Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-22
CHAPTER TX.

ne AQCUI VI Su0 SiVoo SsSsS'
The time was two hours later. Rupert
Winter was sitting on one of the stone
benches of the colonnade about the
patio. The court was suffused with
the golden glow presaging sunset.
Warm afternoon shadows lay along
the flags; waving silhouettes OF leaf
age or plant; blurred reflections from
the bold bas-reliefs OF Spanish war
riors and Spanish priests sculptured
between the spandrels Of the arches.
Winters dull eyes hardly noted them;
the exotic luxuriance OF foliage. the
Spanish armor and Spanish cows
were all too common to denizen OF
Spanish colony in the tropics, to dis
tract his thoughts from his own ugly
problem. He had been having 1t out
with himself, al he phrased it. And
there had been moments during those
two hours, when he had ground his
teeth and clenched his fists because
Of the futile and furious pain in him.
When he recognized Janet Smith,
by that same Illuminating flash he
been tricking him was the woman that
he loved. He believed that he had
said his last word to love. but love, aft
err seeming to accept the curt dis
missal, was lightly riding his heart
again. Fooled second time" he
thought with inexpressible bitterness.
recalling his unhappy married life
and the pretty, weak creature who had
caused him such humiliation. Yet with
her there had been no real wrong
doing, only absolute lack OF discretion
and childish craving for gayety and
adulation. Poor child! what woe
full ending for 1t all! The baby. the
little boy who was their only living
child, to die of sudden access OF an
apparently trifiing attack OF Group,
while the mother was dancing at
most ball. He was east, taking his
examination for promotion. The fran
tic drive home in the chill OF the dawn
had given her cold which her shock
and grief left her no strength to re-
sist-she was always frail little crea-
ture, poor butterfly! she followed
her baby inside of month. Had she
lived, her husband might have found
It hard to forgive her, for already
sore heart was turning to the child for
comfort; but she was dead, and he did
not let his thoughts misuse her mem
DRY. Nowhere was another, 80 diff
ferent. but Just as false. Then, he
brought himself up with jerk: he
would be fair: he would look at things
as they were: many man had been
fooled by the dummy. He would net
lump at conclusions because they were
cruel. any more than he would because
they were kind. There was such a
thing, he knew well. as credulous sus-
picion; 1t did more harm than credu-
lous trust. Meanwhile. he had his de-
tail. He was to flnd Archie; therefore,
he waited. They we're in the house;
it were only folly to give up their ad-
vantage under the stress of any OF
MERGERS plausible lurings to the out
side.
Moreover, by degrees, he became
convinced that Mercer, certainly to
some extent, was sincere in his pro-
fession Of belief in Arches absence
and safety. This. in spite of hearing
several times that Archie was not re-
turned. Mercer did all the speaking,
but he allowed Birdsall to hold the re-
caiyer and take the message from Mrs.
Winter.
The telephone, was In an adjoining
room, but by shifting his position a
number Of times the colonel was able
to catch murmur of the converse
tidon. He heard MERGERS voice dis
tinctly. He had turned away and was
following the detective out of the
room. II don't understand it any
more than you do. Mr.. Birdsall," he
aid; you won't believe me, sub, but !
am right worried"
"Of course l believe you," purred
the detective, so softly that the colo
mel knew he did not believe any more
than Mercer suspected. "Of course. l
believe you; but don't know what to
do. 1t amt on the map. guess it's
up to you to throw little light. I've
called the boys off twice already and
told 'em to wait an hour or a half
hour longer. got to see the colonel"
* can trust my intuitions, or can
trust the circumstantial evidence"
thought the colonel. He jumped up
and began to pace the court.
Seems to be like game of bridge
before one can see the dummy" he
complained; and, as 30 often happens
in the crises Of life. a trivial illustra-
ton struck q wavering mind with the
force of an argument. His thoughts
reverted whimsically to the card
table; how many times had he hest
tated over the first lead between even
" balanced suits of four; and how
often had he regretted or won, depend
ing solely upon whether his card in
stinct had been denied or obeyed! 1t
might be instinct, this much-discussed
card instinct" or 1t might be a sum-
ming up of logical deductions so swift
that the obscure steps were lost, and
the reasoner was unconscious of his
own logical processes. Now"
groaned Rupert Winter. Il am up
against it. She looks like good
woman; she seems like good wom-
an; but have only my impressions
and Aunt Rebecca's against the ap-
parent facts in the case. Well, Aunt
Rebecca is a shrewd one!" He sat
down and thought harder. Finally he
rose. smiling. He had threshed out