Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-08-01

her heart thfobs plainly. There was no
mistaking the picture as it had burst
upon her unsuspecting eyes. A great
fear, a dark uncertainty, welled up in
her heart.
1t was not until the butler admitted
other callers that she found the cour
age to turn her eyes toward the draw
ing room. Although she succeeded In
hiding the fact, it was difficult to ap-
proach and greet James Bansemer with
the naturalness of the unSuSpecting.
His manner was beyond reproach, and
yet for the first time she saw the real
light In his black eyes. She talked to
him as if nothing had happened to
make her distrustful, but no self con-
troll in the world could have checked
the growth of that remorseless thing
called suspicion. For her own sake.
for her mothers, for Graydon'S, she
tried to put it down. Instead it grew
greater and stronger as she looked into
his eyes. for in them she saw the light
that heretofore had escaped her notice.
And this was the father of the man
y
she loved with all her heart and soul.
This the man who would degrade her
own mother, Her mother-she looked
at her with new question in her eyes.
Half a dozen people came and went.
James Bansemer was the last to leave.
He met the girls tense, inquiring look
from time TO time, but he could not
have felt its meaning. There was
nothing in her voice which might have
warned him, although it sounded strain
ed and without warmth on her own
ears. In spite of herself she wondered
| how he would act in saying goodby TO
| her mother Although she tried with
| all the might of her will to look away,
| she could not take her eyes from the
| pair as BanSemer arose TO depart
His manner was most circumspect
| The hand clasp was brief, even formal
| and there was no look in his eyes to
| Indicate the presence of anything but
| the most casual emotions. After his
| departure Mrs. Cable turned to Jane
and complained of frightful headache
and went TO her room to lie down for
1
| lowed her steadily as she assembled the
stairs. Then she walked to the Win
dow and looked out upon the street. a
| hundred perpleXities in her mind.
Her father was standing in the mid
| die of the sidewalk, looking down the
| darkening street His cab was turn
| ing the corner below, showing that he
had been standing there for longer
than minute. She watched him with
| street to hold his interest so closely :?
1t was Jane who opened the door and
| let him in. AS she kissed his cold
| cheek she noticed the frown on his
brow and caught the strange CLEAN in
his eyes. His greeting was less warm
than usual, and he went to his room
upstairs without removing his hat or
| coat below. But not before he sent u
quick, keen glance about the drawing
| room to find if James Bansemer had
been the single visitor of the after
| noon.
Where is your mother?" he asked
from the stairs, without looking back.
'She has just gone to her room"
Jane replied, chill shooting through
her veins. Some strange, unnatural
impulse compelled her to add, as If
the explanation We're just and neces-
sary. I'VE have had a lot of people in
drinking tea, and mother has a head
ache"
She watched him ascend the steps
and turn into his smoking room. The
door closed sharply, and wave of in
applicable relief rushed over her. HeI
hands We're cold. She went to the fire
place and held them out to the blaze
Her ears were alert for sounds from
above-alert with strange fear which
choked her with its persistence Sht
dreaded the opening of her father:
door and his footsteps as they crossed
to her mothers room She waited fo
these sounds minute after minute, blu
they did not come. The fire would
: not give warmth to her hands; the chill
, seemed TO spread In her new con
sciousness she felt that tragedy wa
: just begun.