The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-10-16
though II were the voice or anoIner

tnougn II We're the voice OF anotner
man.
You are entirely right. l beg your
pardon. / acquiesce entirely in the
opinion you have formed of me. l
have labored under a great delusion.
But it is still possible, perhaps. TO save
you in another way from the conse-
quences of this unfortunate accident" !"
The scattered clouds had broken a
little and projected against the pale
square of night-light in the window.
Virginia could see the vague outlines
of his head and shoulders. Suddenly
he seemed to swing himself upward.
A sharp pang of underlined terror
clutohed her.
What are you going to do?"
Swing myself on the top branches
of that tree, and trust to heaven to get
to the ground safely from there"
"Mr. Hammond!' She had started
forward, her knees auaking under her.
1T is not possible that you can be SO
insane. so foolhardy-"
Her words broke in low cry. An
evanescent ray Of moonlight had
filtered palely through the clouds. aid
Virginia saw the mad leap-heard a
sharp creaking and swapping of boughs.
Then the moonlight disappeared. The
clouds closed again over the place where
it had been.
Virginia had sunk on her knees.
The next thing of which she had a
consciousness was of the bright light
from a lantern that had been swung
upon her face. Don was licking her
hands and face in a canine transport OF
Joy and alarm. Voices resounded
around her, and she recognised the
kindly accents of gardeners wife,
whose cottage. Il mile off, she had fire.
quently passed in her walks.
Its tainted she has, poor dear!
And no wonder! Shut up here in the
dark alone, and how do you expect she
ever got up here? Mr.. Hammond was
right then when he said he thought he
heard voice calling for help from the
top of the tower as he rode by down
by the entrance to the grounds"
1T was pretty far off to hear" an
swered the voice of the woman's hus-
band. Still, when the night is SO
quiet. But the funny thing is
Mr.. Hammond didn't stop to see what
it was himself. instead of riding on so
Tar as our house."
''He said he wasn't sure, Caleb.
Only when he come to think of it he
suspected more and more that some
hing might be wrong. But he didn't
have time to 60 back then"
Virginia had aroused herself then.
her bewilderment all gone. He had
shielded her carefully then to the last!
Heaven be thanked, miss" ex-
claimed the gardeners wife. Are you
feeling better? And how did it ever
happen, ma'am?"
Il will tell you later. Could you get
me home now? l seem to have little
strength"
Before the two worthy people retired
definitely for the night, the woman
said to her husband:
Il tell you it's been dreadful shock
to Miss Redwood, Caleb. Did you see
how strange her eyes looked? so full of
pain, like? and white? White as a
ghost!
In the lush freshness of the following
June the county house of Conrad
Hammond stood bolted. barred, and
unfinished. He had been away nearly
Il year and work thereupon had been
suspended Indefinitely. To the letters
of his lawyer and agents he had re-
piled. Leave everything as it is. l
don't know when l shall return" For
the rest, the sleepy old historic village
ceased to wonder and settled again IN
to its somnolent Indifference.
The silence of the weed-grown
grounds was now so rarely broken by
human voice or football that the sud-
den call. Don! Don! Down sir!'
reverbated strangely under the shade
of the pathway. At its turning man
had suddenly appeared, and Conrad
Hammond ard Virginia Redwood
looked wordlessly, breathlessly into
each others faces.
Il thought you were abroad" stam-
mered the girl. How should she account
for her presence hereunder the very
shadow of the tower in which such
words had been spoken the last time
she had ever seen him? and what
would he think of the hot blood Grim
soning her cheek, and the trembling of
the hand that held Don in leash?
And l thought you had gone to
India" he said.
IL 60 next week"
"And you came here-here-once
again before leaving?n He had drawn
closer to her, aud his hungry eyes read
her timid ones. Virginia. are you
sure you did not make mistake that
night ten months ago? If l should
tell you now what l told You then
would you answer as you did? Would
you still 90 to India?"
She had covered her face with her
hands. Her words came broken and
slow.
mo. l Imistook my heart that night.
/ have known it since. | know it
now"