Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-11

about hearing the music better from
the other side Of the balcony Now
(as Mrs. Millicent very truly ex-
ulained) there was not ha'penny-
vorth's difference in favor of one side
.er the other; but she followed in
..a'.c Of her imperious aunt.
The colonel drew nearer to Janet
Smith; in order to sink his voice be-
low disturbing the music-lovers he
found 1t necessary to sit on pile of
cushions at her feet.
did you know Mercer will be back
tonight" he began, long way from
his ultimate object. He noticed that
leaning back in the shadow her ready
smile had dropped from her face.
which looked tired. 81 want to tell
you a little story about Mercer he
continued; may L? 1t won't take
long
He was aware, and 1t gave him q
twinge of pain to see 1t, that she sat
up a little straighter. like one on
guard: and oh, how tired her face was
and how sweet! He told her of all his
suspicious of her brother-in-law: OF
the blood-stains and the changing OF
clothes; she did not interrupt him by
a question, hardly by motion. until
he told of the conversation with
Keatcham and the note signed 1.-THE
Black Hand" At this her eyes light
ed; she exclaimed impetuously:
Gary Mercer never did send that let
teri" She drew deep intake or
breath. II don't believe he touched
Mr.. Keatcham!"
Neither do L. said the colonel,
"but watt" He went on to the theater
girls report Of the receiver OF the tele-
grams. Her hands, which clasped her
knee, fell apart; her lips parted and
closed firmly.
did l think 1t was you?" said he.
"Why, yes, l confess / did fear 1t
might be and that you might be trying
to shield Atkins"
"I!" she exclaimed hotly: that de-
testable villain!"
Isn't hep cried the colonel. But
we'll, couldn't tell how he might
strike a lady," he ended lamely
81 reckon he would strike lady II
she were silly enough to marry him
and he got tired of her. He is the
kind of man who will persecute a girl
to marry him, follow her around and
importune her and fiatter her and
then. II he should prevail, never for
give her for the bother she has given
him. oh, l never did like him: I'm
afraid of hirn-awfully."
"Not you?"-the colonel's voice was
cheerful, as If he had not shivered
over his own foreboding vision. I've
seen you in action already, you know"
mot fighting bombs. I hate bombs.
There are SO many pieces to hit you.
You can't run away
"Well, you'll find them not so bad;
besides, you did fight one this very
morning. ard you were cool as pep
permint!"
"That was quite different; had
time to think, and the danger was
more to me than to any one else; but
to think of Mrs. Winter and Archie
and v all of you; that scares me-"
"Now, don't let it get on your
nerves." he soothed-of course it is
necessary to take a girls hand to
soothe her when she is frightned. But
Miss Smith calmly released her hand,
only reddening little; and she
laughed. "Where-where were we
at?'' she asked in her unconscious
southern phraseology.
Somewhere around Atkins,
think" said the colonel; he laughed IN
his turn-he found 1t easy to laugh,
now that he knew how she felt toward
Atkins. "You see, after talked with
Keatcham couldn't make anything
but Atkins out of the whole business.
But there were those stained cuffs and
his changing his clothes"
Eyes" said she.
"How explain? There was only one
explanation; that was, that perhaps
Mercer had discovered Keatcham be-
fore we did, unconsciously spotted his
cuffs, been alarmed by our approach
and hidden, lest it should be the muir.
derers returning. He might have
wanted a chance to draw his re
yolver. Say he did that way, he might
foolishly pretend to enter for the first
time. If he made that mistake and
then discovered the condition OF his
cuffs and the spots on his knee, what
would be his natural first impulse!
Why, to change them, trusting that
they hadn't been noticed. Maybe,
then, he would wash them out
"No" murmured Miss Smith meek
w.. with a little twinkle Of her eye;
IL did that; he hid them. How ridicu
lous of me to get in such fright!
But you know how Cary hated Mr.
Keatcham; and you-no, you don't
know the lengths that such tempera
ment as his will go. I did another
silly thing; I found dagger, one Of
those Moorish stilettoes that hang IN
the library; it was lying in the door
way. When no one was looking l hid
It and carried it off. ! stuck 1t in
one of the flower beds; I stuck it in
the ferns; have stuck that wretched
thing all over this yard. l didn't dare
carry it back and put it in the empty
place with the others because some
one might have noticed the place
And l didn't dare say anything te
Cary; was right miserable
$50 was l." said the colonel, think
ing you were trying to protect the
| murderer. But do you know what
had sense 10 do?"