Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-10-09
= Satan 4
4s-~F
6anderSOn

settled into himself, to have grown
trim. nonchalant. debonair. He held
up his hand. palm outward, between
the electric globe and his eye. There
was not tremor OF nerve or muscle.
He smiled No headache, no fever no
uncertain feet or trembling hands or
| swollen tongue after more than a
week of deep potations. He could still
sober up as he used to do with
Blake. the butler. to help HIM when
/ 1t had been mere matter Of an even
ing's tlpsiness And how fine it felt to
be decently clad again!
He crossed to cheval glass. The
dark. handsome face that looked out at
him was clean cut and aristocratic,
perfect save for one blemish-a pale
line that slanted across the right brow.
birthmark. resembling scar. All
his life this mark had been an eyesore
4 to its owner It had trick of turn
Ing an evil red under the stress of an.
ger or emotion
! On the features. young and vigorous
as they were,s subtle lines of self In
diligence had already set themselves.
and beneath their expression, cavalier
and caressing. lay the unmistakable
stigmata of inherited weakness. But
these the gazer did not see. He re-
garded himself with egotistic compla-
cency. Here he was just as sound as
ever. He had had his ding and taught
"the governor" that he could get along
well enough without any paternaI help
II he chose
He attentively surveyed the room.
It was clean and busted evidently It
had been carefully tended. He might
have stepped out of 1t yesterday. Not
thing had been disturbed-yes, one
thing. His portrait that had hung over
his bed was not in Its place. A mo-
mentary sense Of trepidation rushed
through him. Could his father really
have meant all.he had said in his rage?
Did he really mean to disown him?
For an Instant he faced the hall door
with clinched hands. Somewhere In
he house. Unconscious Of his presence.
was that ward Of whose coming he had
learned. Moreau was good friend to
have warned him. Ws~s she part of q
plan Of reprisal-her presence there q
tentative threat to him? Could his IA
Their mean to adopt her? Might that
great house. those grounds, the bulk of
his wealth. go to her, and ne, the son.
be left In the cold? He shivered Per.
haps he had stayed away too long.
AS he turned again. he heard a sound
In the hail. He listened. A light step
was approaching-the swish of gown.
With sudden impulse he stepped into
the embrasure Of the window, as the
figure of girl paused at the door he
felt his face flush. She had thrown q
crimson ktmono over her white night
gown, and the apparition seemed to
part the dusk OF the doorway like the
rad, breast ofsa robin She held In her
hands bunch of the pale Marechal
Mel roses. and his eye caught the long
rebellious sweep of her bronze hair
and the rosy tint of bare feet through
the worsted meshes of her night slip
pers. y
To his wonder the sight of the light
ed room seemed to cause her no sur
prise. For an instant she stood still as
though listening. then entered and
placed the roses in vase on a reading
stand by the bedside.
Hugh gasped. To reach the stand
the girl had passed the spot where he
stood, but she had taken no note of
him. Her gaze had gone by him as If
he had been empty air. Then be real
lied the truth; Jessica Holme was
blind! Moreau's letter had given him
no fnkling Of that. So this was the
girl with whom his father now threat
ened him! Was she counting on his
not coming back, waiting for the wind
fall? She was blind-but she was
beautiful! Suppose he were to turn
the tables on the old man. not only
climb back into his good graces through
her. but even
The thin line on his brow sprang
suddenly scarlet What a supple
graceful arm she had! How adroit her
fingers as they arranged the rose
stems! Was he already wholly black.
SuSu IL uer OpmlOu! WQat Q10 she
think Of him? Why did she bring
those flowers to that empty room?
Could 1t have been she who had kept
1t clean and fresh and unaltered against
his return? A confident, daring look
grew in his eyes He wished she could
see him in that purple tie and velvet
smoking jacket. What an opportunity
for romantic self Justification!
Should he speak? Suppose it should
frighten her!
Chance answered him. His respira-
tton had conveyed to her the knowl.
edge Of a presence in the room. He
heard her draw q quick breath. Some
one is here! she whispered.
He started forward. wait, swait!,
he said in a loud whisper as she
sprang back. But the voice seemedto
startle her the more, and before he
could reach her side she was gone. He
heard her dying steps descend the stair
and the opening and closing Of door. 4