The San Francisco call., 1909-07-25
She nodded. breathless.
Not a word TO Clara ?"

She nodded. breathless.
Not a word TO Clara?'
"Oh. of course not"
well" He twisted around IN his
chair the better to face her "Tomor-
row there will be published a reward
idol. and no questions asked"
oh" she said. And again, "Oh, is
that allH' She was disappointed. Il
don't see why you and the major
should have been so mysterious about
that"
You don't. Ell? Suppose you shad
taken the ring-wouldn't 1t make a
difference to you If you knew "a hours
ahead that a reward of $4,000 would
be published? Wouldn't you expect
every mans hand to be against you
at that price? If you had a pal
wouldn't you be afraid he'd sell you
up? Wouldn't you be glad of "a hours
start TO keep him from turning states
evidence? WelI-it's just so that he
shan't have the start that the authori-
ties are keeping so almighty dark
about the reward. They want to spring
ii on him.,
Flora leaned forward with knitted
brows. Yes, 1 can see that, but still,
Just among ourselves. this morning
Harry smiled. You've lost sight of
the fact that 1t is just among our
selves the thing has happened"
''Oh, oh. Now you're ridiculousw
81 might be. If the thing had hap
pened anywhere but in this town; but
think g moment. How much do we
know of the people we meet, where
they were. and who they were, before
they came here? There's a case in
point. 1t was not quite among our
selves this morning"
Harry, how horrid of youi" She was
on the point of declaring that she
knew Kerr very well indeed; but she
remembered this might not be the thing
to say to Harry.
My dear girl, I'm not saying any
thing against him. I only remarked
that we did not know him"
Don't you, Harry?''
He gave her quick look why,
what put that into your head?"
Il don't know. I thought you
looked at him very hard last night in
the picture gallery. And afterward, at
supper, don't you remember, you did
ton with something or other he was
talking about?"
Something or other he was talking
about?' Harry inquired with a frown-
ing smile.
Il think it was about that embassy
ball"
Il didn't want you to mention the
embassy ball?" he repeated, and now he
was only smiling. My dear child,
surely you are dreaming
She looked at him with the bewil-
dered feeling that he was fatty contra
dieting himself. And yet she could
remember he had not shaken his head
at her. He had only nodded. Could
it be that her cherished Imagination
had played her a trick at last? But
the next moment it occurred TO her
that somehow she had been led away
from her first question.
Then have you seen him, Harry?''
she insisted.
"Nor He jerked it out so sharply
that it startled her. but she stuck to
her subject.
And you wouldn't have. minded my
telling him you had been at that ball?"
There was a pause while Harry
looked at the fire. Then Look
here" he burst out, did he ask you
about it?'
"oh, no." she protested. Z only just
happened to wonder.
He stared at her as if he would have
liked to shake her. But then he rose
from his frowning attitude before the
fire, came over to her. sat on the arm
of her chair and with the tip of one
finger under her chin. lifted her face:
but she did not lift her eyes. She heard
only his voice. very low. with caress-
ing note that she hardly knew as
Harry's.
TT isn't that 1 care what you say to
him. The fact is, Flora, 1 suppose I
was little jealous, but I naturally