Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-08
CHAPTER TX.
Hunters Inn.

| turned his umbrella inside out and drenched
MIN through in an instant, it was to find
| the house in renewed turmoil happily ex-
planned by the landlady, whom he ran
| across on the stairs
oh, Mr.. Johnstonr' she cried as she
edged by him with pile of bed linen on
ner arm. please excuse all this fuss. An
other guest is coming-I have Just got a
telegram A famous lawyer from New
York. Our house will be full tonight
| Where will you put him?" incurred Mr.
| Ransom with good-natured air There
| hail. '''''
,More's the pity" she sighed, with a
| half-inquiring, ha f-deprecatory look at this
fortunate first conner. Il shall have to put
him below, poor man. I'm afraid he won't
IKE IKE IT, out Mr.. Ransom remained 81
tent. But she went on with sudden
| cheerfulness, Il will make it up in the sup
| per. That shall be as good a one as our
kitchen will provide. Four city guests all
| quiet hotel
-Four" retorted Mr.. Ransom as he turn
ca toward his own door. The number has
grown by two since l went OUT
On, didn't tell you. The lady-her
name Mrs Ransom-brings her sister with
her The little girl who-yes | am coming"
ms latter to some perplexed domestic
down the hall, who had ready called her
twice. mustn't stand talking here" she
take care of yourself. You are dreadful wet
How wish the weather would clear uor'
MI: Ransom wished the same. To say
nothing OF his own inconvenience, it was a
source OF anxiety to him that she should
| nave to ride these inevitable ten miles in
such Chilling dcwnpour. Besides a storm
of this kind complicated matters; gave him
less sense of freedom. shut him in, as it
were, with the mystery he was there to
unravel. but which for some reason, hardly
explainable to himself. filled him with such
a sense of foreboding that he had mo-
ments in which he thought only of escape.
But his part must be played and he pre-
pared himself to play it Well Having
changed his clothes and warmed himself
with a draft of whisky. he sat down at
| his table and was busy writing when the
| maid came in to ask if he would wait for
his supper till the coach came or have it
earlier and served in his own room.
With an air of petulance. he looked up,
raped on the table, and replied:
Here! here! I'm too busy to meet
strangers. An early supper and an early
bed. That's the way l get through my
work.
The girl stared and went softly out.
Work!-that? Sitting at a table and just
putting words on paper. If it was beds he
had to drag around now or dozen hungry,
clamCring men to feed all at once, and all
with the best cuts, or stairs to run up fifty
times day, Or-'5ut l need not fill out her
thought 1t made her voluDle in the kitchen
and secured him the privacy which his in
cognito demanded.
His supper over he waited feverishly for
the coach, which ordinarily was due at
in the evening. Tonight it bade fair to be
late, owing to the bad condition of the
roads and the early darkness The wind
had gone down. but it still rained. No
quite so tempestuously as when he roamed
the cemetery. but steadily enough to keeT
caves and branches dripping. The sound
of this ceaseless drip was eerie enough tC
his strained senses, waiting as he was for
n W milo of inn no no,
piness or the misery OF his life. He tried
to forget it and wrote diligently putting
down words whose meaning he did not
stop to consider. so that he had something
to show to prying eyes If such should ever
glance through his papers. But the sound
had got on his brain, and presently be-
came so insistent that he rose again and
flung his window up to see if he We're de-
ceived in thinking he heard a deep doar
mingfing with the incessant patter roar
which the wind had hitherto prevented
him from separating from the general tur-
moil. but which now was apparent enough
to call for some explanation.
He had made no mistake: a steady sound
OF rushing water filled the outside air. A
fall was near. fall by means of which,
no doubt the factories were run.
Why had he not thought of this? whv
had its sound held note of menace for
him, awakening feelings he did not under.
stand and from which he sought to escape?
A factory fall swollen by the raini WHAT
was there in this to make his hand shake
and cause the deepening night to seem
posltlveiy hateful to him? With bang he
closed the window: then he softly threw it
up again, Surely he had heard the noise
of wheels splashing through the pools of
the highway. The coach was coming! and
with it-what?
His room was in the gable end facing the
road. From 1t he could look directly down
on the porch of entrance. fact which he
had thankfully noted at his first look. AS
he heard the hustle which now broke out
below. and caught the CLEAN of a lantern
coming round the corner of the house, he
softly stepped to his lamp and put II ont
then took his stand at the window The
coach was now very near; he could hear
Of the driver. In another moment it drew
lumberingly I'D. A man from the hotel
advanced with an umbrella: young lady
was helped out who. standing one moment
her from the open door. showed him the
face and form he knew so well ana loved
yes, loved for all her mystery, as he knew
by the wild beating of his heart and the ir.
resistible impulse he felt to rush down. and
receive her in his arms. to her great terror
doubtless. but to his own boundless salts
faction and delight. But strong as the
temptation was. he did not yield to II
Something in her attitude. as she stood
there, talking earnestly to the driver, held
him spellbound and alert. All was not
right; there was passion in her move
ments and in her voice. What she said
drew the heads of landlady and maid from
the open door and caused the man with
the lantern to peer past her into the coach
and backward along the road. What had
happened? Nothing that concerned the
lawyer. Mr.. Ransom could see him dis.
entangling himself from the coverings In
front where he had ridden with the driver
but the sister was not there. No other lady
got out of the coach even after his young
wife had finished her conversation with
the driver and disappeared into the house
How can 1 stand this?' thought Mr.
Ransom as the coach finally ratified and
swished away toward the stable II must
hear. must see. must know what is
going on down there"
This because he heard voices in the open
hail. Crossing to his own doorway, he
listened. His wife and Mr. Harper had
stepped into the Office close by the front
door. He could hear now and then
word of what they said. hut not all. Ven
turing a step further. he leaned over the