Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-06-25
Again she fell silent.

Again she fell silent
For a summer night. this is good
one for star gazing" l yeHtured. DO
you keep up your astronomy
I'm afraid not.
zone really should; its worth the
WHILE" sand !; but she let the topic
drop.
~ mo way, Miss Gray, do you
think tu..,, circumstances, black
may appear white p" ;e'cd
She turned to me, MA. a. ,,u.rls. i'm
patient movement.
why do you ask such questions?'
she demanded. How can you speak OF
triAes, after that-that--" Her voice
gave way, and thought heard sob.
Listen" said !, earnestly. in that
lies the reason for my rambling talk
hadn't intended 10 tell YOU SO. but it's
the fact. Now you might as well hear
all. When you finished your ride YOU
were worn out. Apparently you hadn't
been run away with, but evidently the
horse had kept you at work. Then
came the call for you TO help US. 1t
braced you up, of course, hut the strain,
coming after the first one, left you a
bundle of exposed nerves, so to speak.
1t wouldn't do to let you go to your
room in such a state Why, you would
have had night OF horrors, lying
awake for hours, tossing, turning, try
ing to shake off the nerV BUSINESS which
held YOU prisoner. If you fell into
dozc il would be to wake as suddenly aS
If under shock of electricity, to wake
TO find your muscles rigid and your
heart pounding like hammer. And
even when physical weariness oyercame
you at last, yoHr sleep would be broken
by dreams a dozen times more terrible
than the experiences you've gone
through | know what y@u are think
ing, and ! tell you your thoughts must
be turned into another channel. It's to
try TO turn them that I've brought you
out here, that I've ga5bled about moth
ings."
Il understand" she said, softly. II
understand. and l thank YOU from the
bottom of my heart. If spoke irrita
bly,, won't you pardon me? I'm sorry,
so sorry, now that understand"
There's nothing to pardon, unless
it is the brusqueness with which I've
hurted out my reasons fo- getting you
away from the house
you are not brusque," she said, and
walked on in silence. | could guess
how she was striving to dismiss the
scenes of the evening from her mind. At
last she spoke of her aunt, expressing re-
grct that she had left the invalid TO seek
her couch unassisted.
Don't worry" said |. Mrs Clark
will be only too happy to take your
place tonight. Besides, it is probably
just as well that Mrs. Loriag should not
have an immediate opportunity to over
whelm you with questions. That
would be bad for both of you. | can't
have you sacrificed, even On her altar
Sacrificed p" she crieI DR. Nor
ris, you don't realize what my aunt is to
me. She is the best, the llindest wom-
an have ever known. She has treated
me as daughter-has loved me more
than many daughter is loved. A sac
rifce. There is nothing | would not
gladly do for her
81 believe you. And my belief is one
of the strongest reasons for advising
you not to see her tonight. Please re-
member the promise you gave me-"
She halted for an instant. as if in pro-
test that the pledge had been exacted
when she did not fully understand its
meaning, but she did not offer to turn
back. AS we strolled on, l gradually
drew her into talk, and after little she
seemed TO have freed herself from the
spell which had been upon her. 1T the
outskirts of the village we turned to the
right, avoiding the main streets,
walked slowly toward the bank of the
inlet, up which small coasters occasion
ally sailed from the bay. From one of
the old wooden piers we could make out
the shape of yawl gliding seaward on
the ebbing tide. The voices of two men
on board the boat came to our ears
over the black water, in which glistened
the pin-point reflections of the stars.
II envy those men drifting along so
easily" said the girl. The water al
ways has a fascination for me. Per-
haps l would risk even the darkness if
we could change places with them"
NO doubt we could get another
boat" / suggested.
Il fear it is too late" she answered,
with faint laugh, the first had heard
from her since | watched her start on
the ride to BASKERVILLE.
"Confound the clock!" cried. "Itis
responsible for half our disappoint-
ments."
Nevertheless, we get on very poorly
without it."
"All prejudice, and inherited preju-
dice at that"
Did you ever try to do without one2"
More than try-I've had to-" said l,
with vivid recollection of occasions on