Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-09-06

was only when her tangled nerves
could endure II no longer that Claire
WHIPPED out her purse, put months
wages on the dressing table and babe
the woman become.
Hannah. the maid, put her thin,
strong arms akilubn and burst out
luuglIi1Ig in her mistress face.
This Instant ell: Aud yVu think
you1l get rid Of N" for -p"llndiive?
That You won't then, nor yet for 70
guin"as - now you know
we shall See" said Claire, moving
over t. the hell.
Il wouldn't ring, miss, If were you"
"Thcn will YOU GO? You have been
inSolcnt beyond words; force me to do
It, and | shall send for policeman to
turn you out"
Il wouldn't do that miss. either. or
may ten the policeman something
you wont like
What do you n!can:"
"What | say, bat don't mind saying
1t palmer to ohlige. l shall tell him
who You were with on the night of a
certain murder and what he said to
You and what you could tell against
him in the witness box II they like to
put you there. That's all. Miss Hard
Ing. You look faint l wouldn't ring
Just yet If / We're You. Here's Il glass
of water In the MEANWHILE
Claire had indeed turned white as
paper. Instinctivcly she took the
glass, but 1t slipped through her fin
gers and fell into the fender with a
crash. The room seemed full of pale
faces, low brows and vcnonous black
eyes set close together. all spinning
round in nauseous whirligiS like de-
mons dancing. She sank into chair
and hid her face, but started and re-
cnlled from the touch of cool fingers,
wet with rosewater, upon her temples.
Keep away from mel" she cried
family. do not dare to touch me-
again. So 1t was you at the gate that
night? remember now"
1T was me. miss
You shut itT'
Il did"
"And, pray. how do you know who lie
wasT and her voice was stronger.
"You nNer were ut Winwood In your
life"
Perhaps not, but can put two md
two together as well as most Be
sides, I'm not that hard Of hearing.
Come. let's be plain. You've confessed
to the master, miss, and you've con-
feSSed to me"
There was pause for proper COM
prchension; then said the young lady,
with ineffable scorn. And to how
many more-through your llpsT
Never soul! That was too good a
one not to keep. No, Just seen him
first and then set to work to find out
who he was. But I never said seen
him to q soul.'
"And why not to me until today7"
"Why, because I wanted to know
your game And 1t wasn't that easy to
find out. You see. miss. you're pretty
deep one yourself"
Claire sat still in her chair. She was
now perfectly calm and even expert
encing an odd sense of relief In facing
an overt crisis after so many secret
tremors and hidden shocks And what
Is your object. IIannah? said she at
last. Suppose they put me In the wit
ness box, what would you gain By It?
You probably think would do any
thing to avoid the exposure. On the
contrary, would tell everything to the
whole world II I thought 1t could do
any good. But the case Is so blnck III
ready that, on the other hand, 1t could
do very little harm. Your threat Is less
terrible than you imagine"
as that so?" with an evil smile.
"Hey-day. but it's an artful one! Sup
pose told that there Dalntree instead
Of the police? What them
Claire had suspected this, yet It took
her breath away when 1t came $50
you are n professional spy" she gasp
ed. Il might have known 1t all along.
you vile woman. from your face" To
be sure she might have known 1t then,
for the sallow face turned deeper
yellow. The black eyes came Us close
together as the nozzles Of double bar
relied gun. to blaze as though both trig-
gers had been pulled Mt once.
"Ah. yes. We don't oil show 1t In
our faces, do weT Kissed the woman.
"And which is the worst, 1 wonder