Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-04-24

hand on the door Of the coach. oddly
enough: : ., now you r. remind 80 me Of tat Hy-
He closed the door and the coach rolled
on. The passenger redeemed, glanced in
dfgnantIy after the departing figure of
Demorest, and suspiciously at the others
The lady was looking from the window with
a faint smile on her fate.
HE might hev given me a civil answer
muttered the passenger and resumed his
novel,
When the coach drew up before Carriers
Hotel the lady got down and the curiosity
| of her susceptible companions was gratified
| to the extent of learning from the register
that her name was Horncastle.
She was shown to private sitting room,
which CHANGED to be the one which had be-
longed to Mrs. Barker In the days of her
maidenhood, and was the sacred, impene-
| trable bower to which she retired when her
her daily duties OF waiting upon her faith
er's guests were over. But the breath of
custom had PASSED through 1T since then,
| and but little remained Of its former maid
en- glories except few schoolgirl crayon
drawings on the wall and an unrecognizable
portrait of herself in oil. done by wander
| ing artist, and still preserved as receipt
| for his unpaid bill. OF these facts Mrs.
Horncastle knew not hing; she was evil
IDENTIFY preocca pied, and after she had re-
moved her outer buster and entered the
room she glanced at the clock on the man
| telshelf and threw herself with an air Of
resigned abstraction in an armchair in the
corner Her travelling dress, although I'M
| Gstentatious, was tasteful and well-ffttting:
a slight pallor from her fatiguing journey,
| and. perhaps, from some absorbing thought,
made her beauty still more striking. She
gave even an air of elegance to the faded,
worn adornments of the room, which 1t is
| to be feared it never possessed in Miss Kit
tvs occupancy. Again she glanced at the
clock. There was tap at the door.
Come in."
The door opened to a Chinese servant
| bearing a piece of torn paper with name
written on it in lieu of card.
Mrs. Horncastle took it, glanced at the
name and handed the paper back.
There must be some mistake" she said.
II do not know Mr.. Steptoe."
mo, but you know me all the same"
said a voice from the doorway as a man en-
tered, coolly took the Chinese servant by
the elbows and thrust him into the passage,
closing the door upon him. ''Steptoe and
HorncaStle the same man, only l pre-
fer to call myself Steptoe here And 1 see
you're down on the register as 'Horncastle.'
Well. it's plucky of you, and it's not bad
rame to keep. You might be thankful that
have always left 1t to you. And If l call
myself Steptoe here it's good blind
against any of your swell friends knowing
you met your husband here"
In the half-scornfu, half-resfgned look
she had given him when ne entered there
was no doubt that Mrs. Horncastle recog-
nized Steptoe as the man she had come to
see. He had changed little in the five
years that had elapsed since he entered the
three partners cabin at Heavy Tree HILL
His short hair and beard still chung to his
head like curled moss or the crisp fioccu-
lence of astrakhan. He was dressed more
pretentfously. but still gave the same idea
OF vulgar strength. She listened to him
without emotion, but said, with even a
deepening of scorn in her manner:
What new shame is this?''
Nothing new" he replied. "Only five
years ago 1 was Twin over on the bar at
Heavy Tres Hill under the name of Steptoe.
ard folks here might recognize me. 1 was
s here when your particular friend, Jim
Stacy-who only knew as Steptoe, and
doesn't know me Horncastle, your hus-
band-for all he's bound up my property
Tor you-made his big strike with his two
partners. l was in his cabin that very
night, and drank his whisky Oh, 1 am all
right there. L left everything all right be-
hlnd me-onIy it's 'just5 as we'll he doesn't
krow I'm Horncastle.5 And as the boy
happened to be there Awith me- He
stopped and looked,iat her significantly
The expression of hsr face changed
EaSerness, anxiety and even fear came
into it in turn, but always mingling with
some scorn that dominated her. 1.-The
boy, she said, i'm voice that had chang
ed, too, well, what about him? You
promised to tell me all. uAllr'
where's the moneya' he said. Illus
band and wife are one, l know he went
On. with a coarse jaughs. but don't trust
myself in these matters"
she took from "a travelling reticule that
lay beside her a roll Of notes and a cham
OILS leather bag of coin aud laid them on the
table before him., ,HeeeNamined both care
fully. u ii
IAN right" he. said. az see you've got
the checks made eutu to bearer Your
heads level, Ccnny. Pity you and me
can't agree" .l,
Il went to the bank across the way as
soon as l arrived" she said with con-
temptuous directness., Il told them 1 was
going over to Hymettus and might want
money"
He dropped into a chair before her, with
! his broad. heavy hands upon his knees, and
looked at her with an equal. though baser
contempt, for his was mingled with a GER
tain pride of mastery and possession.
And, OF course, you'll go to Hymettus
ana cut splurge, as you always do. The
victim of a wretched. dissipated, disgraced.
gambling husband So dreadfully sad you
Know, and SO interesting! Could get a d.
VERGE from the brute if she wished but
won't on account of her religious scrupIes
And SO while the brute is gambling, swim
ding, disSracing himself sand lodging a
shot here and lynch committee there, two
or three hundred miles away, you're splurg-
ing around in fiIst-class hotels and water
ing places, doing the injured and abused
and run after by lot of men who are
ready to take my place. and. maybe, some
or my reputation along with H."
Stop!' she said, suddenly, in a voice
that made the glass chandelier ring He
had risen, too, with a quick, uneasy glance
toward the door. But her outbreak passed
as suddenly, ana, sinking back into her
cEair, she said, with her previous scornful
resignation, Never mind. Go OH. You
know you're lying
He sat down again and looked at her
critically. Yes. as far as you're concerned
was lying. I know your style. But as
you know, too, that I'd kill you and the
first man 1 suspected, and there amt a
judge or jury in all Californy that
wouldn't let me go free for it. and even
consider, too. that 1t had wiped off the
whole slate agin me-its to my credit"
IL know what you men call chivalry."
she said coolly, but 1 did not come here
TO buy knowledge of that. So now about
the child. she ended abruptly, leaning for
ward again with the same look of eager
solicitude In her eyes ID
We'll, about the child-our child-though
perhaps, prefer to say my child" he
began with certain brutal frankness.
TN tell you. But first L don't want you
to talk about buying your information of
me. If haven't told you anything before
it's because I didn't think you oughter
know. If 1 didn't trust the child to you
It's because didn't think you could go
shashaytng about with child that was
three years old when The stopped and
wiped his mouth with the back of his
hand-"made an honest woman of you'll
think that's what they call it."
But, she said, eagerly, ignoring the
insult, Il could have hidden it where no
one but myself would have known it. I