Middletown transcript., 1906-07-14

was by far the most excited.
After crossing the creek. he
drove like she nnIeashed winds,
and Tie sound of bis now furious
horses brought Miss Deane's
kinswoman ia haste to the door.
Speaking almost for the first
time, he overwhelmed that genlle
lady with incolerent admonitions
concerning the soaking Alicia,
and drove away as fiercely as he
had come
Further packing was out Of the
question for that day. Miss
Deane postponed her departure.
The evening and the morning
were prolific in neighborly visits
and inquiries, but to the Deane
house came no message from the
judge. For some reason Alicia
found it impossible that after
noon to follow her kinswoman's
example and retire for the usual
siesta. Instead she wandered
lonely as a cloud through the
vide halls in the unnatural hush
which precedes the well-nigh
tropical storms common in that
section, second deluge being
the almost invariable sequence
of first. Her loneliness and in.
decision she set down, though
not without misgivings, to eli
matte conditions. What other
reason could there be for loneli-
ness in the case of a woman who
could remedy the evil by an i'm
mediate le5urn to the world to
which she belonged?
The trees were beginning to
bend to the wind leaping from the
darkened heavens, when through
the screen doors she beheld
Judge Carroll fastening along
the sidewalk toward the home
of Susie. Miss Deane shut the
hall-door, and going into the par
lor, resolutely took up a book,
which the closed blinds prevent.
ed her from perusing. That the
blinds could be opened did not
seem to occur to her usually
reasonable mind, and the sudden
clang Of the door bell furnished
her with an excuse for the violent
beating of her heart.
A moment more, and the Judge
was iu the room, and she found
herself making some inane re-
mark as to his narrow escape
from the rain now lashing the
porches. His conventional de.
meanor was conspicuous by its
absence, and he looked white and
stern. Waving aside the sugges-
tion of a chair, he began to pace
the floor.
Miss Deane-Alicia !-he ex-
claimed abruptly, if anyone had
ever told me that | would a sec
ond time IN my life be in The posi-.
tion in which | am to-day, Il he
stopped, and wheeled upon her
where she stood, leaning against
a table with averted face Alicia,
| would give all I have in the
world to know what was at the
back of your fine action of yester-
day?
A long pause. Then
Icould not see a fellow woman
drown!
An impatient shake of the
head.
There was absolutely no dan
ger! | was right after her.
And
And what, cia?-coming
closer, and trying to look her
face.
And-almost in a Whisper
understood that she was to be
your wife!
Another pause. Then in a low
voice George Carroll spoke i
Don't you know that that's all
foolishness, Alicia? Don't you
know that Susie considers me in
the light of a useful uncle?-oh. |
perjured Judge! But she wants
my scalpall the same. Don't you
recognize the passion for scalps
when you see it, Alicia?-teas-
ingly-after all your experience,
Miss DeaneP
But Alicia did not smile or turn.
Every fibre of her being was
lighting with the folly Of tears.
After a minute he resumed
grayely, with controlled passion
Of speech: | am not of the coming
back kind. I think you know
that You must know it! Long
since you told me you had no
further use for me. Yet here [ /