Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-05-18
CHAPTER XXXIv.

AG ID y CLOCK UnO ulPpGTS DcBdl UO 10
home. Nothing had been found, and the
excitement of search which had animal
ed them early in the day had given
place to a dull resentment mainly di-
rected toward the Knollys, if one could
judge of these mems feelings by the
heavy scowls and significant gestures
with which they passed its broken
down gateway. ....'.
By 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 / awaited the hour set by
Lucetta with feverish impatience
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 i'll store for us the somber 81
lence and oppression under which tho
whole house lay seemed portent that
was by no means encouraging.
Suddenly heard a knock at my door.
Rising hastily, l opened it, Loreen
stood before me. with parted lips and
terror in all her looks
"Come!" she cried. Come and sec
what I have found in Lucetta's room. I"
AS she was already half way down
the hall l FASTENED to follow her, and in
q few moments found myself on the
threshold of tho room knew to be Lu-
cetta's.
"She made me promise" cried Lo-
reen, hating to look back at me, THAT
/ would let her go alone and that l
would not enter tho highway till an
hour after she had left. But after this
how can we stay i'll this house," And
dragging mo to table, she showed me
lying on its top folded paper and two
letters. The folded paper was Lucetta s
ally to Loreen and to myself with the
injunction on them that they were not
to be read till she had been gone six
hours.
"Seriousr' l murmured. "But MIR
Gryco is with her"
"No one is with her. Mr.. Gryce may
be near, but she has undertaken her
task alone Miss Buttcrworth, have
never broken promise before i'll all my
life, but l am going to break this.
Come, let us fly to her. She has her
lovers memory, but have nothing in
all the world but her. -
I Immediately turned, and we hasten
ed down the stairs, but at the foot Lo-
recn gave me look and said:
my promise was not TO enter the
highway. Would you be afraid to fol-
low mo by another road-secret road
all overgrown with thistles and black
berry bushes which have not been trim
med up for years."
thought of my thin Shoes my neat
silk dress, but only to forget them the
next moment.
Il will go anywhere, " said l. 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 litho and was down as far as
the kitchen before | had passed the
flower parlor. But when we had sped
clear of the house found that my prog
ress babe fair to be as rapid as hers.
for her agitation was a hindrance to her,
while excitement always brings out my
powers and heightcns both my wits and
my Judgment
Our way lay past the stables, from
which expected every minute to see
two or three dogs jump. But William
who had been discrectly sent out of the
way early in the afternoon by the two
sisters, had taken Saraccn 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 sort of swamp.
This was bad going, but we tloundered
through it, edging continually as
could not but sec toward a distant fence
beyond which rose the symmetrical
lines of an orchard.
"Loreen, l cried, "Loreen, those
are Mr.. Trohms grounds! Must we pass
through them?"
Its the shortest way" she shouted
back, for among tho hummocks of the
swamp she had got the start of me
again.
And, unpleasant as ! felt this intrusion
to be, l FASTENED on, overtaking her
once moro just as we reached 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
DOW. " And, throwing her young strength
against it, she burst it through with
all its vines, and bidding me pass she
stepped herself over tho trailing
branches and made without a word for
the winding path we now saw clearly
defined on the edge of the orchard be-
fore u.s.
"Oh," exclaimed Loreon, stopping
one moment to catch her breath, ~ do
not know what l fear or to what our
steps will bring u.s. l only know that |
must hunt for Lucetta till | find her
II there is danger where she is, l must
share it. You can rest here or come far.
ther on. But what is this?''
1t was man. He had started sud-
denly from some one of the shadows
near the hedgerow.
"Silencep' he whispered, putting his
finger ON his lips. "If you are looking
for Miss Knollys," he added, seeing us
both pause aghast, "she is ON 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 the
back there, and call from me"-
That made me remember my whistle.
1t was still round my neck, but my
hand, which had instinctively gone to
it, fell again in extraordinary emotion
as took in the situation he had limited