse about
Mr.. Hayne? 1t could not mean
that the mischief ne would do was
mischief To the man who had saved
his life and his property. That was out
of the question. 1t could not mean that
the poor. broken down. drunken fellow
had the means i'm his power of further
harming man who had already been
made TO suffer so much. Indeed, Kate :
very exclamation. the very tone in
which she spoke. showed a distress OF
mind that arose from no fear for one
whom she hated aS she hated Hayne.
Her anxiety was personal. II was for
her husband and for herself she feared,
or woman's tone and tongue never yet
revealed a secret.
Nellie TraverS stood in her room
stunned and bcwidered. yet trying hard
TO recall and put together all the scat
tered stories and rumOrS that mad
reached her about the strange conduct
of Clancy after he was taken To the hos
pital-cSpecially about his heart broken
wall when told that it was Liout. Hayne
who had rescued him and little Kate
from hideOuS death. Somewhere, some
how. this man was connected with the
mystery which encircled the long hidden
truth i'm Haynes trouble. Could 1t be
possible that he did not realize II, and
that her sister had discovered 1t.
Could il be-oh. heaven. no,-cOuld II
be that Kate was standing between that
lonely and fricndlcSS man and the reve-
lation that would set him right? She
could not believe il of her. She would
not believe ii of her sister. And yet
what did Kate mean by charging
Mrs. Clancy 10 watch him-that drunk
Ien husband? What could il mean but
that she was striving % prevent Mr.
. HAYNES ever hearing the truth? She
lOnged To learn more and solve the rid
= die once and for all.
They were still earnestly talking To-
gcther down in the dining-room; but Sh'
/ could not listen. Kate knew her so wei
that she had not closed the door leading
into the hall. though both she and tho
r laundrcSS Of Company Il had lowered
their voices. 1t was diSgraccful AT best
thought Miss TraVcrS. il was beneath
her sister. that she should hold any PR
3 vatc conversation with woman of thai
/ class. Condolences with such were con
tamination. She half determined Il
rush down stairs and put an end TO II
but was saved the scene; fresh young
voices. hearty ringing tones, and the
stamp of heavy boot heels were heard a
p the door: and aS Rayner entered, usher
ing i'm Royce and Graham, Mrs. Raynel
and the laundreSS fled once more to Tho
kitchen.
When the sisters found themselvc:
alone again it was late in the evening
: Mrs. Ravner came to Nellic'S room ant
talked on various topics for some little
time. watching narrowly her sister
face. The young girl hardly spoke at all
Ii was evident TO the elder what mel
thoughts must be.
Il suppose YOU think should explain
Mrs. Clancy'S agitation and mysterious
conduct. Nellie" she finally and sudden
ly said.
Il do not want you to tell me any
. thing. Kate. that You yourself do not
, wish TO tell me. You understand, oil
course. how happened to be there?
"Oh. certainly. / was thinking OF
that. You couldn't help hearing; but
Won must have thought it queer-heI
being So agitatcd, mean.
No answer
Didn't you?'
Il wasn't thinking of her at all"
..What did you think then?' half den
antly. yet trembling and growing whlte;
Il thought il strange that you should
he talking with her in such away.
..She was worried about her husband
his drinking so mmch-and came u
consult me.
..Wbv should She-and you-Show
such CONSERVATION at his cohhec'io"
with the name of Mr. Hayne?
Nellie. that matter is one YOU know
7 cannot bear to talk of. every re-
Gently ONLY" thought the younger
..Yon once asked me to tell you what
Mr. HAYNES crime had been, ana an
swered that until you could hear the
whole story you could not understand
tho matter nj all. We are both worried
about Clancy. He is not himself ne !, Is
Wild and imaginative when he's drink
inc He has some strange fancleS since
the fire. and he thinks he ought u uo
something TO help the officer because ,, nv IL,
helped him. and his head Is iuiI VI
Police Gazette stories, utterly "ltnoT m
foundation. and he thinks ne can .el.
who the real culpritS are, or some l'"T :
of that kind. 1t is utter nonsense
have investigated the whole thihg
heard the whole story. IL l. inc
trnshiest. most impossible thlng YOU