Evening star., 1899-04-01

The moon, which had been under a cloud,
was now shining brightly, and by Its light
saw that the space before me was empty
and that I might venture to enter the
street. But before doing so looked about
for the dagger had thrown from me be-
fore going in. but could not find 1t. 1t
carried away. Annoyed at the cowardice
which had led me to lose such valuable
piece of evidence through a purely woman
ish emotion, was about to leave the yard
when my eyes fell on the little bundle of
sandwiches which I had brought down
from the hill and which 1 had let fall under
the pear tree at the first scream l had
heard from the house. 1t had burst open
and two or three of the sandwiches lay
broken on the ground. But those that were
intact picked up and, being more than
ever anxious to cover up by some ostensble
errand my absence from the party. rush
ed away toward the lonely road where
these brothers lived, meaning to leave such
fragments as remained on the old doorstep
beyond which had been told such suffer-
ing existed.
ut was now late. very late, for a girl like
myself to be out, but, under the excitement
of what l had just seen and heard, be-
came obiivious to fear and rushed into
those dismal shadows as into transparent
daylight. Perhaps the shouts and stray
sounds of laughter that came UP from the
wharves where a ship was getting under
way gave me a certain sense of compan-
ionship. Perhaps-but it is folly for me to
dilate upon my feelings-M Is my errand
you are interested in and what happened
when / came up to the 3aoeis' dreary
dwelling"
The look with which she paused, osten-
sibly to take breath, but in reality TO weigh
and criticise the looks of those about her,
was one of those wholly indescri5able ones
with which she was accustomed to control
the Judgment of men who allowed them
selves to watch too closely the ever-chang-
ing expression OF her weird vet charming
face. But it fell upon men steelei against
her fascinations, and realizing her inabi-
ity to move them, she proceeded with her
story before even the most anxious of her
hearers could request her to do Sd.
Il had come,'' said she, "very quietly
along the road, for my feet were light
ly shod and the moonlight was too bright
for me to make a misstcp. But as l cleared
the trees and came into the open place
where the house stands 1 stumbled with
surprise at seeing figure crouching on the
doorstep I had anticipated finding as empty
as the road 1t was an old mans figure,
and / paused in my embarrassment he
slowly and with great feebleness rose to his
feet and began to grope about for the door.
AS he did so ] heard sharp, tinkling
sound. of something metallic falling on
the doorstone, and, taking 4 quick step for
ward l looked over his shoulder and
in the moonlight at his feet a dagger SO Ike
the one l had lately handled in Mrs. Webs
yard that I was overwhelmed with aston
ishment and surveyed the aged and feeble
form of the man who had dropped it with
a sensation difficult to describe. The next
moment he was STOPPING for the weapon,
with a startled air that has impressed It
self distinctly upon my memory, and when,
after many feeble attempts. he succeeded
in grasping it. he vanished into the house
so suddenly that could not be sure wheth-
er he had seen me standing there or not.
"Ail this was more than surprising to
me, for l had never thought of
sociating an old man with this crime.
Indeed / was SO astonished to find
him in possession of this weapon that
forgot all about my errand and only Won
dered how / could see and know more.
Fearing to be observed where I was, / slid
in among the bushes and soon found my
self under one of the windows The shade
was down and I about to push it aside
when I heard some one moving about inside
and stopped. But / could not restrain my
curiosity, so. pulling a hsirpin from my
hair. ] worked a little hole in the shade
and through this l looked into a room
brightly fllumined by the moon. which
what did I see there?" Her eye turned on
Frederick. His right hand had stolen
toward his left. but it paused under her
look and remained r7ntionlcss. only an old
man sitting at table and" Why did she
pause, and why did she cover up that pause
with wholly inconseuuental sentence?
Perhaps Frederick could have told. Fred
erick whose hand had now fallen at his
side. But Frederick volunteered nothing.
and no one not even Sweet water. guessed
all that Law beyond that and which was left
lowering in the air to be finished-when?
AlaSi had she not set the day and the hour?
(To be continued.)