The San Francisco call., 1909-08-22

Shima appeared with third envelope.
This time 1t was her own note returned
to her. With the feeling she was be-
witched she took up the mysterious
letter from the floor and opened it. She
read the strange handwriting:
May / see you, anywhere, at any
time, tonight? ROBERT KERR.
1t was as if Kerr himself had en-
tered the room, masked and muffled
beyond recognition, and then, face to
face with her. let fall his disguise. She
gazed at the words. at the sigma
ture, thrilled and frightened. She
looked at Harry's note, hesitated:
caught a glimpse between the half
open doors of the two messengers
waiting stolidly in the hall Waiting
for answersi Answers to such COM
municationsi She made a dash for the
table where were pens and ink and
on one sheet scrawled:
Certainly. Bring him." appending
her initials; on the other the word
Impossible" and her full name. Then
she hurried the letters into Shima's S
hands, lest her courage should fail
her-lest she should regret her choice.
Anywhere. at any time. tonight, =
she repeated softly. Why. the man
must be madl Yet she permitted her
self a moment of imagining what might
have been If her answers had been
reversed.
But no, she dared not meet Kerr's s
impetuous attacks yet. First she must
get at Harry. And how was that to
be managed If he insisted on sur
rounding himself with "a jolly little
party?"
She found a moment that evening
in which to ask him to walk out to
the Presidio with her the next morn
ing. But he was going to Burlingame
on the early train. He was woefully
sorry. It was ages since he had had
moment with her alone, but at least
he would see her that evening. She
had not forgotten. they were going
to that dinner-aRd then the reception
afterward? Her suspicion that he was
deliberately lodging wavered before
his boyish, cheerful, unconscious face.
And yet, following on the heels or
his tendency to question and coerce
her this reticence was amazing. The
next day would be lost with Harry
beyond reacr-twelve hours while Kerr
was at the mercy of chance, and she
was at the mercy of Kerr.
His tactics did not leave her breath
ing space. She felt as the lilies waver-
ing Just beyond his reach. She re-
membered his ingenuity. She thought
of the blows of his cane. Lucky for
her she was not rooted like the lilies.
The only safety was In keeping be-
yond his reach.
Yet when his card was brought up
to her the next morning she looked
at the printed name as wistfully as
If II. had been his face. 1t cost
an effort to send down the cold fiction
that she was not at home, and she could
not deny herself the consolation of lean
ing on the baluster of the second land
ing and listening for his step in the
hall below. But there was no move
ment. Could ii be possible he was wait
ings for her to come in? Hushi That
was the drawing room door. But in
stead of Kerr, Shima emerged. He was
heading for the stair with his little sill
yer tray and upon it-a note. Oh.
impudence, How dared he give her the
lie. by the hand of her own butleri She
stood her ground and Shima delivered
the missive as if it were most usual to
find ones mistress befiounced in pei
gnoir and petticoats, hanging breath
less over the baluster.
Take that back" she said coldly,
"and tell him. that am out; and, Shi-
ma"-she addressed the mans intelli-
gence-"make him understand it,.
She watched the note departing. How
she longed to call Shima back and open
iti There was pause-then Kerr
emerged from the drawing room. AS
he crossed the hall he glanced UP at the
stair and as much as was visible of the
landing. He hadn't taken Shima's word
for it, after ALI
The vestibule door closed noiselessly
after him: the outer door shut with a