Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-09-11


had permitted Anisty's escape in or
der that she might be saved, not alone
from Anisty, not alone from the shame
of imprisonment, but from herself as
weIl-from herself as Maitland knew
her. The burglar out of the way, by
ruse, evasion. or subterfuge she would
be secreted from the prying of the po-
lice, smuggled out of the house and
taken to a place of safety, given
new chance to redeem herself, to clean
her hands of the mire of theft, to be-
come worthy of the womanhood that
was hers.
But now-she thrust finger-nails
cruelty into her soft palms, striving
to contain herself and keep her tongue
from crying aloud to those three
brutal, blind men the truth; that she
was guilty of the robbery, she with
Anisty; that Maitland was-Maitland;
word synonymous with man of
honor
In the beginning, indeed, all that re-
strained her from doing so was her
knowledge that Maitland would be
more panied by her sacrifice than glad
dened or relieved. He was so sure of
clearing himself. 49,. 1t was in
conceivable to her that there could be
men so stupid and crassly unobserv-
ant as to be able to confuse the iden-
tity of the two men for single in
slant. What though they did resemble
each other in form and feature? The
likeness went no deeper; below the
surface, and rising through 1t with
every word and look and gesture, lay
a worldwide gulf of difference in
every shade of thought, feeling, and
instinct.
She herself could never again be de-
ceived-no, never! Not for a second
could she mistake the one for the
other. What were they saying?
The turmoil of her indignation sob
sided as she listened, breathlessly, to
Maitland's story of his adventures;
and the joy that leaped in her for his
frank mendacity in suppressing every
incident that involved her, was all but
overpowering. She could have wept
for sheer happiness; and at later
time she would; but not now, when
everything depended on her maintain
ing the very silence of death. :.
How dared they doubt him? The
insolents, The crude british insol-
ence of them! Her anger ragged high
again and as swiftly was
quenched, extinguished in a twinkling
by terror born of her excitement and
a bare suggestion thrown out by
Hickey.
90. explainin' how a crook like
Anisty made three tries in one day
to steal some jewels and didn't get
EN-. Where were they, all this timer"
Maitland's cool retort was lost upon
her. What matter? If they disbe-
lieved him, persisted in calling him
Anisty, in natural course they would
undertake to search the fiat. And if
she were found. Oh, she must
spare him that! She had given him
cause for suffering enough. She must
get away, and that Instantly, before
From distance, tomorrow
morning evenly telegraph,
she could communicate with him. i.
At this juncture O'Hagan entered
with his parcel. The rustic of the
paper as he brushed against the door
jamb was in itself a hint to a mind
keyed to the highest pitch of excite
ment and seeking a way of escape
from a position conceived to be peril
Gus. In a trice the girl had turned
and sped, nghtfooted, to the door open
ing on the private hall.
Here, hating for a brief reconnais-
sance, she determined that her plan
was feasible, if hazardous. She ran
the risk of encountering some one
ascending the stairs from the ground
floor; but if she were cautious and
quick she could turn back in time. On
the other hand, the men whom she
most feared were thoroughly occupied
with their differences, dead to all save
that which was happening within the
rooms four walls. A curtain hung
perhaps third of the way across the
study door, tempering the light in the
hall; and the broad shoulders of the
cabby DISTRACTED the remainder of the
opening.
1t was a chance. She poised herself
on tiptoe, half undecided, and-the
rustling of paper as O'Hagan opened
the parcel afforded her an opportunity
| to escape, by drowning the noise of
her movements.
For two eternal seconds she was
edging stealthily down toward the
outer door; then, in no time at all,
found herself on the landing and
confronted by fresh complication,
one unforeseen: how to leave the
house without being observed,
stopped, and perhaps detained until
too late? There would be men at the
door, beyond doubt; possibly police,
| stationed there to arrest all persons
attempting to leave.
No time for weighing chances. The
choice of two alternatives lay before
her: either to return to the alcove
or to seek safety in the darkness of