Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-07-08
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ROBERT ESTES DURAND.

1T is he" / heard Mis- Trail say.
He would prefer doing Business with
you alone"
The man l could not see, but 1 knew
that he had come, for the Woman in
Gray spoke haughtily, breathing the one
word: "WellY'
We'll" repeated a heavy masculine
voice, with an unpleasant provincial
drawl. I've heard from Naomi. and
I've come to see If l can't get you to
consider matters. You'd better, you
know, for you are under my thumb; and
| If you don't DO what we want, you can
guess what the consequences will be-"
A word or two more l caught, and
then they walked away beyond hearing
l was glad of this. But never once did
l remove my eyes from the short, squat
! form of the man.
Moments elapsed. Sometimes the two
! strangely assorted companions glided on
| side by side; sometimes they paused. in
earnest conversation. But at last, with a
gesture which seemed to tell Of utter des-
peration, the Woman in Clay hurried
swiftly away without one backward look
She was evidently going to the house,
and at first | feared the man would fol-
| low her. But be did not Go so. He
stood still, his chin sunk into the hollow
| of his hand, the moonlight shining full
upon him. For several minutes he ap-
| peared to reflect, and then began walk
| ing toward the gate.
| 1t would have been easy for me to fol-
| low and catch up with him, but this did
not wish to do. l wanted to follow him
to his lair, wherever that might be. and,
| If possible, discover something so much
to his disadvantage that he would be as
completely in my power as he had per-
suaded Consuelo to believe she was in
his.
My quarry slouched along the lawn un-
til he struck into the avenue; then on
again, until within fifty yarsls of the
porter's lodge, when he took to the grass
once more, and suddenly disappeared
| through an aperture in the thick holly
hedge, for which he had apparently inten-
| tionally been making. / gave him a start,
and then plunged through the thicket.
| A long, straight road now stretched
before us, extending on the one hand to
Martenhead, on the other to a town of
considerable size, called Witherton, about
| four miles off. For a few seconds he
seemed undecided which way 10 go. then
tn=ued in the direction of tue latter
| place.
AT the station l managed to persuade
| the porter to sell me his overcoat. and
had it buttoned upon me, when l saw
my man going to the ticket Office.
/ stood in the background while the fellow
purchased a third single to Ralston.
| Getting into the train, | was glad to
/ 6ud hot ura ba6 go rrs q ero 20 ,,,r.ot,.o.
my unsuspecting quarry and |. | start
| ed a conversation, and, after time, he
said
Ever heard of Sir Wilfrid Aniory. who
has lately bought a big place near Mar
| tenhead"
''Oh, yes-Lorn Abbey. I've heard his
name"
Ever seen a tall, ine-lookii:g young
woman he's taken to live in his house?
adopted her for a daughter?'
''She is already famous throughout the
country for her beauty"
''She is good-looking. Better-looking
than she used to be when | knowed her
first"
"Ah, you're old friends, are your
Friends! Not much. You wouldn't
think, to look at me, if you have ever
seen her, that we could have much in
common; but tell you there arent many
| people on earth who know her as well as
me and mine do SHE'S cheated me out
of my just dues. Thinks she's too high for
me to hurt her. IL ] should so much as
open nay mouth about that pearl mitten
she wears on her hand by day and night.
she'd be famous, can tell you, for some
| thing beside he- suty."
| could bear Jfe; patience and eau
| ton were &c e flame blown out by
a puff of ~ | was about to answer
in a way ,ch woulG have surprised him
| when, A a mighty shock and a wall
whic' 1emed to rise from the lips of ev-
cry ~ue among the hundreds of passen-
| gers, | was thrown headlong upon him,
under a shower of splintering timbers
and crashing glass. thunder c,f sound
breaking over me ike the waves of
ocean.
After the shock came cessation of all
motion. lay still for a moment Then
looked out Of what remained of the
window, and saw that such passengers as
could We're swarming out from the wreck
ed carriages in front and behind me The
air was vocal with shouts and cries,
and above all was the sound of escaping
steam.
| 1 remembered my companion. and pro-
ceeded TO unearth him from heBeath a
broken seat. His right leg was bent I'M
der him, and hung so Imply that was
| certain it must be broken. / aad no
friendly feeling for him. but could not
see him suffer. l soon brought him back
| TO consciousness.
a dozen or - among the passengers
were injured. and when | had done what
! ever | could l got doctor from She VIII
lage to look after my charge. When his
! leg was set he was able to tell uS-a bit
of information / received without sur
prise-that he was JonIs Heckleberry. of
the Spider Farm, near Market I'eyton.
The place was not more than fifteen
miles away, the surgeon said. and the
best thing for the sufRser would be TO
have him conveyed home at once. This
task. with an impulse which did not
spring from charity, took upon inyself.
BY this time il was nearly 10 o'clock
in the morning, the breakfast h2ur ut
Lorn Abby. Would Consuelo have
thought Of me. l asked myself. and won
dered at the unexplained absence Of her
lover:
The kilograms which sent both to her
and to Uncle Wilfrid from Ralston seem
al cold and meaningless. and Consuelo's
I wrote and tore in pieces several times
before | could satisfy myself.
Ii was a four-milc drive from Market
Peyton TO the Spider Farm. and as
began to think we must be nearing the
place l booked oat with curiosity. What
ever there was that was queer" about
Jonas Heekleberry's business / meant to
know. Whatever might be learned
against his character AID pursuits l in
tended 10 have within my knowfedge.
that. II he lived and attempted again 10
trouble the Woman in Gray, might be
prepared 10 turn the tables upon hsm.
The farm gate we got 70 az csngsh,
and found 10 my surprise that u was
locked with a paddock. fastened - a
chain. l easily vaalted ever the fve or
SIX bars. however. and fancied l sAouil
have no difficulty. When the nattsre OF