The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-05-31

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He had just time to finish his
cigar ere, having passed through
sleepy Stormport and wheeled
round into country road. he, came
to the stretch Of plantation de-
scribed in the letter, crossed a
narrow creek by a rickety bridge,
and so reached an almost untrod.
den track leading through the
trees toward the shore. Into that
he turned at haphazard, and creep
ing cautiously forward, became
aware of a tiny octagonal bunga-
low all but concealed from sight
by the thick foliage, small barn
set somewhat apart from it at one
side of the path he was following.
He sounded his horn to herald his
coming and drew up before low
porch at which the path stopped.
It was very still and restful there
in the shadow, with nothing to
break it's cloistral quiet but the
music of wild birds, the grooming Of
the soft tide on an unseen beach.
Amid such setting, he thought, the
girl would have seemed at homo.
But she did not come forth as he
had almost prayed that she would,
and he was not aware of the scru-
tiny to which he was being sub
jected during his day dream. When
he at length got out and knocked,
the door was reluctantly opened to
him by a hard featured, elderly
woman who might have been either
mistress or maid in that modest es-
tablishment, who bore no faintest
resemblance to her he had half
hoped to see.
She was dressed In black, with a
light shawl about her shoulders, u
cap on her closely confined gray
hair. She stood there with folded
arms, lips compressed, sharp eyes
fixed interrogatively on the strane-
err, her whole attitude telling plain
ly enough her desire to be inform
ed as to his business and settle
that in the shortest possible time.
"My name is Qu--Newman," said
he, rather lamely and gulping his
disappointment down. II had a
note from F. Smith about a small
car that's for sale here"
Come this way, please" the wo-
man requested, speaking with a
strong foreign accent and yet as
one who had full command of the
English tongue. She closed the
door carefully, and, stepping down
from the porch, led him back to-
ward the barn he had passed. He
followed respectfully, but with
small expectation of gaining any
great solace from her society. She
seemed to be bent ON exhibiting
an extreme detachment from any
personal interest In him.
She drew key from the bust
ness-like chatelaine at her belt, UNI
locked the barn door and slid that
aside with an ease which bespoke
much more strength of arm than
he would have given her credit for.
passed within and produced the
identical runabout which Quain-
lance had seen at Martins. He
recognized 1t at once and a more
minute survey confirmed his first
instantaneous impression. 1t fitted
in every respect the description
O'Ferral had supplied him with,
and. Is anything had been wanting
in way of evidence, there was a
small gray gauntlet peeping forth
fro ma fold of the hood. He had
great difficulty in REFRESHING the ex-
clamation of Joy which had almost
escaped his lips.
"Ahem!' said he, so noisily that
the woman looked her astonish-
ment.
"Does it---who-are you Mrs.
Smith," he asked in confusion, and
not knowing very we'll what to say
next.
She nodded, and. folding her
arms again, watched him unwink-
ingly while he walked around it.
"I---surely I've seen this car
somewhere before" he remarked
tentatively, rising from an inspec-
tion of the rear tires, and regarding
her from behind the hood.
There are many of the same
make" she replied very shortly,
and her lips snapped together
again.
II think It was this one" he
maintained. and she let his conten.
ton pass without either assent or
contradiction. He found her mig
gardliness of speech highly ag-
gravating.
A bright thought suddenly struck
him. He made q most workman
like examination of every vital part.
as four-fifty the lowest you'll
take?" he asked, for the sake Of
appearance, and she relaxed her
n A