Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-07-27

but lust at thai moment sne discovered
policeman on the opposite side of the
street. and so thought better OF it.
Deliberately she shut and locked the
door and descended 10 her own regions
in The basement, muttering as she went:
@The name thief, the miserab Turk,
wouldn't give me aven q cint 10 bless me-
self wild; an him courtin' an a courtin'
of her. wild niyer wan in the way barrin
meself to watch himY
Meanwhile Eugene ! ad gained the door
of Meta's sitting room and knocked.
There was no response, and, after an
instpnt's hesitation. he mustered courAa o
The room, as he expected to find it,
was empty.
He passed on into the next. This also
was empty, but just before him he saw q
door standing ajar. Ho knew it opened
into Metals sleepings apartment, and,
DIR wing near, he knocked gently.
"Wbo is there?" called q sweet, but
feeble voice, in tone of surprise and
alarm.
1T is I-Eugene. You sent for me,
you know"
Eugene! I sent for you? Great
heavens! what does this mean2 Go back
to the drawing room. L will join you
there directly"
But YOU are sick-unable to rise, per-
haps. /"
%Go-go. Don't worry about me. |
must see YOU. / must know more OF
this. l will be with you almost In
stantly."
And so Eugene returned 10 The draw
first chair that came handy, gave himself
up to wondering what Meta's strange re-
crption of HIM might mean
He had not to wonder long. The girl
herself speedily joined him.
After turnin{ up the light, she drew a
chair near her visitor, and, as she nix
into it, said, elrnestly:
Did you not say that l sent for youY
Eyes, of course, was the reply.
What! to come kere-here, when my
brother was away, and on your wedding
night, too?"
Certainly, Meta. You know you sent
me note not half an hour ago. ="
who brought it to your"
Il haven't the least idea-a messenger
10y, suppose.
Let me SEQ it, please"
Certainly, [ have it here in my vest
pocket no, it must be in the other one.
"By Joyel" he exclaimed, growing pale
and becoming extremely a2itated, its
gone. What if l dropped it at the YER
mons, and my wife has picked it up.
That wouldn't lie pleasant, especially as
l am no! there to explain"
What did the note say?" asked Meta,
with forced calmness.
why, you ought to know better than !,
as YOU wrote It," returned Eugene,
mo matter, what did it say?" persisted
the girl.
1T said that you were very i'll, and that
Raw had suddenly been called out OF
town on q matter of the utmost import
ance. and that it was absolutely neces-
sarv YOU should see me this very night,
before left the city, as you had some
thing 10 tell me that / must hear from
your own lips.
at said all that, did it,"
"Yes, and - and more.
'Wh- t else?"
"Why, really, Meta, l can't remember
everything. AMI, indeed, l think there
was nothing more of real imp oltance.
We'll, then, said the fair yoang girl,
very impr ssively, "let me beg that you
will hurry back to your wife without the
loss of arother moment or time. If you
have carriage in waiting so much Q
better; don't let tho driver spare his
no rses.
"What do you mean, MetaY
"If you have any regard for me-if you
have any love for your wife-don't stop to
inuuire, but fly to ber at once-ty as you
would if YOU knew her life aud oil her
earthly happiness were in d nger.
Il can't comprehend you, Meta.
40 heayensl what stubborn mules men
can be if they have only mind to. Cant
YOU understand, Eugene, that l ne er
wrote that note-that am utterly incapa
bic of writing such thing to a man not
an hour married? Do you not see that it
is the work Of an enemy-an enemy bent
upon wrecking your happiness, and per-
haps miner"
@Merciiul Father can it be possible?
and yet ~
And vet you do rot know all--no, nor
half see it clearly now. Ray was Mt
terly confounded when he received the
note that called him out of town tn
evening. He did not understand it at all,
but felt that it might be so uetbing of the
last imp ortance 10 US, and s. he went.
Yes" she added, Il can see it now
only too we'll. 1t was all piece OF this
same plot TO injure you They thought
it necessary to get my brother out OF the
wav. They mean 10 DO you or your wife
some dreadful harm, therefore l beg you
to hasten back to her as fast as possible.
You are right, Meta-yes, am sure
YOU are right, as you always are. and l
will go at once, only let me first ask -
NO, no. don't stay to ask anything.
How do you know but, having got you
out of the way, your enemies have found
means of communicating with herr Or,
as you yourself suggested little while
ago, how do you know but she has found
the note you so carelesslJ lost?"
by Jove you're right, l must be off
at once" and starting 10 his feet, he
seized his hat and hurried to the door.
But here he stopped, with his hand upon
the knob.
We're going to. Riverside TONIGHT,
Meta, he said; "but we shall be La k in
the morning. And tomorrow evening
you and Ray must come and see US, then
we will talk over this strange matter.
"Ah," he added abI bIuptly, Il begin to
think l can point out the very hand thlt's
working against us. But l mustn't stay
longer. Good-n ght And, having at
last opened the door, he hastene1 across
the b ii and down the stairway.
And so can point out the hand that
is doing this cruel WORK, murmure1
Meta. as she slowly approached the win
dow and looked out into the nioht. "Yes,
| could GO right 10 Ter, and say-'you
are the one aud she would moi dare deny
it."
She heard the front door close, and
she saw Eugene hurry down the steps.