Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13

| though her eyes asked and her tongue res
| Trained he had offered no explanations; ne
! had chided her for being up at such an
| hour; he had resented 1t that she seemed
| to be keeping watch on him; ne mad neg
too gently, too kindly. told her ne kn s,s
window; he had in going simply anticipated
what that caller had probably to tel. II
was one of his own trusted ofhcers, ne salo
who. with others. had agreed to keep track
| of certain lawless element and give him
| warning Of suspicious actions, looking TO
genuine depredations at the gym he
| had received earlier warning and had gone.
He would tell her more about 1t when ne
knew more, and now wished to snatch what
sleep he could before the coming of the day.
She had left him and gone her way, I'M
complaining, unrebuking. for she was stu
tortured by the memory of her one act or
spying. She could not risk offending Ron,
| and yet she left him with vague distress,
with dissatisfaction, even dread, eating at
her heart, and now nearly an hour before
her own class work began this day she
was hurrying forth to find him that she
might tell him of something new, some
thing alarming. and she met him almost al
the very spot where she and he had seen
that other meeting, that night conference
that ended SO suddenly and strangely, that
meeting to which never since had he even
remotely referred.
She saw how pale and grave and stern ne
looked, and knew with her keen intuition
that there was some new trouble, and that
what she had to tell would only add to 1t,
but her tidingS were of such a nature she
felt that Ron must know at once and so
at once she began, looking with such depth
of love and anxiety into his careworn face:
Ron, have hurried to meet you and tell
you before you could get home Such a
strange thing, / don't know what to do or
think of it, but soon after you went up to
drill this morning, before l was dressed !
heard DR.. Parsons voice at the door He
az xa6 for MrS To- ,fa md he
just up and he took her into the little side
yard right under my window, almost under
yours, and there-I couldn't help hearing
he was talking, questioning, about you.
She told me everything later for frankly
told her l had heard the first part of their
talk. He asked her what hour you went
out. what hour you came home last night,
whether any one came for you, and how
| late your light was burning. She said she
never saw him so excited SO insistent. She
said he asked If any letters had been
brought to her for you, or any messages
| left, and whether you ever had boat and
went out the lake at night. He asked
| her if she you last night, and how
| you were dressed He acted, she said, like
| he wanted to go in and search the room
and wardrobe and Mrs. Jameson couldn't
| listen to that. Ron, what does 1t all
mean?
And here, in spite of her effort, poor.
| brave, loyal loving, yet sorely troubled
| Jane felt the sobs rising uncontrollably,
and he saw it and should have sought to
soothe and comfort, but his heart was
raging now. Between what he had seen for
himself, what he had heard from certain
oe his sturdy followers in the battalion,
what he had dragged from poor, bedeviled
Drggan, and what Jane telling him,
his soul was up in arms, in a fury of wrath
against this strange, auStere, lce-hearted
man. this arch spy and scandal brewer, for
so In his blind rage the venerable scholar
seemed to this hotblooded young soldier.
For the moment Fame could only think of
ir6ic tn rr-1i nl l. TIA
believing it all an outcome of the recent
demonstrations at Clifton Hall, and never
dreaming, as poor Jane was dreaming, of
the possibility of something far more dread,
sc netting that those powder blackened fin
gers had suggested to her hours before,
something that in his intense pursuit of
another clue he had never stopped to con-
slider. But 1t was destined to confront him,
and with crushing force.
Which way did he go?" was the ques
ton that came hoarsely from his lips. I've
been hunting for him l need to find him"
"Oh, Ronald, not as you are now-not in
and let me tell you-what you wouldn't
listen to last night. l heard he had gone
to town-he and Prof Beerbohm. You
cant see him now, and you should know
what l know before you see him at all
Come with me, want to show you" And
so she led him and held him, listening dull
and Indifferent at first, then in suddenly
aroused and vehement interest, for now at
last he heard of the adjutant's call drum
med on his window pane-a call he knew
was unknown to nine out of ten of his
pupils and probably unfamiliar to all.
Now he heard of the repeated signals, the
repeated appearance of the shadow, and
knew well before Jane had finished that
this was no one of his battalion boys this
was nothing like the signal agreed upon be-
tween him and certain of his TRUSTEES
student officers who were determined to get
at the bottom Of the mystery of that night
assault, and to protect their young com
m an6t 1nir COLL arra
ture harm. Then, Jane went on with
her description and showed him where the
shape had appeared in front of the wing
and where 1t had later stood at the coping
of the well, he took to studying faint foot
prints on the trampled turf a the rear Of
the wing, for the early frosts had hardened
the pathway; and then, drawing him away
she led him to her own ROOM and from the
windows pointed to the distant roofs on
the island to the sun-glinting windows of
the Roost, and showed him the very case
ment from whence had streamed that sig
nal light, that hve-secOnd flash that seemed
to appeal direct to her window and to her,
and then Fane's excitement became marked
and almost uncomfortable
And even as he stood there, thrilling with
the realization of a new and most fmpor-
tant discovery, and longing for Hazlett and
a consultation, there came tap at the
door-a servant with telegram, which he
tore open and read:
New developments. Important Meet
me 4:40 today. Central.
(signed) "HAZLETT."
He handed IT mechanically to Jane who
azing from the window, this time toward
the street, had laid her hand upon his arm
Three or four passers-by had stopped in
trent of the next house and were looking
curiously back. Two men, under the trees
across the unpaved street had also halted
and were standing at gaze. A man, glanc-
ing hurriedly up at the window as he
passed, strobe on through the little croquet
ground toward the side door of the wing.
vehicle of some kind had drawn up in
front of the house, the heads of the horses
just visible from her easement. Another
vehicle, half open. refined in at the opposite
curb 1t was the sight of this that led her
to touch his arm. The driver was glancing
back. The occupants two in number, were
peeping round the edge Of the side curtain
OF the back seat, and Jane knew the evil
face of the nearmost at a glance. It was
Stetson, senior The other, lodging back
at sight of her, was the son.
Then Mrs. Jamieson's voice, and footsteps
that were not Mrs. Jamieson's. but those
OF heavy men, were heard on the stairs,
and nameless terror seized the sisters
heart, for in another moment a silver star
cleaned at the doorway, the lapel of a coat
thrown ha olr