Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-09-13

They would suppose the signature had
been lost, or some one had made use OF
1t to their own ends.
If suspicion attached to Harvey, II
would be difficult to obtain proof. Be.
sides, he had not forged the name. And
now that she had hidden him hope
could she again relegate him to des.
pair? But how to obtain the sigma
ture? Well, she must trust that to her
woman's wit.
She had reached the square when
she had gained this stage Of her solilo-
guy, and finding it. as he supposed, de-
serted, she sat down on one of it's
benches, in spot as secluded as she
could select. Lifting her veil, she let
the cold air blow upon her brow.
The short afternoon was fast draw
ing to close. Already darkness was
gathering. Quiet and motionless. she
seemed part of the falling shadows.
A light wind blew through the bare
branches of the trees. She drew her
furs more closely about her, but other
wise stirred not.
At last step sounded at the extreme
end of the walk. She could distinguish
the figure of man coming toward her
"a man her quick glance declared I'M
known to her. and so she sat quietly
until he should pass by.
He was of medium height, broad
shouldered, thick-set. His dress was
seedy and worn, though a diamond
flashed in bright-colored scarf loose
ly knotted about his throat.
His head was bent, as If in thought.
and between his lips he held a cigar.
He did not seem even to see the silent
| figure on the bench.
| He had nearly passed her by, when
he casually lifted his head, and their
| eyes met.
| A change. awful in it's suddenness
| and character, swept over both faces
both grew ashen, with livid lips. But
the woman was pale with the pallor of
tideous fear; the man white, with
the white fire Of a pitiless triumph.
He stopped abruptly in his walk and
for a full moment their eyes unflnch-
ingly met; then, with a harsh low
laugh, he took a short step forward,
and abruptly laid his hand on her
shoulder.
cat last, my lady-at last!" were the
words with which he broke the silence,
which, in reality, had lasted scarce
sixty seconds, but which to her, at
least had heightened themselves into
an eternity of torture.
She strove to speak, but, though her
lips moved, she could articulate no
sound. Her heart, which at first had
beat in maddest tumult. now stood al
most still. She could have counted its
measured pulse.
Repulsion. fear, horror, all had rob-
bed her face of it's well-nigh unnatural
beauty, and left it haggard and aged.
The grasp upon her shoulder tight
ened until it's pressure caused her phys
ical pain. The mans hot breath she
felt upon her cheek; the cigar he still
held between his now set teeth mingled
it's fumes with the air until it suffocat-
ed, rather than revived her.
1.-The surprise of seeing me isn't alto
gether welcome one-eh, my girl?"
AS he spoke for the second time, she
shuddered.
"I-I thought you were dead-mur-
dered!" she finally gasped out.
Grace had said when first she heard
the voice of Harry's wife, that it held
more music than any voice to which
she had ever listened.
Could she have heard it now she
would not have recognized it.
It seemed to come from some vault,
| and ring with the metallic echoes Of
| the sepulchre.
ooh, God!" breaking the horrid spell
which bound her, and burying her face
| in her hands to hide this terrible flesh
and-blood spectre Of her dead past
"oh God, let me wake and find that
| this is all dream!"
| $50 I find you here!" asserted the
man, unheeding her words. $50 at last
my long search is rewarded! In the
moment that I despaired, my end is
| achieved: and here-here of all places
where I least looked for you Six
hours more, and I should have turned
my back upon this place, not dream
| ing in my widest Dreams that 1t held
you! Six hours only, and you would
| again have been lost to me, this time,
| perhaps, forever. How have tried to
| track you! How cunning you have
been! And now chance-this poor ac-
cident of chance-has done for me what
ming failed to do. Once more, Helen
Window, we stand face to facet"
He could have stabbed her no more
| cruelty CNdU ny HIS WOIuS. LII OLA AioSAS
he would, by his own confession. have
left the city. She would have been safe
from him forever-safe, and believing
him dead.
And but for Harvey she would at this
hour-at this moment-have been safe
ly sheltered and protected beneath Ed
gar Reynolds roof.
Already her absence might be noteo
already some anxiety might arise con-
corning it.
In Imagination she saw the room with
all it's luxurious belongings, where she
and Harvey had talked and plotted ana
schemed. The lights were lit ere now,
the curtains drawn, the fire shed its
brilliant warmth upon the pretty pic
ture, and she was away from it all, OUT
here in the cold and growing darkness.
How cold it was! She had not felt it
before. She must go home-home!
Had she home?
She almost forgot, as her fancy
painted the we'll known picture, that
between her and it had risen sudden
barrier-the barrier formed Of the
heshless bones of the skeleton of her
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