The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-13
Continued from last Sundays News.

Continued from last sunday s NeWSi.
CHAPTER IX.-Continued.
AS Clare brushed by the stranger he
nut out his hand and touched her curls
in a lingering, caressing fashion that
amazed and offended Dan, who, how
ever, could say nothing in church. But
clare resented 1t in her own fashion
by drawing herself up haughtily and
looking him full in the face, at which
he shrank back humbly.
Happening to glance back at Clare,
Mrs Hamilton saw the look and pitied
him, for she was so constituted that
she could never bear to see any one
humbled or hurt. She therefore took
occasion to reprove Clare going home.
You should never be naughty, par
ticularly to one not so well placed as
Yourself my dear. The man meant
no harm, am quite sure. No doubt
he loves children and your hair looked
pretty to him.
ne may look at 1t then, but don't
care to have a common person like
him touch my hair" replied Glare,
quite unmollified, and drawing herself
ND in a dignified fashion.
Clare asked her mother, hesitat-
ingly, "did he resemble your papa in
any way, do you think?"
mo, indeed, mamma, not in any
way at ALL" very decidedly. "Papa's
hair was light and this mans was
dark and horrid, and his hands We're
horrid, too. Papa's were nice like
mine" -
said Periey, who liked to agree with
his mother.
Il thought SO too, Perley, but of
course, he does not look as we'll"
NO, 1 should say not" said Clara;
my father was a. very handsome
man."
eral weeks the children spoke of their
father in the past tense as if for them
he had no more existence, and it made
her heart sink at this confirmation,
slight though it might be, of her own
mind.
The strange man she saw in church
fingered in her thoughts during the
week. and was no doubt pinned there
by a strange circumstance that came
to her notice on Tuesday evening. AS
she drew the curtains at nightfall be-
fore lighting the lamps she saw a man
standing directly under tall tree that
stood in the yard, which was fenceless,
and about a rod from the window. He
appeared to be looking directly in, but
he shrank back, slowly turned away,
and walked down the street. This
Mrs. Hamilton saw by holding the
drapery little one side and peering
out She was convinced that the man
was no other than the one she re-
marked at church. A slight qualm
of fear came over her a moment, but
only for a moment; he seemed to be
such a humble and pathetic figure as
he timidly touched little Clare's hair,
that she could not fear him. And
again daWned before her intelligence
the sure if slight resemblance he bore
to her husband. This she felt would
attract her regard anywhere, but how
could be explained his interest in her
self and children? She could think of
no adequate reason, though vainer
woman would have found it's reason in
her own beauty. Mrs. Hamilton, how
ever, had long ceased to find her own
looks of interest to herself, and to
speculate upon their influence on
others. 1t is safe to say she never
dreamed of the hopes beginning to
futter In the breast of her minister,
Mr.. Hammerly. She only thought of
him as an eloquent, -earnest-m minded
minister who led her soul into deeper
communion with those hopes and as
pirations which it alone afforded her
pleasure to contemplate. But this
other man! She would about as cas-
lily have looked on Dan Fry as an
admirer. She thought she understood
the matter better when she learned
toward the last of the week that he
was boarding at Mrs. Fry's; for she
reasoned, Mrs. Fry has been laud-
ing me in her usual partial manner,
and naturally he has imbibed some
thing of her opinion. Being stranger
in town he naturally takes the Fry
estimate as his own" On Saturday
night, therefore, when she saw the
man standing under the tree as be-
fore, she did not draw the curtain
until the lamp was lighted.
Poor mani" she said, glancing about
the pretty room and signing mo-
ment later that Vane was not there.
II will not be niggardly. If he wishes
to look at the room, or at the chill
dren, he may do so. A man with eyes
like Vane's may exact so much from
me-" And so she left the windows
undraped for half an hour or more,
but she herself was not visible, being
busied about some household occupa-
ton in another room. When she was
ready to sit down she drew the cur
tains, but she peeped behind the folds
to see if he went away. He did di-
rectly, and looking she saw him walk
ing slowly and dejectedly, 1t seemed.
down the street. Poor mani" she
whispered. "he has seen trouble, or he
was never quite right"
Sunday he was at church again,
and as for one moment their eyes
met, Constance fancied a new intelli-
gence in his, as if he would establish
connection between them. She imme-
dIately decided that henceforth the
curtains of her sitting-room should be
drawn as usual.
But what did it mean, that look?
Constance pondered over it during the
week, it was so strange and inexplica-
Die. An intense, dazed. questioning re-
gard, as if he sought to ask her aid. 1t
was haunting look. a hunted look, a
tortured look. 1t illumined his ordnar-
lly heavy, not to say stupid, manner
Tor moment only, but for the TIME he
appeared different person. 1t startled
constance, as / have implied, and for
the first time caused her to question her
own prudence in allowing him to look
IN upon the family sitting-room.
The week following it was hermeti-
cay closed, but Constance more than
once caught a glimpse of the detected
ngure, and she thought of speaking to
ner uncle to desire the man to go away.
But she dreaded to wound him, when II
was only too evident that thus far the
world had showed it's worst front to
MIN, and she fancied he would soon tire
or his self-appointed watch. But he did
not, and one evening he stood outside
IN a pouring rain gazing at the house
long after the curtains were down, un-
tli Mrs. Hamilton grew deeply vexed
with his folly.
1T must be stopped" /" she said to her