Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-01-24

He painted to regain his daughter and
fly back to Tempest Island. For hours
he walked the streets, all his senses
painfully alert. The echo Of a child's
voice, carriage flashing by, with lit
tie face behind the glass, some petite
veiled woman darting by him or
Broadway, a peal Of mocking feminine
laughter, set his pulses leaping more
than once All this was delusion, how
ever-of Bee, and her fair, wicked
mother he found no trace.
He dined at Delmonico's then called
a carriage and started for the opera
house and the theatres.
From one to another he hurried
searching with hawk-like gaze orches-
ira chairs, brilliant tiers Of boxes, bal
comics aglow with color, and starting
whenever, in the long curves - lighted
stalls. his eyes chanced to alight on q
fair face, q milky throat, head Of soft
yellow curls. At midnight, weary, baf-
fed, exasperated, Hawkstone retired
heart in d letter to Jetta Ravenel-a
wild, vehement letter, yet how feebly
it shadowed forth the tempest within
him! In despair at the impotency OF
words. he started up, at last, and
thrust the sheet into a gas-jet AS ne
did so, yes, while he stood watching
the flame reduce all that passion and
pleading, to q pinch of gray ashes,
something stabbed through him like a
Soudanese spear-a premonition OF
evil, mysterious. ineXplicable. The ear
of his spirit heard suddenly the wash,
wash of salt leagues Of boisterous wa
ter, the rustic of the dead October
leaves on the terrace at Tempest Hall,
and then came the voice of Jetta her
self, full of desperate need, calling to
him from far away:
Basil! help, oh. help!"
Verify he heard it. 1t hovered in the
air above his head-the whole room
palpitated with the horror and despair
of it.
"Jetta," he answered wildly. where
are you? What has happened?'
His only reply was the noises of the
street outside. He rushed to the door
looked out into the corridor. All was
silent there-it was an ugly fancy.
Jetta was safe at Tempest Hall. How
could she be otherwise than safe in his
own domain, surrounded by his SER
wants? He laughed at his momentary
weakness.
with all this Internal business, am
growing as nervous as a woman he
thought: but he went Immediately and
telegraphed this message to Miss
Ravenel:
rs all well with you? If you need
me, answer at once"
No anwer came, for Jetta Raveners
eyes never saw the message.
The second day Of the search was a
repetition of the first The silent hunt
went on, but Argus eyes discovered no
Vera, no Bee, no Jasper Hatton.
At noon of the third day the officials
before mentioned said to Hawkstone:
Il fear you are on the wrong track.
1t is my belief that no such parties are
in the city, nor have they escaped by
foreign steam or other line Of exit"
The same suspicion was taking form
in Hawkstone's own mind. He had
been duped, deceived, misled. He went
back to his hotel to make ready for i'm
mediate departure, and found awaiting
him there the following strange mes
sage from the woman whom he was
vainly pursuing:
Since my revenge is accomplished
come back from your wild-goose chase!
I have not been out Of Whithaven. You
were directed to New York only that /
might obtain little time. Would you
learn something of Bee? Then, at {
o'clock tonight, come to the gray
church in Whithaven Square. 1t will
be our last meeting on earth.
Vera"