Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-05

pockets, and held out his hand. She
shook her head sadly and turned
away from him. She displayed neither
anger nor contempt in her refusal to
take his hand 1t almost seemed as
though her spirit had been crushed
by the blow that had fallen upon her
life. The man was equally calm and
accepted the insult with good grace.
But he had conquered, and it is easy
for the victor to be gracious.
"They have not yet found the body
of Ben Holland" he said in a low
voice, and with these words he left
the room.
An hour afterwards Laura Vane
had climbed to the summit of Stone
void Hills. She had assembled by a
path which lay to the south of the
road in which John Shil had encoun-
tered Ben Holland, and had reached
a point nearly two miles to the south
west of Laverstone.
Shortly after William Tankerlane's
departure, she had fed from her faith
ers home as from a prison, foul with
the memories of what had passed
within its walls. AS a rule she worked
hard all the morning, but now the
course Of her life had been changed.
In few hours that life had been
snapped into two parts, and the new
section of it had beef divided from
the old by gulf which could never
be crossed. She had sought relief from
the shock and crash of the disaster
in sheer physical exercise. She had
climbed a thousand feet without
pause, and now, flushed and painting
with eXertion, she stood with her
back against a gate, and looked out
across the valley of the Steyne.
1t was a bright, sunnw morning, and
all the wide panorama beneath her
sparkled with light The breath OF
frost was in the air, and the white
kiss OF it still fingered on the trees
and grass which the sun had not YET
the more distant parts of the scene,
reached. A faint mist, drawn out OF
the ground by the warmth. hung over
and the great base of the hills which
bounded the far side of the valley
were invisible. Only their SUBMITS
stood out clear in the sunlight, like
islands in a sea of vapor.
The little village of Laverstone
gray and quiet, nestled among the
bare trees at the foot of the hills
The smoke from the chimneys rose ir
straight thin blue lines into thestil
! atmosphere. 1t was a peaceful scene
| a perfect picture of the quiet conten
of country life. But Laura Vane found
no peace in the contemplation of it
For in the last ewenty-four hours she
had learnt that the quiet village, SCI
under the clear sky, may hold the ele
ments of as grim a tragedy as wa!
even enacted in the seething dark
ness of a great city, and that, wher
ever men and women congregate
there are lust and cruelty and shame
Her meditations were interrupted
by the distant beat of horses hoof
on the hard ground. A few minutes
later rider appeared around benz
in the bride path. She saw at
glance that it was John Shil, and tina
he was riding furiously
4 He drew rein on the other side o
the gate and flung himself from hi
horse. The animals jaws were whit
with foam, and the man himself wa
sweating profusely; but in spite of hi
exertion his face was very pale. /
|
aged in the night.
81 called at your house." he sal
hurriedly; they told me you had gon
for walk in the hills. l followed yo
here, for | knew you would not go b
the other path have been thinkin
things over in the night; have muc
to say to YOU"
; 81, too, have been thinking thing
over in the night" the girl reptile
slowly.
81 must leave here" he continue
| breathlessly, but not at once tha
| would arouse suspicion but as 500
as possible. can get work elsewher'
l have some money saved up. mus
5 leave; the place Is like prison to nj
They have just brought in the bod
of Ben Holland. passed them in tn
street; had to stop and ask what ha
? happened. They showed me his face
the eyes were still open, the look
them oh. God. cannot stay here.