Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-02-09

tive woman, argued in my mind the ex-
istence OF some uncompleted duty of SO
exacting and imperative q nature that
she could not even consider the greatest
interests Of her own life until this one
thing was out of her way. Williams
rude question of the morning, "What
shall we do with the old girl till it is
all over?" required to me in support of
this theory, making me feel that need.
! ed no more confirmation to be quite GER
tain that crisis was approaching in
this house which would tax my powers
to the utmost and call perhaps for the
use of the whistle which had received
from Mr.. Gryce, and which, following
his instructions, had tied carefully
about my neck. Yet how could asso-
ciate Lucetta with crime or dream of
the police in connection with the serene
Loreen, whose every look was a rebuke
to all that was false. vile or even COM
mon? Easily, my readers, easily, with
that great, hulking William in my re-
membrance. To shield him, to hide per-
haps his deformity Of soul from the
world, even such gentle and gracious
women as these have been known to
enter into acts which to any unpreju-
diced eye and an unbiased conscience
would seem little short Of flendish.
Love for an unworthy relative or rather
the sense of duty toward ones own has
driven many clear minded woman to
her ruin, as the police annals, embodied
as they are for me in Mr.. Gryce, would
show.
That ] have not as yet put into definite
words the suspicion upon which was
now prepared to work is quite apparent
to me. Up to this time it had been too
vague, or rather Of so monstrous char
acter, that had felt ready to consider
other possibilities, as, for instance, the
possible connection of old Mother Jane
with the unaccountable disappearances
which had taken place in this lane. But
now the very definite assurances had
been constantly receiving from tho mo-
ment had set foot in this house that
something extraordinary and out of
keeping with the ordinary appearances
Of the household was going on in secret
| in some one of tho innumerable cham
bers Of that long corridor corresponding
TO my own, and which for very obvious
reasons / had as yet failed to find any
excuse for penetrating, was taking shape
in my mind, and no longer affected to
deny to myself that everything l had
thus far seen and heard went toward es-
tablishing the fact that these young wo-
men held in charge prisoner of some
kind of whose presence there and per-
sonality they dreaded the discovery.
Now, who could this prisoner be?
Common sense supplied me with but
one answer-Silly Rufus, the boy who
within few days had vanished from
among the good people Of this seeming
ly guileless community.
Once settled in this idea, applied
myself to consideration Of the means
at my disposal for determining its truth.
The simplest and perhaps the most sure
as well as the least satisfactory to one
of my nature would be to summon the
police and have tho house thoroughly
searched, but this involved, in case /
had been deceived by appearances--as
was possible even to woman Of my ex-
| perience and observation-disclosures scandal
and an opprobrium which / would be
the last to inflict upon Althea' s children
unless justice to the rest of the world
demanded it.
1t was in consideration Of this very
fact, perhaps, that l had been placed
here instead of some regular police spy.
Mr.. Gryce is a man who has made it
his rule of life never to risk the reputa-
ton OF any man or woman without rea-
sons SO excellent as to bear their own
exoneration with them, and should /,
woman, with full as much heart if not
quite SO much brain Cat least in the es-
timation Of people in general), by any
premature exposure of my suspicious
cast mantle Of shame over this family
they arc far too weak and too poor to
ever rise above again?
No, rather would / trust litt:-
longer to my own perspicacity and
make sure by the use OF my own eyes
or ears that the situation called for the
interference I had, as you may say, at
the end Of the cord I was even now fin
gering.
Lucetta had not asked me how came
| to be back so much sooner than she had
reason to expect me. The unexpected
arrival Of her lover had probably put
all idea of her former plans out of her
head. / therefore attempted no explana-
ton with her and a very short one with
Loreen when / met her at the dinner
table. Nothing further seemed to be
necessary, for the girls were even more
distracted than ever before, and Will
liam positively boorish till a warning
glance from Loreen recalled him some
what to his better self, which meant 81
lence.
The afternoon was spent in very much
the same way as the evening before.
Neither sister remained an instant with
mo after the other entered my company.
and though the alterations were less
frequent than they had been at that
time their peculiarities were more
marked and less naturally accounted
| for. 1t was while Loreen was with me
that made the suggestion which had
been lowering on my lips ever since the
noon.
II think this, said in one of the
pauses of our more than fitful converse
tion, lone of the most interesting houses
| - n n e