Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-19

Mr. Thompson; let me offer you a glass o,
whisky in the dining room. Thi, way.
please
The door closed upon them none too soon.
| For Mrs. Hale already felt the room whirlipr
around her and sank back into her chair with
an hystcrical laugh Old Mrs Scott did not
move from her seat but, with her eyes fixed
on tho door, impatiently waited Kate's re.
turn Neither spoke, but each felt that the
young, untried girl was equal to tho emer.
| gcncy and would get at the truth.
The sound of Thompsons feet in the hall
and the closing of tho front door was followed
by Hates reabpearance. Her face was stu
! pale, but calm.
"Well.' said the two women in a breath.
"Well," returned Kate, slowly, "Mr Lee
and Mr. Fallner were undoubtedly the two
mon who took the paper from Johns messen.
ger and brought it here
"You are surel' said Mrs. Scott.
"Therc can be no mistake, mother"
"Then," said Mrs. Scott, with triumphant
feminine logic. Il don't want anything more
TO satisfy me that they are perfectly limo.
cent"
More convincing than the most perfect
masculine deduction, this single expression Of
their common nature sent thrill of syn-
pathy and understanding through each. They
cried for "a few moments on each other,
shoulders
ITO think" said Mrs. Scott. "what that
poor boy must have suffered to have been
obliged to do--that Bilson-isn't that
the creatures name' suppose we ought to
send over there and inquire after him, with
some chicken and jelly, Kate. It's only com
mon humanity, and We must he just. my
dear; for even if he shot Mr.. Lee and pro-
vokc1 the poor bow to shoot him. he may
have thought it his duty. And, them it will
avert suspicious
80 Think murmured Mrs Hale. "what
they must have gone through while they
were Eere-momcn'alily expecting John to
come, and yet keeping up such light heart
81 believe, if they had stayed any longer,
they would have told us everything said
Mrs Scott.
Both the younger women were silent. Kate
was thinking Of Falkner's significant speech
as they neared the house on their last walk;
Josephine was recalling the remorscful pic
turc drawn by Lee, which she knew was his
own portrait. Suddenly she started
But John will be here soon: what are we
to tell him And then that package and that
letter.
Don't be i'll a hurry 20 tel him anything
at present, my child said Mrs Scott gently.
1T is unfortunate this Mr.. Thompson called
here, but We are not obliged to understand
what he says now about Johns message. or
to connect our visitors with his story I'm
sure, Kate, | should have treated them cx-
actly rs We did ii they had come without any
message from John; 50 | do not know why
we should lay any stress on that. or even
speak of it. The simple fact is that We have
opened our house two strangers IN distress
Your husband continued Mr. Hale,
mother-in-law, does not require to know
more. As to the letter and package, we Will
keep that for further consideration. Ii can
not be Of much Importance or they would
have spoken of it before; it is probably some
trilling present as Il return for your hospital.
ity. | should use no indecorous haste in hav-
ing it opened"
The two women kissed Mrs Scott with n
feeling of relief, and fell bac, into the
monotony Of their household duties. It is to
be feared, however, that the absence of their
outlawei guests wa, nearly as dangerous as
their presence III the opportunity it afforded
for uninterrupted and imaginative reflection.
Both Kate and Josephine were at first
shocked and wounded by the discovery of the
real character of the two men with whom
they had associated 80 Familiarity, but it was
no diaparagement to their sense Of propriety
to say that the shock did not last long, and |
was accompanied with the fascination of dan
ger. This was succeeded bya consciousness of |
the delicate fattery implied in their Indirect |
Influence over the men who had undoubtedly |.
rSked their lives for the sake of remaining, |
with them. The best woman is not above |
being touched by the effect of her bower
over the worst man, and Kate at first allowed
herself to think of Falkner in that light
But if in her later reflections ho suffered
rs heroic experience TO be forgotten. he
gained something as an actual man TO b.. re-
Now that the proposed rides
from his friends house were a part of the
llusion would he ever dare to visit them
again! Would she dare to see him. She held
ler breath with a sudden pain of parting that
was new to her: she tried to thnl, of some
hing else, to pick up the scattered threads Of
1er life before that eycntful day, But in
vain; that one week had filed the place with
mplacable memories, or more terrible. Us it
seemed TO her and her sister, they had both
ost their feeble alien hold upon Eagles
court in the sudden presence Of the real genii
If these soltudc, and henceforth they alone
would be strangers there They scarcely
Jared to confess it to each other but this re-
urn to the dazzling sunlight and cloudless
kles OF the past appeared TO them to he one
unreal experience; they had never known the
i-le wild flavor of their home except in that
week of delicious isolation. Without breath
ng it aloud they longed for some vague de
iouement to this experience that should take
hem from Eagles Court forever
Ii was noon the next day when the httle
household behold the last shred of their illu-
ion vanish like the melting snow III tho
trong sunlight of John Hale's return. He
VAS accompanied by Col. Clinch and Raw
ins, two strangers to the women. Was 1t
ancy or the avenging spirit of their absent
But he, too, looked stranger
nd as the little cavalcade wound its way up
he slope he appeared to sit his horse and
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