Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-29

wnIle sne was undergoing this inspec.
ton. But it was only a momentary af.
fair. She went on quickly. The women
passed up the steps, shaking their gar.
ments, and the door closed after them
with slam.
The snow fell in binding, whirline
eddies. From minute specks the fakes
had become large and feathery. 1t was
impossible to see far in any direction.
What was to be done?
Having reached this point, must FL
len Maxey turn about and go home? No,
not yet. She would wait little while
still-wait and see Mr. Dye come out
again. Yes, but where? She could not
stand there in the street. She did not
like to walk up and down before the
house. Where?
Then an interesting fact reached her
through the whirl and the maze of the
falling snow. There was glaring pla.
card in the window Of the house imme-
diately adjoining that in which her in
terest conferred. No window curtains
made background for this card, and
big black letters announced that the
premises were for sale
The further fact that she had seen the
footman come out of an area door be-
meath the steps when the carriage stop
ped was all that she needed to induce
an inspiration. The houses along here
were extremely uniform. There was a
similar door closing beneath the steps of
the unoccupied house. A plain wooden
door sat in the solid masonry and opened
by simple latch.
Miss Maxey descended a short fight
of steps, approached this door and tried
1t. To her intense satisfaction it yielded
to her touch. She pushed it open and
went H. Not very comfortable place,
to be sure. Dark, cold, disagreeable,
this little space beneath the steps, hardly
fit for a tramp TO sleep in,
Miss MaXey turned the knob Of the
door leading from this area into the
house. The door was fast What matter.
then, if il were cold and dark: She was
at least secure from observation. and if
she had ransacked the whole neichbor-
hood III search of convenient location
from which to have watched the adjoin-
ing front steps she could not have Sc
cured better than the one upon which
she had thus accidentally stumbled. She
left the entrance slightly Enclosed that
she might look out and sat down upon
the wooden step with her back against
the inner door.
The time passed, and the snow fell. 1t
fell so thickly that it niuffied the sounds
OF footsteps i'll the street above. People
came and went. 1t grew dark. A bow
with patent torch lighted the lamp in
front OF the brownstone steps. Miss Max
ey's limbs were Cramped and cold. 1t
seemed as though the minutes lengthen-
ed themselves TO hours, tine hours grew
to be days, and still there was no ap-
pearance Of the forlorn hat and tho
threadbare coat upon the ncighboring
threshold. The carts rumbled in the
street. The man who had gone with the
horses came back. The snow fell on. ard
still no DYE.
If Miss Iaxev's brain had not been so
busy with exciting Speculation snd ds~-
ing plans for the future, If she had not
had so fascinating q problem to deal
with IN trying 70 locate the face Of that
elder woman who drove somewhere in
her own uneventful past. the time would
doubtless have seemed so long that she
would scarcely have had the courage to
wait, but it takes some obstacles to
break the endurance of such a girl rs
this.
1t had grown quite dark The snow
had ceased. The light which had been
sort Of luminous whirl IL front of the
brownstone steps burned out, clearly
and steadily. 1t lighted up the forlorn
hat at last. Mr.. Dye was coming down
into tine street.
Miss MaNey arose and crept to the
door. Mr.. Dye came toward her. His
face was IL the shadow, and she could
not see the expression of his features.
But he staggered as he walked-stag-
gered almost ike drunken man. He
was muttering TO himself as he went
along i'll an excited, incohercnt way.
One sentence only was fated to reach
Miss hfaXcy's ears. Ii wa. this:
''Of the two / think the woman is the
worst"