The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1909-05-28
CHAPTER XIV.
Something Belonging to BonhoIt

over that morning. The meal passed
almost in silence. Stephen made a
| pretense of being absorbed in his
letters. but Hilda's observant eyes
saw how shallow the pretense was
Neither referred again to the curt. un.
| gracious note of farewell or to its
| writer. who had left them with an alb.
ruptness and in furtive way that
were alike inexpli,able. AS soon as
breakfast was over the rector rose
and went to his study, glad to be
alone
Hilda went up to Olives room, as
though she half expected to find some
clue to the motive of their guests
strange departure. The bed, of course,
had not been slept in. Olive had gone
up to her room about o'clock on the
previous night. and waited there. with
her plans and preparations made. un.
til eleven: then she had slipped down.
stairs noiselessly and out by the back
door. Why had she gone SO stealth.
lily? Why had she not told them Of
her intention and where she was 60
ing?
But l am glad she has gone"
Hi!da said to herself. suddenly.
Somehow 1t seemed as though only
trouble had followed Olives coming
to the rectory. The change Hilda had
noticed in her brother had dated from
that time; 1t had been only two DAYS
after that Bonholt Hume almost &C.
cused Jack under this roof of knowing
more than he would admit about Phil
ip's as then unaccountable disappear.
ance; and wien at last the drifted
snow had yielded before the thaw, sur.
rendering that grim secret II had held
for weeks, Jack had been arrested
her lover, CT whom the long, slow days
of suspense following his flight had
brought her no word. This woman
lad been the stormy petrol before
disaster.
Hilda had never liked Olive Van
stone since her treatmnet of Stephen
years ago. And since her recovery
from Illness Olive had betrayed a
scarcely yelled antagonism that had
needed all the girls sweetness of dis
position 10 endure in silence. Yes,
she was glad Olive had gone. glad to
hear her brothers nervously impatient
outbnrst: I'VE won't talk of this
woman-she's not worth IT." So he
realized that at last. To have acted
as she had done. Olive yanstone must
have been utterly heartless-without
gratitude, without shame.
In his study Stephen tore The note
into strips with steady, deliberate
fingers; tore the strips across and
again across. The rain of white scraps
fluttered down into the fire, where the
dancing flames caught them and
whirled them blazing up the chimney.
The act seemed to typify his suddenly
changed attitude.
''rve shielded her too long."
She was not worth his mistaken
ch:valry or pity. this woman for whom
he had sinned. And this man made
sudden squaring movement of his
shoulders, as one who frees himself
from the burden of an oppressive
yoke. as he stood staring down SON.
breiy into the fire.
The truth must be told-though
Stephen Ruthen realized how hard
task now the making of that belated
confession would be. When Hilda
knew. would she ever forgive him for
the wrong his silence had done to the
man she loved?
Only before he informed the police
he must see Olive and tell her how
he had come upon her on the night
of Philip Humes death. tell her OF his
determination. That was only fair to
the woman. 1t was not as though she
were conscious criminal he was
shielding: had she been, he would
have acted differently from the mo-
ment suspicion fastened on Lathcm.
Her own Inconsistencies of what had
happened that night had a compelling
pathos. He must prepare Olive for
the shock before he disclosed what he
knew.
But where was he to find herr With
whom had she gone away? II was ut
terly inexplicab,e to him. He must
try 10 find out whose motor car had
been waiting by design outside the
rectory gate at eleven last night.
He paced restlessly up and down
his study, revolving these thoughts:
presently his mood OF unrest drove
him out of doors. Work was an i'm
possibility this morning. In the vii
lage he saw the blind organist. but
the rector avoided Grale. as he had
avoided him since the day of Lathom's
arrest. when the blind man had whis
pered something in his ear.
Stephen walked through the village
in the direction of the river. Owing
to the continued disappearance of Ned
Robinson. who had last been seen
near the river in his usual drunken
condition. and whose cap had been