The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-17
CHAPTER XxXIV.
Under a Crimson Sky.

Under n Crimson Sky.
At o'clock the diggers began to go
home. Nothing had been found, and
the excitement of search which had an
mated them early in the day had given
place to a dull resentment mainly d.
rected toward the Knollys, If one could
judge Of these mems feelings by the
heavy scowls and significant gestures
with which they passed it's broken
down gateway.
By 6 the last man had filed by, leav-
ing Mr.. Gryce free for the work which
lay before him.
1 had retired long before this to my
room, where I awaited the hour set by
I.ucetta with a feverish impotence
quite new to me. AS none of us could
eat, the supper table had not been laid,
and though / had no means Of knowing
what was in store for us the somber
silence and oppression under which the
whole house lay seemed a portent that
was by no means encouraging.
s. Suddenly heard a knock at my door.
Rising hastily, I opened it. Loreen
stood before me, with parted lips and
terror in all her looks.
Gomez she cried. Come and see
What I have found in Lucetta's room.'
AS she was already half way down
the hall 1 fastened to follow her. and in
a few moments I found myself on the
threshold of the room 1 knew to be Lu-
cetta's.
she made me PROMISE" cried Lo-
reen, hating to look back at me, that
I would let her go alone and that I
would not enter the highway till an
hour after she had left. But after this
how can we stay in this house?' And
dragging me to a table, she showed me
lying. on its top a folded paper and two
letters. The folded paper was Lucetta's
will and the letters were directed sever
ally to Loreen and to myself with the
INDUCTION on them that they We're not
to be read till she had been gone six
hours.
Serious I murmured. But MI.
Gryee is with her.
No one is with her. Mr.. Gryce may
be near, but she has undertaken her
task alone. Miss Butterworth, l have
never broken promise before in all my
life, but l am going to break this
Come, let US fly to her. She has her
lovers memory, but I have nothing in
all the world but her.
I Immediately turned, and we hasten
ed down the stairs, but at the foot Lo-
reen gave me a look and said:
My promise was not to enter the
highway. Would you be afraid to fol-
low me by another road-secret road
all overgrown with thistles and black
berry bushes which have not been
trimmed for years?'
l thought of my thin shoes, my neat
silk dress, but only to forget them the
next moment.
II will go anywhere said I. But
where, where has Lucetta gone? Is it
to Deacon Spears? If So
But Loreen was already too far in adj
vance of me to answer. She was young,
she was 1.-the, and was down as far as
the kitchen before I had passed the
flower parlor. But when we had sped
clear Of the house 1 found that my
progress babe fair to be as rapid as
hers, for her agitation was a hinder
ance to her, while excitement always
brings out my powers and heightens
both my wits and my Judgment.
Our way lay past the stables, from
which 1 expected every minute to see
two or three dogs jump. But William,
who had been discretely sent out of the
way early in the afternoon by the two
sisters, had taken Saracen with him.
and possibly the rest, so our passing by
disturbed nothing, not even ourselves.
The next moment we were in field of
prickers, through which we both strug-
gled till we came into a sort of swamp
This was bad, going, but we floundered
through it, edging continually as
could not but see toward a distant fence
beyond which rose the symmetrical
lines of an orchard.
'sLoreen," l cried, "Loreen, those are
Mr.. Trohm's grounds. Must we pass
through them?'
ITS the shortest way" she shouted
back, for among the hammocks of the
swamp she had got the start of me
again.
And, unpleasant as / felt this intru-
sion to be, I fastened on, overtaking
her once more just as we reached a
tiny gateway so covered with vines
that there was no need for Loreen to
say:
II do not believe this has been open
ed for years, but it must be opened
now" And, throwing her young
strength against it, she burst 1t through
with all it's vines, and bidding me
pass she stepped herself over the
trailing branches and made without
word for the winding path we now saw
clearly defined on the edge of the or
chard before US.
"Oh," exclaimed Loreen, stopping
one moment to catch her breath, II
do not know what fear or to what our
steps will bring us. only know that
l must hunt for Lucetta till l find her.
If there is danger where she is, 1
must share It, You can rest here or
come farther on. But what Is this?'
1t was a man. He had started sud-
denly from some one Of the shadows
near the hedgerow. fsss,(..
"Silencew he whispered, putting his
finger on his lips. IF you are looking
for Miss Knollys." he added, seeing us
both pause aghast, "she is en- the lawn
beyond, talking to Mr.. Trohm. If you
come here, you can see her She is In
no kind Of danger, but If she were Mr..
Gryce is in the first row of trees to tho
back there, and call from me-
$ That made me remember my whistle.