The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-06-25
SO66S-NER2MZ CO

I went from the speaker to Janet Smith
| In the corner She said something
about hearing the music better from
the other side of the balcony. Now
| las Mrs. Millicent very truly ex-
plained) there was not a hapenny-
worth's difference in favor of one side
over the other; but she followed In
the wake of her imperious aunt.
The colonel drew nearer-t Janet
Smith; in order to sink his voice be-
low disturbing the music-lovers he
found it necessary to sit on pile OF
cushions at her feet.
did you know Mercer will be back
tonight" he began, long way from
his ultimate object. He noticed that
leaning back in the shadow her ready
smile had dropped from her face,
which looked tired. 81 want to tell
you little story about Mercer he
continued; may 1? 1t won't take
| long" ,
He was aware, and it gave him a
twinge of pain to see it, that she sat
I'D a little straighter, like one on
guard; and oh, how tired her face was
and how sweet He told her of all his
suspicious OF her brotherin-law; of
the blood-stains and the changing OF
clothes; she did not interrupt him by
question, hardly by motion, until
he told of the conversation with
Keatcham and the note signed "The
Black Hand" At this her eyes light
ed; she exclaimed impetuously:
Gary Mercer never did send that let
teri" She drew deep intake or
breath. 81 don't believe he touched
Mr.. Keatcham!"
Neither do l." said the colonel.
"but wait!" He went on to the theater
girls report of the receiver of the tele-
grams. Her hands, which clasped her
knee, fell apart; her lips parted and
closed firmly.
did I think 1t was your" said he.
"Why, yes, l confess l did fear 1t
might be and that you might be trying
to shield Atkins"
at" she exclaimed hotly; that de-
i testable villain!"
isn't he?" cried the colonel. But
well. | couldn't tell how he might
strike a lady," he ended lamely.
81 reckon he would strike lady IL
she were silly enough to marry him
and he got tired of her. He is the
kind of man who will prosecute girl
to marry him, follow her around and
importune her and fiatter her and
then, il he should prevail, never for
give her for the bother she has given
him. Oh, l never did like him; I'm
afraid of him-awfully."
mot you?"-the colonels voice was
cheerful, as if he had not shivered
over his own foreboding vision. i've
seen you in action already, you know
mot fighting bombs. hate bombs.
There are so many pieces to hit you.
You can't run away"
"Well, you'll find them not so bad;
besides, you did fight one this very
morning, and you were cool as pep
permint!"
THAT was quite different; | had
| time to think, and the danger was
more to me than to any one else; but
| to think of Mrs. Winter and Archie
and y all OF you; that scares me-"
NOW, don't let 1t get on your
nerves." he soothed-of course 1t is
necessary to take a girls hand to
soothe her when she is frightned. But
Miss Smith calmly released her hand,
only reddening a little; and she
| laughed. "Where-where were we
at?" she asked in her unconscious
southern phraseology.
Somewhere around Atkins,
think" said the colonel; he laughed in
his turn-he found 1t easy to laugh.
now that he knew how she felt toward
Atkins. "You see, after l talked with
Keatcham l couldn't make anything
but Atkins out of the whole business.
But there were those stained cuffs and
his changing his clothes"
YES" said she.
How explain? There was only one
explanation; that was, that perhaps
Mercer had discovered Keatcham be-
fore we did, unconsciously spotted his
cuffs, been alarmed by our approach
and hidden, lest IL should be the muir
derers returning. He might have
wanted a chance to draw his re-
volyer. Say he did that way, he might
foolishly pretend to enter for the first
time. If he made that. mistake and
then discovered the condition OF his
cuffs and the spots on his knee, what
would be his natural first impulse?
Why, to change them, trusting that
they hadn't been noticed. Maybe.
then, he would wash them out"
'CTo BE CONTINUED1