The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-16
 LADY ATHLTNE
Copyright, 1908, by BRAM sTOKER Entered at Stationer's HalI-AH rights reserved

even of liberality. It is some survival of traditions of primitive life. and permanent female attribute. Judy
 anxious to propitiate her brother-in- law. and to preserve the absent mans character. said as though it were the conclusion of some process of reason ing:
 He must be some important person who is here private business Ogil- vie smiled genially:
 ''Our dear Judy will find 9 romance in every thing-even in a mans dis trust! Judy, somewhat nettled, felt like defending her own position. This l had nothing to do with Joy so she felt she could argue freely about it: 'It needn't be a romance, Lucius, | only factI''
 My dear Judy. I don't see why a man should give so extravagantly merely because he is on private busi- ness Why, it is the very way to at tract attention" Judy was made more | obstinate by the apparent opposite | ness of the remark and the tolerant 1 tone of the speaker.
 'I don't mean that he gives because he is on private business, surely you
 know that; but that he may be an important man who gives handsomely | as a habit. He may be keeping his identity concealed.
 | How do you mean exactly. How | keep his identity concealed? He never | told me: and he has been my guest! | Colonel Ogilvie had a puzzled look on his face.
 Well, for instance by taking an- | other name for the occasion. Per- hapS-' Here she caught sight of the | look of positive horror on Joys face
 and stopped short. Joy had seen in | what direction the conversation was | drifting, but was afraid. to interfere | lest she should bring on the very
 catastrophe which she dreaded. She l had never forgotten her fathers ex- | pressions regarding alias; and she
 had reason to fear that should his sus- | nj he in irpo de | the new friend whose accidental ac- | quaintanceship already promised so ! much, some evil or hindrance must en- sue. But her hypothetical concern was 1 lost in a real one As Judy spoke, the | Colonel started to his feet, his manner
 full of suppressed fury. He was brist- | ling all over, preliminary of his most | dangerous mood
 | Joy rose to the occasion. It was now
 or never. It was apparent that her | father had taken that form of offense l which is generally expressed in idiom l or slang. Cornishmen call it a 'fscun-
 ner." Cockneys .'the hump Irishmen 1 ''an edge.' Americans "shirty.' It is 8 | condition antecedent to active offense: | standing; a searchlight for cause of | quarrel Joy felt cold, into the very
 morrow of her bones; well she knew that her father would never forgive | any such offense to him as was inn l piled in an assumed name. His remarks
 on the subject famed before her like | fiery handwriting on the walls of her
 memory. Moreover Judy's incautious | remark had but echoed her own I thought. All day she had been dream | ing of this man who had plunged so gallantly into her life. Naturally enough to a young woman, she had forms round that very identity which, l even to her, had been unexpressed if not hidden. Naturally her dreams
 had in them some element of conceal | ant. nrr1o i had in her seo~et heart taken it for 1 granted that this man must be distin- | guished-how could he be otherwise; | and now her fathers suspicion might result in some breach which might re- suIa in her never seeing him again |. It was possible tragedy! To her, grim and real from her knowledge | of her own heart; and none the less a real tragedy or less potent because
 its bounds were lost in the vagueness of mist and fear. She was pale
 and inwardly trembling: but, all the
 same, her light laugh rang true; she | was desperate and fighting for her
 man, and so was strung up to natures | pitch:
 "why, Daddy, if you're going to kill | anyone it will have to be dear Aunt
 Judy. She's the one who has made | the alias. The poor man himself | who by the way is not here to answer any conceivable thing wrong that we know of-even you Daddy know that;
 except not having a house and not I bragging of his clubs!"
 l This seemed to strike her father; it
 touched him on the point of Justice The lightness of his daughters laugh l reaSSured him.
 '"True!' he said. '"That is quite
 right. was too hasty. And he saved my little girls lifei'' He rose from the table and putting his arm
 round her shoulders kissed her. Then they went into the drawing room. l Joy bore up bravely for the rest of | the evening. But when she was in | bed and assured that she was alone l the reaction came. She was as cold as a stone and trembled all over. Put ting her face down into a pillow she | pulled the sheet over her head and wept her very heart out.
 l "Oh what it might have been if all | went well. But what might be if | Daddy took some queer idea |. and QuarreIIed |. 2"