Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-03-25

"4> duced a raging
Studying the figures. thirst. HI
punched an electric button with his
feshy thumb and prowled around.
waiting. Nobody came. He punched
again and looked at his watch. II as
tonished him to find the hour was 3
o'clock in the morning. That discov-
cry however only appeared TO in
crease his thirst. He opened the hall
door, prepared TO descend into the
depths of the house and raid a side
board, and as he thrust his heavy head
out into the lighted corridor his eyes
fell upon two figures standing at the
open door of bedroom. One was 81
ward; that was plain. Who was the
girl he had kissed? One of the maids?
Somebody's wife? Who?
Every dull pulse began TO hammer
in Mortimer's head. In his excitement
he stepped halfway into the corridor,
then skipped pimbly back. closing his
door without a sound.
Sylvia Lands. by all that's holyV
he breathed to himself and sat down
rather suddenly on the edge of the bed.
After awhile he rose and crept TO
the door, opened 1t. glued his eyes to
the crack In time TO catch a glimpse
of Siward entering his own corridor
alone
And that night Mortimer. lying
awake in bed busy with schemes, be
came conscious OF a definite idea. 1t
took shape and matured so suddenly
that it actually shocked his moral
sense. Then il scared him.
"But-but that is blackmailw he
whispered aloud. "a man can't do that
sort of thing. What the devil ever
put it into my head? And there are
men / know-women, too-scoundrelly
blackguards. who'd use that informal
ton somehow and make it pay too.
The scoundrelsv'
He squirmed down among the bed
clothes with a sudden shiver, but the
night had turned warm.
"Scoundreis" he said, with milder
emphasis. "Blackmailers! Contempt
BILE pupsT
He fell asleep an hour later. mutter-
ing something incoherent about scoun-
drels and blackmail.
And meanwhile In the darkened
house from all round came the noise
OF knocking on doors, sounds of people
stirring. low voice here and there,
lights breaking out from transoms. the
thud of rubber shod heels, the rattle
OF cartridges from the echolng gun
room. For the guests at Shotover were
awaking lest the wet sky, whitening
behind the east, ring with the within
pering wedges of wild fowl rushing
seward over empty blinds
The unusual stiffness of the house In
the late morning sunshine was pleas
ant TO Miss lands. She had risen
very late, unconscious OF the stir and
movement before dawn, and II was
only when a maid told her as she
came from her bath that she remem-
bered the projected point shooting and
concluded with an odd, happy sense Of
relief that she was almost alone In
the house.
A little later glancing from her bed
room window for a fulflllment Of the
promise Of the sun which glimpse
OF blue sky heralded. she saw Leila
rortimer settling herself In the for
ar rd seat of a motor car and Beverly
INK climbing In beside her. and she
ched Plank steer the big machine
(Eis the wet lawn while the machin-
gung himself into the tonneau,
NAY they rolled, faster, faster,
out into the misty hlnterland
ps.e long streak of distant forest
hpgan TO brighten, edged with
Tvs Of watery sunshine.
th.d the big house to herself,
kbt II, and with It freedom
ron, from comment, from
action; freedom from re-
N to roam about, to read,
lie. TO remember. All,
NE needed-a quiet in
urying youth OF hers
tn once more and
back a day OF two
n alone was de
Aried TO the side.
hose among the
her owe cream
out into the
a breathe Il
cheek and
- from a
n strands
m
M grass
pg hirh