The San Francisco call., 1909-09-12

couiuH imagine her existence golnS on
at all on the other side of failure.
But suppose" she TREMENDOUSLY
urged. suppose there seemed only ono
and that way, if it failed, would leave
you no afterward at all, no peace, no
courage, nothing"
Mrs Herrick's eyes fixed her with
their deep pity and their deeper appre-
nension- There are few things so bad
as that, she said slowly, "and those
are the ones we must not touch"
Flora paused moment on the brink
OF her last plunge. DO you think
Wnat l am going to do is such thing
as that?"
"Oh, my poor child. how do know?
l hope, pray 1t is not" Her fingers
closed on Flora's hand, and the girl
clung to the kind grasp. 1t was a
comfort, though it could not save her
from the real finality.
In spite of the consciousness of a
friendly presence in the house her
fears increased as the afternoon
waned, and her thoughts went back to
what she had left behind her. and for
ward to what might be coming-the
one person whom she so longed for,
and SO dreaded to see. He might be on
his way now. He might at this mo-
ment be hurrying down the hedged
lane from the station; and when he
should come, and when they two were
face to face, there would be no other
next time" for them. Everything
was crystallizing, getting hard. Every
thing was getting too near the end to
be malleable any more 1t was her
last chance to make him relinquish his
unworthy purpose; perhaps his last
chance to save himself from captivity.
She found she hadn't a thing left un-
said, an argument left unused What
could she do that she had not done
before, except to show him by just
being here. accessible and ready to
serve him at any risk. how much she
cared? Could his generosity resist
that?
Beyond the fact of getting him away
safe she didn't think. Beyond that
nothing looked large to her. nothing
looked definite. The returning of the
sapphire Itself seemed simple beside
1T. and the fact that her position in the
matter might never be explained Of
no Importance
Now while every moment drew her
nearer her greatest moment she grew
more absent, more strained. more rest
less. more intently listening, more easi-
ly starting at the lightest sound: un-
TIL. at last, when the late day touched
the rooms with fiery sunset colors,
her friend, watchful of her changing
mood, ready at every point TO palliate
circumstance, drew her out into the
garden.
The wind. which had fallen with ap-
preaching evening. was only a whisper
among the trees. The greenish white
bodies of statues in the shrubbery
glowed ruddy. Gathering their skirts
from the grass that glittered with the
drops of the last shower, arm in arm
the two women walked down the broad
central gravel drive between rib
bon beds of flowers. From here
numerous paths paved with white
stone went wandering under snow
ball trees and wild apple.
losing themselves in shrubbery. But
one made a clear turn across the lawn
for the rose garden. where in the midst
round pool of water lay like flaming &
bit of the sunset sky Among the
bushes red and rose and white, the
elder woman in her black, the younger
in her gown more glowing. with a veil
over her hair, walked. and, lettering.
looked down into the water. seeing
their faces reflected. and, behind, the
tangled brambles and the crimson sky.
They did not speak, but at last their
companionship was peaceful. was per-
feet. The only sounds were the sleepy
notes of birds and that faint. high
whisper of the tree tops on an evening
that is not still.
Loud and shrill and shriller and more
piercing. from the west wing of the
house, overhanging the garden, the
sound reached thenl-an aiarum that
set Flora's heart to leaping. Startled
apart. they listened.
Would that be-is that for your"
Il think It's for me-"
The words came from them stimuli
taneously, and almost at the same in
slant Flora had started across the
lawn The sight. of an aproned maid
coming out on the veranda and peering
down the garden set her running
fieetly.
.It's telephone for Miss Gilsey." the
girl said
"Oh, thank you" Flora painted.
She knew so well the voice she had
expected at the other end of the wire
that the husky, boyish note which
reached her. attenuated by distance,
struck her with dismay and disappoint-
ment.
ELLA, oh. yes: yes; Ella" What was
she saying? Ella was using the tele-
phone as II it were a cabinet for
secrets.
she was explaining. 'I saw her this
morning. yes. Well''-and she could
hear Ella draw in her breath-"rm so
relieved! 1 thought you'd be, too. to
know. l was perfectly right. She was
after him.
Flora faltered. After whomr There
flashed through her mind more than
one person that. by this time, Clara
might possibly be after.
why, after papa, of course!' Elias
injured surprise brought her back to
the romance of Judge Butler Her
voice rose in sheer bewi1derment.
.eWel1?"
Elias voice rose triumphantly. II
got 1t out of her myself / just came
right out to her at last She seemed
awfully surprised that I knew: but she
owned up to It, and what do you
think? / bought her offr'
Bought her off?" Flora cried. Each
fact that Ella brought forth seemed
to her more preposterous than the last.
Why, yes; it's too ridiculous; what
do you think she wanted?"
At that question Flora's heart seemed
fairly to stand still. That was the
very question she had been asking her
self for days, and asking In vain.
Elias voice was coming to her faint
as a voice from another world. she
wanted that little, little picture-that
picture of the man called Farrell Wand.
Don't you remember, papa mentioned
1T at supper that evening at the club ?