The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-09-22
CHAPTER xxlv.-(continued.)

CHAPTER xxiV.-(continued.)
He swung the safe door on it's
hinges and sprang across the room
with one leap, like something hunted.
1t took her breath away. the movement
was so strange, so terrifying. He
seemed as II he would have pushed
past her and dashed out of the room,
but as he came into the fuller light,
and saw her face in 1t, he changed
again as alarmingly. He gave
smothered exclamation and fell back
against the wall behind him as sudden
ly as il he had staggered there. His
whole look, his whole manner, was as
full OF alarm and amazement as If he
had seen a ghost stand between him
and his fight. It was, indeed, the
ghost of his Indian past-the girl
whose face had once seemed to him,
as it shown from the veranda of
night-bound bungalow, like the radiant
face Of perfect womanhood.
1t struck him helpless, as nothing
else on earth could have done. He
lost his wits in that overwhelming
moment of recognition. He drew him.
self up sharp and fat against the wall,
and put out his hand behind him to
steady himself; he could no more have
passed her to reach the door in that
moment of horror than he could have
passed through without opening it.
Ursula saw his evident terror with
dismay and surprise. Noel, why do
you look so odd? You are 1ll-what
can it be? Oh, my poor boy; don't
look like that at me! Sit down-sit
here? She ran forward, forgetting
all their estrangement, all her doubts
of him, in her fear and distress at his
strange look. She pushed chair to
his side and tried to pull him down
into it. "You feel i'll; what is it? What
is it? What can l do2" she kept re-
peating, hanging over him withasteFse
ror of she knew not what.
He sank into the chair, more as if
he did not know what he was doing
than because he obeyed voluntarily.
His eyes had still their wide stare of
amazement, of horror. Then suddenly
he tried to scramble to his feet again.
Don't get up-don't move; let me
get you something" He only made an
inaudible mutter, and turned his head
away. 1t cut her to the heart to see it.
"Noel, is it because you are angry
with me?" she asked with a whisper
Il was wrong-I know it now-1 was
unjust to you. Forgive me dear"
She was bending down close to him
her face was close to his own. Sud-
denly, with almost violence, he caught
her to him, a wild, rough movement,
such as Noel had never been capable
Of. It startled her-even while she
felt her heart leap at the return of his
old fondness. She smiled, half trem-
blingly, and let him crush her close to
him-but as she looked down she re-
coiled.
Noel! What have you done to
your hands? How dreadful! Why,
they are hurt, and bruised, and soiled.
They are not your hands. They are
some one else's." Her head was just
touching his shoulder and she tore
herself from him with a sound that
was almost a shrek. She wrenched
herself away from his suddenly slack
ened clasp, and stared up into his
face with horror-stricken eyes. "Noel
why, it is not you! It is not you!
What is it? Oh. what is it?" Sheer
terror and bewilderment struck her
like blow.
'What is it," she repeated, pale to
her lips Then at last she came to
herself, after that moment of unreal
rapture. He flung himself past her
and dashed out through the hall with
fying steps. The orderly stood neal
the door and saluted, stepping for
ward to let him out. There was
neither look nor word as the hurrying
figure went out into the night.
Ursula stood where he had left her
stunned, speechless, in the empty
room. She looked round her with that
vague instinct the reaction from 3
shock leaves behind it, as if to assure
herself that she was still in a world
that she knew. The safe door had
closed, but a bunch of keys still swung
from the keyhole. The light was
shaded; the room was empty. She
could almost have thought it was {
dream. She crept back to the drawing
room. feeling chilled and afraid. Wha1
was it-what could be this mysteriou:
horror that made her feel as it thu
foundations of the earth had <rockee
beneath her? Was it an apparatiol
she had seen Noels wraith? i
seemed almost as if she could believt
it to be so. - ~.
Out in the night, through the darl
deserted streets there fed man II
the uniform Of an officer, with one
hand held fast against his breast: Ht
neither halted nor slackened hi'
speed all along the many back way,
that lad him to the nlaca he set before